By Rhys Lowther
Corpus Christi College is a regional seminary for the dioceses of Victoria and Tasmania under the care of the Archbishops of Melbourne and Hobart, and the Bishops of Ballarat, Sandhurst and Sale. Collectively, the Bishops form a board of episcopal trustees who meet three times a year at Corpus Christi to discuss its governance and various matters concerning the province.
Last Friday the 3rd of March marked the first of these three visits for 2023. For the bishops most of the day was spent in a meeting, but all came together for the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass at noon, followed by lunch where bishops could share a meal with the seminarians.
The initial Trustees Day each year is the occasion on which the first-year seminarians are introduced to the bishops and are presented with a College badge and a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church signed and presented by Archbishop Peter A. Comensoli. This year, the presentation of the College badge linked well with the homily preached at Mass by Bishop Anthony Ireland, Auxiliary Bishop of Melbourne, who spoke about the process of communion, participation and mission being undertaken by the universal Church in the Synod. He linked this to our current state of life in the seminary by recalling that, “the Twelve did not receive the great commission unto mission until they had had a significant time of communion and participation.” Bishop Ireland went on to describe seminary life as the locus where we deepen our communion with Christ and others. The Bishop continued,
The Gospels tell us that the way to Missionary discipleship begins with an extended period of communion then enters into participation where disciples bring others to Jesus, learn to take the lower places, are taught to pray and see how to weep in times of grief and failure as Jesus wept over both Lazarus and Jerusalem.
The Bishop went on to caution against the dangers of pride and highlight the fundamental importance of humility in each seminarian’s formation:
CTC Moral Theology classes will teach you that the antidote to pride is the virtue of humility. But at Corpus Christi College that humility must be lived until it becomes part of you. How generously you serve, how you enter into the more challenging aspects of pastoral work, and how you speak to the domestic/support staff all give indications of your growth in humility.
After these and other practical examples, Bishop Ireland ended his homily with an encouraging call to arms: “Be courageous. Be committed. Be humble. Engage well.”
Please pray that we may be courageous, committed and humble workers in the vineyard of the Lord.
