Cultivation of the Virtue of Charity in St. Paul Applied to the Catholic Seminarian at Epiphany Seminary in Ubon Ratchathani Diocese

Abstract

The purposes of this research were to study: 1) the altitude of the virtue of charity in St. Paul of the catholic seminarians at Epiphany Seminary in Ubon Ratchathani Diocese. 2) Strengthen the virtue of charity applied to catholic seminarians at Epiphany Seminary in Ubon Ratchathani Diocese. This research is Mixed Methodology research. The tool used for data collection was a questionnaire. The statistics used for data analysis were frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation. The sample used for qualitative research were catholic seminarians at Epiphany Seminary in Ubon Ratchathani Diocese obtained by purposive sampling. The tool used for qualitative data collection was a set of in-depth interviews. The data collected was analyzed from content analysis.

          The study results were as follows:

1. The altitude of the virtue of charity in St. Paul applied the catholic seminarians at Epiphany Seminary in Ubon Ratchathani Diocese. The behavior in virtue of charity of the catholic seminarians at Epiphany Seminary in Ubon Ratchathani Diocese in the overview were the highest action (=3.08, S.D.=0.605) that put in order from the highest to the fewest action of the virtue of charity are as follows: Love is not arrogant (=3.43, S.D.=0.474), Love hopes all things (=3.37, S.D.=0.487), Love believes all things ( =3.32, S.D.=0.471), Love is not jealous (=3.29, S.D.=0.803), Love is kind (=3.22, S.D.=0.505), Love does not seek its own (=3.21, S.D.=0.549), Love endures all things (=3.17, S.D.=0.639), Love rejoices with the truth (=3.16, S.D.=0.687), Love does not take into account a wrong suffered (=3.10, S.D.=0.604), Love is patient (=3.03, S.D.=0.503), Love does not brag (=2.98, S.D.=0.700), Love does not act unbecomingly (=0.67, S.D.=0.773), Love is not provoked (=2.65,S.D.=0.637), and Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness (=2.51, S.D.=0.639) respectively.


2. The strengthen to the virtue of charity applied to catholic seminarians at Epiphany Seminary in Ubon Ratchathani Diocese are as follows

               2.1  The seminary should advance to the virtue in the life of the seminarian  especially the charity by supporting them to aware and act in their responsibility with all activity in Epiphany Seminary. Each seminarian has a different way of showing the virtue of charity in their life that they have learned and formed by their family. The important duty in the seminary must be the house of the virtue of charity by make them to understand the necessary thing and chance to form themselves to be the man of virtue like Jesus Christ. The virtue of charity in St. Paul is the method to discernment the vocation of the seminarian. Every virtue is inside the regulatory action, activities and the relationship with others in the Epiphany Seminary.

               2.2  Church should cooperate with the formator in Epiphany Seminary by help the seminarians when they go back home after finish education or the vacation day that seminary permit them to their family. The priest should ask them to participate any work and chances to make experience with their church and their community, and the priest must tell them to attend the mass, prayer and stay in the holy hour in the church.

               2.3  School should tell the seminary about the bad behavior of the seminarian that they do in the school. The school is the one part in the method to form the seminarian to be a priest. The data that the school tells the formator is the opportunity to develop in the virtue of charity in the school. The school must teach the seminarian and the student to prove themselves in knowledge and virtue.

               2.4  The parents are the most important persons to help the seminarians to be the good person. The parents look like the first formator to form the virtue of charity in the life of the seminarians. All the virtues of charity begin in the family and develop in the relation of the members of family. So, on that way the parents must teach and act the virtue of charity in daily life especially to be the good Christian. The Example and wording should be concordant. When the seminarian goes back home, the parent and cousin must be the witness of the virtue to the seminarian.

               2.5  Seminarian should practice the virtue of charity in every situation of life such as speak the good word to others, help each other to do the work, deny the wrong behavior, accept the warming from rector or friends about the judgment to the order of the seminary, show the virtue of charity in their life through it is the easy way to act because there are many popularity in the social and online network that challenge seminarian life and vocation. The seminarian must be honest about the virtue of charity because it is the sign of goodness that we can hold for our vocation.