Papal Seminary, Pune

Pune

Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...

, India, is a Catholic educational institute, primarily meant for the training of future priests of India. At the moment it caters to the formation of about 180 Seminarians from all over India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

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Pope Leo XIII

“Filii tui India, administri tibi salutis” (Your own sons, O India, will be the heralds of your salvation) These are the were words in which Pope Leo XIII, a great visionary and a missionary, establish a Papal Seminary for India, Burma and Ceylon in 1890. The task of exploring a suitable place for the Papal Seminary was entrusted to Msgr. Ladislaus Zeleski. Subsequently Msgr. Zeleski became the Apostolic Delegate to India,Burma and Ceylon and took up residence in Kandy. After much travelling in India and Ceylon, he chose a place called Ampitiya (the present site) in Kandy, which is at an elevation of 2000 feet and overlooking a panorama of extraordinary scenic beauty across the Dumbara Valley.

The students were selected from dioceses of India and Ceylon, to be formed as future leaders of the Churches in their own countries. This was one of the first major seminaries to be supported by the Pontifical Society of St. Peter the Apostle. In 1926 Kandy Papal Seminary was empowered by Rome to confer Ecclesiastical degrees in Philosophy and Theology. History records that during its 62 years of existence in Kandy, over 700 students were ordained to the priesthood among whom 51 became Bishops and 3 Cardinals, to spearhead the missions in India and Sri Lanka. Servant of God

Servant of God

Servant of God is a title given to individuals by various religions, but in general the phrase is used to describe a person believed to be pious in his or her faith tradition. In the Catholic Church, it designates someone who is being investigated by the Church for possibly being recognized as a...

 Varghese Payapilly Palakkappilly

Varghese Payapilly Palakkappilly

Varghese Payapilly Palakkappilly was a Syrian Catholic priest from the Indian state of Kerala and the founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Destitute.-Family:...

 was ordained a priest on 21 December 1907 in Kandy.

1955 - Transfer to Poona, India

The transferring of the Papal Seminary to India was a long felt need due to financial and traveling difficulties that arose with the time. However the decision was implemented in 1955. The Papal Seminary which was in Kandy until then was shifted to Poona, India with the students and formators. Thus the uniquely beautiful setting of the Papal Seminary became the home for training of the future

Established in 1893 at Kandy

Kandy

Kandy is a city in the center of Sri Lanka. It was the last capital of the ancient kings' era of Sri Lanka. The city lies in the midst of hills in the Kandy plateau, which crosses an area of tropical plantations, mainly tea. Kandy is one of the most scenic cities in Sri Lanka; it is both an...

, Sri Lanka, it moved to Pune in 1955.