After continued prayerful reflection and discussion on the challenges facing our Regional Seminary over a number of years, the Antilles Episcopal Conference (AEC) passed the following resolutions by a unanimous vote:

1) The Regional Seminary Board (RSB) will suspend training at the Regional Seminary of St John Vianney and the Uganda Martyrs, for a period of 3 years from June 30, 2010, for the purposes of improving the facilities and enrolment, increasing resident faculty and developing the financial base for the Regional Seminary

2) The RSB will make arrangements to move present and new Seminarians to Santo Tomas de Aquino Seminary in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, for the beginning of the academic year 2010-2011.

3) The RSB will make special provisions for current students nearing completion of their academic programmes – seminarians, both Diocesan and Religions, and lay students.

The Bishops want to emphasize that this is only a suspension of seminary formation at the Regional Seminary. Many challenges will have to be faced in this period of transition. At the same time, however, there is hope and a renewed desire to work for a better future in which the Bishops will be able to provide the best possible seminary formation for the candidates that God calls to priestly life and ministry in the local Churches of the Antilles Episcopal Conference.

St John Vianney and the Uganda Martyrs, pray for us.