The Archdiocese of Hanoi held the inauguration ceremony of its new major seminary named after St Joseph in Hoàng Nguyên parish, last Saturday.
Built in just one year, the five-storey building covers a total area of 10,000 square metres and is home to some 40 seminarians who moved in after the start of the new year, another sign of the great vitality of the Vietnamese Church.
The inauguration Mass - held in the nearby parish - was attended by many faithful, some of whom followed the service in a large tensile structure set up outside the church.
In his address, Archbishop Giuse (Joseph) Vũ Văn Thiên of Hanoi explained that this new seminary will serve the dioceses of northern Vietnam, those where vocations to the priesthood are most numerous, and inspire anyone who wants to return to the source of their faith.
“May this place be truly a holy and exemplary training ground to prepare skilled harvesters to work in the Lord’s fields,” said Archbishop Vũ, who thanked all the people who generously contributed to the construction.
In his homily, Bishop Giuse (Joseph) Đỗ Quang Khang of Bắc Ninh, stressed the importance of the new seminary where future priests "will be followed by a team of educators with an approach to the faith that is not only academic, but also attentive to teaching the values necessary to face the challenges of today's world."
Archbishop Marek Zalewski, the Papal Representative to Vietnam, was also present at the ceremony. He officially took office in the Vietnamese capital only a few weeks ago.
In his address, he congratulated the Archdiocese of Hanoi on the new facility and urged seminarians always to be aware of the importance of their education.