The Minor Seminary of Our Lady of Fatima is a Roman Catholic seminary, located in Dare, Dili, East Timor. Established in 1936, it is the oldest Roman Catholic seminary in East Timor. The seminary was initially established in Manatutu district, south of Dili. In 1951 it was moved to Dare. In 1954 the Vatican canonically registered the seminary. It was taken over by the Jesuits in 1958,[2] and moved to the outskirts of Dili in 1978.
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| Type | Minor seminary |
|---|---|
| Established | 1936 |
Religious affiliation |
|
| Rector | Father Angelo Salsinha |
| Students | 254 (2017)[1] |
| Location | , 8°33′54″S 125°35′04″E / 8.565003°S 125.584444°E |
| Campus | Balide (Santa Cruz) |
| Language | Portuguese |
| Notable alumni | Nicolau dos Reis Lobato Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo Xanana Gusmão Jose Ramos Horta |
History
editThe seminary, which while at Dare sat on the top ridge of the mountains surrounding Dili, was for generations East Timor's most important educational institute where almost every East Timorese leader was educated.[3]
On 13 December 1975, a few days after the start of the Indonesian invasion of East Timor, the seminary building in Dare was bombed. In 1978, Father José Martins and Father João Felgueiras reopened the seminary in Externato de S. José, a building on the outskirts of Dili.[4]
In 1983 the St. Joseph's High School became a separate institution from the minor seminary. Among the students of the high school are approximately 50 seminarians.
The seminary was the only place where East Timorese could be educated beyond secondary school level, and its alumni include a roll call of leaders including Nicolau dos Reis Lobato and Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo.[5] Xanana Gusmão spent four years at the seminary.[6] Most of the Fretilin guerillas were educated at the seminary, including Jose Ramos Horta.[7]
Until independence the medium of instruction was Indonesian.[5]
In July 2000 the seminary was the venue for the marriage of East Timor President Xanana Gusmão and Kirsty Sword.[8] In 2001 the seminary had about 30 Timorese candidates for the diocesan priesthood.[9] In 2017 the seminary had 254 students.[10] On 1 March 2007 the country's new apostolic nuncio, Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli, celebrated Mass at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Dili, before visiting the seminary.[11]
Father Lopes Mouzinho is the rector of the seminary in 2007. The grounds of the seminary are still a sanctuary for thousands of refugees. It has become one of Dili's many Internally Displaced Persons Camps.[12]
Current operations
editBy 2010, being the country's only minor seminary, it was struggling to accommodate the growing number of candidates desiring to enter the priesthood. This led to the plan to build a second minor seminary. In 2017, the Maliana Diocese became home to the St. Joseph Seminary, Maliana, the country's second minor seminary.[13]
In 2016, Father Angelo Salsinha was rector of the seminary.[14] Speaking at the seminary on 8 March 2016, Msgr. Ionut Paul Strejac, the Vatican's chargé d'affaires in Timor-Leste, spoke to about 400 Timor-Leste youth mostly university and high school students in Dili Diocese about reconciliation, conflict and violence.[15]
Milestones
editThe alumni of the seminary, including President Xanana Gusmão, Bishop Alberto Ricardo da Silva of Dili and Bishop Basilio do Nascimento of Baucau, and others met at the seminary on 30 October 2004 to celebrate its 50th anniversary. Jesuit Father Leonardus Dibyawiyata who was the rector of the seminary from 1996 to 1999 also spoke on the occasion. The seminary has produced about 40 priests, including three bishops. Hundreds of politicians and professionals also are graduates of the seminary.[2]
In 2010 the Church in East Timor celebrated the 75th anniversary of the opening of the seminary, where 75 seminarians were preparing for the priesthood.[16]
References
edit- ^ Herald Malaysia October 24, 2017
- ^ a b Tas Seminar UCANews 9 November 2004[permanent dead link]
- ^ Asiaweek 1999
- ^ "Morreu o padre jesuíta José Martins, que viveu em Timor-Leste desde 1974" [Jesuit priest José Martins, who lived in Timor-Leste from 1974, has died]. Diário de Notícias (in European Portuguese). DN/Lusa. 14 March 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
- ^ a b Christalis, Irena. East Timor: A nation’s bitter dawn. Zed Books, London, 2009
- ^ "Profile: Xanana Gusmao". BBC News. 9 May 2007. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
- ^ "Radio National 26/05/99". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 2 December 2008. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
- ^ Gusmão, K. S. A woman of independence. Pan 2003.
- ^ AD2000 December 2001 Archived 15 September 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ UCANews 23 October 2017
- ^ CathNews 2 March 2007 Archived 6 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "ABC 22 October 2007". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 14 September 2009. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
- ^ UCANews 29 September 2017
- ^ UCANews 11 February 2016
- ^ UCANews 9 March 2016
- ^ Agenzia Fides 2/7/2008 Archived 13 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
External links
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Media related to Seminário Menor de Nossa Senhora de Fátima at Wikimedia Commons