The Changing Stages of Priestly Formation in Seminaries

Abstract

The sixth edition of The Program for Priestly Formation (PPF6) is the governing document for Catholic seminary formation. This edition, based on the Ratio Fundamentalis (2016), is a major shift in how seminary formation is being conceived. Besides the PPF6 and the Ratio, Pope John Paul II’s influential post-synodal exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis (I Will Give You Shepherds) is also examined. Focusing on the human aspects of formation, the PPF6 lays out a 7–10 year program of studies. While not downgrading the academic aspects of seminary education, the emphasis on forming a holistic, well-rounded priest configured to Christ is causing some upheaval in Catholic seminaries. This session examines the context of Catholic seminary formation, explores the foundational documents governing seminary formation, and presents two case examples of the real-world application of that discernment. The seminaries highlighted are St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver and Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology in the Milwaukee area.