(ZENIT News – OMPress / Solomon Islands, 03.19.2026).- They are 44 seminarians and they are the hope of the three dioceses of the Solomon Islands, an archipelago-country with almost a thousand islands. All together they would be the size of Galicia, but from one end of the archipelago to the other there are more than 1,500 km, which shapes the life of the Church and its 150,000 Catholics. The Spanish navigator Álvaro de Mendaña believed he had found the source of King Solomon’s «Gold of Ophir» on the islands he discovered, and thus named them the Solomon Islands. Today, far from being a land of gold, the country faces economic problems and a lack of opportunities for young people.
Last week, the Bishops of the three dioceses of these Islands, Honiara, Auki and Gizo, held a meeting at the country’s only Major Seminary, that of the Holy Name of Mary in Honiara. They were able to learn about the progress of this house of formation from the Professors and the Rector of the Seminary, as well as from the seminarians of each diocese. The visit included a Eucharistic celebration, during which five seminarians received their cassocks. The cassock ceremony marks an important milestone in the seminarians’ journey, symbolizing their dedication to God and the Church. The Bishop of Auki, Monsignor Jacob Aba, reminded them in his homily that «the Church needs you to bring Christ to others. Your formation does not consist simply in bearing the title of priest, but in living a life of holiness. May your cassock be a sign of your commitment to God, not a mere appearance.»
The Honiara Seminary was established in 1996 to prevent local seminarians from having to train abroad and thus be separated from the daily pastoral work to which they would dedicate their lives as priests. Approved by the Holy See and directly dependent on the Dicastery for Evangelization, which approves the appointment of the Rector and oversees the formation program, it has received support from the Pontifical Society of St. Peter the Apostle for the past 30 years. Each year, depending on the number of seminarians, the seminary receives a sum to be used directly for food, clothing, and ordinary expenses. Additionally, some subsidies are usually sent, especially to the Diocese of Gizo, the most distant, to cover the travel expenses of seminarians from other Islands to Honiara throughout the year.
