A GUIDE TO FORMATION

IN PRIESTLY CELIBACY

Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education





UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAKE LIBRARY

SEP 2 2 '97''

SACRED CONGREGATION FOR

CATHOLIC EDUCATION

A GUIDE TO FORMATION

IN PRIESTLY CELIBACY

April 11, 1974

1974

Publications Office

UNITED STATES EATHDLIE EDNEERENEE

1312 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D.E. 20DD5



Digitized by the Internet Archive

in 2016

https://archive.org/details/guidetoformationcath



CONTENTS

A presentation 5

Foreword 7

1. Nature and purpose of these guidelines 7

2. The specific reason for these guidelines 7

3. Reasons for up-dating 9

4. Adaptation to the situation of the local Churches 9

5. Adaptation to the individual 10

Part one

THE MEANING OF CELIBACY

IN CONTEMPORARY PRIESTLY LIFE

6. States of authentic Christian life 11

I. Celibacy in the life of the Church

7. Meaning of the sacrament of Holy Orders 11

8. The priesthood and the evangelical virtues 12

9. Specific nature of celibacy 12

10. Celibacy and the apostolate 13

11. Celibacy viewed eschatologically 14

II. Priestly celibacy in modern life

12. Problems of priestly celibacy 15

13. Reasons for celibacy 15

14. Relationship between celibacy and the priesthood 16

15. Modern difficulties with clerical celibacy 17

16. Presuppositions for training for celibacy 18

Part two

GOALS OF SEMINARY TRAINING

17. Threefold structure of seminary training 19

1



I. Formation in human maturity

1 8. Concept of human maturity 20

19. Human maturity in education 20

20. Human emotional maturity 21

21. Man’s sexual maturity 22

22. Integrated sexuality 23

23. Human self-control 23 «

II. Formation in Christian maturity

24. The Christian dimension in education 24

25. Maturity as a requirement of the Christian life 25

26. Emotional maturity of the Christian 25

27. The sexual maturity of a Christian 26

28. Christian self-control 27

HI. Formation in priestly maturity

29. Formation from a pastoral viewpoint 28

30. Human and Christian maturity in priests 28

31. Emotional maturity in the priest 29

32. Sexual maturity in the priest 30

33. Self-control of the priest 31

Part three

GUIDELINES FOR SEMINARY FORMATION

34. Difficulties in formation 32

I. Criteria to be followed by the educator

35. Awareness of the complexity of the problem 33

36. Normal and abnormal situations 34

37. Human and spiritual direction 34

38. Testing vocations 35

39. Sex education as a problem for educators 36

II. Guidelines for sex education

40. Sex education as a formative process 37

41. Personalized sex education 38

42. The environmental factor in sex education 38

43. Formational dialogue and sex education 39

44. Personal and progressive sex education 40

45. Modesty and sex education 40

46. Sex education and love 41

2



III. Guidelines for training in celibacy

47. Truth and authenticity of celibacy 42

48. Interior working of the life of celibacy 43

49. Relationships and solitude 43

50. Training conditions for a celibate life 44

51. Training for true love in celibacy 45

52. Relationship between religious fervour and chastity 45

IV. Training in priestly asceticism

53. The need for asceticism . 46

54. Characteristics of priestly asceticism 47

55. Ascetic commitment in seminary life 48

56. The fundamental option demands faith 48

V. The problem of emotional integrity

57. A delicate and strongly debated problem 49

58. The theology of chastity 50

59. Towards a positive solution of the problem 50

60. Formation demanded by the pastoral life 51

61. A word about friendships 52

VI. Difficulties in the process of formation

62. The task of education during adolescence 53

63. The phenomenon of self-abuse in adolescents 53

64. Seminary formation of adolescents 54

65. The task of education during the post-adolescent years .... 55
66. Perseverance in vocations 55

67. Particular difficulties of adulthood 56

68. Reasons for crises in priestly lives 57

69. Preventing and solving these difficulties 57

Part four

THE SEMINARY AS A CENTER OF EDUCATION

70. Conditions for seminary formation 59

I. The atmosphere of the seminary

71. The seminary as a fraternal community 60

72. The seminary as a community which forms 61

73. The group dynamic in seminary formation 61

74. The function of discipline and rule 62

3



II. The seminary and the spiritual life

75. The life of prayer in formation 63

76. Criteria for the revision of forms of piety 64

77. Liturgical formation of seminarists 64

78. Meditation on the Word of God 65

79. Formation through theological study 66

III. The seminary and ecclesial charity

80. Relationship between superiors and seminarians 66

81. Formation in apostolic charity 67

82. Growing in the imitation of Christ 68

IV. Necessity and means of contact with the world

83. New requirements in priestly formation . 69

84. The purpose of interpersonal relationships 70

85. Seminarians and their families 70

86. Relationship with the local parish 71

87. Contact with the world 72

88. Training to be an apostolic presence in the world 73

89. Instruments of social communication 73

CONCLUSION

90. Formation as a synthesis of nature and grace 75

4



A PRESENTATION

The Holy Father in his Encyclical Letter “ Sacerdotalis caelibatus'"

(n. 1

6

)
found an “ opportunity for setting forth anew and in a way

more suited to the men of our time the fundamental reasons for sacred

celibacy At the same time he was concerned that those who decide

to become priests be suitably trained in this matter andy therefore^ His

Holiness willed that “ apposite instructions be drawn up with the help

of truly qualified men treating with all necessary detail the theme of

chastity. They should he sent out as soon as possible to provide those

whoy within the Churchy have the great responsibility of preparing fu-

ture priests
y
with timely and competent assistance ” («. 6i).

This present document is to be understood as an answer to this or-

der of the Pope.

The late hour for this publication can be explained above all by

the concern that—following the instructions of the Encyclical-many ex-

perts be consulted. FurthermorCy given the seriousness of this mattery

it was necessary to go through several editings of the text so that the

observations that were received from many quarters might be taken

into account. Also this lateness can be explained by a concern to sub-

mit the text to the Episcopal Conferences and then to look at it again

in the light of their suggestions.

The up-to-date character and suitability of this documenty given

the fact that it does not enter into the theoretical discussion of celibacy

y

was not spoiled by this delay.

The spirit of this “ orientation ” is sufficiently emphasized in the

text itself
y
in the titUy and in the foreword. Education for celibacy is

motivated and regulatedy before everything elsey by the love of Christ

which is at the bottom of this commitment. Without a deep love of

Christy sacerdotal celibacy loses all meaning.

Stilly the meaning and exercise of celibacy are conditioned by human

elements which must absolutely be looked at. Indeedy it would be a

serious mistake, today more than ever, not to take them into account.

5



The Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education^ which^ for rea-

sons of competence, has undertaken the preparation of this document,

is happy to offer it to Bishops and to those in charge of the formation

of candidates for the priesthood. It is our hope that this contribution

to their dijficidt work — in an area that is extremely delicate yet fu?i-
damental — will be favorably received, responsibly studied, and, with
the help of God's grace, put to practical use for the good of the Church.

Rome, from the offices of the Sacred Congregation, Holy Thurs-

day, April II, 1974.

Gabriel Marie Cardinal Garrone, Prefect

Archbishop Joseph Schroffer, Secretary



FOREWORD

1. Nature and purposes of these guidelines:

This document does not present “ directives ” so much as a

general orientation about formation for priestly celibacy, perennially

valid no matter what the social conditions might be, but which needs

an educator’s skill to be put into practice. This is a response

to the desire expressed in the Encyclical Letter “ On Priestly Ce-

libacy ” that appropriate instructions be issued to help those who

have the serious responsibility of preparing future priests for a life

of sacerdotal celibacy.^

These guidelines arise from the present-day conditions of the

Church and have as their purpose the forming of candidates for the

priesthood in sacred celibacy, freely accepted as a gift from the

Holy Spirit. This, however, is not intended to derogate in any way

from the different situation in the life and educational approach of

the Eastern rites of the Church.

Holy celibacy is a “ precious gift ” which God freely gives to

those whom He calls. Those so called, however, have the duty to

foster the most favorable conditions so that this gift might bear its

fruit.^ It is the educator’s task, therefore, to cultivate in his stu-

dents an appreciation for the gift of celibacy, a disposition for its

acceptance, a recognition of its presence, and its practice.

2. The specific reason for these guidelines:

Sex education, whether as a preparation for marriage or for ce-

libacy, is a difficult and delicate matter, especially in the social and

cultural climate of today. This is particularly the case regarding

^ Cf. Paul VI, Enc. Letter, Sacerdotalis caelibatus, 24 June 1967: A.A.S.,

59 (1967), p. 682, n. 61.

* Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Optatam totius, n. 10; Deer. Presbyterorum

ordiniSf n. 16; Deer. Perfectae caritatis, n. 12; Paul VI, Apost. Exhort. Evan-

gelica testificatio, 29 June 1971: A.A.S., 63 (1971), p. 505, n. 15; Synod Doc.,

30 Nov. 1971, De sacerdotio ministeriali, part a., I, n. 4, d. : A.A.S., 63 (1971),

p. 917.

