Program of Priestly Formation (Ascension)

PPF 370

Program of Priestly Formation

and Spouse. Effective ministry means, for example, the cultivation of a flexibility of spirit that enables the priest to relate to people across a number of different cultures and theological and ecclesial outlooks. Formators must help the seminarian put on both the mind and heart of Christ, the Good Shepherd, 442 including exposing him to cultural and linguistic diversity. This exposure enables him to more fully welcome newcomers to the culturally rich society in which we live, while at the same time encouraging these newcomers to maintain the richness of their own cultural identity. 443 e. Collaboration with others : Pastoral formation must give the seminarian the experience of working with various leaders within the Church, such as permanent deacons, the laity, and those in the state of consecrated life, so as to prepare him for fruitful collaboration with others as a priest. 444 f. Catholic education : Pastoral formation must help seminarians develop an awareness and appreciation of the necessity of the education and formation of our young people. Catholic schools, parochial religious education, and youth ministry are all important means of evangelization and catechesis. g. A personal synthesis for practical use : Another way of viewing pastoral formation is to see it as a process linking the elements of human, spiritual, and intellectual formation in such a way that they can be put to practical use for others, especially in a parish context. 445 In a parish internship experience, for example, the seminarian draws on the experience before him in the parish and asks how his human, spiritual, and intellectual formation makes a difference. With due attention to the discipline of the Church, preaching might be one instance of a theoretical, personal, and practical synthesis. Other examples include evangelization, catechesis, and participation in the

442 See Pastores Dabo Vobis , no. 58. 443 Useful resources for formation in cultural competency are noted in the section on the pro paedeutic stage.

444 See Ratio Fundamentalis , no. 119. 445 See Pastores Dabo Vobis , no. 58.

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