On the Feast of St. Bartholomew, the Seminario Mayor de San Carlos (SMSC) gives thanks to the Lord for the gift of vocation and service as 28 seminarians were instituted into the ministries of Lectors and Acolytes.
Seven seminarians from the Class of Palms received the Ministry of Acolytes, while 21 seminarians from the Class of Fleur were instituted into the Ministry of Lectors.
Cebu Archbishop Alberto “Abet” Uy presided over the Holy Mass and the conferral rites at the St. Charles Borromeo Chapel of SMSC.
In his homily, Archbishop Abet reminded the seminarians and newly instituted lectors and acolytes to remain grounded, emphasizing that vocation is not an achievement but a gift of God’s grace.
“Before you ever imagined yourself wearing a cassock, standing at the ambo, or serving at the altar, Jesus had already seen you under your own ‘fig tree.’ He saw everything. He saw your generosity and your dreams. But He also saw your weaknesses, your doubts, your struggles, perhaps even those moments when you wondered, ‘Lord, para gyud ba ni nako?’ And still He called you,” the Archbishop said.
He stressed that the awareness of being called by Christ should always lead to humility.
“That should keep all of us humble. Vocation is not our achievement. Vocation is God’s grace. We are here not because we are better than others, but because somehow, mysteriously, Jesus looked at us and said, ‘Come, follow me’,” he said.
Addressing the newly instituted lectors, Archbishop Abet urged them not only to proclaim the Word of God but also to allow the Word to enter their lives and transform them.
“There is a danger in seminary life. Because you hear Scripture every day, study theology, attend Mass, pray the Liturgy of the Hours, sacred things can slowly become ordinary. Please don’t allow that to happen,” he said.
The Archbishop reminded the lectors that Scripture must never be reduced to a textbook or merely something to be read at the ambo.
“When you stand at the ambo and say, ‘The Word of the Lord,’ may people sense that this Word has already passed through your own heart. Because ultimately, a good lector is not simply someone who reads the Word clearly. A good lector is someone who tries to live the Word faithfully,” he said.
To the newly instituted acolytes, Archbishop Abet likewise reminded them that their ministry at the altar calls them to a deeper self-offering.
“Never become so familiar with the altar that you forget Who is on the altar,” he said.
Before the Holy Mass, Archbishop Abet blessed the seminary’s newly constructed basketball court, highlighting the importance of holistic formation in preparing future priests—not only through prayer, study, and pastoral formation, but also through physical well-being, recreation, and camaraderie.
As part of the seminarians’ priestly formation, “The conferral of the ministry of acolyte implies a deeper participation in the mystery of Christ, who gives Himself and is present in the Eucharist, in the assembly and in His brothers and sisters.”
“Lectorate ‘challenges’ the seminarian to allow himself to be transformed by the Word of God, the object of his prayer and study” (The Gift of Priestly Vocation no. 72)