Visit to the Toronto Seminaries

On October 22nd/23rd, the five residents of the House of Discernment, John, Eric, Paul, Stefan, and Stephen, and Fr. Norbert took a trip to visit St. Philip Oratory and St. Augustine seminary in Toronto. There, we toured and talked to the seminarians and staff of each seminary, including those seminarians studying for our very own diocese.

We set out at 8:00 a.m., riding in van borrowed from John’s parents, as it was the only vehicle we could find that could accommodate the six of us. The ride up was mostly uneventful, although we saw some nice sights such as the CN Tower up close and Lake Ontario, to name a few. Our first stop was a tailor shop that specialized in religious wear and vestments. We were fitted and measured for altar-server cassocks and surplices for serving Mass. After this brief stop, we learned of a nearby religious supply store, which sold English and Korean goods, religious articles, spiritual books and sacred art. We met up with the friendly Korean owners, who belonged to a nearby Presbyterian Church, chatted with them about World Youth Day in Sydney, our trip to South-Korea and young men entering the priesthood. Finally, we purchased some statues and holy cards, said our goodbyes and gathered in the van to head to the Oratory.

As we neared the Oratory, we noticed the distinguishable dome which adorns the roof of the new Church that is now home to the Oratory of St. Philip Neri and the seminary. The Diocese of Peterborough has currently one seminarian Frank Brick studying at the Oratory. In addition, it is the alma mater of two of our seminarians, Ante Market and Nick Carvalho. As we came into the front reception area, we were warmly greeted by Fr. Paul Pearson and Fr. Derek Cross, who are priests of the Oratory and Dean of studies and Dean of students respectively. We were brought into the Oratory’s reading room, where we sat down with Fr. Paul and Fr. Derek and discussed the Oratory, the education and formation at the seminary, the history of the seminary, and the structure of it. We soon met up with Frank Brick, who was very pleased to see us. He led us on a tour of the whole Oratory, the Holy Family parish church, which possesses a rather large organ that was actually bought from a private owner. We also toured the excellently equipped library, the seminarian residences, and the beautiful courtyard. We also met with and talked to the seminarians and staff of the Oratory, who were very pleased to have us visit. We had lunch in the refectory, which is the seminary dining hall, and had a delicious meal in the company of the other resident seminarians. Shortly after, we all said Daytime Prayer together in the seminarian chapel and Fr. Norbert celebrated a Latin Mass for us, which was a very nice thing to witness and to be part of. Unfortunately, after this beautiful liturgy we had to leave, but not before purchasing some books and keepsakes in the Oratory gift shop. We thanked Frank and the Oratory priests and seminarians for their kindness to us and said our goodbyes. We gathered in the van and drove off to St. Augustine’s Seminary.

At St. Augustine’s we were greeted by Msgr. Robert Nusca, who is the rector of the seminary. Not long after, Craig Cruikshank, Ante Market, and Nick Carvalho greeted us who are our three seminarians presently studying at St. Augustine’s. We all settled into our rooms that we were to stay in overnight and then proceeded to meet together in a common area of the seminary, where we shared a bit about our trip so far: the visit to the Oratory, about St. Augustine seminary, how we are all doing, and so on. We then gathered in the chapel, which is a very magnificent and breathtakingly beautiful place of worship and prayed Evening Prayer together. After, we decided to go out to an all-you-can-eat buffet restaurant for supper. The food was delicious and the best part of it was the all-you-can-eat aspect! Actually, better yet was the company of the seminarians and the fun and fellowship we shared. Back at the seminary after the tasty all-you-can-eat, the seminarians and the rest of us went to the seminary recreation area where we played pool, foosball, ping-pong, and just basically relaxed and had a good time. We all met together again for Night Prayer and went to bed. In the morning, we joined the seminary community for Mass in the chapel and for breakfast thereafter, compliments of the ever-generous rector and staff of the seminary. Now this is where we really met the other seminarians from many dioceses across the Canada. After breakfast, we gathered for Morning Prayer and the seminarians treated us to a tour of the seminary. We toured the library, chapel, grounds, alumni halls, and even the seminary dome (but for safety reasons we just saw the base of the dome). Before going for lunch, we sat down in the meeting room again and discussed the seminary, the education, community life, etc. We also all shared some of our vocation stories. After lunch, we gathered our bags, as it was time to leave soon. But before leaving, the seminarians gave us a tour of the Scarborough Bluffs as the seminary is located in Scarborough right on the Bluffs overlooking Lake Ontario. We looked at the beautiful lakeshore scenery, while Stefan and Paul both got into a race down a hill, which they both did not survive without very muddy repercussions, as it was raining and slippery that day! After the amazing tour of the Bluffs, we had to leave, said our goodbyes and went to our next stop.

A humble, but well-equipped religious supply store not far from the seminary on Kingston Road was our next stop. At the store, various religious pictures, statues, greeting cards, books, etc. were for sale. It was there that we met up with Fr. Neil Roy. Fr. Roy is a priest from our diocese who is a professor at Notre Dame University in Indiana. We also purchased a substantial number of theological and spiritual books for the VEYO library, many of them highly recommended by Fr. Roy. In addition, we bought some things for ourselves and a tiny, but workable incense holder for use in our small VEYO chapel during our adoration periods.

Rather than going back to Peterborough right away in the middle of rush hour traffic we all decided to meet up at a parish church nearby called St. Therese of Lisieux, the Shrine of the Little Flower. When we entered the church, we were pleasantly surprised to find the Blessed Sacrament exposed and parishioners in adoration. We followed their example and spent some time in prayer and reflection before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament which made our trip even more memorable. We soon found an exhibit of pictures and artefacts on St. Therese towards the back of the Church and the small shrine containing a relic of the Little Flower. After reciting the Divine Mercy Chaplet and private prayers, we settled in the van again and sped off to our second to last stop.

Our second to last stop was the Scarborough Bluffs again, this time in a park at the bottom of the rock formation right on Lake Ontario. Here, we all took a walk to pass the time before having dinner. We took a stroll through the park area, where we gazed at the marvellous scenery. Despite the lack of sunshine, the lakeshore and the open space of Lake Ontario is an impressive picture to behold and a refreshing open-air stop on our trip of seminaries, churches, chapels and bookstores. After the fresh-air break, we travelled on to a German food restaurant for our dinner and final stop. We ordered some German cuisine (only one group member was able to pronounce the German names correctly. Can you guess who it was?). The meal was delicious and very filling, and after savouring the very last bites and receiving each a Bavarian ball cap from the owner, we assembled in the van and drove back home to the VEYO Centre in Peterborough.

This visit to the seminaries was a very valuable one for the House of Discernment residents. It has allowed us to take a first-hand look at the structure and nature of seminary life, which is a very helpful experience for those discerning a possible vocation to the priesthood. Thank you to all the priests and seminarians of the Oratory and at St. Augustine’s for accommodating us on our vocational journey. Thank you to all the seminarians of our diocese who had welcomed us on our visit, a visit which will hopefully be the first of many more.

Links:

• The Oratory of St. Philip Neri  http://www.oratory-toronto.org/  
• St. Augustine Seminary http://www.staugustines.on.ca/