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The Seminary seen from the Garden |
Bishop
Petitjean, M.E.P. founded the Latin School
as the origin of Tokyo Catholic Seminary at
Ban-cho, Tokyo in 1872. It moved to Tsukiji,
Tokyo in 1879, and to Sekiguchi in 1918.
Fr. Candau, M.E.P. was inaugurated as a
rector in 1926, and in 1929 its new
schoolhouse was built and named St. Francis
Xavier Major Seminary at Seki-machi where we
are now. The candidates for priests
gathered to study philosophy and theology
from all over Japan.
After the
World War
Ⅱ,
the seminary resumed work in some unburned
parts of the seminary at Seki-machi. In
1946, the Bishops’ assembly decided to
establish a major seminary in Fukuoka
besides in Tokyo. The one in Fukuoka was
defined to the formation of the priests of
Kyushu area, and has been entrusted to the
Society of St. Sulpice as we see today.
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The Statue of St. Francis Xavier in the Garden |
On the
other hand, the Society of Jesus accepted
the administration of Tokyo Catholic
Seminary in 1947, and the Holy See approved
us as “Seminarium Interdiocesanum” in 1948.
The
management of Tokyo Catholic Seminary was
transferred from the Society of Jesus to the
Bishops of Japan in 1970; however, the
direction of intellectual formation was
continuously entrusted to Sophia University
conducted by the Society of Jesus. In the
meantime, we were aiming to realize the
formation of diocesan priests by diocesan
priests, and so we needed the curriculum of
our own. The one for our proper course
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The Entrance of Tokyo Catholic Seminary |
of
studies (Cursus Proprius) had been
prepared for many years by the consultative
assembly. At last, the Bishops’ committee
for Tokyo Catholic Seminary approved it, and
we put it in practice from the 1990/1991
academic year. Since then, the direction of
Tokyo Catholic Seminary has been completely
handed over to the 11 Dioceses, i.e.,
Sapporo, Sendai, Niigata, Saitama, Tokyo,
Yokohama, Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima,
and Takamatsu.
THE
FORMATION PROGRAM IN TOKYO CATHOLIC SEMINARY
TODAY
On
December 11, 1990, the Bishops’ Committee
for Tokyo Catholic Seminary approved
“Formation Guidelines of Tokyo Catholic
Seminary”. The following two-steps- program
in the course of six years has been
inaugurated since the 1990 academic year.
Step one;
the first year of philosophy:
The seminarians belonging to
the step one live in Galilee House of
Nasu far away from Tokyo. In this step,
studying some philosophical subjects in the
morning, they mainly intend to experience
community life, to focus on the liturgy, and
to construct a foundation of each vocation
in the quiet countryside.
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Seminarians with Moderators and the Rector |
After
finishing the step one, the seminarians take
up their residence in the seminary of Tokyo.
To help maintain the atmosphere associated
with philosophy studies, second year
philosophy seminarians live apart from the
theology seminarians, and have spiritual
guidance appropriate to their level. With
philosophy as their core study the second
philosophy seminarians are setting the
foundation for their study of theology as
well.
During
their third year in theology, the
seminarians prepare dissertation papers.
Following the requirements found in Canon
1032-1, all academic credits required for
deaconate ordination are completed by the
end of the five years of study.
As for the
fourth year of Theology (Deaconate Year),
each diocesan Bishop is to notify the Rector
of all those ordained Deacons, or those to
be ordained Deacons during the school year,
and then the Rector admits them to
participate in the deaconate year program.
While continuing to live in the seminary,
the deacons, in accord with Canon 1032-2,
exercise their deaconate. In preparation for
their apostolic and pastoral ministry the
deacons are expected to put into practice
what they have been learning during their
six years of seminary training. Moreover;
integrating all they have studied during
these years, they must prepare for the final
examination taken place in the latter part
of this academic year. This corresponds to
the Examination for getting the Bachelor’s
Degree of Pontificia Universitas Urbaniana. |
