On a serene campus in the heart of Tiruchi city stands St. Paul’s Seminary, one of the oldest centres for theological studies in Tamil Nadu. Established in 1921 and located on 17 acres, the colonial building with sturdy columns, long verandas, high roofs and a wide central court serves as a spiritual and educational home to its seminarians, who undergo intensive training for 13 years. The seminary was founded by the Most Rev. Augustine Faisandier, the then Bishop of Tiruchi, to form candidates for priesthood. At first, it was entrusted to the Madurai Mission of the Society of Jesus, accommodating the seminarians from the dioceses of Tiruchi, Thoothukudi and Madurai. Later, it became the provincial seminary of the Madurai ecclesiastical province, including the dioceses of Kottar, Palayamkottai, Sivaganga, Dindigul, and Kuzhithurai.
Licentiate in Theology
On the occasion of its platinum jubilee (1995-1996), a postgraduate programme of Licentiate in Theology was started, and from June 1991, religious sisters and lay persons were admitted for the studies. The 102-year-old seminary has ordained about 2,032 priests, of whom 1,797 were resident students. From among the alumni, 25 have been consecrated as Bishops. As many as 53 nuns and 19 laypersons have obtained their academic degrees at St. Paul’s Seminary. “It continues to provide the seminarians with the opportunities and challenges that enable them to inculcate in themselves the values of faith, concern, commitment and service, honed with knowledge and understanding,” says seminary director Fr. T. Xavier Terrence.
The catechetical institute, which helps believers grow deeper in their faith and articulate it in their everyday life, admits candidates from other Indian dioceses, religious congregations, and laypeople from different parts of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala, Karnataka, and from northern parts of the country.
Seminarian life
St. Paul’s Seminary has played a pivotal role in the formation of priests. While 13 years of seminary life may seem long to someone outside, every one of those years is vital in the formation, says Fr. G. Valentine Joseph, Perfect of the Licentiate programme.
Much of their time is spent in class, working on assignments and preparing for exams, apart from which they share meals, play sports, celebrate together at ceremonies and more. All these years in seminary, and the summers in between, include pastoral assignments at parishes, schools, NGOs and other outreach programmes. Apart from the extensive training, seminarians have been actively involved in the holistic development of the candidates. “The seminary has a significant number of outstanding achievements that inspire seminarians to come here for their formation,” he adds.
Decline in enrolment
The seminary, which can accommodate about 145 students, started with 24 students. The strength has increased to 107 this year. Although there is a decline in enrolment in theological studies in the recent past, online classes continue to be a powerful draw for students. While the COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on the number of students enrolled, it did shift a significant number to online programmes in which over 270 students have been enrolled from across the globe in the current academic year.
Preserving the history
Students of different languages, classes and degrees assemble for education on the ground floor, says Fr. T. Sagayaraj, Librarian. The three-storey library boasts collections of about 75,136 elegantly bound volumes on theology, psychology, social science, sociology, applied science, arts and literature, and journals in English, Tamil, Latin, Greek, Syriac, Hebrew, Malayalam, Persian, Arabic, French and German.
“We are focussing on digitising the rare books, including publications, journals and other documents, housed in the library to meet the changing needs of users and preserve valuable resources,” he adds.
The historical building, in the 1960s, had a museum showcasing about 50 early translations of The Holy Bible in various languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Sindhi, Spanish, Armenian, and Polish. The seminary has decided to revive the museum and open it to the public.
“The traditions, the legacy, the buildings, the flora and fauna, the landmarks, nothing much has changed in the seminary. Alumni who visit the campus even after years could still relate to the campus of their days,” says Fr. S. Santiago Raja, Perfect of Theology.
Upgrade planned
Given the centennial celebration, the board of administration has sought to upgrade the theological studies into St. Paul’s Institute of Theology. “We have prepared the new statutes for the institute and sent them to the Congregation for Catholic Education, Vatican. We are working on the requirements put forth by the Congregation,” says Fr. Terrence.