7



complete formation of those who are preparing for a life consecrated

to God. As the recent document of the 1971 Synod of Bishops em-

phasizes, “ in today’s world celibacy is threatened from all sides by

special difficulties, which, nonetheless, priests have experienced in

various other times through the centuries Indeed, “ it must be

recognized that celibacy, as a gift from God, cannot be kept unless

the candidate is properly prepared for it

Training men for a consecrated single life is an inescapable

duty which falls upon all educators: the community of the family,

of the parish, and of the seminary. In large measure, these bear

the responsibility to form candidates for the priestly life.

The problem of formation for a celibate life is considered here

mainly from the natural aspect in accordance with the principles of

education. It must be constantly borne in mind, however, that such

a problem cannot be resolved simply on the natural level, even with

the best dispositions on the part of the candidates and the greatest

care on the part of educators. Grace is a fundamental and necessary

element in this formation — as Sacred Scripture emphatically states.
(Ps. 126; Mk. 4, 26-29; 10, 27; Lk. I, 37; Jn. 15, 5; I Cor. 3, 6;

Gal. 5, 22-23; Phil- 4 > ^3)* It moreover, equally essential to

maintain the faithful observance of “ the ascetical norms which have

been tested by the experience of the Church and which are by no

means less necessary in today’s world

Young students must be convinced of the necessity of a very

special asceticism in their lives, one that is far more demanding than

what is required of the ordinary faithful and which is special to

those aspiring to the priesthood.®

From their seminary days they must learn to recognize above

everything the need to cultivate with all their hearts the grace which

binds them to Christ, and seek to deepen their understanding of

this mystery of sanctification. They must acquire an ever-increasing

sense of the mystery of the Church and realize that otherwise their

state of life will almost certainly begin to appear, even to them,

inconsistent and absurd.^

^ Synod Doc., 30 Nov. 1971, De sacerdotio ministeriali, loc. cit., p. 917.
^

Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Presbyterorum ordinis, n. 16.

® Cf. Paul VI, Enc. Letter, Sacerdotalis caelibatus, p. 684 ff., n. 70.

* Cf. Paul VI, Enc. Letter, Sacerdotalis caelibatus, p. 687, n. 75.

8



3. Reasons for up-dating:

The problem under discussion has always existed. But it has

acquired a special urgency and a greater importance in our day on

account of a number of factors and causes among which the fol-

lowing deserve special mention:

— in the unfolding of salvation history, priestly celibacy is lived
in accordance with new ways of thinking. It must be a witness to sal-

vation offered to men according to their present-day spiritual needs;

— the human sciences — education, psychology and sociology
— are in a continual state of development; they are ever searching
for new methods, theoretical and practical; ^

— seminarians themselves manifest a new psychological sensi-
tivity, tending to reject the bonds of convention and wanting to

walk in the human order like other men. They extol freedom of

choice and open-ended commitment to the ideal of the Gospel.

In the face of this, it is the duty of educators to be always up-

to-date themselves. They must also read the signs of the times in

the secular and Christian world of today.

All human institutions which proclaim lasting values and which

are not merely expressions of some relative truth must undergo pe-

riodical up-dating. Priestly values, precisely because they are per-

manent and imperishable, must be considered in the context of a

pilgrim Church moving towards the Risen Lord. These values

must be expressed in a way that is suited to the present age. Indeed

educators must proclaim a love for the eternal meaning of the priest-

hood, but in a manner adapted to our times.

4. Adaptation to the situation of the local Churches:

Formation in celibacy must be adapted not only to differing ci-

vilizations and historical periods, but also to the conditions of the

local Churches. Since these can differ considerably from one to

another, their members’ psychological and sociological outlooks will

differ accordingly and they will bear witness to the Gospel in dif-

ferent ways. Seminary training must, therefore, reflect the kind of

education which is suited to local Church life, always, of course,

^ Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Past. Const. Gaudium et spes, n. i; Vat. Coun. II,

Decl. Gravissimum educationis, n. i
;
Paul VI, Enc. Letter, Sacerdotalis caeli-

batus, loc. cit.y p. 681, n. 61.

9



in accordance with the norms established by the Bishops’ Confer-

ences. Priestly celibacy, like the priesthood itself, is a consecration

to God on behalf of the people whom priests are sent to serve.

^

These guidelines, which apply to today, are not intended to

usurp the responsibility of the local Church to educate its priests.

On the contrary, local Churches have a duty to re-examine their

spiritual needs,
,

their ecclesiastical life-style and the efficiency of

the local seminaries to provide a solid education and a witness in

the world of today. Indeed, each single presbyterate ought to dis-

cover God’s plan by studying present day problems in the light

of God’s Word.2

5. Adaptation to the individual:

This document presents a number of suggestions for training to

a life of celibacy. Although it is divided into sections, it would be

a mistake to suppose that they can be taken separately without re-

ference to the development of the single theme of the whole work.

It is also important to remember that despite great bio-psycholo-

gical and socio-cultural differences among individual seminarians,

the fact remains that problems about sex are substantially identical

for all human beings, regardless of their state of life.

The universal character of this matter indicates that there can

be some general guidelines for it. It is necessary, of course, that

these guidelines be put into practice and when doing so that effort

be made to find the best way to apply them to the needs of the

individuals being trained. It is the individual who is to be directed

towards and selected for the priesthood, and a constant search needs

to be made for the best means of doing so even when one is dealing

with a variety of persons with characteristics in the normal range of

human behavior, but particularly when one also has the duty to re-

cognize those who are truly atypical or possess deviant personalities.

These guidelines are written with the training of normal men

in mind, since candidates for the priesthood ought to be normal.

In cases of more or less abnormal persons, a more specialized kind

of work has to be undertaken, but, of course, that kind of student

must be clearly told that the priestly life is not for him.

10

^ Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Optatam totius, n, i.

^ Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Presbyterorum ordinis, n. 16.



PART I

THE MEANING OF CELIBACY

IN CONTEMPORARY PRIESTLY LIFE

6. States of authentic Christian life:

Matrimony and celibacy are two states of life which are authentic-

ally Christian. Both are ways of following the Christian vocation, a

vocation that is expressed in its fulness in the totality of the Church.^

Celibacy for the kingdom of heaven (Mt. 19, 12) is a gift that

Jesus Christ gave to His Church. It is not a charism that belongs

essentially or exclusively to the priesthood. It is not the unique

vocation of a priest. It can be seen in the Church lived in a variety

of ways by groups of persons called to the practice of the evangelical

counsels.

Celibacy constitutes a sign which completes the total picture of

the other evangelical counsels. Insofar as it is chosen for the king-

dom of heaven, it implies fundamentally the Gospel virtues of po-

verty and obedience. In fact, these are intimately connected with

one another, and complementary to each other, and they signify a

life which is perfectly evangelical in nature.

I. Celibacy in the life of the Church

7. Meaning of the sacrament of Holy Orders:

The sacraments of Baptism and Holy Orders enable Christians

to share, through the paschal mystery of our Lord, in the priest-

hood of Christ. Holy Orders is a participation in the “ capital
”

function of Christ the Priest. It confers the ministerial priesthood

which is different, not only in degree, but in essence from the com-

mon priesthood bestowed by Baptism. ^ It makes priests to be “ mi-

nisters ” that is, representatives of Christ as Head of the Church

^ Cf. Paul VI, Enc. Letter, Sacerdotalis caelibatus, loc. cit., p. 665, n. 20.

^ Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Dog. Const. Lumen gentium, n. 10.

11



and partakers of the authority by which Christ Himself causes His

Body to grow and sanctifies and governs It.^

Presbyters “ by virtue of the unction of the Holy Spirit, are

marked with a special character by which they resemble Christ the

Priest As other Christs and with the love of Christ, they are

sent to save the People of God
;
they are called to direct men, through

the ecclesial community founded on God’s Word and the Eucharist,

to an ever deeper and larger life in the Spirit of Christ, which brings

them progressively closer to living like those who have risen in the

Lord, always witnessing to His resurrection.

8. The priesthood and the evangelical virtues:

The evangelical virtues are at the same time both imperatives

and graces of priestly consecration. A candidate for the priesthood,

by his consecration to Christ the Priest, assumes also the Gospel’s

commitment connected with it, prolonging the very mission of

Christ and bearing witness to Him by an evangelical life.

The ministerial priesthood demands a special kind of love, which

is called pastoral charity, by which a priest endeavors to give his

entire life for the salvation of others. The ministerial priesthood

requires this so that love can be offered to others. The evangelical

counsels are precisely to be of service in this pastoral charity.

If it is true that every Christian is consecrated to God in Christ

and to the service of his brothers, it is no less true that consecration

to God in the priesthood demands an even more generous and com-

plete dedication. It is precisely in the practice of the evangelical

virtues that one finds an adequate response to the ideal of priestly

perfection.

9. Specific nature of celibacy:

Celibacy has a clearly positive value in that it makes one totally

available for the exercise of the priestly ministry. It means conse-

cration to God with an undivided heart. It is a sign which testifies

to an almost paradoxical love for the kingdom of heaven.

^ Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Presbyterorum ordinis, n. 2.

^ Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Presbyterorum ordinis, n. 2. Cf. Vat. Coun. II,

Dog. Const. Lumen gentium, n. 28; Paul VI, Enc. Letter, Sacerdotalis caeliba-

tus, loc. cit., p. 664, n. 19 ff.

12



speaking of celibacy, the Synod cited above states: “priestly

celibacy harmonizes fully with the calling to follow Christ and also

with the unconditioned response of the called, who assumes the

duty of pastoral service The same document underlines the fact

that “ if celibacy is lived in the spirit of the Gospel, in prayer, vi-

gilance, poverty, joy, the shunning of honors and in fraternal love,

it becomes a sign which cannot long remain hidden; on the con-

trary, it will effectively proclaim Christ to the human race, even in

our time

Celibacy transcends the natural order. It involves a total per-

sonal commitment. It cannot be maintained except with God’s

grace. More than a mere law of the Church, celibacy must be un-

derstood as a “ qualification ” which receives added value because it

is publicly offered in the presence of the whole Church. Celibacy

is an offering, an oblation, a real and true sacrifice publicly given,

not merely the giving up of the sacrament of Marriage, for the sake

of the kingdom of heaven. “ The seminarian must understand this

form of life not as something imposed from without, but rather as

an expression of his own free giving, which, in turn, is accepted

and ratified by the Church in the person of the Bishop

10. Celibacy and the apostolate:

It is a fact that Jesus Christ placed before all His disciples very

strict requirements in order that they might be His followers. But

He demanded even more from those whom He called to follow

Him as His apostles. Peter, Andrew, James, and John left every-

thing to follow Christ (Mk. i, 16-20). Jesus Himself praised celibacy

embraced for the kingdom of heaven (Mt. 19, 12), The Apostle

Paul, who personally lived this evangelical radicalism, considered

celibacy a divine gift through which, with an undivided heart, one

could better dedicate oneself to the Lord.

Through celibacy, the availability of the ministers of the Church

is reinforced, their power to bear witness is increased, and they

preserve the freedom to oppose every oppression. The celibate

shares wondrously in the “ kenosis ”, which was the chosen way

of Christ in His paschal mystery.

^ Synod Doc., 30 Nov. 1971, De sacerdotio ministeriali, loc. cit., p. 915.

^ Synod Doc., 30 Nov. 1971, De sacerdotio ministeriali, loc. cit., p. 916.

13



Implanted in priestly life, even though not absolutely necessary

either for the priesthood or the exercise of the priesthood, celibacy

is most fitting because it sheds lustre on the nature of the priesthood

and it enhances the work of the priesthood itself. It eminently actu-

alizes that consecration to God, conformity to Christ, and dedica-

tion to the Church which are the characteristics proper to the priest-

hood. It expresses the ideal which the priestly character is supposed

to convey.

II. Celibacy viewed eschatologically

:

Celibacy brings into focus and gives impetus to priestly love.

It enables a priest to perfect this love and, in a very real way, to

anticipate the future life of love with the Risen Christ to which

the eyes of a priest must be turned.^

By celibacy, embraced and lived for the sake of the kingdom of

heaven, a priest answers the call to imitate Christ. He anticipates

the world to come, already present through faith and charity. Con-

secrated celibacy constitutes a sign of eschatological hope, a pro-

phetic sign of that future reality when all men, united in Jesus by

His Spirit, will live only to glorify the Father.

Every Christian has a duty to be united with the love of Christ

and to bear witness to this love. Thus, every Christian life is per-

meated with an eschatological character, from martyrdom to the

religious life, from the priesthood to the married state. Strictly

speaking, celibacy does not, therefore, confer an eschatological char-

acter on the priesthood. The priest already has this in himself,

just as Christians in all other states and vocations possess it in them-

selves, in their own special way.^ But, priestly celibacy harmonizes

with the eschatological aspect of the priesthood, and in certain ways,

reinforces this aspect and enables the priest to be very fully immer-

sed in the perfect love of the Risen Christ.^

^ Cf. Vat. Coun, II, Deer. Optatam totius, n. lo; Deer. Preshyterorum

ordinisy n. i6.

^ Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Deer, Preshyterorum ordinis, n. i6; Paul VI, Enc.

Letter, Sacerdotalis caelihatus, loc. cit., p. 663, n. 17.

^ Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Optatam totius, n. 10; Paul VI, Enc. Letter,

Sacerdotalis caelihatus, loc. cit., pp. 670 ff., nn. 33-34.

14



II. Priestly celibacy in modern life

12. Problems of priestly celibacy:

Today the question is asked whether a priest could not remain

a good priest without remaining celibate. However one looks at it,

— whether from the natural or the Christian point of view — the
choice of priestly celibacy seems to imply the sacrifice of something

good. For instance, it is possible to suppose that marriage, in cer-

tain places, might facilitate an interest in priestly vocations and

even, for some priests, might mean a better balanced emotional life.

However, such reasoning would not be able to take away the fact

that celibacy, in itself, is more appropriate to the mission of the

priest and that this sacrifice can be transformed into redemptive love.

There is no state of life or vocation that does not imply the sa-

crifice of something good. This is not only because vocations are

lived by created human beings, but also because they come from an

outpouring of the grace of the Easter mystery of our Lord.

Whether it is appropriate to link celibacy with the priestly office

or to allow the two to be separated in some limited way is not sim-

ply a matter of disciplinary choice. It is a pastoral decision of the

Church’s government based not solely on reasons of faith, nor on

the results of sociological research, but on a mixture of both.^ In

any analysis of the values of the priesthood, these two elements are

codetermining factors, that is, a living faith and a studied reflection

on the experience of priests.

13. Reasons for celibacy:

The Church has deep reasons for demanding celibacy of her

priests. They are founded on the priest’s imitation of Christ, on

his role as representative of Christ, Head and Leader of the com-

munity, on his availability for service which is indispensable for the

constant building up of the Church. ^ The Church is not prompted

by reasons of “ ritualistic purity ” nor by the concept that only

through celibacy is holiness possible.

^ Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Dog. Const. Lumen gentium, n. 29; Paul VI, Enc,

Letter, Sacerdotalis caelibatus, loc. cit., p. 674, n. 42.

® Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Presbyterorum ordinis, n. 16; Synod Doc.,

30 Nov. 1971, De sacerdotio ministeriali, loc. cit., p. 915.

15



Among the historical reasons adduced to justify a priest’s celi-

bacy there may be some which are no longer valid with the passing

of time, but this should not cause the rejection of the connection

between celibacy and the priesthood. This connection is a living

reality in the Church. It is experience that is linked not so much

to this or that argument as to the fundamental fact and reality of

Christianity itself, which is the Person of Jesus Christ, at the same

time Virgin and Priest.^

The Church has never set out celibacy as simply an external,

impersonal element, but as an integral part of a priest’s life and

ministry. It always originates as a gift given from above, a gift which

pervades a priestly vocation, becoming an essential and qualifying

component of it.

14. Relationship between celibacy and the priesthood:

The relationship between celibacy and the priesthood appears all

the more clear as one considers the christological, ecclesiological,

and eschatological aspects of celibacy. This is why the Second Vat-

ican Council speaks of a manifold fitness {multimodam convenien-

tiarri) when referring to the consecration and mission of the priest

within the framework of the mystery of Christ and the Church.^

The 1971 Synod of Bishops re-affirmed the existing law of celibacy

“ by reason of the intimate and manifold fitness between the office

of pastor and the celibate life

A priest is a representative of the Person of Christ. By his ordi-

nation he is deputed to build up the People of God through his

ministry of Word and Eucharist and to show forth brotherly love

in a unique and sacramental manner. Equally in both these ways

he contributes to the cause of the building of the kingdom.

The invitation of Jesus to the apostles to leave everything en-

abled them to be more available for the coming of the kingdom.

But it did more. It also offered them the opportunity of entering

the apostolic communion where they could experience deep and

enriching interpersonal relationships.

16

^ Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Dog. Const. Lumen gentium^ nn. 43, 46.

® Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Presbyterorum ordinis, n. 16.

® Synod Doc., 30 Nov. 1971, De sacerdotio ministeriali, loc. cit., p. 916.



Priestly celibacy is a communion in the celibacy of Christ. The

newness of the Catholic priesthood is an intimate sharing in the

very newness of Christ. ^ It is a vision of faith that has consequently

governed the development of arguments in] favor of sacred celibacy

in its christological, ecclesiological and eschatological meaning.^

A priest, who really shares in the one and only priesthood of

our Redeemer, finds in Him “ an immediate model and a supreme

ideal ”. Such a high ideal is obviously capable of inspiring heroism

and even the most difficult undertakings.^ Hence, there arises a

desire in those exercising the priesthood to reproduce the same

conditions and outlook of life as Christ experienced, in order to

effect the closest possible imitation of Him.'^

15. Modern dijficulties with clerical celibacy:

Priestly celibacy does not enjoy the esteem of modern society.®

Ideas today are in a process of radical revision. Society does not

stress the stability of vocation, but rather the opposite. This situa-

tion is especially responsible for producing a celibacy crisis. Ac-

cording to one opinion, celibacy interferes to some degree with the

priest’s mission to the poor and downtrodden. The priest should

want to be part of the human struggle, without privileges, exemp-

tions, or limitations. He should want to share in the basic human

experiences (work, insecurity, housing, love, culture, recreation,

etc.). Most of all he should feel strongly drawn to human love.

