{"id":1706,"date":"2021-02-01T16:46:07","date_gmt":"2021-02-01T16:46:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ourcharism.org\/?p=1706"},"modified":"2021-09-09T16:52:26","modified_gmt":"2021-09-09T15:52:26","slug":"the-vocation-in-the-littlest-ones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ourcharism.org\/index.php\/2021\/02\/01\/the-vocation-in-the-littlest-ones\/","title":{"rendered":"The vocation in the littlest ones"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cThe vocation in the littlest ones<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n

Directory of Minor Seminaries<\/em>, 4<\/p>\n

The Lenten atmosphere of the current month is enlightened by celebrations that direct our attention toward the youngest members of our institute: the minor seminarians. For example, in a few days, on February 3rd, we will celebrate the beginning of the minor seminary experience in the Institute in 1986, with the entrance of the first two minor seminarians, today fathers Ricardo Clarey and Marcelo Cano. Likewise, on the 10th<\/sup> and 20th<\/sup> of this month we will celebrate Saint Jos\u00e9 S\u00e1nchez del R\u00edo and Saint Francisco Marto, patrons of our minor Seminaries in the United States and Ecuador respectively.<\/p>\n

The vocational apostolate in the Institute is intrinsic<\/strong> to the goal of evangelization of the culture and to our proper charism.[1]<\/a> Truly, we must thank God for the abundance of vocations that have characterized the congregation from her first years. At the moment, the Institute has 456 vocations in formation, of which 103 are minor seminarians, in the various minor Seminaries of the Institute around the world.[2]<\/a><\/p>\n

However, \u201cwe must be aware that every vocation is a gratuitous gift from God for our Institute<\/strong>, and we think that the reasons God is pleased to give them are:<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 – The urgent need of the Church.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 – Fidelity to our foundational charism.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 – The testimony and joy of the priests and seminarians.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 – The preaching of the Spiritual Exercises\u201d[3]<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It cannot be denied that, at the ecclesial level, the theme of vocations is currently of great relevance and urgency. There is great concern. This affects us directly because if the problem of vocations is not solved, the new evangelization will be very difficult. More and more is demanded of current missionaries; they cannot cover the mission posts as they should, and when these are no more, who will replace them?<\/p>\n

Our proper law gathers many quotes of Saint John Paul II that highlight the fact that \u201cthe problem of vocations affects the very life of the Church.\u201d[4]<\/a> For example he says: \u201cIt should be said that the problem of priestly vocations in the \u2018fundamental problem of the Church\u2019[5]<\/a>, and \u2018requires greater attention\u2019[6]<\/a>, it is a \u2018central problem\u2019[7]<\/a>, \u2018of the future\u2019[8]<\/a>, \u2018vital.\u2019 [9]<\/a>\u201d[10]<\/a> Further on it says: \u201cThe topic of vocations \u2018affects the church in one of her fundamental marks, which is that of apostolicity\u2019\u201d.[11]<\/a><\/p>\n

This is why in this letter it seemed opportune to highlight the relevance for ecclesial apostolate, and in particular for the evangelization of the culture, of the vocational apostolate with children and adolescents since it is a seedbed for priestly vocations. We would like to begin by sharing, although briefly, the beginnings of the first minor Seminary of the Institute, \u201cSaint John the Apostle\u201d. Afterward we will present the Thomistic doctrine on the vocation of children to religious life, and finally, point out the characteristic \u2018imprint\u2019 of our minor Seminaries.<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0 The Beginnings <\/strong><\/h4>\n

As we said at the start, the now fathers Ricardo Clarey and Marcelo Cano were the first \u2018minor\u2019 vocations in the Institute. Remember that the Institute was founded in San Rafael on March 25th<\/sup>, 1984, and for the first year its members lived in the diocesan Seminary on Tirasso street (San Rafael, Mendoza). This Seminary was begun by the Institute and the Institute was in charge of it, at the express request of Bishop Le\u00f3n Kruk. It was the first work entrusted to us. On February 22nd<\/sup>, 1985, the feast of the Chair of Peter, the first Mass was celebrated in the new house that would be the seat of the Institute in San Rafael, la Finca <\/em>\u201cNuestra Se\u00f1ora de Luj\u00e1n\u201d (Our Lady of Lujan), on El Cha\u00f1aral road.\u00a0 During those first two years there was not yet a minor Seminary in the Institute of the Incarnate Word.<\/p>\n

