ARCHDIOCESE OF PHILADELPHIA

Your Eminence,
My brother Bishops,
Dear brother Priests, especially our honored Jubilarians,
Dear Deacons, Faculty, Seminarians, Lay faithful,
Friends in Jesus Christ,

How deeply grateful the Church of Philadelphia is for your presence today in this sacred place! She thanks all of you for the effort you have made to come here; she rejoices in your fidelity to Saint Charles Seminary.

1. Love: The Root of both One’s Vocational Call
and One’s Faithful Response

Our Gospel passage according to Saint John recounts the beautiful exchange between Jesus and Peter. In this encounter, Peter confesses his love for the Lord, saying: "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." We recall that during the unfolding of our Lord’s Passion, Peter denied Him three times. Peter’s denial arose from human weakness. Yet, Peter’s weakness and notorious lapse of love would not have the last word. Subsequently, Peter’s personal encounter with the Risen Lord would empower him to believe, to hope in Christ and to love Him. And Peter’s love for the Lord would become service to others after Jesus said to him: "Feed my lambs.... Tend my sheep." Thus, pastoral love, rooted in a loving encounter with the Risen Christ, is fundamentally directed, through the loving gift of self, to Christ’s flock, the Church.

Pope Benedict XVI in his encyclical Deus Caritas Est wrote: "I wish in my first Encyclical to speak of the love which God lavishes upon us and which we in turn must share with others" (no.1). God’s abundant love for us is revealed above all in the gift of His only Son Jesus Christ, who came "not to be served but to serve" (Matthew 20:28). The Christ who redeemed us through His Passion, Death and Resurrection, now invites us to be His friends. Yet this new authentic friendship—to which we are called—finds its source and depth in sacrificial and self-giving love. The redemption won for us in the self-giving of Christ Jesus is made available to us pre-eminently through the saving sacramental economy instituted by Christ Himself in the Holy Eucharist.

2. The Love of the Priest is Sacrificial, Perpetual, and Apostolic

On the night before He died, the Lord Jesus instituted the great sacrament of His Body and Blood. On the same occasion, the Lord Jesus also instituted the great sacrament of Holy Orders. From its very foundation, the ministerial priesthood has been inextricably linked with the Holy Eucharist. In a real sense the hierarchical priesthood is ordered to the Body of Christ, both His Eucharistic Body and His Mystical Body. Just as the bridegroom willingly lays down His life to protect of the body of His bride, so too the priest, in imitation of the Divine Bridegroom, is called to lay down his life for the Body of Christ—the Eucharist and the Church. The love of the priest, as one "wedded" to the Body of Christ, must indeed be sacrificial.

We gather this afternoon in this sacred liturgy to celebrate the glorious mystery of the Priesthood of Jesus Christ and our wondrous participation in it. On this special occasion, we call to mind the indispensable and irreplaceable role which the sacred priesthood fulfills in the divinely instituted economy of salvation. We likewise reflect on the role which Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary has played in service to the ministerial priesthood and to God’s people. Today we joyfully and gratefully recall the remarkable service offered by all who have collaborated over the last 175 years in the mission of Saint Charles Seminary. Through Jesus Christ we offer deep praise to God for the fruitfulness of this institution and its contribution to priestly ministry. With immense gratitude we honor all our priests who faithfully and lovingly have served and are serving God’s holy people, especially our Jubilarians gathered here this afternoon. As we bless God and give Him thanks for His goodness, we ask His special blessings on all our priest alumni and on all the dioceses who entrust their seminarians to Saint Charles Seminary.

The fundamental work of a Catholic seminary is to conform the human mind, although limited and fallible, and the human heart, although subject to weakness and sin, to the wisdom and love of God: specifically, to configure the seminarian to the person of Jesus Christ the great High Priest. Just as an encounter with the Risen Lord transformed Peter, so too does our encounter with the Risen Lord—now present in God’s Word and in the Eucharist—allow us daily to be converted evermore to Christ. This personal encounter with the Lord Jesus forms a bond which deepens over time in our continuing conversion and sanctification. With God’s grace, Peter was able to give an irrevocable "yes," and to witness courageously, zealously, and faithfully to the holy Gospel. In a similar way, God’s grace illumines the minds and strengthens the hearts of those who are disposed to answer the call of God that empowers them freely and faithfully to say "yes" to Christ.

