The month of July sees the seminary community come to the end of another fruitful formation year, with seminarians returning to their home dioceses for the summer. It is also the month when most of our deacons are ordained to the sacred priesthood, receiving this precious gift from God so that in their life and ministry, through service of God’s people, they may work for the greater glory of God in society. At one of the recent ordinations, the bishop illustrated this point with a beautiful quote from St John Vianney, “The priest is not a priest for himself; he does not give himself absolution; he does not administer the Sacraments to himself. He is not for himself; he is for you.”
This is a reminder of the counter cultural way in which we are called to live in our contemporary western culture, where we can often see the self-serving effects of individualism. For this reason, one of the significant features of discernment and formation for the priesthood is our community life in the seminary. It is often observed by people that this seems strange, given that for many years most diocesan priests live alone. Living in community is formative for us: it is not easy! As we live alongside, work, pray, study, and socialise day in and day out with people who all have different characters, each of us learns a lot about ourselves – our weaknesses and our strengths.
Pope St John Paul II described the seminary as a continuation in the Church of the apostolic community gathered around Jesus, listening to his word, proceeding to the Easter experience, awaiting the gift of the Spirit. With Jesus there is the opportunity for each of us to mature in our love of neighbour: to become a man for others, to prepare to be a priest for others. To enable seminary community means committing to a routine which is not of my choosing, doing things in a way I might not like, bearing with the weaknesses and differences in others and learning to be patient with my own weaknesses. Relying upon God’s grace, this can all contribute to growth as a disciple of Jesus; being configured to him as head and shepherd. As the seminarian matures, he remains utterly himself yet at the same time his heart and mind are shaped to become more like those of the Good Shepherd. With a deepening interiority, little by little he internalises an authentic priestly way of life – ready to receive the gift of the priesthood – to become one who serves those entrusted to his care.
The Prophet Jeremiah says, “I will give them shepherds after my own heart.” During this month of July, we give thanks to God for those men who will be ordained to the sacred priesthood, and we pray that their witness will inspire other men to respond generously to the call of Jesus.
