The Superior General’s Visit to the Alberoni College in Piacenza, Italy
The Superior General, Father Tomaž Mavrič, CM, visited there on 19-20 February. He spent two days sharing with the seminarians and the formation community. The superior, Father Erminio Antonello, welcomed him on 19 February and he immediately met the 12 Vincentian seminarians who are studying in that seminary.
The Alberoni College was founded in 1751. Cardinal Giulio Alberoni wanted an institution to form priests of the Piacenza Diocese who did not have the means necessary to support themselves in Montecitorio. Cardinal Alberoni entrusted the formation to the priests of the Congregation of the Mission, whom he had met during his stay in Rome. Since the time of Saint Vincent, the missionaries had had a house in Rome. In the Cardinal’s time, they preached Popular Missions and formed the clergy in Rome. For this reason, and knowing the style of their work, spirituality, and commitment to the service of the clergy, he gave them the responsibility of carrying out formation in the seminary.
After Lauds on Monday, he met with the administrators of “Opera Pia” (the institution responsible for the financial management of the seminary).
An important moment of the day was the meeting with the 38 seminarians from Brazil, Cape Verde, Congo, Egypt, Haiti, Lebanon, Poland, Tanzania, Togo, Ukraine, and Italy. The meeting was held in the Tapestries Room, named for the 16th-century tapestries, displayed in the complex that forms the Alberoni Gallery. During the meeting, they presented several videos about the life of the seminary itself and some representative places in Piacenza. The presentations alternated with songs prepared by the seminarians.
In the afternoon, Father Tomaž met again with the Vincentian seminarians and their director. At this time, they asked questions, which Father Tomaž answered with simplicity, intensity, and a lot of humanity. When asked what the characteristic of the Vincentian priest should be, Father replied, “The best quality for a Vincentian priest today is the ability to put himself on the same level as the poor person in order to see himself in the same poverty.” At the conclusion of the meeting, Father Tomaž left the following message: “In bringing Jesus to the poor, we bring love and the person, feeling loved, is able to heal.” The day ended in the afternoon with the Eucharist with the whole community of the Alberoni College in the Church of Saint Lazarus. The following day, to conclude the visit, he shared the prayer of Lauds and the Eucharist in the seminary chapel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UqTigokw5g
