The faculty provides an excellent academic program suited to meet the complex circumstances of our time.

“Candidates for the priesthood should have diligent care for the quality of their intellectual formation… For the salvation of their brothers and sisters they should seek an ever deeper knowledge of the divine mysteries… Theological formation… should lead the candidate for the priesthood to a complete and unified vision of the truths which God has revealed in Jesus Christ.” (PDV 51, 54)

The theological program consists of 134 semester hours, of which 90 semester hours are normally applied to the M.Div. Degree. This is consistent with the norms of the Program for Priestly Formation of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops.

A formation team serves growth toward human maturity in the important qualities needed for leaders in the Church today, especially chaste celibate living. In certain instances, this team will be assisted by counseling professionals.

“In order that his ministry may be humanly as credible and acceptable as possible, it is important that the priest should mold his human personality in such a way that it becomes a bridge and not an obstacle for others… Future priests should therefore cultivate a series of human qualities… needed for them to be balanced people, strong and free, capable of bearing the weight of pastoral responsibilities.” (PDV 43)

The Spiritual Director, under the guidance of the Rector, shapes a rich spiritual program which nourishes the entire seminary program.

“Just as for all the faithful spiritual formation is central and unifies their being and living as Christians, that is, as new creatures in Christ who walk in the spirit, so too, for every priest, his spiritual formation is the core which unifies and gives life to his being and his acting as a priest… Those who are to take on the likeness of Christ, the priest, by sacred ordination, should form the habit of drawing close to him as friends in every detail of their lives.” (PDV 45)

A variety of pastoral courses and field education placements enables the seminarians to acquire pastoral skills needed to serve the Church effectively today.

“Formation in its different aspects must have a fundamentally pastoral character… ‘The whole training of the students should have as its object to make them true shepherds of souls after the example of Jesus Christ, teacher, priest, and shepherd.”’ (PDV 57; Optatum Totius, 4)

The Field Education program seeks to develop pastoral and liturgical skills in each seminarian through closely supervised ministry in urban and rural parishes, schools, retirement homes, hospitals, and state correctional facilities, and through theological reflection on these ministries. The intent is that pastoral concern thoroughly penetrate the entire training of seminarians, so they will personally identify with the apostolic mission of the Catholic Church.

The manual labor program seeks to develop a generosity of response to whatever tasks need to be done for the common good. Priests are to be “cheerful givers” when presented with the opportunity to “wash the feet of others.” If a seminarian can be a servant in small tasks, he will give generously in future ministry.

The Rector together with the Formation Team annually evaluates each seminarian’s growth in his embrace of a chaste celibate life and in his performance in all components of the seminary program. The report consolidates evaluations by members of the faculty, the Priestly Formation Advisor, and the seminarian’s own evaluation of his progress in achieving the goals he sets for himself each year. This confidential evaluation is reviewed with the seminarian and is available only to his sponsoring bishop, vocation director or religious superior.