|
|
|
|
|
|
|
GIRIDEEPAM MINOR SEMINARY
History of Girideepam Minor Seminary
The undivided Syro Malankara Church was founded by St. Thomas; the apostle regained full communion with the Catholic Church on 20th September 1930 through the untiring ecclesial re-union efforts of the Servant of God Archbishop Geevarghese Mar Ivanios. The Holy Father Pope Pius XI, through the apostolic constitution Christo Pastorum Principi of 11 June 1932, established the Syro Malankara Catholic hierarchy and elevated it to the status of an Archi Episcopal Church. In 2005 Pope John Paul II raised her to the status of a Major Archi Episcopal Church.
The mission of the Syro Malankara Catholic Church outside its proper canonical territory gradually began with the efforts of individual missionaries. However, a major landmark in this regard was the establishment of Bethany ashram in Pune on 24th October 1955. From Pune, the Bethany fathers took care of the Malankara Catholic faithful in Mumbai and Pune regions. From the beginning of the 1970s, the Syro Malankara Catholic hierarchy directly began to take the initiative and sent priests from various eparchies to these communities. Under the diligent leadership of pastors and priests, these communities got organized strongly under the banner “Malankara Catholic Church Extra-Territorial Regions in India [MCC-ETRI]. In February 2007, H. E. Most Rev. Dr Jacob Mar Barnabas was appointed the Apostolic Visitator by Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI. Later the Holy Episcopal Synod of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church officially entrusted Bishop Jacob Mar Barnabas with the pastoral care of the Syro-Malankara Catholic faithful residing outside its proper territory in India.
It is under the determined pastoral leadership of His Excellency Jacob Mar Barnabas that Mar Ivanios Minor Seminary was founded on 28 July 2011 at Neb Sarai, New Delhi for the MCC-ETRI. The seminary was started on the second floor of St. Mary’s Syro-Malankara Catholic Church at Neb Sarai, New Delhi with three students and the first rector was Very Rev Fr. Varghese Valikodathu, followed by Rev. Fr. Varghese Vinayanand OIC, Rev. Fr. Sam Pathackal, and Rev. Fr. Aji Thomas Thannimoottil.
After the establishment of the new eparchy, St John Chrysostom, Gurgaon, the seminary was renamed as Girideepam Minor Seminary. The following title was taken from the autobiography of Mar Ivanios. On the basis of an understanding between the Eparchy of St John Chrysostom, Gurgaon and the exarchate of St Ephrem, Khadki-Pune, the candidates for the exarchate were also trained here for a year, after which they moved to their own minor seminary in the exarchate, the present Eparchy of St Ephrem.
Our Vision and Mission
The mission of the Church is obedience in response to the command of Christ: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations" (Mt. 28:19) and "Do this in remembrance of me" (Lk. 22:19; cf. 1 Cor. 11.24), i.e., obedience to the command to announce the Gospel and to renew daily the sacrifice of the giving of his body and the shedding of his blood for the life of the world. This obedience is lived through the lives of priests. The Church's work of formation is a continuation in time of Christ's own work, which the evangelist Mark illustrates in these words: "And he went up on the mountain, and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve, to be with him, and to be sent out to preach and have authority to cast out demons" (Mk. 3:13-15) (Pastores Dabo Vobis).
The Girideepam Minor Seminary strives to form a seminarian as one who imitates Christ, through a life centred on the Holy Qurbono and inspired by the Word of God. He lives in a structured institution that functions like a family and integrates human, Christian and priestly values. He follows a distinctive seminary lifestyle with character, integrity, maturity, prudence and self-discipline. He assimilates the formation programme, tries to measure up to the academic requirements, experiences freedom, the right motivation, commitment to his call, and obedience to authority He lives as a prophet, works as a community builder and strives to be a relevant witness in the modern world. He is formed in a holistic, integrated and developmental way that emphasizes human, spiritual, social, moral and pastoral dimensions. He builds up a deep relationship with God and is at ease with himself and with others. He is gradually transformed into a missionary to proclaim the Good News of the Lord.
The General Formation Programme
Every seminarian is invited to follow Christ and to model his life on that of his Master. He is to imitate the virtues of Christ, the Good Shepherd. He is to integrate the human, spiritual, academic and pastoral dimensions of his life, so as to form himself into a man of God who has unshakeable faith, unswerving hope, unbounded love and undying courage; a man of intense prayer who has had a deep God-experience; a man of penetrating vision and keen intellect who can see farther and discern God’s plan in a given situation; a man of firm conviction and solid commitment who is willing to serve the varied needs of mission and evangelization; a man with the heart of Christ who is ready to risk himself for others in order to build up brotherhood and community.
Each seminarian is primarily responsible for his own formation. But he is assisted and guided by his Rector, Spiritual Director, Prefects and other staff members. The formation programme of Girideepam Minor Seminary provides ample opportunities for a seminarian to achieve an all-round developmentː physical, emotional, spiritual, academic and apostolic/ pastoral.