In the Gospel of St. John, Jesus says that he lays his life down freely, no one takes it away from him (cf. Jn. 10:18).

Human formation aims to draw the seminarian into the freedom with which Jesus “gave himself totally for the salvation of the world” (PPF 116). As such, it is the foundation for the other dimensions, which are “received and lived” to the extent that a man is free (PPF 181).

The journey to freedom begins with self-knowledge and awareness.

“At the beginning of the Seminary journey, the seminarian is a mystery to himself, in which two aspects of his humanity . . . exist side by side. One the one hand he is characterized by talents and gifts which have been molded by grace, on the other he is marked by limits and frailty. The task of formation is to help [him] integrate these aspects, under the influence of the Holy Spirit” (PPF 114).

During the Propaedeutic Stage, human formation consists chiefly in acquiring self-knowledge through trusting and vulnerable relationships forged in prayer, spiritual direction, formation, counseling, and friendship (cf. PPF 119).

In both the natural and supernatural orders, relationship precedes identity. A man discovers who he is through his relationships, and he discerns what he must do in view of who he is. The crisis of identity in the present age stems from the breakdown in relationship with God and others. Seminary, therefore, is not strictly speaking a building or a program, but rather a set of relationships through which a man discovers the fundamental truth that he is, before all else, a beloved son of the Father: a son loved for himself, irrespective of his strengths and weaknesses.

If he learns to live in the Father’s love, the seminarian can ‘move’ with him through snares and obstacles into “the glorious freedom of the children of God” (Rom. 8:21).

Grace can fortifify, perfect, and transform nature, but nature must be rightly disposed.

To make a good beginning, the seminarian needs three indispensable qualities:

•  Transparency (honest self-disclosure)
•  Docility (willingness to be taught)
•  Unshakable confidence in Jesus, who desires the transformation of the heart.

Self-knowledge, of course, involves reflection on one’s past. During the Propaedeutic Stage, the seminarian begins to consider his personal history – his story – in the context of the relationships named above (prayer, spiritual direction, formation, counseling, and friendship).

The seminarian, after all, is ‘a mystery to himself,’ and a mystery is never completely grasped. Self-knowledge, therefore, is an ongoing, dynamic process.

As self-knowledge unfolds, however, the seminarian gains a deeper appreciation of both his unique giftedness and his moral and psychological frailties. These latter, for example, may include anxiety, depression, perfectionism, compulsivity, poor self-image, emotional dependency, idiosyncrasy, and (other) wounds incurred in the course of his upbringing (cf. PPF 191). Facing oneself can be painful. But there is help and healing in store for the man bold enough to ‘go there’ with the Lord.

Alongside its attention to self-knowledge and awareness, human formation in the Propaedeutic Stage seeks to develop the seminarian’s aptitude for healthy relationships, and habits of self-discipline and self-care (cf. PPF 191).

If the hallmark of the Propaedeutic Stage is self-knowledge in the baptismal identity of ‘beloved son,’ the Discipleship Stage is marked by gradual self-acceptance and self-possession towards chaste espousal. As the seminarian begins to think more of the Bride than he does of himself, he aspires to mature for her sake.

In Discipleship, then, external discipline gives way to interiority, and the seminarian begins to take ownership of his formation. Responding generously to grace and motivated by rightly ordered desires, he develops moral virtues and psychological strengths, integrating his self-awareness “into a desire to grow in affective maturity” (PPF 193).

Habitually attentive to his interior movements and to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the disciple ‘moves with God’ in the day-to-day, with renewed responsiveness and agility. Consequently, trust, transparency, and self-disclosure in formation grow easy; friendships deepen such that they rouse further growth; discipline gives way to desire for the good and aversion to evil; physical and mental well-being are given their proper due; and the moral and intellectual virtues begin to germinate and flower (cf. PPF 194-196).

“The disciple of Jesus is a person who is free to be who he is in God’s design,” free because he is ‘moving with God’ out of ignorance, error, and self-defeating habits of thinking, desiring, feeling, and behaving (PPF 182).

“God’s grace will then build upon a human nature that is more mature” (PPF 197).

Common Components

Community Living

When he called the apostles – the first priests – Jesus gathered them around himself in community, where for three years they shared life in friendship with him and with one another, in what may well be called the first seminary.

