(OSV News) – For seminarians navigating years of study and discipline in formation for the priesthood, Pope Leo XIV had a reminder Sept. 3: The key to preparing for priestly ministry is focusing on "your relationship with the One who called you."
Pope Leo encouraged future priests to use their years in seminary to ground every aspect of their formation in a deep personal relationship with God.
"The heart of the seminary experience lies here: learning to be with the Master, the Lord Jesus," the pope said in an audience with Italian seminarians in the Vatican's Clementine Hall.
"Every vocation is born from an intimate dialogue with God, cultivated in silence and prayer, which often occurs despite the sometimes deafening noise of the world," the pope said.
The pope met with seminarians from two seminaries in southern Italy: the Pius XI Regional Seminary in Puglia and the Episcopal Seminary of Aversa in Campania.
"In a world so eager to celebrate self-realization, it is truly important to reiterate that none of you and none of us are here because we deserve it, but only because of a free choice made by God the Father, a sign and pledge of a gratuitous love that always anticipates us and never disappoints," Pope Leo told the young men.
"There is no competition, no ranking, nor is it written anywhere that he chose the best: He chose those he wanted," he added.
The pope underlined that the time spent in seminary is more necessary than ever today, "in a world that is in a hurry."
"Precisely because our times are fast-paced and noisy, we need a place and a season in life where we can learn to be present, to discern, and to allow ourselves to be formed without taking shortcuts," he said. "The seminary is not a postponement of the mission, but rather a prerequisite for it."
He encouraged them to remember that they are being prepared to be sent to communicate the newness of life in Christ to the world "to those families who are barely getting by, to young people in their 20s who pack their bags to look for work, to the elderly living alone, to the marginalized, and to those who have lost their sense of purpose."
"The priest is sent to all people so that he may proclaim to all the beauty of faith in Jesus Christ, the good news of our salvation," he said.
Pope Leo thanked the young men for their "yes" to God's call, adding "your very presence in the seminary is a sign of hope for the entire Church."
"As I look at each of you, I contemplate the wonder of God, who never tires of whispering to the hearts of young people the beauty of giving one's life for him and for the Church," the pope said.
