November 2023

On Saturday the 18th the community had its Marian pilgrimage. The school went to the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary in Pompeya. The Mass was presided by Fr. Enrique Tapia, L.C., rector of Mater Ecclesae. The Shrine was built by Beato Bartolo Longo at the end of 1800. After the Eucharistic Celebration the community consecrated to the Virgin offering their perseverance. Afterwards we went to the Chapel of

The first gathering of PCIMME alumni took place from October 18 to 24. Twenty-three priests from different generations participated. The reunion began with a welcome dinner. On Thursday, October 19, they were welcomed at the Ateneo with the university directors and again toured the halls of the university. Afterwards they were taken to the Sindone exhibition at the Ateneo. At noon the Eucharistic celebration was held. Lunch was held at

WE PRAY FOR PEACE AND REMEMBER THAT LIFE IS SACRED AND INVIOLABLE" (St. Francis). On Monday we joined as a college in prayer for world peace especially for peace in the Holy Land.

Saturday 14th the school had the opportunity to visit the oldest monastery in Europe, the Monastery of St. Scholastica in Subiaco. We then visited the Sacro Speco, the place where San Benedetto spent his first years as a hermit. We had the opportunity to learn about the history and to visit every corner that was part of the early history of St. Benedict.

On Thursday, September 21, the community visited Nettuno, the place where St. Maria Goretti is located. We visited the place where she was martyred for defending her purity. The Eucharistic celebration was at the altar where her remains rest. In the afternoon we visited the American Cemetery, where the soldiers who lost their lives during the Second World War are resting. On Friday evening, the spiritual exercises began. They were

On Sunday, June 18, the College had its closing event. In it we had the opportunity to enjoy a good meal and then give recognition to all the seminarians who have spent three or more years at Mater Ecclesiae. It was a day of fraternity and gratitude for the end of the course. Seminarians Elkin Jesus Ardila from the diocese of Cucuta, Colombia; Moses Wenengbi from the diocese of Tambura-Yambio,

On Sunday, June 18, we had the visit of Archbishop Jorge Patrón Wong, Archbishop of Xalapa. He accompanied the community in the Eucharistic Celebration. Jorge has been very close to the community of Mater Ecclesiae. He gave the community a relic of Bishop Rafael Guizar y Valencia, which we unveiled at the end of the Eucharistic celebration. Later he accompanied us during breakfast.  

On Corpus Christi Sunday the Mater Ecclesiae community had our procession through the school. It was a cloudy and cool afternoon. The seminarians prepared 3 stations where we prayed and gave the blessing to those present. The altars were prepared by the communities of Africa, America and India. The Lord blessed us with good weather and a fervent atmosphere of prayer. The procession was animated by the different communities.

In today's conference , Fr. Pierre Salabert, LC, shared with us a reflection on the intellectual dimension in priestly formation, which does not consist of a purely academic preparation, because being at the service of pastoral ministry and nourished by the human and spiritual dimension, it necessarily takes place in a formation community. This is why the candidate for the priesthood is formed in the seminary and not only by attending

Today Fr. Enrique Tapia, L.C., rector of Maria Mater Ecclesiae College, shared with us his experience of vocational discernment: his call to the priesthood, his formative journey in the seminary, his ministry as a deacon and as a priest. We thank him for his priestly testimony and for his service as rector of our college.