After a gap of 21 years Morning Star Seminary has yet another Jesuit Rector in the person of Rev. Fr. Patrick Walsh SJ. We, the Morning Star Community, wish him hearty congratulations and assure him our full cooperation. In its initial period the seminary had many more Jesuit Fathers on its resident staff. Over the years as the seminary got a regional status more and more diocesan Fathers from the region got trained and appointed to help out in the seminary. Nonetheless, Calcutta Province of the Jesuits has always spared its men for the seminary. We are very grateful to the Province and the Society for this. Fr. Pat has been several years a priest, teacher and formator. With such long experience he will surely contribute much to the seminary.
I really wish that this appointment had come much earlier, preferably right in the beginning of the academic year. In the absence of any, the Governing Board appointed me as the acting rector on the day of inauguration of the academic year. This obviously meant an extra responsibility but a very big one. This extra responsibility was unlike other extras. This one took the centrestage and fuller attention and energy. It took toll on intellectual pursuit and on academic area of my life here. Although with a past experience and familiarity with the office, I found it challenging. The office ultimately means a management. It wasn't easy to manage three-four offices side by side. I was truly looking forward to being relieved of it as soon as possible. Now I really feel a deep sense of relief!
Nevertheless, I wish to thank very sincerely the member-Bishops of the Governing Body to have laid their trust on me and their full cooperation during the last four months of my short rectorship. As rector I experienced greater closeness to the seminarians, for the fact that I got more opportunities to meet them and be one way or another invloved in most of their activities. It was also a good opportunity to experience the sweet collaboration and solidarity with the faculty members and other domestic workers here in the seminary as well as our good neighbourly religious communities. To them all I say a big THANK YOU.
Once again, I wish Fr. Pat a fruitful, effective and smooth leading role in the seminary, in the formation of our future priests and missionaries for the Church in India and abroad. May God bless Fr. Pat and the seminary community!
