Redemptoris Mater (seminary)

Redemptoris Mater (Latin: Mother of the Redeemer) is the name for certain Roman Catholic seminaries which operate under the auspices of the Neocatechumenal Way and have as their mission the formation of priests for the "New Evangelization". These seminaries are distributed worldwide, with nearly 1,500 seminarians currently in formation. More than 1,200 graduates of Redemptoris Mater seminaries have been ordained to the priesthood for their respective dioceses of .

Redemptoris Mater seminaries are a fruit of the Second Vatican Council, as well as a product of the initiative of Pope John Paul II. The Second Vatican Council's decree on the ministry and life of priests, Presbyterorum ordinis, says:

Let priests remember, therefore, that the care of all churches must be their intimate concern. Hence, priests of such dioceses rich in vocations should show themselves willing and ready, with the permission of their own ordinaries, to volunteer for work in other regions, missions or endeavors which are poor in numbers of clergy. ... To accomplish this purpose there should be set up international seminaries ... by means of which, according to their particular statutes and always saving the right of bishops, priests may be trained and incardinated for the good of the whole Church.

This idea was praised by Cardinal Pio Laghi, then Prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education, who said:

The decree Presbyterorum Ordinis (n. 10) considers that to resolve the problem of the great shortage of priests in certain regions, "it is appropriate also to institute international seminaries". This idea has found application in the Redemptoris Mater seminaries which prepare diocesan priests for the new evangelization according to the programme of the Neo-Catechumenal Way.

The first of these seminaries was started in Rome in 1988. It was canonically erected by Cardinal Ugo Poletti, who was at that time the Vicar of the Holy Father in Rome.

Redemptoris Mater seminaries are diocesan seminaries, erected according to canon law by the diocesan bishop, and the students who undergo formation at these seminaries are ordained to the secular clergy of the diocese. The specific characteristics of Redemptoris Mater seminaries are:

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