Pope Leo to seminarians: Learn to remain with Jesus
Pope Leo XIV addressed Italian seminarians at the Pius XI Regional Seminary in Molfetta and the Episcopal Seminary of Aversa. He emphasized that seminary formation must be grounded in a personal relationship with Jesus, beyond study and discipline. The Pope highlighted that seminarians are called to remain with Christ, to be a sign of hope for the Church, and to eventually bring the newness of life to their communities. He urged seminarians to entrust themselves to Mary and to respond affirmatively to Jesus’ call in their daily lives.
27 days ago
Pope Leo XIV told seminarians from two southern Italian institutions that priestly formation must begin with a personal relationship with Jesus, developed through silence, prayer, discernment, study, and community life. He described seminary as preparation for mission rather than a delay, with future priests ultimately sent to proclaim the Gospel to people in difficult and varied circumstances. 1 2 3
During a Sept. 3 audience at the Vatican, Pope Leo met seminarians from the Pius XI Regional Seminary in Molfetta, Apulia, and the Episcopal or Interdiocesan Seminary of Aversa, Campania. 1 3
He said the “heart of the seminary experience” is learning to be with Jesus, whom he called the Master. Study, discipline, and the various stages of formation are important, he said, but they have value only when grounded in a relationship with God. 1 2
Leo connected this teaching to Mark’s account of Jesus calling the Twelve Apostles. The seminarians’ path, he explained, involves ascending the mountain to encounter Christ, remaining with him, and later descending from the mountain to proclaim the Gospel. 1 2
The pope emphasized that a priestly vocation is not a reward for merit or personal achievement. Referring to Jesus’ choice of the Apostles, he said there is “no competition” or ranking, and that God chooses those whom he wills as an expression of gratuitous love. 1 2 3
He also described vocation as emerging from an intimate dialogue with God, cultivated through silence and prayer. The need for such a setting is especially pressing in what he described as a hurried, noisy world that can view prolonged periods of reflection with suspicion. 2 3
Leo defended the continuing importance of seminaries, saying that the period of formation is needed today no less than in the past. It provides time to be present, discern, and accept formation without shortcuts. 1 2
The seminary, he said, is not a postponement of priestly mission but a prerequisite or condition for carrying it out. The preparation is intended to form men who can bring what they have learned through their experience of God to the wider world. 1 2
The pope cautioned seminarians against viewing their vocation as a private path with the Lord. Because Jesus called the Twelve together, he said, priestly formation must also be lived in community and through the Church. 1 2 3
Fraternity and a shared mission, he added, help sustain people through the weariness of spiritual life. Addressing formators, Leo asked them to model care and fraternity through authentic personal and communal relationships founded on truth and charity. 2 3
Leo called the seminarians’ presence a sign of hope for the entire Church. He said this hope was not merely optimism but confidence that the Lord continues to call people in every age and place. 1 3
He thanked the seminarians for their daily “yes” to God’s call and said God continues to place in the hearts of young men the beauty of giving their lives to him and to the Church. 1 2
The pope also thanked the families accompanying them, saying that vocations often require a supportive home and parents who pray and know how to let their children go. 1 3
The final stage of formation, in the pope’s presentation, is descending from the mountain and being sent to the people. Future priests are to proclaim the beauty of faith in Jesus Christ and the good news of salvation to everyone. 1 2
Leo specifically mentioned families struggling to survive, young adults leaving home to seek work, elderly people living alone, marginalized people, and those who have lost their sense of purpose. He invited the seminarians to entrust themselves to Mary and ask for the grace to say “yes” to Jesus each day, as she did. 1 2 3
The Molfetta seminary is marking the centenary of its current premises, commissioned by Pope Pius XI, while the Aversa seminary is celebrating the 300th anniversary of the opening of its present facility. 3*
“Priest formation rooted in free, personal relationship with Christ.”
Priestly formation begins not merely with academic study, discipline, or pastoral skills, but with a free and personal relationship with Jesus Christ. As Christ first called the Apostles “to be with him” before sending them to preach, seminarians must grow in communion and friendship with Him before undertaking priestly ministry.
This relationship is nourished through silent prayer, Scripture, the sacraments, the liturgy, and life in the Christian community. The Ratio Fundamentalis calls personal union with Christ “the heart of spiritual formation,” especially through prolonged prayer and meditation on God’s Word.
It must also be genuinely free. Formation is not the external molding of someone into a religious role, but a gradual conversion in which the seminarian freely offers his whole life to Christ and His Church. This freedom enables him to move beyond self-preoccupation toward generous self-giving, pastoral charity, and communion with others.
The goal, therefore, is not simply a competent cleric, but a man whose heart and life are conformed to Christ: a servant capable of preaching the Gospel, offering mercy, accompanying the faithful, and giving himself sacrificially for God’s people.