Program of Priestly Formation 6th edition

52 | PROGRAM OF PRIESTLY FORMATION

and that, therefore, one should have passed certain thresholds of spiritual development and commitment at different points in the seminary program (in contrast to the open-ended nature of nonseminary spiritual direction); and an acceptance that a lack of readiness for spiritual direction itself should prompt a seminarian to question his continuance in the seminary and seriously consider withdrawing from the program until he is ready. 164 Meetings with spiritual directors are to be of sufficient frequency, normally biweekly, and sufficient duration to allow adequate opportunity to assist the seminarian in ongoing vocational discernment, proximate preparation for the reception of ministries and Holy Orders, and forma tion for celibacy. Disclosures that a seminarian makes in the course of spiritual direction belong to the internal forum. Consequently, the spiritual director is held to the strictest confidentiality concerning information received in spiritual direction. He may neither reveal it nor use it. 165 Although the civil legal requirements might vary from state to state, the only possible exception to this standard of confidentiality would be the case of grave, immediate, or mortal danger involving the directee or another person. 166 If what is revealed in spiritual direction coincides with the celebration of the Sacrament of Penance (in other words, what is revealed is revealed ad ordinem absolutionis )—that is, the exchange takes place not only in the nonsacramental internal forum but also in the sacramental internal forum—then the absolute canonical strictures of the seal of confession hold, and no information may be revealed or used. Although the rector may never ask a spiritual director about the content of a seminarian’s conversation, he can expect a spiritual director to confirm that a seminarian sees him biweekly. The spiritual director must notify the rector if the director decides to discontinue spiritual direction with any seminarian or if the seminarian discontinues direction with him. 110. 111. 112.

164 For example, see Instruction Concerning the Criteria for the Discernment of Vocations with Regard to Persons with Homosexual Tendencies in View of Their Admission to the Seminary and to Holy Orders . 165 See CIC, c. 240 §2; CCEO, c. 339 §3. 166 See Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People , art. 4.