Holy Spirit Major Seminary, administered by Missionaries of Compassion, was established in June 2004 at the foot of Nirmalagiri Shrine, under the divine protection and intercession of Blessed Mother Mary. It was an incredible landmark in the history of Missionaries of Compassion as it materializes the object of the society, i.e., the formation of zealous and hardworking priests, motivating them to work for the glory of God by their own sanctification and by bringing solace and comfort to the suffering (Constitution of MC, Art. 4). The seminary owes its existence to Very Rev. Dr. Jose Kaimlett, the founder of Missionaries of Compassion, HGN, and SGN.
The Motto
To Enlighten To Enliven
The Vision
To Create New Frontiers of Mission in Quest for Development of Human and Just Society
The Mission
To help the Indian Society in developing human resources capable of leading creative developments by upholding cultural, intellectual, religious traditions and human values
The Staff
Rector: Rev. Fr Priestly Mathew
Vice-Rector
Dean of Studies: Rev. Dr Josepaul Pulikkottil
IGNOU Programme coordinator:
Treasurer
In conformity with the concrete needs of the Indian Church and the Universal Church, the seminary has structured its formation programme in such way as to offer to the future priests of the third millennium an integrated, intellectual, human, cultural and spiritual formation. They are initiated into various aspects of life through seminars, debates, and group dynamics with the objective of keeping them well informed of the various dimensions of priestly life.
Reading the signs of the times in conformity with the teaching of Second Vatican Council and drawing inspiration from the Post Conciliar teachings of the great Paul VI and John Paul II, the staff of the seminary from its initial stages devotes great time and energy for the theological, pastoral and philosophical formation of the seminarians. With the desire for having a place for Society coupled with the divine providence after a year of functioning at Nirmalagiri Shrine, the Seminary was transferred to Vangayagudem. While at Nirmalagiri, Very Rev. Fr. Aaron Drishina, the then parish priest, and Rev. Fr. Jesusdas, Director, Prema Seva Asram, were rock solid support to the Society.
One of the principal purposes of the Missionaries of Compassion is “alleviation of the sufferings of any kind of our brethren by our compassionate service. Any type of apostolate that we undertake should be in accordance with this. By our loving service we shall strive to give expression to the spirit of Christ resplendent in His compassion,” (Constitution of MC, Art. 5). True to this specific purpose of the Society envisioned in the Constitution, led Father Founder to begin the Good Samaritan Cancer and General Hospital in 2007, paving the way for the transformation of the seminary into a unique hospital of its kind in the entire West Godavari District and the surrounding region primarily for the care of terminal cancer patients.
Hence the Seminary was transferred to a new place with better facilities and amenities. Today Holy Spirit Major Seminary is located at Gopannapalam, in the natural surroundings of coconut and palm groves, away from the concrete jungles and polluted air. The academic programme of the seminary is structured in a special way to make the students competent, hardworking, holy and zealous priests of tomorrow.
The flagship programme of the Seminary are Bachelor of Philosophy (B.Ph.), a three year course from Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and Bachelor of Theology (B.Th.), comprising of seven semesters of theological studies (three and a half years) leading to B.Th. degree conferred by the Institute. It is worth mentioning that the Institute is a Special Study Centre of IGNOU.
Keeping true to the spirit of Vatican Council II and it teachings, as per the Decree on the training of Priests, “Major seminaries are necessary for priestly training. In them the whole training of the students should have as its object to make them true shepherds of souls after the example of our Lord Jesus Christ, teacher, priest and shepherd. Hence, they should be trained for the ministry of the Word, so that they may gain an ever increasing understanding of revealed Word of God, making it their own by meditation, and giving it expression in their speech and in their lives. They should be trained for the ministry and worship and sanctification, so that by prayer and the celebration of the sacred liturgical functions they may carry on the work of salvation through the Eucharistic sacrifice and the sacraments. They should be trained to undertake the ministry of the shepherd, that they may know how to represent Christ to men, Christ who “did not come to have service done to him, but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for the lives of many” (Mk 10, 45; Jn 13, 12-17), and they may win over many by becoming the servants of all (1 Cor. 9, 19).” (Vatican Council II, Decree on the Training of Priests, Optatum Totius, 28 October 1965, n. 4).
The students especially those of theology, are given an opportunity to do pastoral ministry on Sundays. They are assigned to different sub-stations belonging to Sanigudem parish and a few other neighboring parishes. The aim of this initiative is to enable the seminarians to have a foretaste of the pastoral ministry and thus to help them to equip themselves to face the realities and responsibilities which they are to take up individually in the course of time. In this process, the staff and the students are instrumental in uplifting the social, moral, educational and economic standards of the people around.
The Seminary looks to the future with hope and renewed enthusiasm to engage itself in improving year after year the spiritual, social and intellectual formation of the students. The staff members are totally committed to providing a formation programme that meets the challenges of the modem society, but always in tune with the demands of the church. Thereby the aim of the Seminary is to remain an intellectual and spiritual powerhouse transforming the young minds after the heart of Jesus, the master of all good works.
@2021 | Missionaries of Compassion |