30 yr Record number of First Year Seminarians (and pre-sems also?) for the SSPX.

Started by Xavier, January 07, 2019, 05:33:52 AM

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Xavier

Good news! Fr. Christian Thouvenot recently said, "The SSPX is growing slowly but steadily. Everywhere, our projects need more support and more manpower. This is why it is important to pray a great deal and ask for many Priestly and Religious Vocations, and especially many holy Priests." The number of 1st year seminarians this year is a 30+ yr record.

But ... I feel it could and should be higher still in years going forward. Just think. By 2050, the world's population will be 10 billion. Catholic population likely 2 billion. Traditional Catholics perhaps 50-100 million.

Won't we require at least 50-100 thousand Priests by then? The "1000 persons per 1 Priest" is a traditional principle. St. John Vianney: "A Priest goes to Heaven or a Priest goes to Hell with a thousand people behind." A good Priest takes his flock to heaven with him; a bad Priest causes many souls to be lost; doesn't lack of Priests do the same?

Of course we cannot rush and ordain bad Priests, but what we must do is (1) increase the intake in the first place, by securing a greater number of vocations both from SSPX schools, and others directly coming to Tradition, and (2) increase the ratio that makes it to final ordination, as much as possible, without compromising the integrity of those ordained.

My Priest once joked "Bilocution is a gift I am yet to receive!" If 2 or more Mass centres (and there are often much more than that) desire Holy Mass on Sunday or even on some weekdays, but there is only 1 Priest (even if that good Priest works as hard as possible) many Traditional faithful go without Mass and the Sacraments. This is a pressing problem that requires our urgent attention.

It may be better to have 1000 Priests of 1/1000th the sanctity of a living Saint than only one single Priest, who is a Saint, but on account of which so many Mass centres have to go without Priests. Thoughts?

65 is very good. But hopefully soon, it will be close to something like 250.

Quote"This fall, the seminaries of the Priestly Society of St. Pius X in the northern hemisphere began another school year.

In the United States, the St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary in Dillwyn, Virginia, welcomed 24 pre-seminarians (21 Americans and 3 Canadians) and 27 first-year seminarians: 24 Americans, 2 Irishmen and 1 Canadian.

In France, the St. Curé d'Ars Seminary began the new year on October 6, first Saturday of the month and the eve of the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, with 16 first-year candidates: 12 are French, 2 English, 1 Portuguese and 1 Swiss.

In Germany, the Sacred Heart Seminary in Zaitzkofen, Bavaria, welcomed 7 candidates on the same day: 3 are Polish, 2 Austrian, 1 German and 1 Lithuanian. 3 German postulants also entered the Brothers' Novitiate.

In all, 50 young men have answered God's call and begun their preparation for the priesthood in the SSPX seminaries in Europe and North America. May they persevere for all six years of their formation, with the help of God's grace and their daily fidelity to seminary life.

In March, the SSPX seminaries in Argentina and Australia welcomed 15 candidates in the spirituality year. In all, 65 first-year seminarians will have entered in the year 2018: almost a record, since it has been more than thirty years since the numbers were this high."

https://sspx.org/en/news-events/news/large-number-first-year-seminarians-sspx-41279
Bible verses on walking blamelessly with God, after being forgiven from our former sins. Some verses here: https://dailyverses.net/blameless

"[2] He that walketh without blemish, and worketh justice:[3] He that speaketh truth in his heart, who hath not used deceit in his tongue: Nor hath done evil to his neighbour: nor taken up a reproach against his neighbours.(Psalm 14)

"[2] For in many things we all offend. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man."(James 3)

"[14] And do ye all things without murmurings and hesitations; [15] That you may be blameless, and sincere children of God, without reproof, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation; among whom you shine as lights in the world." (Phil 2:14-15)

Lynne

In conclusion, I can leave you with no better advice than that given after every sermon by Msgr Vincent Giammarino, who was pastor of St Michael's Church in Atlantic City in the 1950s:

    "My dear good people: Do what you have to do, When you're supposed to do it, The best way you can do it,   For the Love of God. Amen"

Michael Wilson

"The World Must Conform to Our Lord and not He to it." Rev. Dennis Fahey CSSP

"My brothers, all of you, if you are condemned to see the triumph of evil, never applaud it. Never say to evil: you are good; to decadence: you are progess; to death: you are life. Sanctify yourselves in the times wherein God has placed you; bewail the evils and the disorders which God tolerates; oppose them with the energy of your works and your efforts, your life uncontaminated by error, free from being led astray, in such a way that having lived here below, united with the Spirit of the Lord, you will be admitted to be made but one with Him forever and ever: But he who is joined to the Lord is one in spirit." Cardinal Pie of Potiers

Gardener

Is a pre-seminarian a first year and 1st year seminarian 2nd year, e.g., tonsured?
"If anyone does not wish to have Mary Immaculate for his Mother, he will not have Christ for his Brother." - St. Maximilian Kolbe

Gerard

There's a lot of assumed conflation of ideas at work.  They should probably be more clearly sorted out. 

