Visiting candidates for the Priesthood from a lay point of view.

During Holy Week we had the privilege of staying at the English seminary in Valladolid in Spain. There were 19 lads who were two thirds of their way through the propaedeutic year.  This means they were on the 1^st year of preparation and  training for the priesthood, which would be followed by 6 years in seminary in Rome at the Venerable English college, Oscott in Birmingham, or Allen Hall in London.  It was a real gift to have so many wonderful conversations with them about the course they are following, the thought processes they are led through and their hopes for their future, and the future  of the Church.

They were men on all different ages – some still very young whilst others had been in business or industry after university. Many were from the UK but there were also four lads from Canada and three from Norway as well as one lad from the Armenian tradition and one from Brazil ( although bnased inth eUK), and other countries were also represented. So, there was a mix of cultures, languages and traditions.

 It was a joy to hear their views on the progress of the Church around the world and their involvement in it.  Their willingness to sit and chat and the warm welcome they gave us was incredible. There were also members of staff present ( four of whom were priests and one lady) as well as some of the families and friends of some of the seminarians. It was interesting to hear of the visiting speakers they have during the year, the visits of some of the  bishops of men in the current group, visits to Lourdes and this week they are on the Camino to Santiago de Compostella. Besides this we had the chance to hear from the parents and families who are part of this process as they support their sons. Many were trying to work out what it means for them  and their family in the future  which gave us a  very different perspective.

The conversations were at times light-hearted and great fun, but many went on to be very deep and touched on ideas about  where the Church had come from and what this generation of young people consider  to be the future of the Church. Many of the lads had received great support from  friends and family, but several had battled with views of folk who thought they were wasting their life and did not understand the call of God to this vocation. 

They expressed their thoughts on the archaic processes of past seminaries which many alumni had shared with them over the months. Without any prompting these men stated that they wanted to go to seminary not only to understand their vocation but to receive training to be the best pastors they can be and to learn how to serve God in the best way possible.  Although they sometimes seemed young and idealistic their course of thought was true and honest.

One of the most significant things I discovered throughout these conversations, both with staff and students was to learn that this propaedeutic year is all about the foundation of prayer in their life. The students are led to develop habits of prayers, to learn how to use the breviary, to discover the meaning of scripture through Lectio Davina, to study the Catechism of the Church and to question themselves about their own relationship with God. This was not just to cover the basis and tick the boxes there was a real desire to listen to God with their hearts. From many conversations with older priests, I came to the conclusion  that this often seemed to be missing in seminaries in the past and it was great to hear this is the first thing they tackle and develop in the lives of these young men. Without prayer and a relationship with God at the centre of their lives how can these possible future priests embark on the next stage of their journey? Even if some discover they are not called to the priesthood this foundational year will be a corner stone in their future lives.   

We manged to attend many of the services and times of prayer in the college and  although very nervous the lads got stuck into the things they were asked to do, such as sing the Psalms which many had only done in practise; to read with confidence and to serve on the sanctuary. They did this with great joy and gusto. I am totally sure I would never have attempted singing solo as they did, credit must be given to them, especially if they were slightly  tone deaf. Well, done lads!