Life in most post-Vatican II seminaries was certainly not a 'hortus conclusus' (enclosed garden) setting
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Three hundred years before the Mother of God appeared at Fatima, Portugal her revelations as Our Lady of Good Success in Quito, Ecuador, foretold the widespread immorality and loss of faith that would sweep over the world and into the Church in the 20th and 21st centuries. Indeed, the message of Our Lady of Good Success parallels that of Our Lady of Fatima perfectly in its pleas for reparation and amendment of life.
A recurrent theme in the revelations of Our Lady of Good Success is the terrible trial which would afflict the Church in the 20th century, a crisis which would affect the Sacraments, the clergy, and society in general: “…at the end of the 19th century and into the 20th century, various heresies will be propagated… As these heresies spread, the precious light of Faith will be extinguished in souls by the almost total corruption of morals…The small number of souls who, hidden, will preserve the treasure of the Faith and practice virtue, will suffer a cruel, unspeakable, and prolonged martyrdom….”
The Fatima message contains the same warnings, but not as explicitly, although it is nearly certain that the Third Secret of Fatima predicts today’s global crisis in faith. At Quito, Our Lady warned that in these times the Sacraments would be attacked, abused, and neglected. Laws would be passed undermining marriage so that many people will live in sin. “Moreover, in these unhappy times, there will be unbridled luxury that will conquer innumerable frivolous souls who will be lost. Innocence will be almost no longer found in children, nor modesty in women. In this supreme moment of need in the Church, those who should speak will fall silent.” The spirit of impurity “will permeate the atmosphere during these times. Like a filthy ocean, it will run through the streets, squares, and public places with an astonishing liberty,” to the point that “there will be almost no virgin souls left in the world.”
Our Lady of Good Success warned that vocations would perish because of "poor formation & education" in Catholic schools, seminaries, convents and monasteries.
The "poor formation & education" Our Lady spoke of in Quito, that would flourish in religious formation institutions, such as seminaries, convents, and monasteries in the 20th century - was the case following Vatican II and it was as Our Lady "foretold" a painful & sorrowful reality! After Vatican II the priesthood was no longer presented as a state of life that rejected` the world and made great sacrifices to attain Heaven. Instead, what was being constantly presented to us during our seminary formation was a priesthood that should "conform to the world" and "imitate the world" - in order to be "modern & attract more people."
That approach to the formation of future priests created an identity crisis for most of us, and in the words of Atila Sinke Guimaraes, a distinguished Catholic author, what I and the majority of my fellow seminarians' thought was: "If the ideal of my vocation is to adapt to the world, why should I be separated from the world? There is no essential reason. So, let me return to it.” I regret to inform you, that directive by my rector to learn how to "adapt to the world" led me to invite novices & sisters out to dance clubs by the time I was in graduate school at Maryknoll Fathers & Brothers in Ossining, NY. I further "adapted to the world" by becoming a cast member of an Off-Broadway production of Godspell and going out on a double-blind date with two of Joe Namath's X girlfriends in NYC. I left my pursuit of missionary priesthood shortly thereafter. Sadly, my story was not atypical. Only 2 of my fellow seminarians in a class of 14 became priests. The rest, like me, lost their vocations and left to get married! Obviously, the "adapting to the world" approach for priestly formation "went awry!"
Regarding the number of lost vocations to the priesthood, in the aftermath of Vatican II, here are the facts! In 1960, before the Second Vatican Council started, the estimated number of diocesan seminarians was 48,000 only in the U.S., while the diocesan priests worldwide numbered more than 400,000. Today, the number of diocesan seminarians in the U.S. is 3,600, which represents 92.5% less; and the diocesan priests' number 280,000 worldwide, which is 30% less. These figures need to be placed into perspective: The Catholic population to be assisted by those priests in 1960 was about 550 million while today it is 1.4 billion, that is, 254% more.
Regarding doctrinal formation, we see the seminaries have been transformed into leftist centers to form social-workers and Liberation Theology agents. Even when they are “conservative,” the seminaries are infected with Teilhard de Chardin’s Evolutionism, Karl Rahner’s Anthropological Reduction, and a Pentecostal spirituality that extols joy and abhors the Cross. That was the style of "doctrinal formation" in effect in every seminary, convent and monastery I visited following Vatican II in the late 60's and 70's, while in the seminary from 1968-1975.
