From a reader:
The St. Junipero Serra
Spanish Institute is pleased to announce that registration is open for its fifth
year of Spanish immersion for priests and seminarians in Guadalajara, Jalisco,
Mexico. This year the program will run from June 15th – August 14th.
Participants in the St. Junipero
Serra Institute stay at Casa Cristo Rey of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter
where in addition to 4 hours of class daily, they live in a pastoral
environment that immerses them in Spanish and nourishes them spiritually. Each
day begins with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the singing of the divine
office. Seminarians have a wide range of opportunities to put the Spanish they
learn in practice through interaction with local families and participation in
pastoral activities of the FSSP’s parish in Guadalajara.
Academics: Students attend 4 hours of class daily with
professional language instructors. Therese professors have developed their own
curriculum specifically designed to meet the needs of students whose primary
goal is to apply their knowledge of the language in a pastoral setting.
Students will be asked, according to their proficiency in the language, to
prepare sample sermons and conduct practice confessions. Private tutoring
sessions are also available several times per week at the student’s discretion.
Immersion: Upon arrival students will sign a pledge to only speak Spanish during
their time in the program. Each week they will have dinner with a local family
and will enjoy many opportunities to interact with people in situations which
necessitate the speaking of Spanish.
Pastoral: Because the St. Junipero Serra Institute is designed for priests and
seminarians, students have a wide array of pastoral opportunities during their
time in Guadalajara. These include visits to hospitals and orphanages,
participation in parochial groups and activities, and lectures on vital
cultural elements of ministering in a Hispanic culture. Additionally, the
curriculum at the St. Junipero Serra Institute is specifically designed for
seminarians and priests. Our professors have created the language program “¡Habla
Cristiano!” which takes its name from the history of Reconquista in
Spain. During the time of Muslim occupation of the Iberian Peninsula, Catholics
would differentiate themselves from Muslims on the basis of the language they
spoke. To speak Castilian was to speak the Christian language.
History and Culture: Part of immersing oneself in a language, is
immersing oneself in the culture in which that language is spoken. Each week
students will attend lectures on Mexican history and culture. Students will
participate in pilgrimages to various important shrines and historical sites,
including the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City and various sites
related to the Cristero martyrs. Because of the students’ involvement in the
pastoral activities of the apostolate, they will also receive an immersion in
local Hispanic customs and traditions. They will participate in devotions,
processions, and other events that form an integral part of the Hispanic
religious experience.
Spirituality:There are a wide array
of Spanish immersion programs available, including many that target seminarians
and priests. Many of these programs lack a truly religious and formative
environment for their students. What makes the Saint Junipero Serra Institute
unique is that we seek to provide our students with a formative and spiritually
enriching ambiance while they study Spanish. Students participate in daily Mass
and singing of the divine office. They live in community with other priests and
seminarians and form lasting bonds of comradely.
The full program lasts
nine weeks, which includes a missionary experience in which the seminarians
together with the lay faithful engage in door to door evangelization. The
program can also be customized for different lengths of time. For priests who
may be on a more limited schedule, we offer the opportunity for a private
immersion experience that can be scheduled for other times of the year. Please
do not hesitate to contact us with your questions.
