Rector's Talk - 28th November, 2020
On 28th November, the second Rector’s Talk of the year was held for the seminary community. As the majority of the community members were still not in the seminary and dispersed across many places, the talk was held online.
Having welcomed all members of community, Fr Aniceto Pereira spoke briefly about how this pandemic has affected all in some way, some suffering big losses. The pandemic came with its set of surprises and woes. While it has had its share of suffering and frustrations, this suffering has borne fruit in the form of the rise in solidarity with one another. These months of turmoil and uncertainty have brought people closer, thus strengthening fraternal bonds in the community and the world at large. He informed all about the long-awaited Sacerdotal Ordinations due on 3rd December, 2020, 60 years after the 1st ordinations took place in the same Chapel in 1960 in the month of December.
The main highlight of the talk was the newly promulgated Community Guidelines 2020 for the seminary that was approved by His Eminence Cardinal Oswald Gracias on 5th October 2020, the occasion of the 60th Anniversary of the inauguration of St Pius X Seminary. The Community Guideline 2020 have been based on the Charter on Priestly Formation for India by the CCBI (2004), and the Ratio Fundamentalis (2016).
He stated that these Community Guidelines were prepared with the aim of forming the seminarians for their future role as Priests and ministers of God. A balance of various aspects has been taken into consideration in order that each individual has a wholesome growth in the human, intellectual, spiritual and pastoral dimensions. These Guidelines aim to make the individual a dynamic person available and ready for the service of the Church and Her children. These Guidelines are not just to put order in the daily lives of the seminarians but also to provide greater meaning and value to the tasks and activities one undertakes. Therefore, these Guidelines will help to make us better disciples of Our Lord and Master, imitating His teachings and becoming true Ambassadors for Christ.
Fr Aniceto thanked all the seminarians for the various inputs and suggestions given when preparing the Community Guidelines and the staff members, especially Fr John Barretto for having put his undivided mind to complete this task. Father ended the talk wishing all well and hoping that the family of St Pius X seminary can come together again under one roof as soon as Our Lord and the situation would permit.
Br. Dorson D. D'mello
2nd Year Philosophy
