By Santosh Digal
Bhubaneswar—Odisha bishops have asked their seminarians to prepare to face future challenges from now on.
Six bishops of Odisha state, Eastern India, visited their two major seminaries on December 10-11 in different places as part of their annual visitation.
The first one is: St. Pauls Spirituality Seminary at Khorda, near Bhubaneswar, state capital.
It has 41 seminarians for six dioceses of Odisha and one from Jashpur diocese of Chhattisgarh state. They spend one-year time giving stress on spirituality formation, before they are sent to pursue their three year course on philosophy in a major seminary, and bachelors’ degree in a university.
The second seminary is Aquinas College, managed by the North Indian Province of the Congregation of the Mission, situated at Gopalpur-on-Sea, some 170 km southwest of Bhubaneswar, the state capital. It has 101 students from ten dioceses of Odisha, Jharkhand and West Bengal states, besides one religious congregation for the current school year.
“Odisha is a trouble-stricken state that has witnessed anti-Christian persecution. Church faces many challenges such as anti-Christian persecution, poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, human rights violation and much more. Our future missionaries have to condition their minds now itself and enable them to understand and anticipate the challenges they are going face now and future so that they are ready to plunge into it in greater commitment and conviction after their priestly ordination, said Divine Word archbishop John Barwa of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar, president of Odisha Catholic Bishops’ Council.
Another bishop Kishor Kumar Kujur of Rourkela, addressing them said, “Our present and future time as missionaries is going to be full of challenges. Our seminarians need to be ready from now itself.”
The bishops also addressed seminary staff separately and met their respective seminarians in groups and apprised them many aspects of formation.
Once in a year, bishops visit these seminaries to take stock of seminary education and interact with their seminarians, celebrate Mass with all, said Father Karunakar Digal, a teacher at St. Paul’s Seminary, Khorda.