Sydney’s Seminary of the Good Shepherd has welcomed its largest intake of first-year seminarians since 2017. Source: The Catholic Weekly.
The seminary received 14 first-year students into its ranks, bringing the total number of men preparing for the priesthood at the seminary in Homebush to 46.
Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP celebrated Mass on January 29 with the newcomers, established seminarians and their families, and offered them words of encouragement.
Seminary rector Fr Michael de Stoop also welcomed the men, saying it was a very meaningful experience not only for those entering the seminary but also for their families.
In his homily, the archbishop spoke of the parable of the sower, likening the seminarians to farmers sowing seed.
He said the parable is a display of God’s “divine generosity” as he spreads his Word and gifts to all, even to those who will not accept it.
“Like the sower, you won’t know in advance if, and how, and in whom your labours will bear fruit,” he said.
“You can’t fixate on the perfect conditions for evangelisation or achieving the perfect results, rather, you must trust in God, the Gospel, the Church, your formators.”
The archbishop said if the seminarians followed these things, they could achieve a response “30, 60, and 100-fold”.
“Be ready for him to do great things in you.”
Fr de Stoop said he was “very grateful” to all those in attendance for the launch of the 2025 intake and addressed the parents of the new seminarians.
“I’m mindful of just how meaningful this is, especially for students in the first year as they start these new beginnings,” he said.
“I’m mindful also of the tremendous sacrifices that have gone into the development of your son in his own growth in life and just how foundational that is to what we see as our purpose here as faculty.”
FULL STORY
Archbishop Fisher welcomes largest seminary intake in eight years (By Tara Kennedy, The Catholic Weekly)
