The Santo Tomás de Aquinas Seminary is a house of traditional priestly formation, from the initial call that leads the young man to enter the seminary, until the fulfillment of this call in his priestly ordination.
Our mission in the seminary is the formation of holy priests, of the priest who is another Christ. The liturgy, the life of prayer, studies, work and recreation; all harmonized to make the seminarian Christ-like.
The liturgy occupies a prominent place in the life of the future priest. This includes: daily mass, the very soul of the priest’s life, solemn mass on Sundays and holidays, and the Divine Office, sung in community. The seminarians are the ones who are specifically in charge of preparing these sacred ceremonies with great care and devotion. Seminarians gather in the chapel for the daily rosary, the holy hour, and the Stations of the Cross. In addition to common prayer, silence is essential for a fruitful interior life. Silence is the atmosphere that prevails in the seminar. It is the necessary condition for union with God and intellectual studies. The direction of the seminarian’s spiritual life comes primarily from his spiritual director, and each evening the seminary rector gives a spiritual conference to all the seminarians.
A solid background in philosophy and theology is essential for the future ministry of the priest. The seminary program lasts for seven years, beginning with the humanities year in which the seminarian reinforces the foundation of his liberal arts education and adjusts to seminary life. Then follows the year of spirituality. A year established by our founder Monsignor Lefebvre to provide future priests with training in mystical and aesthetic theology that will be useful to them for the rest of their lives. Then there are the two years of philosophy in which the perennial wisdom of Aristotle and Saint Thomas Aquinas form the mind of the young aspirant. Finally, there are three years of theology in which the seminarian undertakes many of the duties of the priesthood, including the daily recitation of the Divine Office and preaching.
Recreation also plays an important role in the life of the seminary. Each day time is set aside in the afternoon and evening to give our seminarians the opportunity to refresh their minds and exercise. On Sundays and Wednesdays there is a longer afternoon recreation period, which is the preferred time for many activities ranging from sports and exercise to an invigorating walk.
As part of our training, all seminarians perform menial tasks, such as waiting tables and washing dishes, on a weekly rotation, instilling in them a spirit of diligence and humility. In addition to these weekly jobs, the seminarians have permanent jobs in different areas, such as the sacristy, gardening, library, school, house cleaning and art. These jobs prepare the seminarian to assume roles of leadership and responsibility, as well as to ensure the smooth running of the seminary.
Our brothers, as “guardian angels of our community”, help and direct the seminarians in much of this work. They assist them especially in administrative tasks, in the kitchen, in the carpentry and in the care of the animals on our farm.
The objective of the seminary is the formation and preparation of young people to be priests in the model of Christ. Preparing them to carry the torch of Tradition throughout the world to restore all things in Christ, following the example of our founder:
“Tradidi quod et Accepi”
“I have passed on what I have received.”