“Rejoice and be glad for the sons of the righteous, for they will be gathered toogether, and will praise the Lord of the righteous”
– Tobit 13:10
Before the Grand Opening Ceremony to welcome the seminarians, Allen Hall toured the local Basilicas and Churches. Starting in the Basilica of St Clement, the group learned about the history of St Clement as well as the frescos and artefacts housed in the Basilica before moving on to the Church of Mary Major.
In Mary Major, the seminarians viewed the tomb of the late Holy Father, Pope Francis, and made their way around the grandeur of the Church, taking into account the Sistine Chapel on the right side, and the many side chapels.
After Mary Major, the Allen Hall Community gathered at the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, which is also the titular Church of Cardinal Vincent Nichols. Canon John O’Leary, the Rector, offered Mass for the community, and afterwards, the group went to see the Church of St Peter in Chains, where the chains of St Peter (during his arrest) are kept in an urn, in the crypt.
To round off the first day, seminarians gathered at St Paul’s outside the walls for the Vocations Concert, which began with the Holy Rosary led by seminarians in the languages of Italian, Spanish, English (led by AH’s very own seminarians), Portuguese, and Polish. Each decade was recited in Latin, but the opening prayers and supplementary texts related to formation for priests were read in the respective languages. After the rosary and Marian anthems, the concert began as the orchestra resounded praises to God and the Blessed Virgin Mother of God throughout St Paul’s.
Mary, Advocate of the Church Militant – pray for us
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