From the Rector, Fr Raju
‘Some of our seminarians come from very poor backgrounds. When they go home, there is sometimes barely enough for them to eat; their parents find it difficult to maintain them. Were it not for the generosity of the people of England and Wales, to whom I am very grateful, these young men would be unable to study for the priesthood. Many come from tribal areas in which people have their own gods. These traditional tribes do not accept the Gospel very easily and missionary work must proceed very slowly and respectfully. But when Tribals become Christian, they are very faithful and so it is no surprise that families allow their sons and daughters to become priests and Sisters.

The people in the villages are very respectful of their priests, even bowing to them in order to touch their feet in an old Hindu tradition in which touching the feet of the guru confers a blessing. This is gradually changing; the Church is currently discussing the issue of gender equality between priests and Sisters.'

Fr Yeruva Joji - Spiritual Theology teacher
'People want to see their priests as men of prayer and they also want a faith that they can make their own. Sometimes it is possible to ‘Christianise’ non-Christian feasts, such as Diwali which is the Hindu Feast of Light, in order to celebrate Christ as the Light of the World.

Traditional Catholics like things to be done in the ‘old way’ and so our students are taught to offer Mass according to Indian culture, sitting down, but only in the context of a traditional Mass.'