Two Perth men set-off to undertake four-year course in the eternal city.
By Anthony Barich
Perth seminarians Michael Cornell and Brennan Sia are off to Rome on July 18 having declared their candidacy for the priesthood before Archbishop Barry Hickey at St Charles Seminary on July 7.
The pair will undertake a four-year course at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, where, upon completion, they are likely to be ordained as deacons at the start of their fourth year and ordained as priests in Perth after the end of that fourth year.
Candidacy signifies another step towards the priesthood, where the Archbishop also publicly acknowledges their serious commitment to journey towards the priesthood accepts their intention to complete the necessary formation in order to be ordained as priests.
Michael, 23, joined the Salvatorian Religious order in Perth for three years after graduating from St Pius X Christian Brothers College in Sydney, before discerning a call to enter St Charles Seminary.
Brennan, 27, graduated from Aquinas College, Manning in 1998 and worked as a pharmacist after graduating from Curtin University, then joined St Charles’ Seminary.
The pair are the second to be sent to Rome by Archbishop Hickey to complete their studies for the priesthood after the Archbishop sent Gannon Jones and Mark Payton to the Pontifical North American College two years ago. Michael said completing his studies in Rome is a unique chance to experience the universal Church.
Brennan said that, despite the pair both having already spent a number of years discerning their calls to the priesthood the trip is still daunting, as they are “leaving their comfort zone”.
