ARCHDIOCESE OF PHILADELPHIA

Greetings, dear Friends, in Christ Jesus Our Lord!

Dear Friends in Christ Jesus,

I am delighted to be with you at the inauguration of a new academic year, and, in particular, to join with you in invoking the Holy Spirit and entrusting to Him all of our endeavors in the realm of academic, pastoral, human and spiritual formation. With renewed sentiments of gratitude, I greet the Rector, Faculty and Staff of the Seminary. I especially extend a cordial welcome to our newly appointed Faculty members who will make the Profession of Faith and the Oath of Fidelity during this Eucharistic Liturgy. To you, esteemed Faculty, can be applied the words of Saint Joseph Calasanz, who is commemorated today: “All who undertake to teach must be endowed with deep love, the greatest patience, and, most of all, profound humility. They must perform their work with earnest zeal” (Liturgy of the Hours, Office of Readings). For your commitment, zeal and devotion to the work of priestly formation, I thank you all.

With great joy, I greet all of you, dear deacons and seminarians, as you return for another year of formation, and, God willing, another year closer to the Priesthood of our Lord Jesus Christ. With special warmth, I greet our new seminarians, those of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia as well as those from other dioceses and religious communities. Welcome to Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. How pleased we are to have you here! How pleased that your Bishops and Religious Superiors have chosen to send you here!

Please allow me to relate again the words of Pope Benedict XVI, which he spoke to me when I greeted him after his election. The Holy Father stated clearly: “You have a good seminary in Philadelphia!” Since 1832, our seminary has formed priests for this local Church, as well as for a number of other dioceses and religious communities. I am pleased that so many Bishops and Religious Superiors continue to recognize the effective work of Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary in the formation of priests. Furthermore, the presence of these dioceses and communities, represented by you seminarians, greatly enhances and enriches our seminary, and the friendships which you forge with one another will be supportive, life-giving and lasting as you progress together toward the sacred priesthood.

It is the ancient tradition of the Church to begin a new year of academic pursuits by invoking the Holy Spirit. The Third Person of the Most Blessed Trinity imparts abundantly His gifts of wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord. These gifts, bestowed through the Sacrament of Confirmation, are critical in the life of every Christian. How much more are these gifts needed by those who present themselves for the sacred ministry of the Church.

Aptly, the Scripture readings for this Mass speak to you, young men, as you listen to the voice of God. He has called you from the world so that you might have a new vision of the world. As proclaimed by the Prophet Isaiah, God grasped you by the hand; formed you and set you to be, like Christ, as a covenant of the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring prisoners out from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness (cf. Is 42: 6-7). It is the hope of all who seek to serve the Lord to see a renewal - a renewal of hearts and minds, a renewal of attitudes, a drawing away from the imprisonment of sin, despair and hopelessness, a transformation - through the Holy Spirit - of the face of the earth.

Such was the desire of Saint Paul the Apostle. Converted by his encounter with the Risen Christ, Saint Paul used every gift, every charism which he possessed to proclaim the mercy of God revealed in Christ Crucified. Under the weight of hardships and burdens, in moments of severe trial and tribulation, in the face of persecution and death, Saint Paul never lost that gift of God which we call hope. As he wrote in the Letter to the Romans, “hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Rom 5:5). In the power of the Holy Spirit, Saint Paul labored to bring hope to a world so much in need, in order to renew all people for Jesus.

How wonderful it is to know that in our own day, in our own troubled age, in a world fractured by violence, chilled by selfish pursuits, and darkened by sin, you, dear young men, are called by God to be signs of hope. Like the Prophet Isaiah, the Apostle Paul, and Jesus Himself, you are signs of the bright future which God unfolds for His Church. You willingly present yourselves with the desire to be disciples of Jesus, who invites you to deny yourself, take up the cross, and follow Him (cf. Mt 16:24). When you offer yourselves to Jesus, He will give you the grace to bear the Cross, to use the Cross to till the soil in the hearts of people, and to plant deeply within their hearts the seed of God’s word, which will grow and flourish a hundredfold.

Your own discernment may be like that of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. In discerning his vocation, Saint Ignatius reflected on all that Jesus endured in his poverty, in his labor, in his rejection and in his sufferings. As Saint Ignatius pondered and marveled at this, he prayed: “I can hardly bear the thought of it all. But it seems a toweringly wonderful thing that you might call me to follow you and stand with you. I will labor to bring God’s reign if you will give me the gift to do it” (Prayer from his Spiritual Exercises).

Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you begin another year—a new year—of study, pastoral experience, human formation programs and spiritual development. These are the tools which will help you mature intellectually, pastorally, physically and emotionally—all in the light of your growth in love for God—so that you will be equipped to labor for the Kingdom of God. In every aspect of your formation, recognize the guiding power of the Holy Spirit. Remember, as the Servant of God Pope John Paul II explained in Pastores Dabo Vobis: “And so the future priest ... must grow in his awareness that the agent par excellence of his formation is the Holy Spirit, who by the gift of a new heart configures and conforms him to Jesus Christ the Good Shepherd.... But to welcome this action implies also, on the part of the candidate, a welcome for the human ‘mediating’ forces which the Spirit employs. As a result, the actions of the different teachers become truly and fully effective only if the future priest offers his own convinced and heartfelt cooperation to this work of formation” (no. 69).

As we inaugurate this new Academic Year, daily pray to the Holy Spirit. Ask Him to increase within you His gifts so that you will grow in wisdom, maturity, faith and holiness. In this Year of Saint Paul, I encourage you to familiarize yourself with the life and letters of this great Apostle. Through his example and in his teaching, you will learn much about the sacred ministry to which you are called. Furthermore, immerse yourselves more deeply in conversation with Jesus - in the Scriptures and in the Mass, in Holy Communion and through Eucharistic Adoration. Throughout each day, entrust yourselves to the protection and intercession of Mary, the Mother of God, especially through the Rosary. Through devotion to Mary, you will be more conformed to Jesus, whose face Mary always makes known.

In conclusion I wish to share with you the sentiments expressed by our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI at Saint Joseph Seminary, Dunwoody, during his April visit to the United States: “The people of God look to you to be holy priests, on a daily journey of conversion, inspiring in others the desire to enter more deeply into the ecclesial life of believers. I urge you to deepen your friendship with Jesus the Good Shepherd. Talk heart to heart with Him.... Strive for a pattern of life truly marked by charity, chastity and humility, in imitation of Christ, the Eternal High Priest, of whom you are to become living icons.” Amen.