Archbishop Dolan, sent by the Pope, leads a high-level delegation of
five American bishops and the rector of the North American College in
Rome to investigate seminary life and formation.
They have already
visited the Irish College in Rome.
While in Maynooth, the archbishop or one of his team, will personally
interview all the academic staff and all the seminarians.
This is not
the first apostolic Visitation to Maynooth; the last was in the mid-90s.
According to Monsignor Hugh Connolly, President of Maynooth, the
horrific revelations of abuse “must be the backdrop for everything we do
and be a strong source of motivation.”
Comparing the Visitation to a general audit, or peer review exercise,
he told ciNews it is good to model the idea of being open to critique.
“It is a not a lesson that will be lost on our students who will be
future priests, and not a bad lesson for parishes – that there is not
just one general in charge of the parish, but that all structures have
to be open to a certain critique.”
Asked if he was nervous to have such a high power delegation
investigating the college, he replied he was not.
“I’d be less happy if
I thought it was a kind of skimpy exercise which skimmed the surface
but didn’t get to an appreciation of the reality of seminary here.”
Both he and Archbishop Dolan want the students to be relaxed.
“He
[Archbishop Dolan] said he wants it to be something where students and
staff can allay any fears and from early on there will be a very
positive atmosphere as part of this exercise,” he told ciNews.
In the 80s, there were around 400 seminarians in Maynooth.
Today
that figure is around 80, including a number of foreign students.
The
big change that has occurred in formation since those days is the
emphasis on human formation that came as a result of John Paul II’s
document on priestly formation in 1992, (Pastores Dabo Vobis) that “put formation on a foundation for the modern world in a way it had never been before.”
This introduced four pillars of formation: human, intellectual,
spiritual and pastoral. Under the area of human formation, clerical
students must now undergo therapy with a psychologist, in addition to
spiritual direction from a priest.
“Grace builds on nature,” says Mgr Connolly.
“Priesthood is about
celibacy but that can’t be a flight from, or fear of, relationship. A
person has to be sufficiently self-aware to be able to make that
sacrifice and not in such a way that it stifles who they are, but allows
them to release that positive energy in broader pastoral
relationships.”
Asked if celibacy also referred to gay relationships, Mgr Connolly
replied, “Any gay culture is not compatible with celibate living.”
The delegation visiting Irish seminaries consists of the Archbishop
of New York, Timothy Dolan, the Archbishop of Baltimore
(Maryland), Edwin O’Brien; the Bishop of Juneau (Alaska), Edward Burns;
the Bishop of La Crosse (Wisconsin), William Callahan; the Bishop of
Gaylord (Michigan), Bernard Hebda; and Msgr Francis Kelly, rector, Casa
Santa Maria (the North American College), Rome.
They will be staying at
St Patrick’s College Maynooth for the period of the Visitation.