Program of Priestly Formation (Ascension)

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Program of Priestly Formation

trust and mutual respect. “With fraternal charity, he will establish a profound and loyal cooperation with the other formators. He is the legal representative of the Seminary, both ecclesiastically and civilly.” 148 It is the rector who has daily care for supervision of all aspects of formation in the seminary. 149 He provides regular (at least annual) reports to the diocesan bishop or competent authority of the ecclesiastical entity on the status of each seminarian. Therefore, while other formators, professors, and specialists will assist the rector in his duties, it is important that he know each seminarian personally. Priestly Accompaniment A seminarian must be assigned to an individual priest formator who is in residence in the seminary. This priest is responsible for accompanying the seminarian through that particular stage of formation. This formator accompanies the seminarian in the external forum and is responsible for personalizing the work of seminary formation for an individual seminarian as well as engaging in the discernment process that oversees the suitability of the seminarian for continuation. 150 The formator is at the service of the mystery of vocation in the seminarian. He helps to discern whether such a call is present and to foster it to its fullness by relating to the man as a shepherd and a father. Just as Jesus accompanied his Apostles and offered them individual formation along the way, so also “seminarians need to be accompanied in a personal way in the various stages of their journey by those entrusted with the work of formation.” 151 The growth of human formation happens generally in a threefold process of self knowledge, moving to self-possession, and finally to self-gift, and

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148 Ratio Fundamentalis , no. 134. 149 See CIC, c. 260. 150 See Ratio Fundamentalis , no. 132. 151 Ratio Fundamentalis , no. 44.

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