Stages of Seminary Formation
“Formation for the priesthood begins with a focus on the seminarian’s relationship with Jesus Christ. After becoming a disciple of Christ at his Baptism, formation allows a man to grow as a disciple who is discerning and preparing for ordained ministry. The gradual development of the future priest has holiness as its goal, to become configured to Christ, Head and Shepherd, Servant, and Spouse”
–Program of Priestly Formation, sixth edition, 118
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations outlines guidelines for seminarian formation in a document titled the Program for Priestly Formation. In 2022, the USCCB released the sixth edition of this document. This new edition”comes from reflecting on the lived experience of seminarians and the Church in the United States“ (PPF, 3). The committee also took inspiration from Ratio Fundamentalis, the 2016 Church document detailing the formation and vocation of the ministerial priesthood. This opened the door to a new chapter in seminarian formation.
Instead of a rigid reliance upon academic standards and strict years of formation, the new stages of formation outlined in the Program of Priestly Formation allow a more organic and integrated growth to occur within the heart of the seminarian, without losing the rigor or thoroughness of the intellectual studies of philosophy and theology.
The Propaedeutic Stage
PROVIDING A SOLID FOUNDATION FOR A NEW WAY OF LIFE
The word “propaedeutic” simply means “introductory,” and all diocesan seminarians begin formation in this phase, which typically lasts one year. For those entering seminary as an undergraduate student, this phase occurs during college seminary. Those who have already obtained a college degree will enter into the Propaedeutic Year at Mount St. Mary’s. Regardless of where seminarians are at in their academic journey, those in this phase reside in community with each other, gradually being introduced to the many facets of seminary formation and focusing on their identity as beloved sons of the Father.
“Since formation is a lifelong journey, it is important to lay a solid foundation for this journey in the Propaedeutic Stage, especially in the human and spiritual dimensions. Thus “the Propaedeutic Stage is an indispensable phase of formation with its own specific character” (Ratio Fundamentalis, no. 59). This stage allows the seminarian to lay a foundation for a new way of life through prayer, study, fraternity, and appropriate docility to formation” (PPF, 120).
The Discipleship Stage
FOSTERING SELF-AWARENESS AND AN INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS
“In the Discipleship Stage… there is a systematic and rigorous formation that has at its core the goal of growing in an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ through the life of meditation, contemplation, philosophical study, and the training of one’s character in Christian virtue” (PPF, 132). This is an opportunity for seminarians to deepen their interior life and create greater capicity for discernment, emphasizing self-awareness and living well within a community. This phase may occur at undergraduate seminary or, for those who already have college degrees, at graduate seminary.
“The seminarian intensely discerns his vocation to the priesthood during the discipleship stage, and thus he can clearly articulate his call and his conviction to be a priest” (PPF, 134). “The study of philosophy occurs during the discipleship stage,” (PPF, 132) and, assuming there is adequate growth and maturity, typically lasts between two to three years.
The Configuration Stage
DEEPENING THE SELF-CONFIGURATION TO CHRIST
In the configuration stage, the seminarian moves from an affirmation in who he is and from a deepening relationship with Christ into a life of self-gift. “The seminarian models his life on the self-donation of Jesus Christ, Shepherd and Servant, as he prepares more immediately for Holy Orders… The configuration stage demands from the seminarian a great commitment, as it challenges him to acquire a proper priestly spirituality” (PPF, 136). Here, the seminarian “hones his capacity to serve and become a man for others” (PPF, 32). Lasting three to four years, this phase involves prayer, study, increasing pastoral responsibilities as the seminarian works to conform his life to that of Jesus, who poured out His life for the world. At the conclusion of this phase, the seminarian will be ordained a transitional deacon. During this phase, seminarians work towards a Master of Divinity Degree at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary
The Vocational Synthesis Stage
INTEGRATION AND TRANSITION INTO THE DIOCESE
“The Vocational Synthesis Stage is the period of formation between diaconal and priestly ordinations. Since formal seminary formation has been completed, it is intended primarily as a time not of evaluation, but of integration and transition into the diocese in which the deacon is preparing to serve. This stage is a gradual realization of the cleric’s responsibility for the care of souls while he resides full-time in a pastoral setting” (PPF, 138). During this time, seminarians are placed at a parish in our diocese, where they will reside for six months.
“The purpose of the vocation synthesis stage is to allow a deacon to enter into the life of a cleric, incorporating the entirety of the formation he has received from the moment of Baptism until his reception of Holy Orders… The goal is not so much acquiring new pastoral skills – though these certainly will be gained – but more adjusting well to the life of ministry before advancing to priestly ordination” (PPF, 138).