A recent media report has sparked speculation that St. Patrick’s Seminary, Maynooth may close following the Apostolic Visitation undertaken by New York Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan in recent months.
It has been suggested in the Irish Catholic newspaper that Dolan will recommend that Pope Benedict XVI move all Irish seminaries to a restructured Pontifical Irish College in Rome.
St. Patrick’s Seminary in Maynooth, Co. Kildare was first established in 1795 and has been preparing Irishmen for the priesthood for over 200 years.
The seminary has been under pressure in recent months however to fill teaching vacancies made by retired theology professors, with the Irish Catholic pointing out that the faculty of Canon Law only has one full-time member, and the faculty of philosophy has no full-time staff.
Archbishop Dolan is said to believe that the low number of seminarians makes the college’s future unsustainable.
Archbishop Dolan visited Maynooth at the behest of Pope Benedict XVI, who ordered a wide-ranging probe into how abuse cases were handled by the Catholic Church in Ireland.
The delegation also included Boston Archbishop Cardinal Sean O’Malley, who traveled to Dublin.
During his stay Archbishop Dolan requested copies of moral theology lectures, class notes, and presentations made to students, in order to assess the suitability of the content.
It is believed that he found the content not sufficiently orthodox for future priests, and feels that the move to the Irish College would address these issues.
In response to the speculation, however, President of St. Patrick’s College, Monsignor Hugh Connolly, denied that there was any truth to the rumors, claiming that the reports were “without foundation,” and adding that “The media outlet leading with this incorrect story was sent a reply from us yesterday and its absence from the published copy is disappointing and damaging.”
Monsignor Connolly went on to say, “There are 72 men studying for the priesthood in Maynooth, making us the largest seminary on these islands and one of the largest in Europe… Saint Patrick’s College, Maynooth is a vibrant centre of seminary formation and theological research.”
Despite the speculation that the visitations did not go well, he insisted that they were a positive experience, saying, “Maynooth is confident of its contribution to the future of the Church in Ireland. The Apostolic Visitation to the seminary was a positive and affirming experience for the whole College community. It generated a spirit of hope and enthusiasm which will no doubt play a significant part in the renewal of the Church in our country.”
The Apostolic visitors are expected to submit their reports along with their recommendations to the Pope in the coming months.
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