Pope Leo XIV will receive this Saturday, February 28, in the Apostolic Palace the community of the Minor Seminary “Saint Thomas of Villanueva” of Toledo, which is on pilgrimage to Rome on the occasion of the centenary of its foundation. In a context marked by the vocational crisis in Europe, the presence of 206 pilgrims—among seminarians, formators, and families—constitutes a significant gesture of ecclesial vitality.
According to the Archdiocese of Toledo, the audience will take place in the Clementine Hall and will also include the participation of seminarians from other Spanish dioceses. The pilgrimage is led by the Archbishop of Toledo, Mons. Francisco Cerro Chaves, who has wanted to highlight this anniversary with a pastoral letter dedicated to the centenary. Traveling with him is the auxiliary bishop and general secretary of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, Mons. Francisco César García Magán.
The group also includes the rector of the Major Seminary of Toledo, Fr. Álvaro García Paniagua, students from the propaedeutic course, and several formators, in addition to the families of the seminarians.
A pilgrimage with spiritual meaning
The seminarians departed for Rome on February 26. The rector of the Minor Seminary, Fr. Ignacio de la Cal, has insisted on the properly spiritual character of the trip: it is not a simple cultural visit, but a pilgrimage, “an inner journey in the light of the outer journey”, taking special care of the dispositions of the soul.
One of the central moments will be the celebration of Holy Mass in the chapel where the icon of the Salus Populi Romani is venerated, in the basilica of Saint Mary Major. There, in the afternoon of Friday, February 27, the second-year high school seminarians will make their consecration to the Virgin Mary, a gesture that underscores the Marian dimension of their formation.
On Saturday morning, they will participate in the Eucharistic celebration in St. Peter’s Basilica, before the meeting with the Pope at 11:00 a.m.
A centenary marked by the Jubilee Year
During the audience, the Minor Seminary will present to the Holy Father a painting with the image of the statue of its patron, Saint Thomas of Villanueva, Augustinian religious and archbishop of Valencia in the 16th century. The sculpture is located in the chapel of the seminary itself.
The educational community will take advantage of the meeting to thank Leo XIV for granting the Jubilee Year on the occasion of the founding centenary, a grace that highlights the historical relevance of this institution in the primatial Archdiocese and its contribution to the formation of future priestly vocations.
The pilgrimage will conclude on Monday, March 2, with the visit and celebration of Holy Mass in the basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, before returning to Toledo.
Source: Archdiocese of Toledo