Dear Rev. Fathers and Rev. Sisters and the Laity,

       Greetings in the Name of Jesus the Lord and Our Savior. The family is the seedbed of vocations. Faith formation in the family is very important in this modern time. In this situation, the mission of the Commission for vocation is to propagate in all the levels, the necessity of priestly vocation for the pastoral care of the future Church. The Priests of our Diocese and the Religious are so involved in this mission.

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The Purpose of a Minor Seminary

         All traditional Catholics will agree that the need for well-trained and dedicated priests is urgent. The harvest is certainly great, but the laborers are very few indeed. The Church understands that boys who are called by God need an environment in which they can preserve their vocation during the turbulent years of adolescence. A vocation to the priesthood is often compared to a seed. When a seed germinates the small plant needs to be watered, sheltered and nourished during the early stages of growth. So too, a vocation is a delicate seed that must be nourished and protected. Not only must a vocation be protected from the foul breath of the world, but good habits must be formed in the young men who will become other-Christs. During adolescence - that crucial period of physical, mental and moral development-lasting habits, either good or bad, are generally formed. In a preparatory seminary, perhaps even more than in the major seminary, a boy's mind and character are shaped, and his life receives a direction which often proves decisive. It is for these reasons that The Diocese of Thanjavur (http://tanjorediocese.org/) runs this St. Mary’s Minor Seminary. This is open to all the boys who have completed their Higher secondary school or college studies and who believe they may be called by God to the priesthood.

 

Selection and Formation

       Candidates who have successfully completed the Higher Secondary course are admitted for initiation course that lasts for a couple of years. After the formal application with due recommendations of the parish priests are received, we invite the candidates for a vocation camp where we watch them closely while giving them right motivation and proper orientation. On the basis of our observation and the strength of the reports on camp activities, a panel of four members including the Bishop and the Vicar General selects the candidates. Once they are admitted, they undergo strict training program to become acquainted with a new way of life of prayer and service. Some of the subjects taught during the initiation course are English, Spirituality, Introduction to Bible, Liturgy, Church History, Catechism and Sacred music. Seminarians who complete the initiation course proceed to pursue undergraduate course staying at the minor seminary and the Diocese meets the expenses as most of them from poor families.

       We would like to offer you a précis of the formation program of the Seminary. Beside daily spiritual exercises such as morning and evening prayer, meditation, Eucharistic Celebration, spiritual reading, examination of conscience, Holy Hour on Fridays, visits to the Blessed Sacrament etc,.  The seminarians have regular weekly spiritual conferences, monthly recollections and Annul Retreat. The yearly Retreat and monthly recollections are attended also by the regents and Seminarians studying in college. Rector and the Spiritual Director take turns to conduct guided meditation while giving due attention to different kinds of meditation.

        The Number of Candidates undergoing various stages of formation in the Minor Seminary and in the various Major Seminaries is 58 for this academic year of 2018-2019.

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Formation at Present

       The Seminary aims at providing the candidates for priesthood, an opportunity to respond to their call and to freely decide their own state of life. Since Jesus Christ is the ideal Priest, it is above all, from Him that the seminarians should learn what exactly priesthood is. Therefore, they should always look upon Jesus Christ as the model and exemplar of priesthood. Thus, they should try their best to follow Jesus closely. Thus, as it is envisaged in both the Second Vatican Council and the Apostolic letter Pastores Dabo Vobis the Seminary concentrates mainly on four levels of formation for the Seminarians namely: Spiritual, Intellectual Pastoral and Human. The Minor Seminary course extends for a period of five years. The first two years are intended for acquiring sufficient knowledge in human and in spiritual aspects of priestly life. During this course they are also provided with sufficient knowledge in Spirituality, Bible, Liturgy, Church History, Catechism, Etiquette, Personality Development and Music. Besides these, they are offered ample opportunities to increase their skills in languages such as English and Tamil. The progress of the Seminarians in all these is closely accompanied and if found satisfactory, they are recommended for the College Studies, to equip them better for studies in the Major Seminary. The Seminarians are also given enough opportunities to promote their talents in arts, games and sports.

       After their formation in the Minor Seminary, the Seminarians were sent to Propeaudetic course, to Coimbatore for one year and then to various Major Seminaries like Good Shepherd Seminary, Coimbatore, St. Peter’s Seminary, Bangalore and Sacred Heart Seminary, Poonamallee for courses in Philosophy and Theology.

The formation in the Seminary is the combined effort of the formators, the seminarians and the members of their family. The expenditure of the Seminarians is fully met by the Diocese and the voluntary donations of our faithful here and elsewhere.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Please Help to Support St. Mary’s Minor Seminary

       In your charity, please pray for the success of St. Mary’s Minor Seminary. Also, please donate and support for the formation of the Seminarians and May Jesus, Mary, and Joseph bless, guide, and protect you and your family! Thank you for your support!

 

 

 

      Now I have the pleasure to give you the list of our Seminarians of our Diocese.

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