Apart from the fact that today it is not easily understood, priestly

celibacy is especially difficult for those who feel their autonomy is

restricted or their rights are being ignored. In these situations, a

person instinctively seeks, as a form of compensation, a supplemen-

tal dose of affection, even though it is forbidden.

Indeed, a search for compensatory affection may be made easy

by the simple fact that women, with whom a priest establishes a

relationship by reason of his ministry, are inclined to confide in

^ Cf. Paul VI, Enc. Letter, Sacerdotalis caelibatus, loc. cit., p. 664, n. 19.

* Cf. Paul VI, Enc. Letter, Sacerdotalis caelibatus, loc. cit., pp. 663-670,

nn. 17-34-

® Cf. Paul VI, Enc. Letter, Sacerdotalis caelibatus, loc. cit., p. 664, n. 19,

p. 666, n. 31.

* Cf. Paul VI, Enc. Letter, Sacerdotalis caelibatus, loc. cit., p. 665, n. 21.

® Cf. Paul VI, Enc. Letter, Sacerdotalis caelibatus, loc. cit., p. 657, n. i.

17

2 (98)



him precisely because his celibate state encourages trust. At times

women might seek in him masculine support. Furthermore, in to-

day’s widely promiscuous environment, the problem is made more

acute because of provocative fashions and the widespread use of the

means of social communication (press, cinema, radio, television),^

dangers to which the chastity of candidates for the priesthood is

also exposed.

1

6

. Presuppositions for training for celibacy:

Looked at from today’s point of view, the celibate must obviously

be a person who is allowed to develop to human emotional maturity

while preserving a life of continence as an expression of apostolic

love. 2 Continence, when it is not inspired interiorly by apostolic

love, is not the continence of the Gospel. For the consecrated per-

son who has chosen celibacy in order to live and communicate ec-

clesial charity in the most heartfelt and unique way possible, con-

tinence without apostolic love is a contradiction.

A celibate person who is emotionally and spiritually mature does

not feel himself hemmed in by canonical legislation extrinsic to his

life. Nor does such a celibate see the necessary precautions, which

he must always take, as something imposed on him from outside.

Celibate chastity is not some kind of taxation that has to be paid

to the Lord, but rather a gift that one receives from His mercy.

A person entering this state of life must not see himself so much

taking on a burden as rather receiving a liberating grace.

The purpose of seminary formation is to form a responsible and

mature man into a faithful and perfect priest. Modern conditions

in the world, socially negative as they are, do not make becoming

mature and responsible an easy task. This places an increasing

personal burden on the candidates for the priesthood themselves,

since the duty of fully bringing their vocations to realization rests

basically on them.

^ Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Optatam totius, n. lo.

2 Cf. Vat. Coun, II, Deer. Optatam totius, nn. lo-ii.

18



PART II

GOALS OF SEMINARY TRAINING

17. Threefold structure of seminary training:

An enlightened training for priestly celibacy will take into ac-

count all the aims of seminary formation. Woven into this general

pattern of formation will be the specific elements necessary for a

training in priestly celibacy. It is precisely these elements which

are the object of these guidelines.

Seminary training must have as its aim the forming of men into

shepherds of souls, after the example of Our Lord Jesus Christ,

Teacher, Priest, and Pastor. ^ Such an educational purpose presup-

poses and implies that the students will be at the same time formed

as men, as Christians, and as priests.'^ Therefore, plans for priestly

formation should have three aims, answering the need to form per-

sonalities which are integrally human, Christian, and priestly.

Educational planning must always show a full and balanced re-

gard for the relationships among these three levels of formation,

never giving more attention to one than to another, neither separa-

ting Christian formation from the human, nor priestly formation

from Christian.

Essential distinctions, to be harmonized in unity, must be kept

clear in this threefold structure of training — human, Christian,
priestly. So too their complementarity and interaction: indeed, if

training for manhood is a pre-condition for living a Christian life,

grace is the dynamic force for the realization of a full humanity.

^ Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Optatam totius, n. 4; Dog. Const. Lumen gen-

tium, n. 28.

® Paul VI, in the Enc. Letter Summi Dei Verbum, 4 Nov. 1963: A.A.S.,

55 (1963), pp. 984 ff. calls attention to “ the necessity of the simultaneous for-

mation of the man, the Christian and the priest ” and affirms that “ the for-

mation of the man must go hand in hand with that of the Christian and the

future priest ”.

19



I. Formation in human maturity

1 8. Concept of human maturity:

The specific matter of priestly celibacy is associated with the

basic problem of the emotional maturity of the candidate. It is

part of the wider and essential problem of psychological and moral

maturity. Human maturity, as shown by a mature personality, is

a harmony of elements and an integration of tendencies and values.

As modern psychologists correctly observe, maturity is not one

single quality; it has many facets, each of which can be developed

in various ways, and must be carefully considered when determining

the criteria by which maturity is judged. Maturity, then, is a global

condition qualified by a typical mode of being, and by a style which,

while it escapes objective measurement, manifests itself in its own

special way.

Maturity is a complex reality which cannot be easily or fully

defined. In general, however, one can judge as mature a man who

has brought to reality his vocation as a man; in other words, a per-

son who has acquired a ready and habitual capacity to act freely;

a man who has integrated his developed human potential with hab-

its of virtue; a man who has acquired an easy and habitual emo-

tional self-control by integrating his emotional drives and placing

them at the service of his reason; a man who enjoys community

living because of his willingness to give himself to serve others;

one who devotes himself to his profession steadily and calmly; one

whose conduct obviously follows his conscience; a man who uses

freedom to explore, investigate, and develop; who can mold events

and bring them to future fruition; finally, a man who has succeeded

in bringing all his specifically human possibilities and potentialities

to their due development.

19. Human maturity in education:

Educating a man means promoting his “ growth ” in various

primary areas (physical, intellectual, moral, social, religious) and in

certain secondary areas (artistic training, vocational training — in
the sense of professional education, training for a certain role in

human society), but in such a way that the whole complex work

20



of education be so coordinated as to result in a unified whole of

the biopsycho-social personality of each person in his own proper

and particular individuality.

What makes a man educated is his ability freely, consciously,

and responsibly to will “ the good
” with the fullness of his psy-

chological and spiritual personality. This is the kind of human

maturity which the Council presented as the purpose of education.

To be educated to this degree is the inalienable right of every man.^

This is all the more applicable when one is dealing with the for-

mation of students in a seminary. This is because God calls real

men and if there are no men, there can be no call.^

Seminary formation must allow the candidates to develop as

men in such a way that their religious training will not replace their

human formation, but rather will gradually penetrate and purify it.

20. Human emotional maturity:

Maturity must be acquired in all its aspects, including, naturally

and above all, emotional maturity. Indeed the role of the emotions

must be considered a fundamental element in the building of the

personality. For this element is one of the major contributory proc-

esses in personality-integration, in the unfolding of emotional and

sexual relationships, finding responsible fulfilment in work or a

profession, and in cultivating friendly social contacts. Precisely

because the emotions are looked at as basic to a person, emotional

maturity can be held to be an indispensable requirement for the

best functioning of a personality.

Considered as a part of psychic life, the emotions are variously

understood: either as the complex of internal and external reactions

to satisfaction, or as the ability to show feelings, or as the ability

to love, or as the potential for a man to form attachments.

A well integrated person knows how to make his reason rule his

emotional nature, while the less adjusted a person is, the more his

emotions will dominate his rational nature. Therefore, an educa-

tional program that aims to form a well-developed personality must

above all help the students to acquire the ability to balance their

emotions.

^ Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Decl. Gravissimum educationis, n. i.

^ Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Optatam totius, n. ii.

21



Deeply connected with the emotional factor is the problem of

adaptation, which consists in facing one’s problems calmly, accepting

responsibility for them, and working out solutions for the difficulties

encountered. Inability to adapt, on the other hand, carries with it

a domination by negative emotions, hostility factors, a feeling of

dependence, social inadequacy, and, at the same time, the pressure

of unresolved problems.

21. Man's sexual maturity:

When referring to emotions, the “ sexual dimension ” is espe-

cially important. The existence of a close link between emotions

and sexuality and their interdependence in the wholeness of a person-

ality cannot be denied, even though these two things are diversely

understood. In order to talk about a person as mature, his sexual

instinct must have overcome two immature tendencies, narcissism

and homosexuality, and must have arrived at heterosexuality. This

is the first step in sexual development, but a second step is also

necessary, namely “ love ” must be seen as gift and not a form of

selfishness.

The consequence of this development is sexual conduct on a

level that can be properly called “ human ”, whereby a person gains

self-knowledge with self-esteem, and acquires a new concept of

himself.

Sexuality must be considered as a determining factor in the

maturing of the personality. Sexual maturity represents a vital step

in the attainment of psychological adulthood. Hence, it is necessary

to give a proper place to sex in the total picture of a personality in

the process of formation.

