Preparation for the priesthood is accomplished in four mutually supportive
programs: human formation, spiritual formation, academic formation and pastoral
formation. The integration of these four programs nourishes the student and
assists him in discerning his call to priesthood.
Human Formation
Saint Meinrad School of Theology seeks to send out well-integrated graduates
who take responsibility for their own emotional, physical, sexual and spiritual
well-being. In pursuit of this integration, the school's human formation
program works to develop the strength of character and healthy lifestyle that
will be needed to exercise leadership and give service as an ordained minister
in the Church.
During the course of each semester, seminarians attend conferences on various
spiritual and vocational concerns, including priestly lifestyle, intimacy,
sexuality, personal maturity, healthy living and professional boundaries.
Spiritual Formation
Spiritual direction is essential to priestly formation as it fosters,
encourages and challenges the seminarian's growth in Christian life. Spiritual
direction helps the seminarian to understand his religious and faith experience
by helping him clarify and verbalize what the Spirit is doing in his life.
Seminarians are required to meet with their spiritual directors regularly,
ordinarily every two to three weeks. Each seminarian makes at least one annual
retreat. Fifth-year seminarians (deacon class) make two retreats.
Academic Formation
Today's priests need to know and be conversant in the sources of the tradition.
A critical knowledge of Catholic teaching and tradition is the foundation upon
which all theological study and pastoral ministry are based.
In addition, priests must be able to relate the intellectual heritage of
Catholic teaching and tradition to the concrete situations of the people they
are serving. This requires that seminarians study systematic theology to grasp
the meaning of faith, dogmatic theology to connect with the tradition's
theological sources, and moral theology to wrestle with the complexities of
conscience formation and decision-making.
Pastoral Formation
Saint Meinrad strives to prepare priests with a comprehensive pastoral outlook,
enabling them to assume the pastoral duties that their service to God's people
requires. This aspect of formation also fosters the habit of evaluating
problems, establishing priorities, and looking for solutions on the basis of
faith, through prayer and theological reflection.
The juxtaposition of ministry experience and academic courses permits the
students' ministerial experiences and academic study to enrich each other.
