TC’s Father Chris Arockiaraj, P.S.S., far left, Solitude organizer, and Father Martin Gallagher, far right, Sulpician candidate, share the Solitude experience with many others in Paris this summer.
Taking place this year from June 12 to Sept. 9, the Sulpician Solitude is a privileged time of formation for Sulpician candidates and for priestly fraternal life, lived in a resolutely spiritual atmosphere (Vivere summe Deo in Christo Iesu). As a candidate, Theological College’s Father Martin Gallagher has been privileged to spend a summer in Paris. Below, he comments on this experience as he enters more deeply into his understanding of the Sulpician life. The “inner seminary,” later called “Solitude,” has as its fundamental rule to favor the advancement in spiritual and interior progress through the development of virtues (Jean-Jacques Olier, Plan of the Seminary, MS 14, p. 61-62).
Organized for the first time by the Generalate, Solitude 2026 brought together 22 candidates from the three provinces of the Company (France, Canada, United States). Two others joined Father Martin for the U.S. Province. Solitude proposes, in an explicit way, to highlight the identity and pedagogy of the Sulpicians, and to form the candidates in the particular charism of seminary formation.
For the candidates and Sulpician presenters, several pilgrimages were planned throughout this formative time. Fourteen additional confreres who had mostly participated in the previous Solitude 2022 were included in several joint activities from June 27 to July 12.
Solitude organizers expressed their hope in this great enterprise: “By the grace of God, and through the intercession of our Virgin of Pentecost, to whom M. Olier devoted a great deal, we hope that this experience will be both fruitful and demanding. It will call each one to a true personal commitment, in a Sulpician spirit of collegiality and fraternity. A major shared challenge will be to preserve an authentic atmosphere of spiritual recollection throughout the training, in the heart of Paris and throughout our activities. This Sulpician spirit must be carefully cared for, safeguarded and, ultimately, re-read at the end of the journey. Relying on the grace of our Lord, those responsible for Solitude 2026 wish each of the solitaires a deeply nourishing Sulpician experience.”
Thoughts on Solitude 2026
By Rev. Martin Gallagher
In the weeks since our arrival here in Paris, the solitaires have been gradually building a community of fraternal life, first among ourselves, and then among the Sulpician presenters and residents here at the Generalate. We come from different countries and provinces but have been united in our growing appreciation for the heritage of the Society of St. Sulpice, especially as it is found around the world. As we continue into the month of July, I feel confident that we are keeping and living the spiritual heritage of Fr. Jean-Jacques Olier and his immediate successors: primacy of inner life, personal relationship with Christ nourished by Scripture and the Eucharist, openness to mission, and, especially, fraternal communion.
First, as we gather together at Mass and at the Liturgy of the Hours, we are joined together as one body of disciples. We use French and English twice a week at the Liturgy of the Eucharist, as well as Spanish on certain days. This helps us to appreciate not just the global reach of the Sulpicians but of the universal Church as well. We also have homilies translated into these languages so that all of us can be nourished by the Word of God. Sulpician meditation and lectio divina also take place with translations, depending on the language of the presider. I must admit that, although this was awkward in the first few days, we have become acclimated to the rhythm of the multilingual worship.
Second, openness to mission is expressed by the challenges that each province, and each individual country in that province, seeks to overcome. Every Friday evening, there is a presentation on two of the countries represented by the solitaire candidates. This allows us to share our greatest strengths and areas of potential for mission today. Each of the provinces seeks to carry on the work our Lord gave to us: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.” For the U.S. province, we hear about seminary life and formation in Zambia and Malawi. Likewise, the priests from Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Vietnam bring an important perspective to the French province. For the Canadian province, it is a great joy to have priests from Columbia, Japan, and Brazil. Our Superior General and Secretary General both represent Anglo and Francophone Canada.
Third, the fraternal communion is growing and expanding each week. In the beginning, we solitaires tended to gather with our provincial compatriots and countrymen, but now we are all more closely connected. This came about through different factors, such as dividing ourselves into committees and having certain jobs each week, working together on liturgical celebrations and schedules, and even gathering to watch the World Cup matches together. One game involved Japan and Brazil going head-to-head — I honestly tried to be as diplomatic as possible when asked whom I supported!
These are just a few thoughts after the initial weeks, while I anticipate the new opportunities for growth, fellowship, and mutual support as priests and potential Sulpicians that lie just ahead.