Most regrettably, on December 8, 2025, Pope Leo XIV followed suit with recommending Vatican II's "Liberation Theology/Anthropological Reduction" formation program for priests and seminarians today - when he issued an Apostolic Letter titled A Fidelity that Generates the Future. His letter deals with two of Vatican II's final decrees - Optatam Totius [The Desired Renewal] and Presbyterorum Ordinis [The Order of Priests], which respectively address the formation of seminarians and of priests. The main points of these Conciliar documents are as follows:
Optatam Totius
The formation of seminarians must be reformed §§ 17, 22b, and not be based on concepts §§ 1, 17, 22b.
Seminarians should have the experience of human life § 3; should study modern philosophies and evolution § 15; should not be turned toward honors and power § 9; their studies should be laicized §§ 3,13.
Seminarians should be acquainted with the false religions and learn “what is good and true” in them §§ 16e, 16f.
PLEASE NOTE: In his work The Metaphysics of Evolution, Fr. Chad Ripperger demonstrates that the theory of evolution is "incompatible with the metaphysics of
the Catholic tradition." Evidently, Pope Leo never read Fr. Ripperger's book.
Saint Thomas Acquinas would concur with Fr. Ripperger's arguments against the theory of evolution, that Pope Leo is "erroneously" encouraging seminarians to "study!" The poor man simply has no "Common Sense!" The "Creation" of Adam's body from the "Dust of the Earth" makes it "crystal clear" that Adam's body did not "evolve!" Any Catholic who took Logic 101 should be able to figure out that fact! Personally, I love the logical way in which Saint Thomas argues against evolution. His arguments against evolution are based on his understanding of the nature of creation and the distinction between natural change and the ultimate bringing into being of
something from "no antecedent state whatsoever." Meaning of course, that the act of creation is not a "change/evolution" but an ultimate bringing into being!
Presbyterorum Ordinis
Priests are equal to laymen §§ 2, 9, 22c; they should abandon “all appearances of vanity” § 17d; should have communion of goods §§ 8c, 17c, 21; should dedicate themselves to manual labor § 8; should enter into dialogue with today’s world § 12d.
Pope Leo's "key recommendations" for the formation of seminarians and priests are clearly "a recipe for disaster!" What Pope Leo is proposing is in harmony with the "error- ridden" theologies of Teilhard de Chardin & Karl Rahner that "gravely infected" Vatican II.
Any serious Catholic should "oppose" Pope Leo's "egregious errors" in regard to his view of what should "primarily be required" of seminarians & priests during their respective formation programs - "acquaint oneself with the false religions, prefer laicized studies, and study evolution!"
"Not to oppose error is to approve it; and not to defend Truth is to suppress it." Pope St. Felix III
Saint Thomas Aquinas is in accord with Pope St. Felix on this matter. Quote:
"It must be observed, however, that if the faith were endangered, a subject ought to rebuke his prelate even publicly. Hence Paul, who was Peter's subject, rebuked him in public, on account of the imminent danger of scandal concerning faith..." Summa Theologica II Q3 33, A 4 ad 2 St. Thomas here notes that resistance to teaching or practices against the Faith by anyone...even the Pope...is neither unlawful nor presumptuous but is both "a duty" and "an Act of Charity."
Sincerely in Jesus, Mary & Joseph, Larry Welch
lawrencewelch2003@yahoo.com
(954) 895-2168
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Nota bene: Please pray that Pope Leo will "cease & desist" of giving guided tours of Saint Peter's Basilica to LGBTQ Catholics, paying "homage" to the leaders of pagan religions at events he has "hosted" at the Vatican, and telling the representatives of various Christian religions during an Ecumenical Prayer Service at the Basilica of Saint Paul on January 25, 2026 that "We are one! We already are! Let us recognize it, experience it and make it visible!" Such a position is a blatant "break with the Catholic faith!" Because the representatives present at that ceremony "have a variety of doctrinal errors" that caused the Catholic Church to declare them separate from the True Faith, and since none of them have changed their doctrines to accept the entire Catholic Faith, the words of Pope Leo XIV, are not only wrong, but "completely nonsensical."
Ergo, as Saint Thomas Aquinas said it is "a duty" that a Catholic should not remain "silent" when faced with "Doctrinal Errors" being propagated even by a Pope. We are called to "rebuke him even publicly" as Paul did with Peter. Galatians 2: 11-14.
