As future priests be part of the community: Card. Filoni to Indians

February 12, 2013: Seminary formation is one of the most important ministries in the Church, as the future priests, along with the Religious and Laity, become the main pastoral agents and collaborators of the Bishop in building up the local communities and in developing communion within the Diocese as a whole, said Cardinal Fernando Filoni, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, on Tuesday. He was addressing Seminarians and staff of St. Albert College, in Ranchi, on the occasion of its centenary celebrations. The Cardinal is on a pastoral visit to India from 9-16 February.

About the College, the Cardinal said, … so far over 2000 new priests have come out of this College, out of whom 35 have become Bishops, Archbishops and one Cardinal. The main scope of this leading College has been to train and form new priests for Chota Nagpur Region and the whole of North India.

In line with the Church Teachings on Priestly formation and the opportune directives the Catholic Church issues from time to time, this Seminary aims at forming new priests according to the heart of Jesus, Cardinal Filoni added.

The Cardinal asked the Seminarians: why are you here today? What motivates you to frequent the Seminary? Are you ready, through faith, to offer all your life to Christ? Are you ready to offer all your physical energy to serve Christ and His Church, in a celibate and chaste life? Are you ready to serve the People of God, the poor and the Gospel, in obedience? Are you ready to sacrifice your temptation to pursue an egoistic career, in order to in the priesthood serve the Sacraments of the Eucharist, the forgiveness of sins, the consolation of the afflicted and to impart the Holy Spirit?
From the answers to these questions, the Cardinal said, I would know if your presence in the Seminary today makes sense, or it is sheer waste of time.

Your response to God’s grace is the gift of yourself, now in your responsibility throughout your priestly formation, later in pastoral charity throughout your many years of priestly ministry. Be aware that there is an intrinsic relation between a priest’s spiritual life and the exercise of the ministry, and this especially in the celebration of the sacraments, receiving its saving effects from the action of Christ himself in the Sacraments, Cardinal Filoni reminded them.

As future priests be part of the community you will be ministering. This by being personally involved in the life of the community and being responsible for it. You should also offer the witness of a total “honesty” and detachment in the administration of the goods of the community, which you will never treat as if they were your own property, but rather something for which you will be held accountable by God and your brothers and sisters, especially the poor and the marginalized. Rest assure that this interior freedom will help you to stand beside the poor and the underprivileged and urge you to exercise solidarity, Cardinal Filoni added.