Pope Leo XIV urges Trujillo seminarians on 400th anniversary: true priesthood demands prayer, pure intent, Eucharist-centered life, fraternal unity.
Newsroom (05/11/2025, Gaudium Press ) In a letter released today, Pope Leo XIV celebrated the 400th anniversary of the Archdiocesan Major Seminary “San Carlos y San Marcelo” in Trujillo, Peru, urging seminarians to prioritize a genuine relationship with Christ over worldly ambitions or superficial motivations in their pursuit of the priesthood.
Dated September 17, 2025, and addressed to the seminary community on the eve of the memorial of Saint Robert Bellarmine, the pontiff reflected on the institution’s four centuries of forming priests, noting his own past role there as a teacher and director of studies. “My footprints are also part of that house,” he wrote, emphasizing the seminary’s enduring mission to prepare young men “to be with Him, and to be sent out to preach” (Mk 3:14).
The letter, published by the Vatican Press Office, stresses that the core task of seminarians remains unchanged: allowing Christ to shape them through prayer, study, and discernment. Pope Leo warned against reducing the priesthood to “achieving ordination” as an external goal or escape from personal challenges, calling it instead “a total gift of one’s existence.” He invoked Saint Augustine to underscore that true freedom in vocation comes without bondage to interests or fears.
Drawing on biblical and magisterial sources, the pope outlined key foundations for priestly ministry. He advocated for “rectitude of intention,” cultivated through frequent confession, spiritual direction, and obedience, to ensure seminarians say daily: “Lord, I want to be your priest, not for myself, but for your people.”
Central to formation, he said, is a personal relationship with Jesus fostered in prayer and Scripture. “Those who do not pray do not know the Master,” the letter states, adding that time in prayer is “the most fruitful investment” for purifying desires and strengthening vocations. Intellectual pursuit, particularly theology in communion with the Magisterium, was described as essential for a “solid, reasoned” faith capable of leading others to Christ. Quoting Saint Alberto Hurtado, the pope advised: “Specialize in Jesus Christ!”
The Eucharist emerges as the altar where priestly identity is fully realized, uniting ministry with sacrifice. This, in turn, extends to “priestly fatherhood,” where priests beget spiritually, intercede, and make visible God’s love through celibacy, obedience, poverty, and mercy.
Pope Leo cautioned against modern pitfalls like worldliness, activism, digital distraction, ideologies, and isolation, insisting that fraternity within the presbyterate is intrinsic to the vocation. “An isolated priest is vulnerable,” he wrote.
Concluding with assurance of his prayers, the pontiff invoked Saint Toribio de Mogrovejo, a patron of Trujillo, on the brevity of time and accountability to God. He imparted the Apostolic Blessing to the seminary community and their families, under the patronage of the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph.
The letter coincides with ongoing Vatican efforts to renew seminary formation amid global challenges to vocations. The Trujillo seminary, founded in 1625, has trained priests from across Peru and beyond, contributing to the Church’s mission in Latin America.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Vatican.va
Related Images:
