Rentrée 2009

After the priesthood ordinations of our deacons Beaugrand and Raffray at St. Anne d’Auray on July 4^th, the seminary has (almost) emptied itself due the dwellers’ well deserved holiday before starting an important new school year. 

As a matter of fact, our seminary is now entering its fourth year of existence and this means that we are now starting the theological studies. The older seminarians who have completed year of Spirituality and their two years of Philosophy in Courtalain will be able to continue their studies on site, starting September, where they will discover the greatness of Catholic Theology. This is a milestone because it shows that the Seminary St. Vincent-de-Paul has now reached a certain maturity that allows a complete formation for future priests. The challenge made three years ago of opening a Traditional Seminary in France under the responsibility of the Institute of the Good Shepherd is now almost accomplished and, if God wills, it will be able to answer the Pope’s demand during his catechesis on August 19^th, 2009 which recalled the necessity of a seminary: “The foundations set for the formation of priests in the Seminaries are an irreplaceable spiritual ground, in which we can “learn Jesus Christ”, when one lets himself be molded after Him, the supreme Priest and the Good Shepherd. The time spent at the Seminary must be considered as the realization of the moment when Our Lord Jesus Christ, after calling his Apostles and before sending them to preach, demanded them to stay with him. (cf. Mk 3, 14)”
 

The teacher staff is different this year since Rev. Fr. Henri Forestier, after having spent his last three years devoting himself to the foundations and setting up of our Seminary, has now left us to be the Director of our little Sisters of the Good Shepherd on a full-time task; Rev. Fr. Yannick Vella, on his side, is now on charge of the Parish St. Eloi in Bordeaux. That they may receive our gratitude for their works done here in the Seminary. The Holy Providence is kind for sending us Rev. Fr. Emmanuel de Ducla who attends this month his canonical licence in Dogmatic Theology, being able to teach this subject to the seminarians of the 4^th year. Rev. Fr. Leslek Krolikowski stays faithful to his post as a teacher of Philosophy and Moral Theology, working at the same time on his PhD in philosophy at the Angelicum in Rome. Not even our young priests are idle since Rev. Fr. Stefano Carusi takes the charge upon the Latin and Greek classes and also upon the Church History class and Rev. Fr. Raffray starts his first year of priesthood with the courses of Philosophy and Theology. At last, I will assume the office of Rector of the Seminary, taking a particular attention to the first-year seminarians ensuring the course of “General Introduction to Sacred Scripture”. We will also be aided by some outside teachers which will transmit their knowledge and their apostolic zeal, especially the Rev. Fr. Paul Aulagnier through his course on the recent history of the Church. 

The seminarians will return in Courtalain on September 19^th (Saturday) with a spiritual retreat preached by Rev. Fr. Chanut, opening for them the Sacerdotal Year according to the Holy Father’s wish. Then, we receive our fourteen new candidates from all around the world, who hope to join the Institute. So, we now have 27 seminarians, three brothers and five teachers. Our accommodation is hardly sufficient to them all and new difficulties arise. We urgently need to make investments to accommodate these new ones who are ready to give their lives to God. This is why we put all our hope in the generosity of benefactors and this could be you also, to give us all the means to make this hard but beautiful task possible, that is, the formation of your priests of tomorrow.
 
Rev. Fr. Roch Perrel
Rector.