BY Peter Diamond | January 10 | 0 COMMENTS print
New students arrive in Spain to begin their priest studies
Four Scottish seminarians travelled to the Royal Scots College in Spain last weekend to begin their propaedeutic studies ‘as they continue to discern their vocation to the priesthood’.
The four Scots were joined by four Irish seminarians who will also take part in the six-month course before they continue their studies as they formally enter the prospective Pontifical seminaries in Rome come September.
Three Scots seminarians are from St Andrews & Edinburgh, while one hails from Paisley Diocese. Two of Irish students come from Armagh Archdiocese and Derry Diocese and two from Waterford Diocese.
Settling in
Fr Tom Kilbride, Rector of the Royal Scots College Salamanca, said: “This is the first time we’ve had half Irish and half Scottish for the propaedeutic course so they are beginning to settle into the seminary and have started their three week intensive Spanish language course before the real classes begin at the Pontifical College.”
The number of men entering studies for priesthood is down on previous years with 13 attending in 2018 and 10 attending in 2019.
Fr Kilbride, a priest of Glasgow Archdiocese asked Catholics to keep the men in their prayers as they begin their priestly journeys.
“They come here, still very much at the start of their vocation and will still be discerning their path so it is obviously important that they receive a lot of support and that they are comforted by the prayers of parishes from across Scotland,” said Fr Tom.