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The Seminary formation year has begun with a great sense of energy, enthusiasm and endeavour with the arrival of seventeen new members to the community. Twelve of these have begun the First Year of the Stage of Discipleship, which includes studies in Philosophy. Five men have joined the Stage of Configuration, three of whom hail from the Czech Republic and are in Maynooth as part of the Erasmus+ programme. Taking into account those who concluded their initial formation at the end of May, this brings the total number of resident seminarians to thirty-four, thirty-one of whom are in formation for Irish Dioceses.
Once again this year, the full complement of the Seminary Community returned on Sunday 8th September. The seminarians in the Stage of Discipleship took part in the Introductory Programme and the seminarians in the Stage of Configuration engaged in a Scripture Workshop on The Psalms in the Life, Prayer, Worship and Formation Journey of Maynooth Seminarians, which was facilitated by the Department of Sacred Scripture of St Patrick’s Pontifical University.
The entire seminary community took part in a two-day workshop on Synodality – Methodology for Conversations in the Spirit, facilitated by Julieann Moran, Fr Éamonn Fitzgibbon and Fr Declan Hurley of the National Synodal Steering Committee and then a three-day retreat directed by Bishop Denis Brennan, Emeritus of Ferns. These two weeks together enabled the members of a new community to begin to forge the bonds of human, spiritual, intellectual and pastoral unity which will sustain our life and work throughout the year.