Program of Priestly Formation (Ascension)

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Seminary Formation: Structural Elements

intellectual, and pastoral formation. The interplay between individual and community, founded on Christ, lies at the heart of formation.

The experience of the seminary community plays a significant role in the personal and spiritual growth of seminarians. Each stage of formation will shape community in a particular way. Still, at every stage, community is formative in similar ways. The give-and-take among those who share the priesthood as a common vocation sets the right context for formation. Such interaction provides mutual support, promotes tolerance and fraternal correction, and gives an opportunity for the development of leadership and talent among seminarians. It also can motivate seminarians to develop a sense of self-sacrifice and a spirit of collaboration. 205 The seminarians and the community of formators form the heart of the seminary community, and this reality needs careful cultivation so that the distinctive aims of seminary formation can be achieved. Norms for Community Seminarians are to be fully committed to the life of the seminary community and are to learn how to contribute generously to it and to receive humbly from its resources. With an eye toward the exercise of future pastoral responsibilities, seminarians should give evidence of an ability to follow a schedule with community prayer at its heart, allowing time for a healthy balance of personal prayer, study, enjoyment of the arts, physical exercise, leisure, and social interaction; seminarians should develop discerning habits in reading, the use of various media, the internet, and entertainment in general. 206

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205 “Seminarians are bound, both individually and as a group, to demonstrate—and not only in their external behavior—that they have internalized an authentically priestly way of life, in humility and in service of their brothers. This is a sign of a mature choice to give themselves to following Christ in a special way.” Ratio Fundamentalis , no. 131. 206 See Ratio Fundamentalis , nos. 99-100.

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