The services provided by Good Shepherd College (GSC) and The Catholic Institute (TCI) are to be brought together under one governance structure.

This will strengthen capacity for excellence in theological and religious studies, academic formation for seminarians through a high standard Bachelor's degree, together with research and public engagement.

An Establishment Board, led by Sir Brian Roche, will guide the process of moving toward a single entity.

Sir Brian is a former chief executive of PWC New Zealand and New Zealand Post.

He has held a number of public sector roles and led the bid for New Zealand to stage the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

Sir Brian was involved in the consultation with stakeholders as part of the review and brings a wide breadth of organisational and leadership gifts.

In the meantime, the TCI Council and GSC Senate will remain in place, providing oversight of each entity and ensuring the continuation of quality teaching, advocacy, research, curriculum development, and academic formation of seminarians.

President of the NZCBC, Bishop Patrick Dunn, commented that "the role of Catholic Tertiary education is vital for the mission of the Church in the world and offers tremendous benefit to the wider New Zealand public."

It is anticipated that the new entity will be in place by 2019 with confirmation on the timeline for changes taking place as the Establishment Board begins work in the early New Year.

Source

Supplied: Amanda Gregan New Zealand Catholic Bishops' Conference

Image: NZ Post

According to the Catholic journal, La Croix, Auxiliary Bishop Jérôme Beau of Paris says the Vatican wants to set a minimum limit of seventeen to twenty students for seminaries to stay open.

It also says Archbishop Jorge Carlos Patrón Wong, who is the official responsible for seminaries at the Congregation for the Clergy, has told France's bishops the Vatican believes seminaries with tiny numbers of students should be closed or merged.

Wong reportedly made his remarks on Saturday the during plenary assembly of the French Bishops' conference.

The acting principal of Auckland's Good Shepherd Theological College, Fr Merv Duffy, said the information was "news" to him and may have been a comment in relation to someone else's suggestion.

Quoting the Code of Canon Law, Canon 237 §1, Duffy said "Where it is possible and advisable, each diocese is to have a major seminary; otherwise, students preparing for the sacred ministries are to be sent to the seminary of another diocese, or an inter-diocesan seminary is to be established."

Duffy went on to say to him this means "the six dioceses of New Zealand and the New Zealand and Australian provinces of the Society of Mary co-operate in the education of seminarians."

He pointed out that Holy Cross Seminary, Auckland, is an inter-diocesan seminary.

"The seminarians, diocesan and Marist, do their academic studies at Good Shepherd College; it is the off-shore campus of the Catholic Institute of Sydney, which is the only Ecclesiastical University faculty in Australia.

"The seminarians in New Zealand study the same theology papers that their counterparts in Sydney do."

Duffy then noted the concern about "small seminaries" seems to be that academic standards may not be maintained in such institutions.

The New Zealand set-up for seminary education ensures these standards are kept, he added.

Source

• La Croix
• CathNews interview
• Image: Catholic Philly