Program of Priestly Formation 6th edition

SEMINARY FORMATION: STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS | 61

years of full-time academic studies of a general nature (without philosophical studies, which are restricted to the discipleship stage), followed by one year focused on human, spiritual, and pastoral formation.

DISCIPLESHIP STAGE

132. In the discipleship stage, which must not last less than two years, 184 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 and contemplation, 185 as well as the training of one’s character in Christian virtue, so as to lay a solid foundation for future stages. The study of philosophy occurs during the discipleship stage. Men enter the discipleship stage at varying levels of life, work, and educational experience. Initial formation programs for the disciple ship stage should be designed to take these circumstances into account. There are programs designed to meet the needs of young men who have recently completed high school and who may have minimal work and education experience. Other priestly formation programs or variants of programs can be developed to meet the needs of older men who come to the discipleship stage with life, work, and educational experience. 186 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. Having received positive confirmation from formators, the seminarian is advanced into the configuration stage, at which time candidacy is received. 187 133. 134.

184 See Ratio Fundamentalis , no. 66. 185 Optatam Totius , no. 8, describes the careful development of spiritual training so that “the students might learn to live in intimate and unceasing union with God the Father through his Son Jesus Christ, in the Holy Spirit.” 186 In the past these programs have been referred to as pretheology programs. The term “pretheology” with its inference of academic status is discouraged because it can obscure the integral nature of formation in the discipleship stage. Nevertheless, these men are a distinctive set of seminarians who come to initial formation with more extensive experiences on many levels; a formation program should take these unique circumstances into account. 187 See Ratio Fundamentalis , no. 67.