Father James
Presta, Vice Rector of Mundelein Seminary and Professor of Mariology at the
University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, Illinois, provided the
students of Holy Trinity Seminary with their monthly day of recollection on
Sunday, October 21, 2012. In keeping
with the tradition of the month of October as the month of the Rosary, the
theme of the conferences was the “Role of Mary in the Life of a College
Seminarian.”
Father Presta
articulated that the Blessed Mother teaches seminarians to grow in holiness, to
grow in virtue, and to grow in discipleship in their preparation towards the
priesthood. He stated, “Just as Christ
was formed by the love of Mary, so too a seminarian must entrust himself to the
care of Mary to be formed by her as a disciple of Jesus. Devotion to Mary has one goal—union with
Jesus Christ.”
Holy Trinity
junior, Sergio Davila (Diocese of Dallas) remarked, “The history, meaning, and
uses of the Rosary in the first half of the talk allowed me to gain an even
greater appreciation for the prayers and practice. The second half on the talk
on the role of Mary in the life of a college seminarian brought me closer to
Mary as my mother, especially when Fr. Presta gave us his experience of losing
his own mother and asking Mary to be the maternal role in his life ever more.”
