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No. 1945. PERTH, THURSDAY, AUGUST 21, 1975
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St. Charles Seminary to close St. Charles' Seminary, Guildford, after thirty-four years of existence, is to cease operation at the end of this year and the present enrolment of students will transfer to St. Francis Xavier Seminary, Adelaide. In his original submission dates for the priesthood had Archbishop Goody made the official announcement to the Senate the Archbish- to leave the State for their of this step this week on be- op had indicated that the full training. Wartime restrictions made half of the management cost of maintaining a semincommittee which includes ary for a small enrolment the task of constructing a the Bishops of Geraldton was a factor to be consider- new building impossible. and Bunbury, whose dio- ed although it was not the ceses proportionately sup- first in order of priority 86 PRIESTS port the upkeep of St. for consideration. By a stroke of providence, Charles'. However, just prior to the late in 1941 the spacious Archbishop Gooety said Senate meeting the Arch- Padbury home standing on that for students commenc- bishop received advice from 11 acres at Guildford being preparation for the the Vincentian Provincial came available and it was priesthood locally a smaller Superior, Father Turnbull, decided to establish the residential unit would be C.M. that the Order had new seminary there. Twenty students made up established to cater for can- been forced to make the undidates in their first year of welcome decision to vacate the intake of 1942 with the formation. St. Charles' at the end of then Dr. Goody as rector assisted by the late Father The announcement of the 197. McBride and Mr. W. E. closure comes after proArchbishop Goody distracted discussions between cussed the closure of the N,1angini. Eight of the twenty eventthe Vincentian Fathers, who seminary with the senate of t t al ly reached the priest:furnish staff for the semin- priests at their last meeting. hood; one has been ordainary, and the appropriate auHe said that it was a par- ed bishop. thorities. ticularly sad subject for In two weeks the 86th to raise since he had student to have studied at SMALL NUMBER him been the founding rector of St. Charles' will be ordained OF STUDENTS the seminary in 1942. in St. Mary's Cathedral. The The immediate cause of total number of priests inthe closure has been the LOCAL CENTRE cludes seven who joined Resmall number of students at During the Senate dis- ligious Orders. present in residence at St. cussion the priests discussed Nearly 300 students have Charles' (7) and the press- the various merits of es- enrolled at St. Charles' in ure on the Vincentian Order tablishing a local centre the course of its existence, to re-deploy their personnel where intending candidates the majority entering as secmore equitably among their could live in close commun- ondary-school students. various commitments. At the outset, the seminity with a priest, to receive Three Vincentian priests spiritual formation and the ary offered, in the tradition - currently conduct St. Charl- tuition in subjects usually of a minor seminary, four es' programme of studies treated in the first year of years of secondary studies in addition to three years Which now has provided seminary life. three of the seven years of Various opinions were of philosophical and other -preparation required for the. presented about the desir- subjects. priesthood. ability of seminary students : The seminary was a regFurther studies of four experiencing the benefit of istered school for public exyears theology are under- smaller community living as aminations. The secondary classes and opposed to that in the trataken elsewhere. subjects were gradually major ditionally larger Originally students atphased out and terminated tended Manly seminary until seminaries. in 1968, thus reducing the a new seminary was estabSt. Charles' was almost number of resident students, hshed in Adelaide to cater doomed by the onset of wary at one time exceeding 40. for the needs of W.A. and A 30-acre site had been During the early years South Australia. acquired in Attadale against The Vincentian Fathers the establishment of a local of the seminary teaching as• conduct that seminary also. seminary; till then candi- sistance was provided by the Christian Brothers, also by Father Albert Lynch, Mr. Kevin Hynes and Mrs. Owens.
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A ccommodation was arranged initially by converting the spacious Padbury home into small dormitories. The former servants' q uarters became a convent for the St. John of God Sisters who looked after the domestic arrangements; a former ballroom was converted into two classrooms. In 1944 an adjoining resilence was acquired to give senerate accommodation for philosophy students. In 1954 a new residential wing for students was built, and a - larger plavinc field established, comprising single rooms, lecture rooms and chapel. ( • See also P. 3)
A RCHBISHOP'S STATEMENT ON VOCATIONS In order to emphasise the material and pictures on priestly vocations contained in this issue, Archbishop Goody released the following statement on the subject. "It was well said recently at a meeting of the Senate of Priests of the Archdiocese of Perth that every priest and ;eligious should be a "Promoter of Vocations-. "This office should not be considered the concern only of that priest who has been appointed "Promoter" for the whole diocese; he should rather be called the "Vocations Co-ordinator". "The only was. I truly believe, for the development of an adequate response amongst our young people to the call of the Holy Spirit to lifelong dedication to the Church's work of salvation is for them to see the example and to hear the encouragement of those already so dedicated. "Thirty-five years ago I wrote a short article which was printed in the booklet of the First Synod of the Archdiocese of Perth. "In it I wrote "what valedictory could more inspire confidence to the ageing priest, than to be able to say with the patriarch Jacob to one or more young people: "I can now die happy because I leave you to survive me" (Gen. 46,30). "I still believe that nothing can be more -omfortine to a priest
or rJi•4iatis in these difficult Cates than to know
that by God's grace he or she has 1-1. z-en al in successfully encoliTaging a young man or woman to become a priest or Religious. "With the netiesiary re-organisation of St. Charles' Seminary occasioned by the fewness of • students resident there, the problem is aceentpated.
• Above is a view of St. Charles's Seminary, Guildford, that stands on a c ommanding site on a bend of the Swan River at Guildford. The once elegant Padbury home standing among olive and other trees can be seen in the background of the picture. It served as the principal building for the local seminary until the new residental block (at right) was constructed in 1958.
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"I pray every day that parents, priests and Religious will open their minds and hearts" ever more to the needs of the Church; that they will respond ever more faithfully to the opportunities given by the Holy Spirit; that the harvest, never potentially more abundant. will not be left untended by a lack of labourers to work in the Lord's harvest". •
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