In May of this year, CNEWA made a grant to Sedes Sapientiae [Seat of Wisdom] International Seminary in Rome for the priestly education of 10 Eastern Catholic diocesan seminarians.
Brotherhood is fostered at this seminary, where seminarians selected by their bishops receive intense pastoral, liturgical and spiritual formation during a period of three to four years. They study theology and philosophy at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross.
More than 25 countries located throughout the four corners of the earth are represented at the seminary, where candidates of diverse cultural and ecclesial backgrounds gather to prepare for the priesthood. Many belong to the Latin Church but some belong to different Eastern churches. Often, the knowledge and experience of other liturgical traditions help these seminarians perceive more deeply the meaning of their own liturgical traditions.
Sponsoring bishops praise the broad outlook engendered in the seminarians by the cultural diversity of their experiences. Speaking to his seminarians, the Most Reverend Juan Antonio Reig Pla, Bishop of Segorbe-Castellon de la Plana, Spain, declared, “To be able to live with your brothers in the faith is not only a blessing for you, it also redounds to the good of our diocese. After some years, you will be coming back to the diocese. With such a rich experience of the church in Rome, you will be able to overcome any tendency toward a narrow outlook.”