Seminarians

The last Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis was published in 1970 and updated in 1985. In the meantime, and particularly under the effect of the rapid changes in the modern world, the historical, socio-cultural and ecclesial contexts have changed, in which the priest is called to make manifest the mission of Christ and the Church. This has also led to significant changes in related matters: the image or the view of the priest, the spiritual needs of the People of God, the challenges of the new evangelisation, and the languages of communication, to name just a few. In this situation, it seemed that priestly formation needed to be relaunched, renewed and returned to the centre. On 8 December 2016, therefore, the Congregation for the Clergy published the new Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis, a tool for the formation of priests. It has taken up the contents, methods and approaches presented so far in the field of formation, updating them and introducing new elements. The document restates the guidelines offered in the Apostolic Exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis regarding an integrated formation of seminarians. In this formation, the formators and professors are called to demonstrate the close relationship between theology, the spiritual life and the pastoral ministry. This is so in order that the candidate for the priesthood might become a good shepherd of the People of God and have a compassionate and merciful heart like Christ.

Abstract
Formation of priest candidates is a very important element in the Catholic Church. The formandi (seminarians) are formed in a holistic manner to achieve the unity of faith, personal and intellectual. Formation system is prepared from Midle Seminary to High Seminary. However, changing times is inevitable. It also affects the changes in each individual, especially the seminarians. In Indonsia, the seminarians in this era can be included in Generation Y (Gen Y). Gen Y certainly bring problems and challenges in the formation process. This article aims to analyze how the Catholic Church, especially through Decret Optatam Totius, respons to issue of Gen-Y presence in Priest candidates formation. By basing the writing on ethnographic interviews, and analysis of any related text, the author described this in a systematic discussion paper. The first section, the introduction explains Y- Generation issue as a challenge that must be faced. In the second part, explains the form of education the Catholic priest candidates. Finally, elaborate the challenges, expectations, the outhor try to give proposals into the Priest candidates formation process.
Key words: Y-Generation, Catholic priest candidate, leadership, responsible.

The Congregation for Clergy promulgated on December 8, 2016 a new Program of Priestly Formation/Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis entitled "The Gift of the Priestly Vocation." While maintaining the division of seminary formation into the human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral found in the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation/Pastores Dabo Vobis, the Ratio Fundamentalis distinguishes four pedagogical periods of preparation (propaedeutic, discipleship, configuration, and pastoral) ordered towards the affective maturation and preparation of candidates for priestly ordination. Since "Pastores Dabo Vobis" asserts in §82 that “[e]very aspect of priestly formation can be referred to Mary,” and the Program of Priestly Formation incorporates verbatim this selfsame text (§112), this study seeks to concretely identify Mary’s presence and mission in seminarians’ human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral formation during the propaedeutic, discipleship, configuration, and pastoral stages of training.

Mary’s presence and mission involve the Church and all of its members, resulting from the absolute Christian mystery of the Incarnation. As members of the Church through baptism and in formation for the ministerial priesthood of Jesus Christ, Mary’s presence and mission intimately concern and can assist priestly formators, spiritual directors, and seminarians to realize the vision of priestly formation proffered in the Ratio Fundamentalis.

This paper mainly questions the nature of time. This is a humble attempt to unfold the complexities of the notion of time, with the aid of Aristotle's genius and Heidegger's ingenuity. Comparing and contrasting the views of these thinkers, the paper tries to make a synthesis out of the two, and concludes by applying the synthesis into one's own life. Thus, this research work is not just aiming for a clearer understanding of time, but also for a deeper understanding of life.

This research paper entitled, Acts of Impurity: Perceived Role of Issue on Clerical Sexual Abuse on Seminarian’s Vocation, is an attempt to find out the perceived effects of the issue about clerical sexual abuse on seminarians’ decision to pursue or not their vocation. Along the lines of every data and analysis, variables about forms of sexual abuse, types of abuse, and measures taken by the church are concisely explained. Factors concerning the topic like, the recent reports and old news that are being restored to alarm the faithful are discussed and thoroughly presented in a way that the readers will easily understand. The results of the data are tabulated and computed by the researcher using the relative frequency method and the perception of the seminarians are based on the conducted survey consisting of a researcher-designed questionnaire. The gathered data consists the demographic profile of the respondents, the reception and perception of the respondents, and the measures taken by the church. Towards the end of the paper, a conclusion summarizing the thesis as a whole and a resolution provided by the researcher can be clearly understood, reflecting the notion of a quantitative and descriptive research based on fidelity to faith using a Marcelian approach.

