Eastern Europe: Friends of God in Belarus
Comprehensive, thorough and faithfully Catholic – these are the hall marks of the academic and theological formation in the diocesan seminary of Hrodna (Grodno).
And additionally, as a matter of course, the formation of a mature personality (in the past it would have been called the formation of a virtuous life). Forthe 25 seminarians in Hrodna this includes, first and foremost, daily Holy Mass and regular daily prayer each morning, midday, afternoon and evening. Their aim is to be and become friends of Jesus, who said to his disciples, “No longer do I call you servants… but I have called you friends …” (Jn 15:15). It is a friendship they also nurture by bringing God’s love to others in concrete ways – in pilgrimages, in the local parishes, in prayer
groups with young people, visits to orphanages and retirement homes, caring for the handicapped, or indeed helping to spruce up the cemetery in readiness for important feast days such as Easter and All Souls.
In the 30 years since the seminary was first founded, over 200 priests have gone through its doors – friends of God, ready to renew the face of the earth, whether here in Belarus, in Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan or Lithuania. And in their own troubled land especially, these 25 seminarians from the diocese of Hrodna will actively proclaim the message of peace. The seminary is facing a critical economic situation. We have promised the rector, Witali Wojciechowski €20,000 forthe formation of his young seminarians. For we could not possibly abandon them at this critical time.
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