The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1922-05-27
SERMON BY BISHOP McN|CHOLhS
Nature of a Seminary.
CONTINUED from Page IL

winch is now regarded as necessary
for the perpetuity of the priesthood,
dates only from the Council of Trent.
But the thought and mind of the
Church from Apostolic times has been
to exercise great care over those who
are to become priests. St. Paul in
structs Timothy not to lay hands light
ly on any man. Augustine, perhaps
the greatest intellectual genius of the
Church, may be regarded as the
priests Bishop. He formed a house.
hold of clerics where men lived to-
gether, studied together and entered
into holy competition to fit themselves
by their learning and holiness for
great service in the Church. Angus
tines example was followed by many
other Bishops. The schools of the
Bishops house, 'in domo ecclesiae,"
the cathedral schools, the schools of
Milan, Paris and Oxford, and the
school of the Latin Basilica of Rome,
furnish interesting pages in the his.
tory of training young men for the
priesthood. From these schools came
forth great priests, Bishops and Popes.
From the episcopal schools arose many
university centers where clerics and
laymen received the highest educ&,
ton. The neglect of many of the ca
thedral schools in consequence of the
development Of the university brought
about ignorance and lack of spiritual
formation among the clergy.
Council of Trent.
The Protestant Reformation showed
forth the need of the reform inaugu-
rated by the Fathers of the Council of
Trent. The wise provisions of this
council as best suited to the condi-
lions of the Church in the Northwest,
you are now carrying out in detail in
the archdiocese of st. Paul. No one
better than your Archbishop knows
the mind OF the Church as expressed
by Trent.-~Like another Augustine, no
one sets q greater value on the advan-
tages of a body of united, holy and
learned priests formed according to
the directions of the Tridentine Fa-
theirs. Since the Council of Trent, the
greatest Bishops of the Church have
given their best thought to the forma-
ton of priests. The last three Popes
have been most Watchful over the
seminariesy of the world, and have is
sued timely DEGREES to insure greater
learning and piety during the years of
formation. reE z4
Needs in America.
There is need to set higher stand
ards for seminary life in America. The
Imagination of our future priests must
be quickened Seminarians must be-
come more studious, more serious,
more resourceful. They must be pre-,
pared to study the thousands of re-
than the errors of past centuries, er.
rors which are only a new presenta-
ton or a new combination of what
was false in the past. The modern
mind turns from principles and re-
fuses to follow them to their conclu.
sions. This makes the demand all the
greater for our aspirants to the priest
hood to study principles more pro-
foundry in order that they may be-
come safe leaders who will conduct
those led astray back to the truth.
They must be strengthened for the
dangers which will be encountered in
fighting error and moral wrongs. They
must prepare for constructive work in
solving the many and complex reli-
gious problems of our country They
must be protected by prayer, and their
own lives must be guided by the sane.
tifying principles of ascetical theol-
ogy.
An American Priesthood.
It is not surprising that His Grace
has given his first thought to those
preparing for the major seminary. No
one can think of the work of the
priesthood in America during the past
century without giving thanks to Al
mighty God for all the self-sacrificin
labors of the earnest, faithful, prayer
full and God-fearing men who have laid
the foundations of the Church of
America. If in our way we do our
work as well as they did theirs we
must successfully meet our conditions,
not theirs. We must be prepared for
our difficulties, not theirs. We must
be armed to fight the errors and evils
of our times. What will be the more
thorough preparation which this will
mean in our seminary life2 What adj
ditional years of study will be neces-
sary after ordination to fit our priests
for the work of our day? No one has
given these questions more serious
and profound consideration than your
Archbishop. If more is to be demand
ed in seminary life young men must
be the better prepared for their phil
.osophical and Theological studies.
They must especially go to the major
seminary with habits and love Of
study and solid piety. From expert
ence, we knew that the dangers. for
young men ara. multiplying. The re-
ligious spirit of the home is diminish
ing. The American boy and young
man, impelled by nervousness which
the spirit of the country stimulates,