The Holy See has approved the statutes of the Interdiocesan Seminary of São José

The Holy See approved the statutes of the Interdiocesan Major Seminary of São José, made up of the dioceses of Bragança-Miranda, Guarda , Lamego and Viseu.

The announcement was made this morning, July 3, at a press conference by the bishops of the four dioceses of the interior. It means, therefore, that the project of communion and priestly formation that has existed since the 1990s, and is unique in Portugal, is now consolidated with the recognition by the Dicastery for the Clergy.

Operating in Braga, where the Faculty of Theology of the Portuguese Catholic University is located, the Interdiocesan Seminary has a team of training priests, belonging to these dioceses, who ensure the monitoring and social, human and theological formation of young people from Bragança-Miranda, Guarda, Lamego and Viseu.

The approval of the statutes is the result of a long journey undertaken by this training team, by students and collaborators, with the help of the bishops and the essential support of the Archdiocese of Braga, to which we are very grateful.

The Statutes of a Seminary are an imperative that arises from the general norms of the Church and the canonicity of the particular Churches for its formal existence, even more so with regard to the typology of an Interdiocesan Seminary, as an appropriate solution sought by a group of neighboring dioceses that decide to erect it for the formation of their future priests, something that must happen with the approval of the Dicastery for the Clergy, both for the erection of the Seminary and for its respective statutes (cf. Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis, n. 188b).

The defense of the continuity of integral formation in synodality, including the desire to pursue the best framework for intellectual formation, led the dioceses to set out to consolidate the identity of the Interdiocesan Seminary of São José. The community of formators affirmed the urgency of giving the formative community its own ecclesial identity and canonical recognition, so that it can stably fulfill the objective of training future priests for the four dioceses.

For this reason, the Dicastery for the Clergy has accepted the decree confirming the establishment of the Interdiocesan Seminary of Saint Joseph on a trial basis for a period of five years, guided each year by a Bishop moderator designated by those interested.

The current Statutes are composed of a preamble which contains a brief history of the formative experience, the justification of its need in the context of the promotion and formation of priestly vocations and the openness to other dioceses being able to join this experience, with due authorization from the Holy See.

In seven chapters and 27 articles, the Statutes present: their nature, necessity and purposes; the governing bodies and organization; the assets, income and expenses; the seminarians; the formation path; and the final provisions. These Statutes were drawn up with the synodal collaboration of the canon lawyers of the four dioceses, and in close dialogue with the Dicastery for the Clergy.

It is considered that the opportunity to see our Interdiocesan Seminary existing “by right” and not just “in fact”, also serves to provide greater visibility and recognition on the part of the dioceses.

Efforts have been made to publicise the training project, particularly through presence in diocesan presbyteral councils, but there is still a long way to go, particularly in terms of consolidating the “bridges” that exist before and after this Interdiocesan Seminar: the “bridge” of priestly vocations ministry and the “bridge” that is the welcoming and monitoring of finalists who go on to live the pastoral stage in the dioceses, in the internship year.

The Press Conference took place at the Reception House of the Trappist Monastery of Santa Maria Mãe da Igreja, in Palaçoulo (Miranda do Douro), in the Diocese of Bragança-Miranda. This was followed by a working meeting between bishops and the training team to evaluate the school year that has just ended.