Program of Priestly Formation (Ascension)

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Program of Priestly Formation

it.” 336 Intellectual formation applies not only to a comprehensive understanding of the mysteries of the Catholic faith, but also to an ability to explain and even defend the reasoning that supports those truths. In this way, intellectual formation provides those who are being formed spiritually with a knowledge of the Lord and his ways, which they embrace in faith. Finally, intellectual formation through the study of theology enables priests to contemplate, share, and communicate the mysteries of faith with others. In this way, it has an essentially pastoral orientation. THE PROPAEDEUTIC STAGE The propaedeutic stage is “an ideal opportunity to acquire an initial and overall familiarity with Christian doctrine by studying the Catechism of the Catholic Church .” 337 Teaching new seminarians the basics of priestly identity and spirituality is also a chief aim of the intellectual formation of this stage. Seminarians should obtain an introductory knowledge of the Bible that equips them to thoughtfully read and pray with Sacred Scripture. Training in intercultural competency, including beginning to learn a new language to meet the pastoral needs of the diocese, should be included in the intellectual formation of seminarians. Other areas of study that support this broad foundational doctrinal formation could include introduction to the documents of the Second Vatican Council and other principal documents of the Magisterium, introductory reading of the Church Fathers and Doctors, and study of the lives the saints and blesseds (especially American saints and blesseds). 338 In addition, intellectual formation could begin to familiarize the seminarian with the great schools of spiritual theology and the spiritual masters.

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336 Ratio Fundamentalis , no. 117. 337 Ratio Fundamentalis, no. 59. 338 See Ratio Fundamentalis , no. 157.

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