A mature sexuality, with the characteristics here underlined,

cannot be attained without conflict or without sacrifice and difficulty.

A maturing person must always struggle because at every moment

he has to make a choice: what need, that is, should he satisfy along

one or other line of his potentialities.

22



22. Integrated sexuality:

To adequately judge what is “ well-adjusted sexuality ” remains

a most difficult problem. Sex should be looked on as one of the

human values, not as something negative or frustrating for an in-

dividual’s development. The intrinsic worth of sex must be seen

and accepted as having a proper place in the scale of values, a place

that is important as an “ element of expression ” and as “an in-

tegrating factor ”.

Sexual maturity entails not only accepting sex as part of the

totality of human values, but also seeing it as giving a possibility

for “ offering ”, that is, a capacity for giving pure love, altruistic

love. When such a capacity is sufficiently acquired, an individual

becomes capable of spontaneous contacts, emotional self-control and

commitment of his free will. This giving-aspect of sex involves a

feeling of being “ one for another ”. Therefore, self-giving is not

entirely separate from receiving. Sex introduces into life an aspect

of relationship and, therefore, the capability of both giving and

receiving, a disposition to accept love that is offered in order to let

oneself be fully possessed.

23. Human self-control:

In order to make full use of his potential, an individual must

gain self-control. What he must control are the continuing changes

that go on within him, as they go on in everyone, that is, his desires,

impulses, thoughts and habits. Self-control really means self-disci-

pline: imposing order on mental activity and external behavior in

such a way as to produce joy, happiness, and well-being.

The dynamic structuring of a person is marked by conflicts and

tensions. He only reaches his full maturity by a gradual and pro-

gressive combination of contrasting forces. There is tension be-

tween a person’s ideals and his drives, and it is exactly in this area

that self-control is required if one wants to attain stability, adap-

tation, and success.

Self-control does not mean a static quality or a colorless stability

in one’s social and personal behavior. One can note rather in the

human psyche an impulse toward self-improvement. It is a tend-

ency which, through conscious action and personal effort, goes be-

23



yond merely spontaneous development or simple biological growth.

Men do not only grow and develop but, since they think and are

free, they also make progress. This interior drive that generates

progress is nothing other than the actualization of man’s ever-fresh

potentialities. The process of making a personality whole is done

by repeatedly satisfying some drives and not satisfying others. In

other words, it is brought about by channelling both the drives and

activated potentialities of an individual. In man’s very dynamism

there is implicit a practice of asceticism — but one of an eminently
positive kind.

II. Formation in Christian maturity

24. The Christian dimension in education:

Christian education — to which a Christian as a child of God
through Baptism has a right — ought to help a person become
mature not only in a human way, but principally in a Christian

sense. Christian maturity comes about by a gradual growth in the

faith, by the adoration of God as Father — especially through par-
ticipation in the Liturgy — by growing more perfect in Christ, and
by contributing to the building up of His Mystical Body.

A Christian, even though he is already living in Christ, can never

feel adequately transformed in His Spirit. He has continually to

complete the work of creation-redemption within himself as well as

in other men and in all earthly things. Nevertheless, one can affirm

that there does exist something
,

called Christian maturity.

Seminary training, then, must bring maturity to the Christian

personality of the students.^ The education given in seminaries

must primarily envisage unity, that is, what is common, and only

after that, differentiation.^ Following this line, the training in se-

minaries should not be completely different from the normal edu-

cation of the Christian. In fact there are not two types of educa-

tion, but one basic type. This is the education of a Christian man,

which at a later stage is differentiated between the distinct vocation

of the lay person and that of the priest.

^ Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Optatam totiuSy nn. 3, 8, ii; S. C. for Cath.

Ed., Ratio fundamentalis institutionis sacerdotalis, Rome 1970, nn. 48-58.

* Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Dog. Const. Lumen gentium, Chapt. II, III, IV.

24



25. Maturity as a requirement of the Christian life:

Even prior to its requirement for the priestly state, human ma-

turity is an elementary requirement for a Christian life. The his-

tory of priests who have defected is often that of men somehow

lacking: of personalities without unity or integration where one

would look in vain for maturity and balance.

Christianity certainly should be seen in its transcendental di-

mension, but it can also be viewed in its capacity for human

advancement. This is especially true today when there is a partic-

ular sensitivity about everything that concerns the development of

mankind.

Psychological and emotional maturity is the goal of the many

social and personal efforts being made for the complete develop-

ment of man. It can be viewed as the premise of a rich supernatural

development. This is the kind of maturity that Saint Paul exhorted

the Ephesians to acquire so that they might arrive at the dimension

of “ the perfect Man, fully mature with the fulness of Christ Him-

self” (Eph. 4, 13).

The invitation to develop a fully human personality, although

always present in the documents of the Magisterium, has recently

taken on a particular urgency because of the progress of human

science.^

26. Emotional maturity of the Christian:

Emotional maturity receives enormous help from a Christian

education. Indeed, insofar as the conditioning of the emotions is

concerned, attention should not only be paid to natural factors, but

also to the emotional repercussions resulting from sharing through

Baptism in the very life of Jesus Christ, being under the influence

of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and hearing the Word of the Lord.

A Christian lives in the Catholic Church, which is essentially a
“ brotherhood and a union of love ”, “a communion of life, charity,

^ Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Decl. Gravissimum educationis, nn. 1-2; Deer. Opta-

tam totius, nn. lo-ii; Deer. Apostolicam actuositatem, n. 29; Deer. Perfectae

caritatis, n. 12; Paul VI, Ene. Letter, Populorum progressio, 26 Mareh, 1967:

A.A.S., 59 (1967), p. 265, n. 16; S. C. for Cath. Ed., Ratio fundamentalis, loc.

cit., 51.

25



and truth So sharing in the extensive social life of the Church,

he finds ways wide open to love in his encounter with God and

with his brothers.

Living in union with God and his neighbor, a Christian will

find the kind of peace and security that endures, despite possible

disturbances that come from struggling with his lower nature. The

fact is that a Christian life does not eliminate the spontaneous reac-

tions of nature, nor does it destroy neurotic inclinations acquired

in childhood or deriving from a mistaken or an incomplete type of

religious upbringing.

In this connection, it is good to mention that Christian training

can help a great deal towards a man’s positive acceptance of him-

self for what he really is, with his complex make-up, capacities,

weaknesses, and lack of talent. Accepting oneself is an essential

prerequisite for the personal maturing process at all levels. When,

instead of such positive self-acceptance, there is the phenomenon

called regression, one frequently sees abnormal behavior with com-

pensatory overtones.

27. The sexual maturity of a Christian:

Christian pedagogy, in accordance with God’s revelation, has

its own proper perspective and evaluation of sex. Christianity sees

sex as part of God’s creation, a reality which does not have the body

alone as its object, but involves the entire human being, a reality

which has a determining role in the way a man matures, both phys-

ically and morally and, therefore, in the way a man develops in his

resemblance to God. It sees sex as a reality which is actualized in

personal encounter. Precisely because of this mutual person to per-

son encounter, human sexual relationships are fundamentally dif-

ferent from animal mating.

In Christian education, love means the ability to open one’s self

to the needs of one’s neighbor. It means conquering every form of

selfishness. It means self-giving to others for the sake of others.

Finally, it means active participation in the life of the community,

Christian education holds that this kind of authentic love, which is

^ Vat. Coun. II, Dog. Const. Lumen gentium, n. 9.

26



the vocation of all men, can be lived both in matrimony and in

celibacy.

Sexual fulfilment achieved in marriage is not necessary for the

emotional formation of the human personality; nor will marriage in

itself bring about harmonious development of the emotions. On

the other hand, man is capable of sublimating his sexuality and

finding fulfilment in non-sexual emotional relationships.

The virtue that governs the use of sex is chastity. This is a nat-

ural virtue; but in a Christian it acquires a supernatural dimension.

Christian chastity leads to sanctity inasmuch as it is part of the su-

pernatural order. The workings of the theological virtues give a

new and higher significance to chastity and even change its very

nature.^ It becomes a gift from God with a power that enables the

will not so much to suppress sexual desires as to integrate the sex

drive into the entirety of the Christian personality.

28. Christian self-control:

Dominating control over sensual passion is demanded for a real

spiritual life in Christ (I Cor. i, 23). To suffer together with Jesus

means to mortify one’s passions for the purpose of being mystically

united to Christ crucified. It is impossible to yield to concupiscence

and at the same time lead the life of the Spirit (Rom. 8, 13; i Cor.

6, 9; Eph. 5, 5).

The Easter mystery, which, through Baptism, is at the root of

Christian life, expresses in the truest and most vital way the basic

dynamism of Christian existence. This mystery effectively brings

together the basic requirements of a person both as human and as

Christian, namely a self-affirmation in the very act of giving oneself

to God and to neighbor.

In the present plan of salvation, the paschal mystery offers a

theological and psychological basis for the kind of asceticism which

alone seems capable of re-establishing the original harmony in man.

The way of life revealed to us by the Easter mystery inseparably

unites “ renunciation ” of some kinds of conduct with genuine

“ offering ” of self, just as the death and resurrection of Jesus are

theologically inseparable.

