On Monday, November 13, our community had the special and much appreciated visit of Most Rev. ArchbishopJorge Carlos Patrón Wong, Secretary for Seminaries of the Congregation for the Clergy. His Excellency came to the seminary in the late afternoon and stayed with us until after dinner. During his visit he was able to meet all the new seminarians who came to Rome in this year of formation. To facilitate this encounter, Bishop Patrón held two meetings: one in Spanish and one in Italian. Each had the opportunity to exchange some words with him personally and then as a group, at the invitation of the Archbishop, we shared our experiences in these first months of training here in Rome. Taking inspiration from each sharing, Msgr. Patrón provided us with valuable suggestions and reflections to help us live fruitfully these years of formation. In particular, he invited us to maintain and deepen our bond with the Lord, to foster a climate of healthy fraternity, and to let the new Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis -"The Gift of the Presbyteral Vocation" to help us in this journey of formation. We thank Msgr. Patrón for his visit that made us experience his personal closeness, and also that of the Holy Father, to us seminarians in formation. We are hoping that this is just the first of many other encounters.
