Spiritual Conference – 10th July, 2023

“The Joy of The Catholic Priesthood: A Divine Calling Filled with Joy” was a significant topic chosen for the spiritual conference for the month of July. The speaker for the conference was Fr. Omar Fernandes, assistant parish priest of St. Francis Xavier’s Church, Vile Parle.

Fr. Omar began the conference by urging the seminarians not to lose their original “self”. He pointed out that, in the call to the priesthood, it is very important to “be yourself”. He further stressed that, as seminarians, we need to have a deep intimacy with Christ. When faced with difficult and challenging situations, we must simply ask ourselves “What would Jesus do?”. Reflecting on Jesus in that situation will give us an answer that may be tough and disturbing, but we must be prepared to accept it and act on it. The speaker urged the seminarians to have a strong prayer life and to intercede for the intentions of others. He asked us to cultivate an attitude of appreciation towards others. “Gossip positively” about the goodness in others and refrain from indulging in negative gossip. At the end of the session, the speaker also answered questions from the community.

Br Julius Kendi

1st year Philosophy