Seminary of SS Peter and Paul
Encyclopedia
The Seminary of SS Peter and Paul is a Roman Catholic Seminary in Dili, East Timor. It is the country’s only Major Seminary named after the Saints Peter and Paul. It is located in Fatumeta.
The first group of 17 seminarians was ordained in 2006. In 2007 there were 15 ordinations and 4 in 2008.
All Church properties are seen as sanctuaries in East Timor. In 2006 camps for Internally Displaced People occupied by thousands of East Timorese families who fled their homes in the civil strife which broke out in April-May, were located in or around Dili, including the Seminary.
However, the Church is not immune to violence. On June 27, 2006, during the East Timorese crisis, anti-Communist demonstrators threw rocks at the seminary, destroying toilets set up by the UN for refugees sheltering in the seminary.
Now Carmelite students in East Timor who are preparing for the priesthood no longer need to travel to Indonesia, but can study at the Diocesan seminary at Fatumeta. They now study the Portuguese language and take their seminary classes in Portuguese and Tetum.
The seminary has grown to the extent that the first year students, the largest group, have to use the dining hall and recreation room for their studies. In 2010 there were 85 seminarians.
rector of the major seminary was named bishop of Dill in 2004.
Fr. Norberto Do Amaral
who was Professor of Dogmatic Theology and Prefect of Studies at the Major Seminary from 2007-2008 was appointed as the first Bishop of Maliana
.
The first group of 17 seminarians was ordained in 2006. In 2007 there were 15 ordinations and 4 in 2008.
All Church properties are seen as sanctuaries in East Timor. In 2006 camps for Internally Displaced People occupied by thousands of East Timorese families who fled their homes in the civil strife which broke out in April-May, were located in or around Dili, including the Seminary.
However, the Church is not immune to violence. On June 27, 2006, during the East Timorese crisis, anti-Communist demonstrators threw rocks at the seminary, destroying toilets set up by the UN for refugees sheltering in the seminary.
Now Carmelite students in East Timor who are preparing for the priesthood no longer need to travel to Indonesia, but can study at the Diocesan seminary at Fatumeta. They now study the Portuguese language and take their seminary classes in Portuguese and Tetum.
The seminary has grown to the extent that the first year students, the largest group, have to use the dining hall and recreation room for their studies. In 2010 there were 85 seminarians.
Prominent Rectors
Fr. Alberto Ricardo da SilvaAlberto Ricardo da Silva
Alberto Ricardo da Silva is the Roman Catholic bishop of Dili, East Timor.He was born in Aileu, on 24 April 1943 in East Timor when it was still a Portuguese colony...
rector of the major seminary was named bishop of Dill in 2004.
Fr. Norberto Do Amaral
Norberto Do Amaral
Norberto Do Amaral was born February 17, 1956 in Ainaro, East Timor. After attending the elementary Catholic school in Ainaro, he entered the Seminary of Our Lady of Fatima in Dare. He completed his philosophical studies from 1981–1983 and theological studies between 1985-1988 at the Major Seminary...
who was Professor of Dogmatic Theology and Prefect of Studies at the Major Seminary from 2007-2008 was appointed as the first Bishop of Maliana
Roman Catholic Diocese of Maliana
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Maliana is a Diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in East Timor. The new diocese includes the administrative region of Maliana in districts of Liquica, Bobonaro, and Cova–Lima and 16 sub–districts....
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