Vestition Ceremony - 19th July, 2023

On the 19th, July 2023 evening, we third-year Theologians gathered in the third-floor chapel of our seminary for visitation service. Indeed, it was a long-awaited moment for each one of us. There were charming smiles on all our faces, while carrying our new cassocks for the blessing. Fr Rector, Aniceto Pereira, presided over the Ceremony. He elucidated the meaning of the Cassock by telling us how the Prophet Elisha took the cloak of Elijah as a symbol that now he is to continue the prophetic work just as his master Elijah did. The idea of cloak becoming a symbol in the prophetic life of Elisha, helped me to understand the meaning of cassock for a cleric. Christ who died on the cross was half naked as he sacrificed himself for humanity, while the soldiers, who missed this mystery, cast lots for His cloak. Now we were about to wear the beautiful cassock in the name of Christ. Everything that happened in the ceremony helped me to know that the cassock that I would wear is a reminder to prepare myself for the Lord’s service and shun clericalism.

Br Wilfred Antony Swamy

3rd Year Theology