When I arrived at Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md., as the rector three
years ago, I thought I knew how to answer the question of how someone becomes a
Catholic priest. I was wrong.
Pope Francis has helped all of us — whether Catholic or not — to
see more concretely the fundamentals of being a disciple of Jesus Christ. With
the publication of new guidelines for the formation of priests — "The Gift
of the Priestly Vocation," known in Latin shorthand as the "Ratio Fundamentalis"— the pope has set forth his vision of forming
priests.
The pope's ambassador to the United States, also known as the
apostolic nuncio, Archbishop Christophe Pierre, visited the Mount March 8 and
unpacked the gift of these guidelines, providing key themes and offering a
unique insight into the pope's vision of priestly formation.
He noted that Pope Francis speaks of priestly vocations as
"uncut diamonds" and that formation must meet the demands of an era
that is not so much an "age of change" but a "change of
age."
At the heart of priestly formation is the "new missionary
spirit that must take hold of the church." Each future priest must see
himself as a missionary disciple sent out to embark on a new chapter of
evangelization. For those of us involved in seminary formation, all of the
prayer, study and pastoral experiences must have this missionary focus and
purpose.
Time in the seminary is about more than gaining a deeper
understanding of philosophy and theology, and growing in one's prayer life. As
the nuncio put it, an integrated formation prepares the seminarian and the
priest "to go out of himself, to not be self-referential but to look to
the essential needs of the flock." It is about learning how to joyfully
share a relationship with Christ and his church with others.
The nuncio warned against being mere managers of the sacred and
against a worldly spirit that could prove fatal to ministry. At the same time,
he proposed that seminaries should form priests "with inclusive and
compassionate hearts, who show forth the tenderness of God."
This advice melds well with Pope Francis' image of the church as
a field hospital. People are in need of the medicine of Christ's mercy. They
need priests who approach the wounded and sick where they are. They are doctors
of the tender heart of God who go out and find their patients.
The "Ratio Fundamentalis"
sets forth four main stages of seminary formation: preparatory, discipleship
(coinciding with study of philosophy), configuration (corresponding to a time
of theological studies) and pastoral.
Each stage has an overarching theme that incorporates and
transcends the academic requirements necessary for the education of
seminarians. It proposes an integrated "formation" of the person
aimed at the development of "a pastor, anointed for the people, a
missionary announcing the Gospel," as Archbishop Pierre said.
These stages clearly emphasize the cumulative character of the
formation process. It is not "jumping through hoops" to get to the
next stage. Rather, one stage builds on and presupposes the previous stage. The
initial preparation serves as the ground for all the other stages. The years of
concentrating on being a disciple of Jesus Christ carries over to each
subsequent stage.
Thus, according to Pope Francis, a priest is always a disciple
and never simply a shepherd. The final two stages flow out of the previous
stages and find expression in the specific vocation and mission of a priest.
The apostolic nuncio concluded his talk with reflections on Pope
Francis' new document on Catholic education called "Veritatis
Gaudium" (The Joy of Truth) and how it also provides direction for
priestly formation. It delivers the pope's message that while seminary
education should lead to a structuring and strengthening of intelligence and
illumination of the will, it first must "inculcate a sense of humility
before God. The best theology is one done on one's knees!"
Seminaries are indeed positioned to study and address the epochal
issues and changes of our times. However, this "rarified air" of
study easily can isolate seminarians from the world. The nuncio challenged
seminaries to be places in which "the rich cultures of a universal church
in a globalized world are experienced, offering challenges and opening new
horizons" without closing seminarians to the world around them.
The formation of priests is no easy task. With the help of these
guidelines from Pope Francis, I am certain that seminaries will continue to
play a critical role in the health of the church.
Msgr. Baker is rector of Mount St. Mary's Seminary in
Emmitsburg, Md.