The São José Seminary, part of the Archdiocese of Manaus, celebrated its 178-year history as one of the leading centers for priestly formation in the heart of the Amazon. The day was marked by a Mass presided over by Cardinal Leonardo Ulrich Steiner (Archbishop of Manaus and president of CEAMA), together with priests, seminarians, religious sisters, religious brothers, and formators.
During the commemoration, Cardinal Steiner highlighted the current challenges the Church faces in forming new priests amid the complex social, cultural, and digital realities of the contemporary world.
“Today’s great challenges are the challenges the Church encounters in the current reality. We live in the virtual world, in the world of the internet, in a time when respect and justice often seem to matter little. Forming people for truth, for fraternity, and for freedom is a profoundly demanding task,” said the Archbishop of Manaus.
For nearly two centuries, the São José Seminary has been a fundamental space for vocational discernment and the formation of priests committed to the evangelization of the Amazonian peoples. Currently, the formation house hosts around 60 seminarians from diverse cultural backgrounds in the region.
In addition, the seminary plays a key role for the nine local Churches that make up the Northern Region 1 of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (CNBB North 1), forming priests for the Diocese of Alto Solimões, the Diocese of Parintins, the Diocese of Coari, the Archdiocese of Manaus, the Diocese of Roraima, the Diocese of São Gabriel da Cachoeira, the Diocese of Borba, the Prelature of Itacoatiara, and the Prelature of Tefé.
In his message, the president of the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA) particularly highlighted the multicultural richness present at the seminary, where young people from indigenous and riverine communities, as well as those from various Amazonian backgrounds, live together.
“The great effort we make is to welcome diverse cultures: indigenous cultures, riverine cultures. We want everyone to feel welcomed and to discover that it is possible to live the Gospel and exercise the priestly ministry within their own culture,” he stated.
For Cardinal Steiner, priestly formation requires a profound process of human, spiritual, and pastoral maturation, grounded in dialogue, community life, study, and prayer.
“Every seminarian must travel a long path to mature God’s call within themselves and prepare for priestly life in service to the people,” he noted.
Addressing the seminarians, the cardinal left a message of hope and commitment to the Amazonian communities:
“May you joyfully accept God’s invitation and make every effort to nurture this call within yourselves. Be ready to serve the poor and the little ones; be men of mercy and find deep fulfillment in serving our communities.”
The celebration of the 178th anniversary of the São José Seminary reaffirms the importance of continuing to strengthen formation programs in the Amazon, capable of responding to the region’s pastoral, cultural, and social challenges, forming ministers who are close to the people and committed to a Church with an Amazonian, synodal, and missionary face.