Costa Rican Seminary Fills Need, Then Closes
Diocesan Press Service. December 5, 1967 [60-10]
A small seminary in Siquirres, Costa Rica, on the edge of the great rain forest of eastern Costa Rica, has been known to few in the United States. It has served only six students, but its function in the life of the Church in Central America has been an important one. It has, for the present, fulfilled its function and will close until the need again arises.
Anglican work in the "Atlantic Zone" of Costa Rica has existed for at least 66 years. There are parishes in Puerto Limon, the chief east coast port; Siquirres, a small center on the railroad line between Puerto Limon and San Jose and in Guacimo; and a number of Line Missions along the railroad.
There were, however, no nationals among the priests ministering in this area. Layreaders often serve the line missions between visits of the priest, and, in a static culture or a more primitive part of the world, they might well be ordained, since they are the "elders" of the congregations. Costa Rica, and other Central American countries are, however, rapidly changing and much emphasis is placed on education.
Since it was impractical to send these layreaders - older men with families and a limited formal education - outside the area for the seven or eight years it might well take to complete a program at a more traditional seminary, the idea was born to begin a small seminary in Siquirres, using the facilities of the local parish as a base. Priests of the area served as faculty.
This seminary, the Centro de Estudios Teologicos, functioned for four years and trained two Costa Ricans and two Nicaraguans in preparation for the priesthood. These men have already been ordained to the deaconate. Also at the seminary was a Panamanian who was trained as a catechist, and a student from Trinidad.
Today, the original need no longer exists. Those who are offering themselves as candidates for holy orders are younger men who want more formal education and for whom it is practical. They can, therefore, take advantage of the programs at the seminaries in Puerto Rico or Mexico.