The last time so many men entered a seminary in Sydney was 40 years ago when 17 entered Good Shepherd's predecessor seminary, St Patrick's College at Manly.

Among the 2023 intake, five have come from overseas. The admission of overseas seminarians is not unprecedented, but the proportion of those born in Australia - baptised either as Roman or Eastern Catholics - certainly is.

Another first is the number of new seminarians from Australia's Eastern eparchies. Good Shepherd has never seen five signing up to undertake priestly formation from the Maronite Catholic Eparchy, the Chaldean Catholic Eparchy, and the Syro-Malabar Eparchy.

Sydney's Archbishop, Anthony Fisher OP, said the willingness of young men to consider entering Holy Orders is a sign that there is much hope for the future of the Church in Australia.

"We are very excited to have the 11 first years and six who have received some prior formation elsewhere, making a total of 17 new admissions this year," Fisher said.

17 new workers for the Lord

Seminary Rector Fr Michael de Stoop said it has been a blessing to see 17 new workers for the vineyard of the Lord and His Church.

The group of new seminarians is composed of individuals between the ages of 22 and 41. They come from the dioceses of Sydney, Wollongong, Canberra-Goulburn, Armidale and Hobart. Two individuals from Uganda are also part of the group.

Their educational backgrounds are diverse, ranging from medicine, engineering, optometry, philosophy, theology and teaching. Despite their different backgrounds, they share a common desire to serve the church's mission through teaching, sanctifying and providing pastoral care.

Answering God's call and dedicating their lives to the work of the church offers a true sense of freedom and a strong sense of inner peace, according to seminarians and clergy.

Sources

Catholic Weekly

CathNews New Zealand

On Tuesday, Eileen O'Connor was officially awarded the title of 'Servant of God' by the Vatican. This is the first of the steps to be taken before a person can be declared a saint.

The official process for declaring O'Connor a saint began in March this year after the Archbishop of Sydney Anthony Fisher set in motion a formal process for her beatification.

"Eileen was a young woman who received the love of God, multiplied it in her heart, and passed it on to others. It is my hope that the heroic and saintly example of Eileen O'Connor will inspire everyone to live faithful lives as disciples of Jesus Christ," Fisher said when announcing her cause.

On hearing of O'Connor's Servant of God status, Fisher said: "Eileen's was a life of immense suffering and, judged by today's standards, many would have viewed it as lacking in dignity, value or hope.

"That she is on her way to possibly being our next saint shows even a short life, marked by incredible suffering, can be an inspiration to all and reminds us of the dignity of every human life."

When she was 21, O'Connor and a local priest, Father Edward McGrath, co-founded the religious order of Our Lady's Nurses of the Poor.

The order - also known as the 'Brown Nuns' because of their distinctive brown cloaks and bonnets - was committed to caring for the sick and dying poor in their homes.

Source

• The Sydney Morning Herald
• Magnet
• Daily Mail
• The Australian
• Sydney Catholic
• Image: The Australian