Seminaries & Seminarians

Priests have the enormous responsibility of caring for souls. Just as a future doctor is required to go to medical school to learn how to properly care for the physical body, a future priest must go through extensive formation to learn how to properly care for the soul. 

Adapted from an article by Fr. Luke Wilgenbusch, Diocese of Nashville

As a Church, we love lingo. We have terms for everything from the sublime to the simple. At Mass, there are patens and purificators. In the parish, there are catechists and catechumens. We have a word for everything in the Catholic Church, and the seminary system is no exception.

In 2023, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops published the 6th edition of the Program of Priestly Formation. This important document guides the formation of future priests throughout the country. Although broadly seen as continuation and deepening of the great successes and strengths of the seminary system in recent years, there are some important developments. Most significant, perhaps, is the language around the stages of formation.

When a young man enters seminary, he is not simply on a seamless track that leads directly to ordination. Instead, the Church now gives us four stages that each mark distinct moments in the formation and discernment of the seminarian. While we have always had stages (pre-theology and theology, for example) these new stages have more intentional names that refer to the whole progress of the person in his human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral formation rather than simply marking his progress through an academic course of study.

The first stage is the propaedeutic stage and typically lasts a year. The name comes from Greek and means “before studies.” This is probably the most significant development in the seminary system. The seminarians, at this initial stage, can remain in the diocese in a communal house of formation or go to seminary, where they begin to lay the foundation of their human and spiritual formation while making an initial discernment of priestly life. They take a few lighter classes that introduce them to the basics of formation, but they also spend a significant amount of time in various parochial and diocesan ministries. This important first stage brings them greater clarity in discernment and sets them on the right path for future formation for the priesthood.

The next stage is the discipleship stage which typically lasts two to four years. Here the seminarians seek to solidify their relationship with God, their identity as beloved sons of the Father and disciples of Jesus Christ, and their understanding of human nature more broadly. They build upon the foundation laid in the propaedeutic stage as they seek to clarify their vocational calling. By the end of this stage, those who are sure of their call to the priesthood receive the installation as a candidate for holy orders, and those who discern out of seminary continue to serve God and the Church as laymen on the path that God has in store for them.

The penultimate stage of formation is the configuration stage. This covers the time of theological studies and preparation for ordination to the diaconate. This stage is typically three and a half to four years long. Now that the seminarians have reached certainty about their call to the priesthood, they spend their last years in seminary preparing to live out their Vocation to holiness specifically in the call to the priesthood. They focus not just on being beloved sons of the Father but on dedicating themselves to God and the Church specifically as men called to the ministerial priesthood. At the end of the configuration stage, the men graduate from seminary and are ordained as transitional deacons.

Finally, the last six months of their formation for the priesthood is called the vocational synthesis stage. At this point, the men have completed their academic work and are back in the local diocese serving as deacons in parishes. They have been given everything they need to begin to live out the priesthood, but they spend these last six months learning how to adapt that skill set and knowledge to life in full-time ministry in the diocese. It is an important time of transition and integration that sets them up well for life-long ministry and growth in holiness. As any married couple would know, receiving the sacrament is just the beginning. The adventure that follows is what makes all the preparation worth it.

With this knowledge of the new stages of formation (and the lingo that goes with it), we hope that you have a better sense of all that goes into this important work of formation for the priesthood. It is not an easy process, but the seminarians enter it with joy and generosity. Please continue to support them and keep them in your prayers as you always have. That simple and faithful support is a significant part of what gives them the strength to continue in this process, and they are all very grateful.

What seminary you attend will be determined based on your previous experience and education. 

Theology (post-graduate) level seminarians attend the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary in Mundelein, Illinois. 

Master of Divinity candidates attend St. John's Seminary in Camarillo, California. 

Philosophy (college) level seminarians attend Mount Angel Seminary in St. Benedict, Oregon.

It’s more common than you might think. In fact, many Vocation directors agree that the only way to know if you have a Vocation to the priesthood is to attend seminary. 

Being in an environment with others going through the same process of discernment is likely to make it more clear to you what your Vocation is.