Dedication of Saint Thomas Aquinas
Seminary
16 May AD 1998
The dedication of Saint Thomas Aquinas Seminary took place
on Saturday, May 16th. The seminary chapel was crowded to capacity by the
clergy, the choir from Our Lady of Good Hope in Pinellas Park, those who have
been working since January to refurbish the building, and many well-wishers. The
ceremony began at 12:30 PM as the crowd proceeded around the building, blessing
its walls with holy water. The Litany of the Saints was chanted as the
procession entered and made its way into the chapel. The chapel received its own
special blessing, and its beautiful marble altar was consecrated before the
beginning of Solemn Pontifical Mass. Following Holy Mass there was a reception,
held in the seminary refectory.
On entering the seminary building, one immediately
encounters an almost life sized crucifix. There is no doubt as to the building's
purpose, to form men to be other Christs who will perpetuate our Lord's
sacrifice on the Cross by offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Just down the
hall, there is a picture of the seminary's patron St. Thomas Aquinas. The
picture is a reminder that this building is devoted to the teaching of the
orthodox Catholic Faith as it has come down to us from our Lord and the Apostles
-- no modernism is allowed here.
On the first floor of the building are located the chapel,
refectory, rector's office, common room, a class room, five bedrooms, and a
utility room. The floors are carpet with a deep red carpet, which gives a touch
of "ecclesiastical elegance." While the rooms are relatively Spartan,
the common room fells much like being at home in friend's living room. The
chapel is beautifully decorated in the Catholic tradition of putting one's best
at the service of our Lord. There are five stained glass windows, well made oak
furniture, and a properly appointed marble altar.
When work is completed on the second floor, there will be
three class rooms, a library, and about fifteen bedrooms. Some work remains to
be done outside, which will give the seminarians an expansive green area for
open air relaxation and study. Much of the work is being done by the people and
clergy of our Lady of Good Hope Church in nearby Pinellas Park. The day before
the dedication, there was a small army of people (including three bishops)
making last minute adjustments throughout the first floor. There is a lot that
remains to be done.
In addition to serving as center for the formation of new
priests, the seminary will be used to accommodate retreats and days of
recollection. Those interested in further information about the seminary, or who
may have a vocation to the religious life, or who would care to donate to the
seminary fund may contact:
The Rector,
Saint Thomas Aquinas Seminary,
1051 72 Street North, Saint
Petersburg, FL
Telephone: 813-341-9111
Sermon for the Dedication of St. Thomas Aquinas
Seminary
Saturday, 16 May 1998
Ave Maria!
Two thousand years ago, during the evening of the day that
we now call Holy Thursday, our Lord Jesus Christ took bread and wine and gave
them to His disciples, telling them not only that these familiar foods had
become His Body and Blood, but that from that evening on they were empowered to
work this same change of substance, as often as they did this same thing, in
memory of Him. "I will not be with you to drink this fruit of the vine
until I drink it with you again in the kingdom of My Father." (1) A few
days later, after His death and resurrection, (on Easter Sunday night to be
precise), He breathed upon them, giving them the Holy Ghost and the power to
forgive the sins that all of us commit.(2)
And within a few days more, He commanded them to "go
out into the world, preaching the gospel to every creature. He who believes and
is baptized shall be saved, but he who does not believe shall be
condemned."(3) They were to make "disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost."(4)
Implicit in all of this is that our Lord, who is truly God
and man, had determined that He would allow Himself to be subject to the human
limitations of space and time. He had determined that instead of bringing His
graces and His truth to future peoples and generations in person, He would
entrust this work to His apostles and their successors. Instead of working the
miracle of remaining on earth in human form, He designed to work the miracle of
acting through the humans who would be His priests on earth until the end of
time.
I did not know that I would be speaking to you about our
Lord's plan until just about forty-eight hours ago. The Archbishop called me to
say that his sister was critically ill, and that he could not properly
concentrate on a sermon, and might not even be able to be here at all for the
dedication of this seminary for which he has worked so diligently over the years
-- would I mind preaching? Well, one doeesn't say no to such a request -- but
just what was I going to preach about?
If I had been given some time, you would now be listening
to a very dull lecture about the spirituality and genius of Saint Thomas
Aquinas, the chosen patron of this seminary. But, still having to iron my
cassock and pack my suitcase, there was hardly time for the proper preparation.
I was a little bit beside myself about what to say to you, until a little light
went on and it dawned on me that the Archbishop had provided us with the perfect
explanation of why this Seminary is so necessary and why it must function
actively in the future. What the Archbishop had asked of me was not very
different from what the priesthood itself is all about.
About twenty years ago, the Archbishop trained and
ordained me to the priesthood. He gave me the gift of Holy Orders, which he had
received from the late Archbishop Shelly, who had -- ultimately -- received this
gift from Jesus Christ Himself. What I am trying to say is that the priesthood
is the way in which our Lord chose to spread His truth and His grace. It is as
if we are hearing Him say: "I cannot be there, so you will have to do it
for Me."
On that Holy Thursday, after a training period of about
three years, our Lord delegated His priestly powers to His apostles. And in the
following years they went out and began the job of "teaching all
nations." There were only eleven of them (twelve to begin with, but every
seminary has its dropouts), but after a brief retreat they began to make that
effort. All of them died violent deaths, except for St. John who died in exile.
But their deaths were by no means the end of their mission. For they trained men
who would take up the mission from them, just as they had received it from our
Lord: Peter - Paul - Linus - Cletus - Clement - Sixtus.... We hear a few of the
names in the Canon of the Mass, but the list is impossibly long to repeat, for
includes the priests and bishops of twenty centuries throughout every nation of
the earth.
"I cannot be there, so you will have to do it for
Me." Who is our Lord addressing in these words? He is speaking to priests
and bishops and seminarians, obviously; but to all of us really. He is speaking
to those who have written checks and placed their money in the collection basket
in order to make this fine building possible. He is speaking to those who have
contributed their talents and the sweat of their brow. He is urging all of us on
to continued generosity over the coming years. He is speaking to those who will
teach here, urging them to do their very best to pass on the Catholic Faith in
its purity. "I cannot be there, so you will have to do it for Me." He
is speaking to those who will come here to study, asking them to make the very
most of the opportunity to be formed in His image. He is speaking to those who
will come here to pray, asking them to pray for His priests and the success of
His mission.
None of this will be easy. Our Lord told us that we must
expect the opposition of the world. "No servant is greater than his Master.
If the world hates you, know that it has hated Me before you."(5) In the
world around us, we have seen many with far greater resources do very poorly;
producing priests who are ignorant of their Faith, or who are educated solely
for the purpose of arguing with each other. We must be different. Education is
important, of course; for a priest must be a teacher to his people. But, much
more importantly -- each one of us and those who follow after us -- must do our
best to help this Seminary turn out holy priests who will follow in the
footsteps of Jesus Christ, whose representative they will be -- holy and humble
men.
None of this will be easy, but this Seminary will
flourish, precisely to the degree that it pursues this mission: "I cannot
be there, so you will have to do it for Me." Our Lord has given us the
seemingly impossible task of "making disciples of all nations," but He
has also given us the promise that through His priesthood He "will be with
us all days, even unto the end of the world."(6)
NOTES:
1. Matthew xxvi: 29.
2. John xx: 19-23.
3. Cf. Mark xvi: 16.
4. Matthew xxviii: 19-20.
5. John xv: 20, 18.
6. Matthew ibid.
