Opening of the New Year

St. Mary’s Seminary & University welcomes twenty-one new seminarians and two resident priest students from fourteen dioceses to its seminary community.  Student leadership and seminarian volunteers helped the new seminarians move in and feel welcomed and at home at St. Mary’s during its 2014 Introduction to Seminary Life Program, August 21^st – 25^th.  With the arrival of the returning seminarians on August 25^th, the community begins the year, as always, with a retreat.  This year’s theme: “Take, Bless, Break, the Eucharistic Pattern of the Life of a Priest” was led this year by new faculty members Fr. Scott Detisch and Fr. James McKearney, S.S. The new seminary year was then opened on August 28^th, the Memorial of St. Augustine, with the Eucharist celebrated by Archbishop William Lori, Chair of the Board and Chancellor of the University.

Archbishop Lori spoke with great clarity about St. Augustine and his human, spiritual, theological and pastoral growth.  He encouraged the seminarians to follow the example of St. Augustine in their continued growth toward the priesthood.