Oblate Community at St Mary's Seminary, Mulgrave, Victoria

Some people have been asking me about photos of the St Mary’s Seminary in Mulgrave, Victoria which is my new home now. I didn’t want to start with pictures of the building as the seminary is about students whom in the Oblate Congregation we call scholastics. That’s why I have waited until our little community was complete. A few days ago scholastics Anthony and Casmir returned from their holidays and joined scholastic Sayyane. As scholastics are back Fr Christian and I can begin the formation ministry here. I must say that I am most impressed with our scholastics. They arrived on Sunday night and on Monday morning they were up and doing vacuuming and other jobs around to prepare the seminary for the visit of the Oblates on occasion of our 188 Anniversary of Papal Approval. What impresses me most is that they did those jobs without even being told. I can see that they have received such a great religious and Oblate training which we call formation. It reminds me some words of my superior from the time when I was a scholastic myself. He would keep telling us: “I don’t believe in the religion of the people who keep talking about the Holy Trinity, Mary and Joseph but don’t see that the carpet needs to be vacuumed or the windows cleaned.” The more a person grows in faith the more he or she should be looking for the ways to serve others following the example of Christ who said that he came to serve not to be served.

As we are commencing the new formation (training) year here at St Mary’s I ask your prayers for these three young men so that the coming months can result not only in good marks at University but first and furthermore in the passion for Christ and the People of God.

From the left Scholastics Sayyane, Anthony and Casmir

Our little family