Both vocations had already been together in a diocesan minor Seminary, which they had left.\u00a0 \u201cDuring the winter vacation of July 1985,\u201d relates Fr. Clarey \u2013 \u201cI visited Fr. Buela in his house on the streets \u2018Remedios de Escalada\u2019 and \u2018Nazca\u2019, in Buenos Aires. On this occasion, he was with Marcelo Morsella, and they were also on vacation. I mentioned my desire to go to San Rafael […] Father told me he thought it would be good that I go to San Rafael, but he would have to speak first to Mons. Kruk and would let me know shortly.\u201d[12]<\/a> In the meantime, \u201cduring those months, I don\u2019t remember exactly when,\u201d continues the recount, \u201cMarcelo Cano travelled to San Rafael to visit la Finca, <\/em>and made known his desire to go to San Rafael as a minor seminarian.\u201d[13]<\/a> What is for sure is that, once they received the approval of the bishop of the place, he also went to San Rafael.<\/p>\n

The simplicity of the account of that trip to \u2018enter\u2019 the minor Seminary that began with them allows us to read between the lines and discover the trust and simplicity of those who, as Saint Thomas says, give themselves to the service of God from their first youth: \u201cI travelled to San Rafael in \u2018Moby Dick\u2019 (This was the nickname of the Mother House\u2019s bus) from Buenos Aires together with some seminarians (Guillermo Costantini, Gaspar Farr\u00e9, etc.) and after passing by San Luis we arrived at San Rafael and afterward at El Nihuil, on the third of February, 1986.\u00a0 I was 16 years old.\u00a0 We met up with Marcelo Cano, and a few others joined us as well (among them the now F. Gustavo Domenech and two others). In those first days in El Nihuil we saw Marcelo Morsella several times.\u201d[14]<\/a> Once they arrived, two seminarians were put in charge of them, as bedels, for the month of February. And thus began, simply and easily, the experience of the minor Seminary in the Institute 35 years ago, by the grace of God.<\/p>\n

In March of that year, back at la Finca<\/em>, the minor seminarians were already 10, since youth from San Rafael, Buenos Aires and Entre Rios had joined them.\u00a0 All of them lived in half of the Saint Paul house (the major seminarians were in the other half). Naturally all of these adolescent boys had to finish their high school courses. And so, at great sacrifice, four of them began to attend the Marist school, four the Polivalente school of arts, and two to the Normal school of San Rafael.\u00a0 At that time the Institute did not have its own school.\u00a0 Father Clarey relates: \u201cEvery morning we had to go by bus to the city, for school. We would return at midday and Brother Payo had lunch waiting for us (many times a mix of rice with fried eggs\u2026) In the afternoon we had Mass in the chapel, usually celebrated by the young priest Jos\u00e9 Corbelle. Afterwards we had adoration of the Blessed Sacrament with the major seminarians.\u00a0 On Saturdays we helped the major seminarians in the apostolate.\u201d<\/p>\n

After some time of the minor and major seminarians sharing the house, the latter were redistributed among the other houses of la Finca<\/em> (Saint Andrew, Saint Peter, Saint James) and the minors remained in the Saint Paul house. Those who were seminarians at that time longingly remember the familiarity, the joy, and the no doubt formative experience entailed in the trips they made to Mount Sosneado or to El Nihuil with their superior, the founder of the Institute.<\/p>\n

At the end of this first year, the minor seminarians Cano and Clarey had finished the minor Seminary and passed to the first year of philosophy, and so they were allowed to participate in the popular mission with the major seminarians in Matara (Santiago del Estero, Argentina) \u201cwhere the people remembered Marcelo Morsella who had been on mission there the year before,\u201d[15]<\/a> recounts Father Clarey.<\/p>\n

The next year, 1987, the minor seminarians moved to the parish of Saint Maximilian Kolbe, and a few months after that, to the current house of formation \u201cSaint John the Apostle\u201d on Rawson street in San Rafael, after having bought the property thanks to the generosity of Juan Demianczuk and Juan Mazzeo.\u00a0 All of this marked the beginning and the formal establishment of the minor Seminary, which took place on December 27th<\/sup> of 1987, the memorial of Saint John the Apostle.<\/p>\n

These beginnings of the Minor Seminary of the Institute allow us to glimpse in general terms certain traits that characterize the organization and formation currently provided in our minor Seminaries. To name a few:<\/p>\n