In Pastores Dabo Vobis, Pope John Paul II described the principal foundations for priestly formation as human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral. 2500 California Plaza Omaha, Nebraska 68178 Map Telephone: 888.528.5668, 402.546.6384 Fax: 402.280.3529 Email: ipf@creighton.edu Formation is the personal preparation that the Catholic Church offers to people with a defined mission, such as the priesthood or membership of a religious order such as the Society of Jesus.Such formation involves a program of spiritual and academic training. Formation is first and foremost cooperation with the grace of God. This ecclesial reality demands that ordained ministers and candidates work constructively and positively with women,” the document states. A seminary is, first and foremost, a place for the formation of Catholic priests. Each area, while distinct in itself, is naturally linked to the others. true true true true Stages of Priestly Formation Formation, as the Church understands it, is not equivalent to a secular sense of schooling or, even less, job training. All priestly formation takes place within the context of the Church as the Body of Christ, as Mater et Magistra (Mother and Teacher), and in relation to the mission of the Church in the World. “In the U.S. Church today, eighty percent of ecclesial ministers are women. Formation is the personal preparation that the Catholic Church offers to people with a defined mission, such as the priesthood or membership of a religious order such as the Society of Jesus.Such formation involves a program of spiritual and academic training. (1976) [Origins 6:11 (September 2, 1976) 173-190*] Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education, . for the program of priestly formation along with the Council’s specific treatment of priestly formation found in Optatam totius (Decree on the Training of Priests). The other two orders are the bishops and the deacons. Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education, .A Guide to Formation in Priestly Celibacy. The U.S. bishops heard Nov. 11 of plans to revise the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' existing Program of Priestly Formation for U.S. dioceses. The four dimensions form the comprehensive structure of formation that guides the development of the candidate toward Priesthood. The history of priestly formation in the Catholic Church is long and varied, but a decisive moment in that history came with the Council of Trent (1545-63), especially in its Twenty-Third Session, when the council fathers laid down the framework for the establishment of seminaries as permanent institutions for the training of clerics. The gift of the priestly vocation, placed by God in the hearts of some men, obliges the Church to propose to them a serious journey of formation. The priesthood is one of the three holy orders of the Catholic Church, comprising the ordained priests or presbyters. As Pope Francis recalled on the occasion of his address to the Plenary of the Congregation for the Clergy (3 October 2014): “It means guarding and fostering vocations, that they may As the Catholic Church in Australia enters the third Christian millennium there are encouraging signs of new growth in priestly vocations. In the United States of Catholic Conference Bishops’ doc We envision a joyful and powerful renewal of holiness across the U.S. Catholic Church as more diocesan seminarians, priests, and bishops seek and commit to a personal, deep, and sustained spiritual communion with the Trinity. Some of the strongest language is reserved for the role of women in priestly formation, where organizers noted that women should be included in the faculty of seminaries. (1974) [Origins 4:5 (June 27, 1974) 65-76*] (excerpts) Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education, .The Theological Formation of Future Priests. The church has different rules for priests in the Latin Church – the largest Catholic particular church – and in the 23 Eastern Catholic Churches.