Program of Priestly Formation (Ascension)

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Program of Priestly Formation

himself be known.” 156 This openness is required for real formation to happen. If a man hides his struggles in formation, growth cannot happen. The seminary community should seek to create the conditions that foster this peaceful climate of trust and mutual confidence through relationships marked by “fraternity, empathy, understanding, the ability to listen and to share, and especially a coherent witness of life.” 157 This climate of mutual confidence will be helped by the formators accompanying the seminarians outside of formal meetings in meals, recreation, and other potentially formative experiences. These times can provide excellent opportunities to know the seminarians and provide the formation that comes from witness of life and ordinary encounters. When the seminarian experiences that the priest formators live true fatherhood seeking his good, and that the life of the seminary is marked by a spirit of true fraternity, this trust will not be difficult to establish. 158 To arrive at the necessary depth of formation, conversations between the formator and the seminarian should normally occur about once a month. 159 Just as it is beneficial for seminarians to remain with the same spiritual director for longer periods of time, it is preferable that one formator work with the seminarian in the external forum throughout each particular stage of formation. When possible it is advantageous for a seminarian to have the same formator for even longer than one stage of formation. The Church is clear about the importance of the role of this priest formator and the needed formation for it: The formator must exercise discretion when it comes to the lives of seminarians. Each formator should be possessed of human, spiritual, pastoral and professional abilities and resources, so as to provide the

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156 Ratio Fundamentalis , no. 45. 157 Ratio Fundamentalis , no. 47. 158 See Ratio Fundamentalis , no. 52. 159 See Ratio Fundamentalis , no. 46.

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