In this very chapel, Pope John Paul II, in 1979, reiterated the importance of fidelity. The Holy Father stated: "Human dignity requires that you [priests and future priests] maintain this commitment, that you keep your promises to Christ no matter what difficulties you may encounter, and no matter what temptations you may be exposed to." This irrevocable act of priestly self-giving is echoed in today’s Responsorial Psalm: "You are a priest forever." The love of the priest, as one configured to Christ, is perpetual.

In order to give himself irrevocably and totally to Christ, the seminarian must undergo a period of preparation in which he is led to a deeper understanding and a more abiding love of Christ and His Church. Does not Saint Paul gives us formational advice in today’s reading from his Letter to the Ephesians when he writes: "I…urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience"? It is precisely in our encounter with Christ, principally in the Sacraments and pre-eminently in the Holy Eucharist, in the Liturgy of the Hours, in private prayer and meditation, in study and cultural pursuits, in apostolic and pastoral work, and in community living that we come to know better not only God, but also other people and ourselves. The Second Vatican Council stated: "The whole training of the students [in seminaries] should have as its object to make them true shepherds of souls after the example of our Lord Jesus Christ, teacher, priest and shepherd" (Optatam Totius, 4). The good shepherd is the one who by his spiritual, intellectual, apostolic and human formation is able to teach, sanctify, and lead his people. The love of the priest, which is the fruit of continual rejuvenating prayer and ongoing multi-faceted formation, is ordered towards apostolic service.

It is particularly fitting that we celebrate the 175th anniversary of the founding of Saint Charles Seminary and its service to the Holy Priesthood in the broader context of the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Diocese of Philadelphia. Just as the sacred Priesthood is ordered to the service of the ecclesial Body of Christ, so too is the Seminary instituted and ordered to the service of the Diocese.

3. Jubilee Anamnesis:
A Time for Recalling God’s Providential Care

An essential component of the sacred liturgy is the anamnesis or recalling of God’s many wonderful gifts to us. So, it is particularly fitting, as we celebrate 175 years of service to the Church on the part of this blest institution, that we recall some graced moments in its illustrious history—a history marked by God’s providential care, a history that challenges us today to recommit ourselves and to keep up the traditions of Saint Charles Seminary.

This Seminary began in the heart of a faithful and hope-filled Bishop. Within one week of his Episcopal Ordination, Bishop Francis Patrick Kenrick wrote to the Apostolic See of his desire to erect a seminary in the Diocese of Philadelphia. Thus, on June 26, 1832, Bishop Kenrick opened his Episcopal Residence (on South Fifth Street) to accept the first seminarian. Within its first decade, while located in three different locations, the Seminary grew from the heart of the Bishop into a magnificent reality, a legal entity, and an expanding institution.

In 1838, the Seminary moved to a newly furnished building near the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul. By 1871, the Seminary needed to expand again and was located at its fifth and final home at Overbrook. Here Archbishop Wood welcomed 128 seminarians. He noted that the gleaming Seminary was "an enduring witness of the generous zeal of the clergy and people of the diocese of Philadelphia" (Letter on Seminary Collection, 1871). Archbishop Prendergast continued the rich tradition of the Seminary’s growth and expansion with the construction of the Ryan Memorial Library in 1911, Saint Edmond’s Dormitory Hall in 1913, and the Convent and Services Building in 1917. Yet, the greatest of all expansions of the campus was undertaken by Cardinal Dougherty when he opened the "Prep Side" in 1928. After the Second Vatican Council, Cardinal Krol founded the School for Religious Studies in 1969 to assist in the updating of religious and laity.