^ Cf. Summa theologica, I-II, q, 63 a. 4.

27



Urged on by love, which grows stronger not weaker with effort,

a Christian practices asceticism without even adverting to its exi-

stence, and renounces things often without realising it, because he

feels the powerful attraction of a higher ideal.

III. Formation in priestly maturity

29. Formation from a pastoral viewpoint:

The fundamental feature of a priestly personality, according to

the Second Vatican Council, is that of a shepherd of souls, on the

model of Jesus Christ, Teacher, Priest, and Pastor.^ As a pastor,

the priest must possess the charism of supporting and guiding the

Christian community; he must build up the Catholic Church.

The principal purpose of seminary formation is to train true

pastors of souls. ^ Pastoral formation is not to be only a separate

aspect or part of formation; it should characterize priestly forma-

tion as such; should inspire and penetrate everything that has to do

with the personal formation of candidates for the priesthood.

Everything in seminary formation ought to converge with com-

plete harmony towards the goal of forming priest-pastors.® This

means that all the elements that make up the structure and function

of a seminary have to be thought out and effectively geared toward

the attainment of this goal. Educators have to keep before their

eyes, besides their specialized activity and its aim, the pastoral

formation of the seminarians.

30. Human and Christian maturity in priests:

A priestly vocation demands human and Christian maturity so

that the answer to this divine call may be an answer based on faith,

and so that the seminarian may be able to understand the sense of

a vocation from God, and realise what it demands.

The specific maturity of the priest must be sought in what dif-

ferentiates him from the ordinary Christian, that is to say in his

^ Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Dog. Const. Lumen gentium^ n. 28; Deer. Presbyte-

rorum ordinis, nn. 4-9.

^ Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Optatam totius, n. 4.

® Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Optatam totius, nn. 8-20; S. C. for Cath. Ed.,

Ratio fundamentalis
,

loc. cit., nn. 44-49.

28



unique relationship with the Body of Christ present in the Holy

Eucharist as the principle and source of the ecclesial community of

salvation and its saving mission. The priest is a “ man of God taken

from among men His spirituality oscillates between these two

poles, God and mankind. The relation between these two terms

of reference is not one of alternatives, either God or men, but rather

one of unity, both God and men. To be closely united to mankind

a priest has to be deeply united with God first.

During his time of formation, a seminarist must pass from pre-

adolescent immaturity to adult maturity, from an ordinary Christian

life to a mature Christian life. In other words, he must learn to live,

in a profoundly intense way, a life of faith, hope, and charity in

Christ. Finally, he must advance to the level of priestly maturity,

a more intimate sharing in the teaching, sanctifying, and ruling mis-

sion of Christ the Priest. Sacerdotal maturity includes and strength-

ens human and Christian maturity, but at the same time, it goes

beyond these, permeating all the human and Christian elements in

him, including, therefore, his emotional, sexual and active life.

31. Emotional maturity in the priest:

The choice of priestly celibacy does not interfere with the nor-

mal development of a person’s emotional life, but, on the contrary,

it presupposes it. A celibate is called to express his ability to love

in a special way. Having grown up in human and divine love, a

priest can responsibly decide the manner in which he will, for his

whole life, form his emotional relationships.

Celibacy chosen “ for the sake of the kingdom of heaven ” is

the celibacy proper to the priest. It is falling in love. It is possible

only for someone who has integrated it into his spiritual life. It is

a matter of choosing exclusively, perpetually, and completely the

unique and supreme love of Christ for the purpose of more deeply

sharing His lot by the resplendent and heroic logic of a singular

and unlimited love for Christ the Lord and for His Church.^

By virtue of his celibacy, a priest becomes more totally a man

^ Cf, Paul VI, Enc. Letter, Sacerdotalis caelibatus, loc. cit., pp. 666 ff., nn.

24 ff.

29



of God. He lets himself be more completely taken over by Christ,

and lives only for Him. Virginal love invites him to possess God

in a fuller way, to reflect Him and give Him to others in His fulness.

The love that a priest has for others must be essentially pastoral

in aim. Externally it should be shown by a warm-heartedness which

is indispensable in disposing people to accept the spiritual support

a priest offers them.

A priest can form true and profound friendships. These are

particularly useful to his emotional development when they are fos-

tered within the priestly fraternity.^

32. Sexual maturity in the priest:

Celibacy, as a personal option made for a higher good, even one

completely on the natural level, can result in a fully mature and

integrated personality. This can be even more true when celibacy

is chosen for the kingdom of heaven, as can be seen in the lives of

many saints and faithful, who dedicate themselves in a celibate life

to the service of God and man, promoting human and Christian

progress.^

The exclusive nature of a candidate’s choice of priestly celibacy,

when he becomes a special possession of God, determines also his

duties and particular dedication to the love of God in Christ. One

who chooses virginity in virtue of his determination to give himself

exclusively to sharing in the priesthood of Christ is obliged to grow

in love of God and his neighbor. If he does not progress in this

love, he is not following his vocation.

There is something sublime in the qualities roused in a man’s

heart by natural fatherhood: an altruistic spirit, the assumption of

heavy responsibilities, a capacity for love and a dedication enough

to make any sacrifice, daily bearing of life’s burdens and difficulties,

prudent care for the future, etc. However, all this is equally true

of spiritual paternity. Moreover, spiritual fatherhood, not being

confined to the natural order, is even more responsible and heroic.

For this reason, celibacy is not for everyone. Celibacy requires

^ Cf, Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Presbyterorum ordinis, nn. 8, 14; Paul VI, Enc.

Letter, Sacerdotalis caelibatus, loc. cit., pp. 688-689, nn. 79-81.

^ Cf. Synod Doc., 30 Nov. 1971, De sacerdotio ministeriali, loc. cit., p. 915.

30



a special vocation from the Lord. Throughout the whole of life,

it is never without risk and danger, since something can always

occur to take the heart out of a man’s universal and pastoral father-

hood and his exclusive dedication to Christ.

33. Self-control of the priest:

Continuous self-control implies constant effort. This is neces-

sary not only to acquire emotional maturity, but also for persevering

in it. Ongoing self-control impedes regression from emotional adult-

hood once this is attained. It is an irreplaceable factor in the prac-

tice of human, Christian, and priestly chastity, which should always

be able to check any new or unforeseen resurgence of emotional

stimulation.^

In the Christian view of continuous and progressive self-control,

priestly celibacy appears as a lifelong offering to our Lord. To

be consecrated in holy celibacy is not simply a single action made

once at ordination. It is rather something that has to be renewed

again and again, in the constant vigilance a priest must exercise

when faced with human attraction and the emotions and passion of

affection and love.

Just as with natural human love, the fulness of love which is

involved in celibacy requires th^ daily practice of glad self-renun-

ciation. This is the only way to conquer the difficulties that, with

the passage of time, can come from boredom or from the weakness

of the flesh.

A priest should always find an incentive for self-control in the

thought that the personal sacrifice demanded by his celibacy is serv-

ing the whole Church. His sacrifice underlines the spiritual di-

mension that must mark all love worthy of the name and it merits

grace for Christian families.^

^ Cf. Vat. CoiKM. II, Deer. Presbyterorum ordinis, n. 16; Paul VI, Enc.

Letter, Sacerdotalis caelibatus, loc. cit., pp. 686-688, nn. 73, 77.

^ Cf. Paul VI, Enc. Letter, Sacerdotalis caelibatus, loc. cit., p. 679, n. 57.

31



PART III

GUIDELINES FOR SEMINARY FORMATION

34. Difficulties in formation:

Training for a chaste life touches directly the sensitivity and

feelings of the young and could disturb them psychologically. They

can be extremely vivid and unruly. This is not unusual, consid-

ering the age we are dealing with, and one can expect the most sur-

prising reactions. For example, in trying to forestall future devia-

tion one could easily provoke it; exaggerating the importance of

light developmental aberrations could give rise to obsessive com-

plications and thus interfere with the elimination of these aberra-

tions altogether.

What is being dealt with here is the training of an instinct which,

more than any other, is subject to difficulty because of the intrusion

of many psychological factors. Difficulty also comes simply from

the range of differences that exist among individuals of the same

sex. If sex education is hard when one is undertaking normal mar-

riage preparation, how much more difficult it is when one under-

takes to educate someone for a life of priestly celibacy, which is a

supernatural mystery and the fruit of divine grace!

There is really no adequate or definitive solution to a problem

of this sort which remains always open-ended. There cannot be

a final solution because every solution has to depend upon the psy-

chological and physical development of human life, on the rapid

environmental and sociological changes in society, and on frequently

unforeseeable circumstances. Among these latter, one would have

to include supernatural aid which is not under human control and

which depends upon God’s generosity, even though He is disposed

to grant even more than one might request.

32



I. Criteria to be followed by the educator

35. Awareness of the complexity of the problem:

The educator must be aware of the fact that the psychic, moral,

and religious life of the future adult and future priest he is dealing

with will greatly depend on his understanding and his manner of

dealing with and solving the problems of forming the student in

chastity. Hence, he must use the greatest tact in treating sexual

and emotional problems in students’ formative years.

