Bishop Francis Serrão Urges Seminaries to Integrate Spirituality with Everyday Life

MYSURU, November 7, 2026: Bishop Francis Serrão SJ of Mysore has called for a holistic approach to priestly formation that integrates faith, spirituality and everyday life, cautioning against reducing spirituality to religious practices and observances.

Addressing a symposium on priestly formation organised as part of the Pallottine Platinum Jubilee celebrations in Mysuru on November 7, Bishop Serrão said authentic spirituality must embrace the whole person — body, mind, heart and soul — rather than remain confined to “cult, creed and code.”

Drawing on Jesuit theologian Fr Sebastian Painadath's understanding of spirituality as an experience of the Spirit and an awareness of the Divine, he described it as a gradual but profound transformation into the likeness of Jesus Christ. Religious practices and devotions, he cautioned, do not automatically make a person spiritual.

Quoting Sri Lankan Jesuit Fr Aloysius Pieris, he observed that Asia suffers from “too much religiosity and not enough spirituality.” He also recalled Bede Griffiths' image of religions as fingers of one hand meeting in the palm, stressing that while religious differences can divide, spirituality brings people together.

Emphasising the need for psychological and physical integration, Bishop Serrão challenged the traditional separation of body and spirit. He said the human person must be understood as an integrated whole, with body, mind, heart and spirit working together. A person, he added, could be deeply spiritual without being overtly religious.

Turning to priestly formation, he urged seminaries to help candidates discover God in ordinary experiences and relationships. Citing David Steindl-Rast's reflection in The Music of Silence, he said everyday experiences that bring people alive can become sources of spirituality and prayer.

Referring to St Ignatius of Loyola's emphasis on finding God in all things and St Teresa of Avila's experience of encountering God even amidst household chores, he said priestly spirituality should extend beyond chapel and monastery life into everyday situations and the wider world.

Quoting Philippians 4:8, Bishop Serrão encouraged formators to cultivate an outlook centred on what is true, noble and right. He stressed that spirituality should not lead people away from the world but help them integrate faith with life, belief with behaviour, and profession with practice.

His address underscored the need for priestly formation that produces spiritually mature priests whose faith is evident not only in prayer and religious observances but also in their relationships, decisions and pastoral ministry.

By Fr. Carlos Luis, SAC