The Seminary Stages of Formation

Formation in the seminary begins by focusing in a concentrated way on the seminarian’s relationship with Jesus Christ. The seminarian first becomes a disciple of Jesus at his baptism.  Seminary formation enables him to grow as a disciple who is discerning and preparing for ordained ministry.  The seminarian is gradually formed into a shepherd who is called to offer his life as a gift in pastoral charity for the People of God.  It is a gradual development in holiness whereby the seminarian becomes configured to Christ, Head and Shepherd, Servant and Spouse (PPF,118).   

 

As prescribed by the PPF, a seminarian entering Assumption Seminary will transition between four stages:  

 

Propaedeutic Stage

Formation is a lifelong journey. It is important to lay a solid foundation for this journey in the propaedeutic stage, especially in the human and spiritual dimensions, such that the seminarian can thrive in the discipleship, configuration, and vocational synthesis stages of formation. Thus “the propaedeutic stage is an indispensable phase of formation with its own specific character.”  This stage allows the seminarian to lay a foundation for a new way of life by developing a life of prayer, study, fraternity, and appropriate docility to formation” (PPF,120).

 

Discipleship Stage

Men enter the discipleship stage at varying levels of life, work, and educational experience. Initial formation programs for the discipleship stage should be designed to take these circumstances into account.  There are programs designed to meet the needs of young men who have recently completed high school and who may have minimal work and education experience. Other priestly formation programs or variants of programs can be developed to meet the needs of older men who come to the discipleship stage with life, work, and educational experience (PPF,133)

 

The seminarian intensely discerns his vocation to the priesthood during the discipleship stage, and thus he can clearly articulate his call and his conviction to be a priest. Having received positive confirmation from formators, the seminarian is advanced into the configuration stage, at which time candidacy is received (PPF,134).

 

Configuration Stage

In the configuration stage, the seminarian models his life on the self-donation of Jesus Christ, Shepherd and Servant, as he prepares more immediately for Holy Orders. “This configuration demands that the seminarian enter profoundly into the contemplation of the person of Jesus Christ, the beloved Son of the Father, sent as Shepherd of the People of God. It will make the relationship with Christ more intimate and personal and, at the same time, will lead to an awareness and an assumption of priestly identity.” Formation in priestly spirituality involves a heartfelt dedication to his ecclesiastical entity in loving obedience (PPF,135).

The configuration stage demands from the seminarian a great commitment, as it challenges him to acquire a proper priestly spirituality; this includes a greater awareness and personal assumption of priestly identity as he conforms himself to the sentiments and attitudes of the Son, understood as self-offering for the pastoral care of the sheep. Conferral of the ministries of lector and acolyte is appropriate during this stage, marking the progressive deepening of this self-configuration to Christ both liturgically and in catechesis, evangelization, and active service to the poor (PPF,136).

 

Vocational Synthesis Stage

The purpose of the vocational synthesis stage is to allow a deacon to enter into the life of a cleric, incorporating the entirety of the formation he has received from the moment of Baptism until his reception of Holy Orders. Rather than “on-the-job training,” this stage is the living of a vocation as an ordained minister, because the diaconate is a new ontological and existential reality. The vocational synthesis stage is not a period of discernment for the priesthood, which began intensely in the propaedeutic stage and was confirmed during the discipleship and configuration stages. The goal is not so much acquiring new pastoral skills—though these certainly will be gained—but more adjusting well to the life of ministry before advancing to priestly ordination. It is about the deacon’s readiness to assume the duties of full-time priestly ministry. Therefore, itis not a question of suitability for Holy Orders, which was judged during the scrutiny prior to diaconate ordination, but a preparation for the final judgment regarding the conferral of the Order of Priesthood which should be made upon the completion of the vocational synthesis stage (PPF,138). 

 

The vocational synthesis stage takes place “outside the Seminary building” and “is the time from leaving the Seminary until the subsequent priestly ordination, which obviously is brought about by the conferral of the diaconate.” The vocational synthesis stage takes place within the ecclesiastical entity which the deacon is preparing to serve, since by diaconal ordination the cleric is incardinated into the particular local Church, institute, or society. Thus, another purpose of this stage is the integration of the deacon into the clergy of his diocese, institute, or society, a process that should precede his entrance into the Order of Priests. In this way, the vocation of the deacon is consolidated within a concrete reality, within his own ecclesiastical entity, accompanied by his bishop, superior, presbyterate, religious community, and parish. This provides for a particular formation which most seminaries cannot offer. While every seminary should be capable of forming men to become priests, most seminaries cannot form men to be priests of their own particular ecclesiastical entity (PPF,139).

 

The formation of the deacon in this stage is essentially different from the formation he received in the seminary, in that it involves the accompaniment of the newly ordained cleric to appreciate his new status in the Church as an official representative and a public figure: incorporating, again, all of the human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral formation he has received preceding his entrance into the clerical state. In the vocational synthesis stage, the deacon focuses directly on the needs of the people he is called to serve. He applies what he has learned to pastoral situations and recognizes where he needs and desires ongoing growth. The deacon also seeks to become more integrated into the presbyterate and local Church to which he belongs” (PPF,142).