The educator must thoroughly understand the physiological,

psychological, pedagogical, moral, and ascetical complexity of celi-

bacy and chastity. The aim of priestly celibacy is the attainment

of a chastity which is valued, loved, guarded, solidly possessed and

thoroughly tested, a chastity that not only resists the blows which

can ever increase in intensity, but which is an inspiration for the

apostolate.

Therefore, the kind of training in chastity that is given in semi-

naries must be enlightened, that is, based on clear teaching, avoiding

any reticence or insincerity. It must be positive, which is to say,

it must be directed towards the acquisition of a mature attitude to

sex as a correct and happy manner of loving, and not simply as

something which is to be avoided as sinful. At the same time, it

must also be complete, organic, and personalized, that is, adapted to

each individual in his concrete yet different personal development.^

Candidates for the priesthood will be able to overcome the dif-

ficulties that are peculiar to celibacy provided the proper conditions

are maintained. This means they must achieve a natural equilibrium

through the effect of an ordered network of human relationships.

They must grow in the spiritual life through prayer, self-denial,

burning love for God and neighbor, and the other normal aids to

the spiritual life. They should have warm and brotherly contacts

with their Bishop and other priests, and pastoral structures should

be adapted to accomplish this. They should, finally, experience a

sense of confidence through the spirit of cooperation which per-

meates the whole ecclesial community. ^

^ Cf. S. C. for Cath. Ed., Ratio fundamentalis, he. cit., n. 48.

^ Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Perfectae caritatis, n. 12; Synod. Doc., 30 Nov.

1971, De sacerdotio ministeriali, loc. cit., p. 917.

33

3 (98)



36. Normal and abnormal situations:

In general, the approach to sex must be based on simplicity,

normality, and realism. The general character of a person should

be borne in mind and not only his isolated or unusual actions. In

this area, as in others, repressive methods often have the effect of

reinforcing, rather than lessening, bad habits and sexual mistakes.

The educator should remember that the way to train young men

in matters of sex is to appeal to their noblest sentiments, leading

them to understand that to reach maturity they have to acquire a

strong character, a well-integrated personality, and a knowledge of

how to practice self-control. It is even proper to appeal to their

pride, showing them that some kinds of sexual misbehavior are an

indication of faulty personality development and a residual infan-

tilism. They should be instructed that such activity is inconsistent

in a person who intends to live a life marked by high ideals and

true human dignity.

An educator, however, cannot remain indifferent to sexual mis-

behavior in the formative years of a student. He must intervene

to solve the problem in a positive way and not simply dismiss the

matter as an isolated incident. He must assist the student to raise

his whole personality to a higher and more integrated outlook, using

the means that naturally arise in the circumstances.

There are many people today who suffer from real forms of

sexual neurosis. These neuroses have their basis in natural predis-

positions, but they raise their troubled heads because of the stimu-

lation given them by conditions in modern life. It is the modern

environment, in fact, that provides men with ample opportunities

to act out their fantasies. This kind of problem arises especially

during puberty. However, it is a well-known fact that enlightened

direction can notably facilitate the overcoming of this kind of crisis

and securely assure the integral development of the personality of

the young.

37. Human and spiritual direction:

A young person at the beginning of his life cannot be left alone;

he needs direction, stability of judgment, and firmness of will.

The problem, however, is that this same young man is often unstable

and resists help.

34



The counsellor must be extremely careful and discreet because

any suggestion that is given which does not respond to a real need

could be rejected as an intrusion or a violation of personal privacy.

He must be like a friend who simply stands by to offer comfort

in difficult moments, counsel in times of doubt or indecision, help

in moments of moral danger, without ever being too heavy with

either words or presence.

A young man wants to know about sex because he considers it

part of his life. Reticence on the matter will simply have the effect

of further arousing his curiosity. What must be done is to guide

him to regard sexual questions as a serious matter and to have a

deep respect for the human person and its incomparable value, both

in himself and in others.

In dealing with misconduct and with all sexual problems, edu-

cators should take the precautions of not frightening him since fear

foments anxiety; not employing coercion since this leads to false or

abnormal conduct; never showing ridicule when treating of any-

thing that has been confided by a young man or else the embarrass-

ment will cause him to retire permanently into his shell; and never

dramatizing the issue in such a way as to discourage.

38. Testing vocations:

An important element in training for a life of celibacy is to help

the individual himself to evaluate his own inclinations and to judge

his own ability to overcome possible difficulties connected with

celibate living. If he becomes aware that he is not endowed with

the necessary qualities, he should be helped to make a different

vocational choice with a good conscience, with courage, and with

conviction.^

Errors in discerning vocations are not rare, and in all too many

cases psychological defects, sometimes of a pathological kind, reveal

themselves only after ordination to the priesthood. Detecting de-

fects earlier would help avoid many tragic experiences.

Selecting candidates for the priestly life is a very difficult task.

All those engaged in training students for the priesthood need to

^ Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Optatam totius, n. 6; S. C. for Cath. Ed., Ra-

tio fundamentalis, loc. cit., nn. 39-41.

35



take this office very seriously and prepare themselves accordingly.^

Selection should be done in accordance with modern, psychological

diagnosis without losing sight of supernatural factors and of the

complexities of human influences on an individual.

Educators, who themselves are well-prepared for their work,

should be able to verify the authenticity of vocations in normal in-

dividuals by using the usual criteria for vocational discernment.

However, when in doubt or when seminary superiors feel that a

student needs particular help to decide his vocation, special reme-

dies may be employed, such as a psychological testing before the

candidate begins his theological course. Maybe even a specialized

psychotherapeutic examination will be found advisable or he may

be advised to interrupt his ecclesiastical studies in order to work

for a time in some other profession.

39. Sex education as a problem for educators:

The purpose of sex education is to bring a person’s knowledge

of sexual matters up to a par with his knowledge of other matters,

and to integrate it into the whole process of education. However,

even when confronted with ignorance or mistaken notions about

sex, one has to avoid an over-emphasis in which sex is made to ap-

pear the sole, or the most important, element of human motivation.

Sex education needs to follow the line of personal development.

It should therefore be adapted to the age, sex, and environment

of the subject by means of formation “ which is both positive and

prudent

Among all the areas in the field of education, sex education today

seems to be the one fraught with most problems. It is not simply

a question of uncertainties and difficulties over method, but the

personality of the educator and his own past emotions about the

subject enter the picture as well. The educator has to try to under-

stand the inner workings of his own sexual nature, often operating

at an unconscious level, without erroneously assuming that this

aspect of his life is simply a matter of irrational impulse.

^ Cf. Paul VI, Enc. Letter, Sacerdotalis caelibatus, loc. cit., p. 683, n. 64;

Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Optatam totius, n. 6.

^ Vat. Coun. II, Decl. Gravissimum educationis, n. i.

36



Without careful preparation anyone who undertakes this task,

one of the most difficult in the educational field, cannot possibly

produce any positive results. This preparation entails a knowledge

of juvenile development and an awareness of the family conditions

and relationships of the students. He must also acquire a vocabulary

that is appropriate to the subject, and adhere to a correct standard

of values.

Above all, those who are entrusted with sex education have to

be themselves persons who are sexually mature and balanced. Even

more than a knowledge of method and subject matter, in sex edu-

cation it is the personality of the educator that really counts. It

is the way he practices what he preaches and the style of life he

adopts and lives that matter. Knowledge, correct advice, and solic-

itude for the student are important in the teacher, but even more

important is the educator’s own personal conduct.

II. Guidelines for sex education

40. Sex education as a formative process:

Teachers should remember that sex education cannot be treated

apart from the whole process of moral formation and training. Sex

education must be actively directed to the individual, imparted in

an environment that is protective and formative and it must be

based on mutual trust between student and teacher.

From the standpoint of an educator’s responsibility, it is just as

wrong to ignore sex as it is to treat it in isolation. Human sexuality

is a fact that has to be recognised, and it has to be understood in

relation to the needs of the whole person. Similarly the only me-

thod of imparting sex education is to integrate it into the general

program of education of the whole person. It is part of the con-

tinuing process of the development of the total human personality.

Sex education therefore must be integrated into the general

formation of the seminarian. A chaste life is a work of art and im-

plies a parallel development of the whole person. Purity cannot

be mastered by concentrating on it as a fixed and isolated idea, but

only by including it in a wider view of life that includes justice and

charity, elements absolutely necessary to give any life meaning and

value. Purity, then, must be seen as a part of what a complete

human being is.

37



41. Personalized sex education:

The educator should lead candidates for the priesthood to the

“ discovery ” of making a fundamental option in their lives, guiding

and helping them to see chastity as something good, to see it as

something good for them^ helping them to transform this option

into action, and finally, assisting them to persevere in its practice

in such a way that its maintenance becomes second nature and a

normal characteristic of their lives.

It is the good more than the evil, the virtue rather than the vice,

which should be put before the seminarian in an effort to strength-

en his emotions and will. It is the positive strengths and values

that will help him in time of disturbance. Besides ethical and reli-

gious considerations, it is right to teach that sex provides a reservoir

of virile qualities for the body, spirit, and heart.

