Along with the rest of the Catholic Church and the world, the Saint Paul Seminary remembers Pope Benedict XVI, who passed away Saturday.
“While the passing of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI certainly comes with a share of sadness, the Saint Paul Seminary community views this time as an opportunity to celebrate the work of a shepherd whose impact on our Church and our world will be felt for generations,” said Fr. Joseph Taphorn, seminary rector. “We thank our Heavenly Father for a Holy Father who staunchly upheld and articulated the teachings of the Catholic faith, empowering scores of priests, deacons and lay leaders to proclaim the Good News throughout the world. We are particularly indebted to Pope Benedict for his influence on seminary formation and emphasis on nurturing joyful, holy, healthy priests.
“Pope Emeritus Benedict should also be remembered as a faithful successor to St. Peter who encouraged and affirmed Catholics seeking to grow and share their faith in an increasingly post-Christian society. As he wrote in his 2010 Letter to Seminarians, ‘Because people will always have need of God, even in an age marked by technical mastery of the world and globalization, they will always need the God who has revealed Himself in Jesus Christ, the God who gathers us together in the universal Church in order to learn with Him and through Him life’s true meaning and in order to uphold and apply the standards of true humanity. … God is alive, and he needs people to serve him and bring him to others.’
“We at The Saint Paul Seminary community are grateful to God for Pope Benedict XVI’s faithful service, and we will do our best to honor his legacy as we seek to form joyful, Catholic leaders in order that our families, parishes and communities may thrive.
“We are confident of the power of the Lord’s grace in his life and pray that he may now hear these words spoken to him in eternity: ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. . . Come, share your master’s joy’ (Mt. 25:23).”