Preparing Priests for 'White Martyrdom'

"There is a kind of "white martyrdom" in contemporary European society. So often the Church is pushed to the margins."

LONDON, UK (The Catholic Herald) - Vivamus in spe ("We live in hope"): I have been here at Allen Hall seminary in London for a few weeks as the new Rector and each day I have been struck by how true our motto is.

Last month the Cardinal came to the seminary to celebrate Mass for the beginning of the year. He reminded us that "Allen Hall is a very special family of the diocese and of the Church". He spoke to us of the real joy of being a priest, a joy which comes "in preaching and inhabiting God's Word". Together with the new Vice-Rector, Fr Roger Taylor, the priests living and working in the seminary and I had the great privilege of renewing our priestly promises. There is a sense, of course, in which the seminary is only ever "complete"- just like the Church - when it is in the presence of one of the successors of the Apostles. This unity with the local bishop is something very precious in our Catholic faith and something to be deeply treasured in each of our Catholic communities.

And what of the seminarians? At present Allen Hall exercises oversight of 43 men in formation for the priesthood: 27 of them live here in Chelsea, seven live in the House of Formation of the Neocatechumenal Way (Redemptoris Mater), another eight live and work in parish placements, and one "commutes" to Allen Hall from his Religious Order. They come from a wide variety of backgrounds and many have sacrificed a lot to be here. They range in age from 21 to 48 and their national backgrounds draw upon the richness of the universal Church with roots in Norway, Poland, Uganda, Australia, Venezuela, Brazil, Colombia, Vietnam, Italy, Ireland, as well as England and Wales.

Their journeys to the seminary have been diverse and varied, coming through the experience of parish life and the spiritualities of the ecclesial communities. They are a microcosm of the Church in all of its rich variety and freshness.

Since arriving here I have become aware that this is like a foundational experience of the Church herself. When the Church reflects upon the meaning and purpose of a seminary she looks to the experience of the earliest Apostles who gathered around the Lord in order "to be with Him" (Mark 3:14) so as to be formed by Him. We seek here at Allen Hall to give expression in our own lives to that attraction - so mysterious and yet so beautiful - which God exercises over the human heart. There is then a two-fold dynamic: the seminary is a place in which each one deepens his own attachment to the Lord who calls him so that he may in turn reach out to God's people. The deepening of communion and intimacy with the Lord has at its heart a pastoral purpose: to bring others to Him. This is what it means to develop the heart of the Good Shepherd.

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The words of our Holy Father to all Christians in his address at World Youth Day in Sydney are particularly suited to those of us in seminary: "You stand in this world knowing that God has a human face - Jesus Christ - the 'way' who satisfies all human yearning, and the 'life' to which we are called to bear witness, walking always in His light, we need to seek Him afresh in our own day."

Allen Hall is, of course, a seminary which stands in a tradition reaching back to the renewal of Catholic life in this country. As one enters its front door one sees three dates: 1568, 1793 and 1975. It was in 1568 that Cardinal Allen founded the college for the training of priests in Douai in France. Together with our sister colleges in Ushaw and Rome we trace our heritage to the many priests who came secretly to this country and were martyred for their faith during those centuries of the public persecution of Catholics. They died defending two truths of our faith in particular: a love of the Eucharist and unity in mind and heart with the Holy Father, with the Church.

It is perhaps unlikely that the seminarians and newly ordained priests from Allen Hall will have to shed their blood in the way that those early martyrs did. But there is a kind of "white martyrdom" in contemporary European society. So often the Church is pushed to the margins. Faith is spoken of by many as though it were irrelevant or even positively disruptive in a modern secular culture. Part of the purpose of a seminary is to provide a space in which the priest of tomorrow can deepen his faith, put down deep roots, so that he will be able to stand strong as a witness to Catholic belief whatever he may have to face in the future.

In 1793, with the increasing persecution of Catholics in France, the seminary moved to English soil - to St Edmund's in Ware. England was very much "mission territory". Having a seminary on home turf meant that the preaching of the Gospel could be rooted more clearly in the experience and reality of the local Church. Again, the focus was to make the Eucharist the heart of Catholic life and to provide a living bridge with Catholic Europe. Allen Hall thrived at St Edmund's over the next two centuries by deepening a sense of its rich tradition of martyrs and encouraging the formation of men for the priesthood in the particular circumstances of life in this country.

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In 1975, following the inspiration of the Second Vatican Council, and seeking more pastoral and educational opportunities in London, Allen Hall made its move to Chelsea. The house that we took over belonged to a convent of enclosed nuns dedicated to perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and had been built on the site of the estate owned by St Thomas More. Part of the estate wall, and its mulberry tree dating back to his time, is in our back garden. What comes to the fore again are those two significant elements which have been a central tenet of formation for the priesthood in England and Wales: love of the Eucharist and love for the Church centred on our unity with the Successor of St Peter.

It is that two-fold love which is at the heart of our house here. Out of it we recall the words of Pope Benedict XVI, who recently encouraged us and all those following this way of life to be courageous in our own day: "I address this plea in a special way to those of you whom the Lord is calling to the priesthood and the consecrated life. Do not be afraid to say 'yes' to Jesus, to find your joy in doing his will, giving yourself completely to the pursuit of holiness, and using all your talents in the service of others!" (Homily for World Youth Day, Sydney.)
It is why I am so happy, and count it such a privilege and a joy, to be at Allen Hall. With those presently living here, and our faithful predecessors, we can continue to proclaim: Vivamus in spe. We live in hope.

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Msgr Mark O'Toole is the Rector of Allen Hall. He was formerly Private Secretary to Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, Archbishop of Westminster