● Source: Pawel Tarasiewicz, “Philosophy in Seminaries,” trans. J. Kobylecki, Studia Gilsoniana 2 (2013): 161-173 [ISSN 2300-0066] ● Summary: The author attempts to answer the question concerning whether or not philosophy is needed in seminaries. In light of his analysis, it can be concluded that philosophical studies for future priests are a serious alternative to the fideistic positions often adopted by Catholics. The presence of philosophy in the seminary curriculum is supported by: (1) the need for building intellectual foundations of the religious faith professed by a seminarian; the faith which cannot do without reason and abstain from justifying the rationale of its content; (2) the need for introducing the seminarian to the mysteries of the classical philosophy of being which can equip him with a better understanding of human nature and the surrounding reality. In this way, the seminarian: (1) acquires a reasonable belief that the human mind is able to know the objective and universal truth, including the truth about God as the Ultimate Cause of all that exists; (2) is able to enter into an intelligent dialogue about the truth with an increasingly globalized world. ● Keywords: Christian Philosophy; Seminarians; Philosophy; Seminary; Theological Studies; Catholics; Religious Faith; Faith and Reason; Fideism; Polish Fideism; Human nature; Reality; Truth; God; Dialogue; Globalization; Priestly formation.

Formation of priest candidates is a very important element in the Catholic Church. The formandi (seminarians) are formed in a holistic manner to achieve the unity of faith, personal and intellectual. Formation system is prepared from Midle Seminary to High Seminary. However, changing times is inevitable. It also affects the changes in each individual, especially the seminarians. In Indonsia, the seminarians in this era can be included in Generation Y (Gen Y). Gen Y certainly bring problems and challenges in the formation process. This article aims to analyze how the Catholic Church, especially through Decret Optatam Totius, respons to issue of Gen-Y presence in Priest candidates formation. By basing the writing on ethnographic interviews, and analysis of any related text, the author described this in a systematic discussion paper. The first section, the introduction explains Y-Generation issue as a challenge that must be faced. In the second part, explains the form of education the ...

The article essentially aims at answering who were the Polish young men wishing to become priests in 2020 as compared with the candidates who entered Polish seminaries in 2000. The answer was based on quantitative and qualitative surveys conducted in 2000 and 2019 among seminarians at the very beginning of their priestly formation. The questionnaires, though exposing great cognitive possibilities, cannot measure what concerns the mystery of vocation or faith. Despite these limitations, the obtained results have allowed us to find out, for example, where the seminarians came from and what their backgrounds were. They also show their interests, the level of their general and religious knowledge as well as their values. Of importance was to get to know their visions of the priesthood and the Church. The present paper, as a synthesis of the study published in book form, gives a profile of the contemporary candidate for the priesthood. The results of the research can be used by formators and all those who make arrangements for the introduction of the new Ratio Institutionis in Poland.

Renouveler un catholicisme déprimé grâce à la réutilisation opportune d'éléments traditionnels : telle est la ligne générale des propositions pastorales de ce Carnet.

Les propositions avancées ne prétendent nullement à l'exhaustivité, elles se veulent des réponses concrètes à la situation particulièrement alarmante du catholicisme, spécialement français.

Elles se focalisent sur certains domaines :

1. La considération réaliste de la montée importante des candidats de sensibilité Summorum Pontificum dans les séminaires diocésains ; l'intégration dans la pastorale diocésaine des prêtres Ecclesia Dei.
2. La revitalisation de l'enseignement catholique sous contrat des diocèses de France.
3. Le catéchisme, nœud de la ré-évangélisation, et qui est de fait le domaine le plus sinistré.
4. La liturgie des paroisses ordinaires sous l'angle de la "réforme de la réforme".

What happens when seminaries have large numbers of international students in their midst?
What is the impact on faculty, seminarians, environment?
What institutional concerns might seminary leaders need to consider?
What are the challenges and opportunities for theological education in seminaries with increasing numbers of international and immigrant seminarians?