Quantity vs. Quality vs. Sanctity. 

Quantity:  Obviously sheer numbers. (many)

Quality: the actual skill a priest has in fulfilling his duties as a pastor of souls and an offerer of sacrifice.  (good)

Sanctity:  The personal holiness of the individual.  (holy) 



Sanctity doesn't equal quality when it comes to a priest actually fulfilling his duties to his flock.  Sometimes the priest that is farther from perfect can reach people that a more pious man can't. 

St. Jerome, St. Augustine, St. Ambrose, St. Pio, St. John Vianney, St. Pius X are all very different types of men.  One personality may repel people and another may draw people.  it should be further delineated that each of those saints obviously was saintly during their lives, but it may not have manifested itself in ways that people would associate with 'saintly." or like anyone they had many moments that weren't saintly at all.   

What you can't do is sacrifice Sanctity and Quality in favor of Quantity.  That's how we got where we are today. 

Theoretically, you could have a priest who was lousy and a lout his entire priesthood and with the grace of a perfect contrition at death wind up in Heaven.  He's a saint, but one not to be imitated if you can help it unless you are actually at that last moment of life. 


Michael Wilson

Quote from: Gardener on January 07, 2019, 10:31:59 AM
Is a pre-seminarian a first year and 1st year seminarian 2nd year, e.g., tonsured?
The SSPX introduced a pre-Seminary year of Humanities a few years ago, because many of the candidates that came to them, did not have the intellectual formation to handle the Seminary studies. The students of pre-Seminary do not receive the tonsure or wear the cassock; they receive the tonsure and the cassock on the Second of February (Candlemass) of their first year of Seminary.
"The World Must Conform to Our Lord and not He to it." Rev. Dennis Fahey CSSP

"My brothers, all of you, if you are condemned to see the triumph of evil, never applaud it. Never say to evil: you are good; to decadence: you are progess; to death: you are life. Sanctify yourselves in the times wherein God has placed you; bewail the evils and the disorders which God tolerates; oppose them with the energy of your works and your efforts, your life uncontaminated by error, free from being led astray, in such a way that having lived here below, united with the Spirit of the Lord, you will be admitted to be made but one with Him forever and ever: But he who is joined to the Lord is one in spirit." Cardinal Pie of Potiers

Heinrich

Quote from: Michael Wilson on January 07, 2019, 12:40:36 PM
Quote from: Gardener on January 07, 2019, 10:31:59 AM
Is a pre-seminarian a first year and 1st year seminarian 2nd year, e.g., tonsured?
The SSPX introduced a pre-Seminary year of Humanities a few years ago, because many of the candidates that came to them, did not have the intellectual formation to handle the Seminary studies. The students of pre-Seminary do not receive the tonsure or wear the cassock; they receive the tonsure and the cassock on the Second of February (Candlemass) of their first year of Seminary.

Home schooling caveat?
Schaff Recht mir Gott und führe meine Sache gegen ein unheiliges Volk . . .   .                          
Lex Orandi, lex credendi, lex vivendi.
"Die Welt sucht nach Ehre, Ansehen, Reichtum, Vergnügen; die Heiligen aber suchen Demütigung, Verachtung, Armut, Abtötung und Buße." --Ausschnitt von der Geschichte des Lebens St. Bennos.

Michael Wilson

Some parents do a great job some not so much. Also, in the "good old days" all Catholic Schools taught Latin and required student to take at least two years; now even many tradi Catholic Schools simply do not have the time or personnel to teach it; so this has to be made up somewhere ergo: "pre-Seminary".
"The World Must Conform to Our Lord and not He to it." Rev. Dennis Fahey CSSP

"My brothers, all of you, if you are condemned to see the triumph of evil, never applaud it. Never say to evil: you are good; to decadence: you are progess; to death: you are life. Sanctify yourselves in the times wherein God has placed you; bewail the evils and the disorders which God tolerates; oppose them with the energy of your works and your efforts, your life uncontaminated by error, free from being led astray, in such a way that having lived here below, united with the Spirit of the Lord, you will be admitted to be made but one with Him forever and ever: But he who is joined to the Lord is one in spirit." Cardinal Pie of Potiers

Gardener

Sounds like the FSSP's first year guys. They don't get tonsured until after first year. First year is basic stuff and remedial humanities type of classes.
"If anyone does not wish to have Mary Immaculate for his Mother, he will not have Christ for his Brother." - St. Maximilian Kolbe