Rector's letters

This month Fr. le Roux, Seminary rector, passes on the sermon of H.E. Bp. Fellay, which he delivered on Sexagesima Sunday, January 31st at the Seminary. In his sermon Bp. Fellay considers three points which the Church presents to us from the liturgy of Sexagesima:  Noah and the flood (the Breviary); the parable in which Our Lord explains how God spreads the seeds of grace in souls (the Gospel); and what can happen to the man who accepts grace, using the example of St. Paul (the Epistle). The Church's invitation is "to correct ourselves, to straighten out our lives, [and] to work hard in acquiring virtue - in other words, to become better."

This month, we are challenged to reflect on the crisis of vocations and the need for holy priests. Because of the noise of the world, its enticements, and the attacks of the devil, aspiring men really have to exercise quasi-heroic virtue in order to persevere. The appeal is for prayer for present and future vocations.

Despite our world’s attempts at promises of peace, we live in a time of constant war and noise. Our Lord chose the tranquility of a stable in the countryside for his entrance into the world. Let us follow the example of Our Lady and St. Joseph, enter into the silence of the manger scene, and adore the newborn King.

The seminary rector asks us to reflect on the final meeting because it is the most important one. Man takes great care to be on time for every meeting between now and the final meeting, and it is very easy to overlook the importance of preparing for it. Man may have been late to other meetings or may even have missed some. However, this is one which man cannot take off his calendar. His attendance is mandatory, and he will not be late. 

Despite our world’s attempts at promises of peace, we live in a time of constant war and noise. Our Lord chose the tranquility of a stable in the countryside for his entrance into the world. Let us follow the example of Our Lady and St. Joseph, enter into the silence of the manger scene, and adore the newborn King.

The rector reflects on St. Teresa of Avila and her strong commitment to the phrase:  I want to see God. Taking as a model the perseverance which this great saint had throughout her life's work and trials, we are reminded that the driving force behind our efforts should be:  I want to see God. Too often the world puts other desires in souls. On this 500th anniversary of her birth, we are reminded that our first and foremost desire should be inspired by the example of St. Teresa. Otherwise, we would not remember that our earthly life is only a passage, because our final end is to be with our God for whom we were made.

This month the rector focuses on the incoming "humanities" class which will begin its pre-seminary year in October 2015. In his anticipation of the entering class, Fr. le Roux reflects on the grace which must undoubtedly be active in the response to the call which a man makes when he decides to enter the seminary. In addition, he focuses on the battle for souls which is waged between the devil and the future seminarian and priest.    

In this month's newsletter, the rector seeks to dismiss any rumors about the future of the Winona Seminary, issue an invitation to what will be - God willing - the final ordinations in Winona, and prioritize a list of three important fundraising efforts to improve the current building prior to the move to Virginia.

In this month's newsletter, the rector reflects on excessiveness, disproportion, their roots, and a proper understanding of love.