As the ministerial priesthood extends Jesus’s high priesthood through time and space, so analogously, the seminary is “a continuation in the Church of the apostolic community gathered around Jesus, listening to his word, and proceeding towards the Easter experience, awaiting the gift of the Spirit for the mission” (PPF 10, quoting Pastores dabo vobis, hereafter PDV, 60).

Jesus formed the apostolic community when he chose those whom he desired to follow him. He himself is the communal bond. Had it not been for him, natural friendship among the disciples would have been unlikely, given the divergent interests, temperaments, and personalities. Similarly, by calling individual men to discern a priestly vocation in the seminary, Jesus gathers particular individuals into a specific community, because each have something to offer and receive from the others.

The community, then, is formative. “Formation comes about every day through interpersonal relationships, moments of exchange and discussion which result in the development of that ‘fertile soil,’ in which a vocation matures concretely” (PPF 151, quoting Ratio 50). In community, the seminarian develops “real and deep relational capacities,” “enter[s] into genuine dialogue and friendship,” and becomes a “person of true empathy who can understand and know other persons” (PPF 183c). At the same time, he himself is known and understood by others.

Pre-Theologians belong to two communities: first, the community of the Pre-Theologate, and second, the community of the house as a whole.

To cultivate bonds of friendship and charity, and to benefit from the experience of their older brothers, Pre-Theologians in the Propaedeutic Stage live together with those in the Discipleship Stage in rooms appointed by the Director of Pre-Theology.

Formation Meetings

At least once a month, Pre-Theologians meet individually with their Formation Advisors, who accompany their men along the formational path, and assist “the seminarian in becoming aware of his condition, of the talents that he has received, and of his frailties, so that he can become even more receptive to the action of grace” (Ratio 46). The Formation Advisor offers encouragement, challenge, correction, and accountability, as he “listens to the deeper motives behind the actions of the seminarian and helps him to integrate the various aspects of his life” (PPF 100).

Conversations cover the full range of formational issues, including the seminarian’s life history, “especially his experience of childhood and adolescence, the influence that his family and his relatives have exercised upon him, his ability to establish mature and well-balanced interpersonal relationships, or his lack thereof, and his ability to handle positively moments of solitude” (PPF 100). Other areas of conversation may include adjustment to Seminary life, time management, demeanor, leadership capacities, rapport with the Spiritual Director, leisure and recreation, insights in prayer, growth in virtue, desires for marriage and celibacy, among others.

“The key element in this formative accompaniment is mutual trust. It is essential that ‘the seminarian should know himself and let himself be known.’ This openness is required for real formation to happen. If a man hides his struggles in formation, growth cannot happen” (PPF 101 quoting Ratio 45).

Counseling and Groupwork

Pre-Theologians benefit from the guidance of the Assistant Director of Psychological and Counseling Services, with whom they meet periodically for individual sessions. Counseling addresses areas of mental health, psychological strength and fragility, affective maturity, family matters, relationships, and boundaries, among others. Insights gained from counseling facilitate self-knowledge, self-acceptance, and self-possession. Participation in specialized groups (the Augustine Way, and the Anxiety Group for the men in the Discipleship Stage) is encouraged, even when not required, to gain an understanding of the issues prevalent in the present culture.

The Formation Agreement

At the beginning of the year, Pre-Theologians submit a considered set of formation goals (typically six) to guide their growth in the four dimensions of formation during the year.

Goals are based on the benchmarks specified for the Propaedeutic and Discipleship Stages in the PPF. In composing them, seminarians rely on self-knowledge, prayer, generosity, and consultation.

Seminarians propose and formulate their goals in consultation with their Formation Advisor, who reviews them with the Director of Pre-Theology prior to their approval and submission to the Vice-Rector of Formation. The seminarian’s Spiritual Director must also review the goals.

Fraternity Days

Certain days during the year are set aside for intentional fraternity among Pre-Theologians in both stages of formation.

In August, as part of Orientation, Pre-Theologians set out on a two-day ‘camping trip,’ meant to introduce and establish new relationships, and to offer the new men an occasion to benefit from the counsel and encouragement of their brothers in the Discipleship Stage.

Also, the days between the end of retreat and the beginning of the Spring semester are set aside for the Annual Pilgrimage, which offers the opportunity to recalibrate relationships, share graces, and set the tone for the new term.

Features of the Propaedeutic Stage

Features of the Discipleship Stage