Program of Priestly Formation 6th edition

INTRODUCTION | 11

ministry also forms an important context for priestly formation in the United States.

a. They may be, for example, the following:

i. Men who are older and who bring previous life and work experiences ii. Men born outside the United States who speak English as a second language iii. Men whose faith has been rediscovered and rekindled in a powerful way through significant religious experiences, and men who are converts to Catholicism iv. Men born and raised in the United States who find themselves struggling intensely with particular cultural counterpoints to the Gospel, especially regarding sexual permissiveness, the drive to acquire and consume material resources, utilitarianism, and the exaltation of freedom as merely personal and individual autonomy, divorced from personal responsibility and objective moral standards b. An increasing number of priestly vocations now come from diverse and sometimes dysfunctional family situations.