Each period of the Seminary’s history has been marked by successes, challenges and setbacks. The Seminary has survived continual overcrowding and the outbreak of infectious diseases, financial burdens and minor fires, anti-Catholic riots and vocational shortages. Our purpose today is to praise God, to bless His providence and humbly but confidently to invoke His help upon the mission of Saint Charles Seminary.

4. Priestly Vocations: First Stirrings of Priestly Love

Our own time presents us with real concerns and challenges. Our first concern is to promote priestly vocations. The Second Vatican Council stated: "The duty of fostering vocations falls on the whole Christian community and they should discharge it principally by living full Christian lives" (Optatam Totius, 2). Trusting in God’s plan, we must perseveringly "ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest" (Matthew 9:38).

On this Jubilee Day, I wish to greet in a special way our seminarians of Saint Charles and thank them for their openness to the voice of God and for their courage in respondeing generously. You, dear seminarians, are a precious treasure of the Church. You are a great hope for the Church. When Cardinal Ratzinger, our present Holy Father, visited the Seminary in 1990, he spoke to the seminarians, saying: "Let yourselves be built into a spiritual home" (cf. 1 Peter 2:5). This Petrine directive enjoins an openness and receptivity to the work of the Divine Builder. You are His stones, with which He continues to build His Church. The Cardinal insisted that the seminarians should have a "passion for truth." He asserted: "One who loves wants to learn" (Keynote Address, January 17, 1990, no. 14).

5. Thanksgiving to God for the Seminary and its Benefactors

I also take this opportunity to express deep gratitude to the lay faithful gathered here who in many and various ways have been generous collaborators and untiring benefactors of our Seminary. No accounting of the successes of the Seminary would be complete without the recognition of the abiding and extraordinary generosity of the faithful of the Archdiocese who have consistently and faithfully supported their Seminary. One of the many means of support has been the Annual Seminary Appeal, which dates back to 1835, and continues to be an essential aspect of the Seminary’s sustenance.

Saint Charles has trained thousands of men for priestly service and scores of them have served the Church as Bishops, Successors of the Apostles. The long list of men who were well formed at Saint Charles Seminary and who have served, near and far, as holy priests over the past 175 years is fittingly a source of pride for all of us.

It is an unenviable task to do justice to the remarkable accomplishments and service of so many who have been associated with Saint Charles Seminary: brilliant and dedicated professors; prayerful and generous spiritual directors and confessors; inspiring pastoral supervisors and deans; capable administrators; workers in the fields, offices and kitchens; distinguished counselors and board members; and self-effacing rectors. May the Lord Jesus, who alone can properly reward them, bless them abundantly for their many sacrifices and their important service!

The Seminary has been enriched not only by her generous priest alumni who have gone forth to serve, but also by prominent ecclesiastics and distinguished guests speakers. We recall with gratitude to God some notable Seminary visitors: Saint John Neumann, who was very solicitous for the needs of the Seminary; Saint Katharine Drexel, who, along with her family, was a great benefactor of the Seminary; Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, who delivered a inspiring talk here in 1979; Cardinal Pacelli, the future Pope Pius XII, who visited the Seminary in 1936; Cardinal Montini, the future Pope Paul VI, who visited the Seminary in 1960; Cardinal Wojtyla, the future Pope John Paul II, who visited the Seminary twice as Cardinal, in 1969 and in 1976. He returned a third time as Pope in 1979.

On this joyful occasion, as we commemorate the 175th anniversary of the founding of Saint Charles Seminary, with renewed devotion we invoke the continuing protection of our Blessed Mother Mary, asking her to guide with motherly care her dear sons who are now training for priestly life and ministry. We beseech her to protect and strengthen, and fill with joy, all the alumni who have been called and ordained to proclaim the Word and serve at the altar of the Lord.

And finally, dear friends, as we recall the awesome reality of an unbroken tradition of 175 years of priestly formation, we renew our prayer of praise and thanksgiving through Jesus Christ, our great High Priest, and in His Eucharistic Sacrifice. And with Peter we say to Jesus: "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Amen.