Holy Cross Seminary

Recent Events

January - June 2008

SEPTEMBER 2008

September 12, 2008: Ordinations to the Subdiaconate     please see photo album

September 13, 2008: Mass in honour of Our Lady, Celebrated by Bishop Tissier De Mallierais, assisted by Rev. Mr. Campbell and Rev. Mr. Noronha

A procession in honour of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Our Lady on the Seminary grounds. Bishop Tissier De Mallierais celebrated the Mass and renewal of the consecration of the Seminary to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, with a number of faithful from the surrounding Society chapels on the occasion dubbed, “Family Weekend”.

September 14, 2008: Procession with the Relic of the True Cross     please see photo album

September 14, 2008: Annual Holy Cross Seminary Soccer Tournament

Members of the community enjoy lunch before the tournament begins.

The Soccer Tournament in action.

AUGUST 2008

August 15, 2008: Mr. John Cameron (of New Zealand) and Mr. Pius Nathanmbwe (of Zimbabwe) receive the cassock at the hand of Fr. Peter Scott.

Mr. John Cameron makes the candle offering in the ceremony of the reception of the cassock.		Before the Main entrance of the Seminary.		Mr. John Cameron and Mr. Pius Nathanmbwe after the reception of the cassock.

August 21, 2008: Workers install the black granite altar in the Holy Cross Seminary Cemetery chapel. The solid slab of granite was hoisted in by crane. The floors and windows are yet to be completed.

		The rosewood doors of the Seminary cemetery chapel under construction.

As the month began the Major seminarians were in the process of sitting their examinations in the lesser subjects: - Canon Law, Liturgy, Sacred Scripture, Church History and Latin. They were followed by a three day break for study for the most important end of semester examinations in the major subjects, which took place on August 11, 12 and 13.

Meanwhile the grotto in honor of Our Lady of Lourdes, constructed for the 150th anniversary of the apparitions, was completed, along with repainting of the walls of the building that surround it, and paving of the ground. The newly repainted statue was set in place and the official ceremony of blessing took place on August 6, feast of the Transfiguration. After the blessing the entire community was assembled for the recitation of the Rosary in reparation, as an answer to Our Lady’s call for penance.

Praying the Rosary on August 6, after the blessing of the newly completed grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes near the back entrance to the Seminary.		Seminarians praying before the newly constructed grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes.

On Sunday August 10th the faithful of the Seminary celebrated the departure of the former Seminary Rector, Father Peter Scott, for it was to be his last Sunday as Rector, although he stayed on for another couple of weeks until the new Rector arrived.

After the examinations, a welcome breath of spiritual refreshment was present in the day of recollection, preached on August 14 by Father Pfluger. It was a preparation for the ceremonies of the following day, in which the first year seminarians took the cassock, and all the seminarians remember the death to the world that is so necessary to the ecclesiastical vocation. Father Scott celebrated the Solemn High Mass of August 15, at which two seminarians took the cassock, Mr. Pius Nanthambwe from Zimbabwe and Mr. John Cameron from Wanganui, New Zealand. Many parishioners from the Seminary’s congregation of faithful assisted at the ceremony, which was followed by a lunch for everyone in the Seminary Refectory. After lunch, the Minor Seminarians performed some scenes from Twelfth Night, as well as some more original productions, much to the enjoyment of everyone. Finally, to crown off the day of ceremonies the Seminary hosted the visit of the Hume member of Federal Parliament. He came for the celebration of the completion of the Commonwealth Water Grant project, the building of a water storage tank of 150,000 litres, now in perfect function, and pumping water to the entire laundry wing to the tune of 8,000 to 10,000 litres per week. All this is collected from the Seminary’s roofs.

It is customary to have a very short break after the Semester examinations, and this year was no exception. On Sunday August 17 a good number of seminarians took a trip to the Snowy mountains to recreate in the snow, which has fallen in good quantities this winter. Then the following day, the entire community headed for a community hike in the national forest near Jervis Bay, and after a soccer game a quick dip in the cool ocean water. Classes started again the next day, August 19. However, on the afternoon of August 20, Father Scott took the Minor Seminarians to Moloney’s beach for recreation and a pizza party.

Seminarian Mark Lomod from the Philippines experiences his first snow fall at the Seminary.

Two seminarians preparing to use a home made toboggan at a recent seminary outing.		Seminarians at a recent outing to the snows.

Then on August 21, finally arrived the polished black granite altar for the Seminary chapel, now largely completed. It was fully installed in the sanctuary, a handsome and proportioned completion for the chapel, with its rosewood ceiling now completed and the walls painted. During the following days the windows were inserted into place and the doors constructed from the same rosewood, under the careful supervision of Br. Joseph.

Building of the roof structure to the cemetery chapel		The base of the polished granite altar to be installed in the cemetery chapel on August 21

The electrician attaches the wires for the lights in the new cemetery chapel.		The table of the altar

Builders fixing the rosewood lining boards to the ceiling in the new cemetery chapel.

The very same day, August 21, Father Vicente Griego, the new Seminary Rector, was welcomed by the entire community, having just arrived from St. Mary’s, Kansas, ready to assume his new and heavy responsibility.

ST PETERS ROME 2008 Fr. Ortiz and seminarians outside St Peters Rome

Inspecting the electric pump on the water project, that pumps water back to the laundry wing from the new 150,000 litre tank		Brother Postulant Anistas Santha Gruz inspecting the new lid to the trap constructed to collect any contaminants in the water collected from the roofs		Seminarian turning the lathe in the woodshop

JULY 2008

This month of the Precious Blood was a quiet and hardworking month, the Major Seminarians preparing for their mid-year examinations, the first being Pastoral Theology on July 29, and the others following in quick succession over the following two weeks. The biggest event was the Minor Seminarians’ trip to the snow at the Snowy Mountains on Wednesday 23rd. Using a toboggan that they had made themselves, as well as plastic bags, they were able to distract themselves from serious things by repeated rides down.

The Seminary had the pleasure of a visit from the Sisters of the Society of Saint Pius X from Rockdale from July 1 - 15. It was a “vacation” time for them, away from their school in Rockdale during the school holidays. They were a great consolation to the Seminary by their prayers and their joyful presence, and also by their devotedness. Although on vacation, they gave up their mornings to doing sewing and laundry work left over from the previous retreats, repairing Brother Joseph’s cassocks and making two new work cassocks for him to destroy.

Work continued rapidly on the cemetery chapel during this month. A team of six renderers came to apply concrete render inside and out of the chapel building - doing the whole job in less than three days. Then followed the carpenters, who installed a colourbond roof, spoutings and an arch over the entrance to the chapel. They also installed freshly cut rosewood planks as the ceiling, and will be constructing the doors out of the same wood. The windows and granite altar are presently under construction.

Index of Seminary events

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