To accomplish its essential moral purpose, which is so intimately

linked to the human personality, sex education should be imparted

individually. It should aim to help each individual person resolve

his own problems. To carry out such a personalized type of edu-

cation fruitfully, the educator has to be able to detect the needs

and resources of each individual student so that he might apportion,

according to the capacity and the necessity of each individual, the

required natural and supernatural means of aid.

42. The environmental factor in sex education:

A personal relationship between teacher and pupil and individ-

ualized direction are not enough. For purposes of formation the

whole living environment requires wise organization. This means

both the elimination, as far as possible, of harmful influences and

training students to react properly to any adverse influences which

the environment might provoke.^

The environment should be lively, full of activity, yet serene,

with a high moral tone and full of healthy friendship. It ought to

be such as to facilitate the transfer of the seminarians’ emotional

energies and interests to what is good so as to avoid focusing them

on dangerous things.

^ Cf. Pius XII, Enc. Letter, Sacra virginitas, 25 March 1954: A.A.S., 46

(1954), PP- 183-186.

38



An important element in the creation of good environment is

the community spirit of the students. It is impossible to create the

ideal environment for the practice of purity 'without forming an

uplifting community spirit based on mutual respect between stu-

dents and the cultivation in them of a deep appreciation of virtue.

However, life in a seminary is temporary and intermittent. There-

fore, seminarians have to be prepared to live, with fidelity and

fulfilment, a life outside the seminary “ in a world which tends to

exile man from himself and compromise both his spiritual unity

and his union with God

43. Formational dialogue and sex education:

A young person needs a friend in whom he can confide and

trust. Without the help of a wise and friendly guide, normal anxie-

ties will become increasingly complicated, leading to discouragement

and failure. Nevertheless, the teacher-friend cannot give guidance

unless he knows the student well, which means the student must

confide in him with candor. This kind of mutual and confidential

relationship can only come about if the educator places himself at

the disposal of the students and patiently waits for time, good will,

and grace to work.

While respecting the freedom that has to exist in the area of

spiritual direction, every seminary educator should exhort and seek

to convince the students about the need to have a spiritual guide

in whom they can confide with frankness and trust. Above all, the

educator should endeavor to make himself the sort of person who

deserves their esteem and confidence.

When an educator has created an atmosphere of mutual trust,

he will be in a position to conduct a work of discreet, progressive,

and personalized instruction which is an important part of training

in chastity. Done skillfully, this will also have the effect of con-

solidating the students’ trust and affection for the educator himself.

^ Paul VI, Apost. Exhort. Evangelica testificatio, 29 June 1971: A.A.S., 63

(1971), p. 515, n. 33.

39



44‘ Personal and progressive sex education:

Sex education includes not only intellectual instruction but also

moral training. As such it is a necessary duty, not only because it

provides for the solution of sexual difficulties, but also because it

offers defensive tools to those who would otherwise be defenseless

in the face of personal failures or harmful experiences which must

be avoided.^

The educator’s task is not only to teach, but, above all, to help

form consciences. He has to train the students to make decisions

that are free yet correct, because these alone are what should govern

their affective lives.

Nevertheless, sex-education must be gradual. One has to mea-

sure the approach by the age of the person one is dealing with,

by the degree of positive intervention required, by the character

and state of life of each individual. The first and natural setting

for this kind of education is the family. Hence the primary role

belongs to parents. The role of the teacher is merely to supplement

family deficiency. ^

45. Modesty and sex education:

An essential concomitant of human sensitiveness — no matter
how this is expressed — should be modesty. This may be described
as a spontaneous reaction against anything that would unmask our

unadorned instincts. When someone acts with conscious modesty,

he tries to avoid undesirable circumstances and those thoughts and

deeds which demean the spiritual dignity of his personality. It is

the means to insure that love is present in a person’s sex life and

that sex does not upset that balance of character which chastity

promotes.

Modesty and a higher moral life go together. From the sexual

point of view, modesty is the voice of conscience, an interior re-

coiling from any unnatural behavior. As such, a sense of modesty

^ Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Decl. Gravissimum educationis, n. i
;
Pius XII, Alloc.

Magis quam, to the Carmelite Order, 23 Sept. 1951 : Discourses and Radio Broad-

casts, XIII, p. 256; Enc. Letter, Sacra virginitas, loc. cit., pp. 183-186.

^ Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Decl. Gravissimum educationis, nn. 3, 8; Past. Const.

Gaudium et spes, n. 49.

40



is a protection of one’s personality and has a particular pedagogical

value. It is impossible to train someone in chastity without at the

same time developing in him a sense of modesty.

However, excessively rigid training in this field could multiply

problems and increase anxiety in the young. The aim should be to

free one from unwarranted and foolish exaggeration which only

serves to increase the influence of temptation and distracts one from

living a calm and normal life.

Education in modesty should be indirect and yet at the same

time positive. Young people tend to be hero-worshippers and par-

ticularly attractive models of virtue should be presented to them.

Their aesthetic sense must be developed too, an appreciation of

beauty in nature, art, and the moral life. In addition they need to

be helped to formulate for themselves a code of spiritual values

capable of attainment with faith and drive.

46. Sex education and love:

Sexual maturity goes hand in hand with emotional maturity.

Education for chastity means, in large part, educating the heart.

It is a problem of love.

Human love is not perfect from the start. It has to develop and

become perfect through a long process of growth and purification.

In a child, it is sense-orientated, egoistic, and self-indulgent. In

an adult, it should become spiritual, unselfish, altruistic, self-sacri-

ficing, an image of the kind of love God has for us. A seminarian

needs help to walk, not run, on this path of development uninter-

ruptedly.

Particular mention needs to be made at this juncture of the ne-

cessity to develop the students’ own enormous reserves of affection.

Ideals ought to be urged upon them — ideals of truth, beauty, jus-
tice, goodness, purity, generosity, self-giving and heroism. They

also should be helped to form real and uplifting friendships.

They should not only be made aware of any ambiguous elements

present in some of their friendships, but also be reminded of their

duty to show the love they have for their friends to everyone. The

unsubstantial sentimentality of youth has to be sobered down, pu-

rified, and regulated. They need to anchor their affections in both

41



reason and faith so that, in full awareness, they will demonstrate

their love with uprightness and set their sights on the true goals,

both natural and supernatural, of love.^

III. Guidelines for training in celibacy

47. Truth and authenticity of celibacy:

Celibacy, which is a value, a grace, a charism, has to be presented

in its true light if it is to be appreciated, chosen, and genuinely lived.

Its presentation, therefore, must be calm and serene, confronting the

prejudices and objections currently brought against it. This is one

of the first tasks of the educator.

In his seminary training a candidate for the priesthood must be

helped to realize the role of sex in marriage. Being consecrated in

a celibate life presupposes that one knows what conjugal love entails.

But also seminary formation must help a student discover the mean-

ing and role that sex plays in a state of celibacy consecrated to

God in Christ.^ It is not a question of suppressing, but of subli-

mating, love and sexuality. In this area of formation more than

simple instruction is needed. Rather, real training will form the

candidates into men who love with charity all human beings “ with

the tenderness of Christ

Priestly celibacy is not simply to be identified with remaining

unmarried or with sexual continence. It is a renunciation of three

natural tendencies: genital function, conjugal love, and natural fa-

therhood, made “ for the love of the kingdom of heaven ”. To be

a genuine and sincere witness to religious values, it can never be

a negation of, or a flight from, sex, but rather it must be the subli-

mation of sexuality.

^ Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Optatam totius, n. 10; Pius XII, Apost. Exhort.

Menti Nostrae, 23 Sept. 1950: A.A.S., 42 (1950), p. 687.

^ Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Optatam totius, n. 10; S. C. for Cath. Ed., Ra-

tio fundamentalis, loc. cit., n. 48.

® Cf. Paul VI, Ene. Letter, Sacerdotalis caelibatus, loc. cit., p. 682, n. 63;

S. C. for Cath. Ed., Ratio fundamentalis, n. 48.

42



48. Interior working of the life of celibacy:

While the motives for choosing celibacy are particularly personal

to each candidate, through his developing relationship with God

and others these motives are subject to a process of growth. It is

here that attention should be paid more than in trying to evaluate

the initial motivation.

The importance of growth in the right psychological attitude

towards celibacy on the part of the seminary student has to be kept

in mind. An ideally balanced life is not reached all at once, neither

in marriage nor in celibacy.^

An inclination towards marriage and family life, which makes

their renunciation painful, ought not to be regarded necessarily as

a contradiction to a celibate vocation. Even if the pain is lifelong,

this does not prejudice the genuineness of the call to virginity,

provided one can live exclusively for God with full and free assent

of the will. Celibacy is a call from God that can well include the

continuing sacrifice of a strong propensity for marriage.

49. Relationships and solitude:

Voluntary celibacy makes sense when it is viewed in a context

of relationships with others lived in a fraternal community where

one can “ reach ” others without “ having ” them, that is, when it

is an exercise in non-possessiveness. It is a sign of celibacy rightly

assumed when one can create and maintain worthwhile inter-per-

sonal relationships while experiencing the presence of friends even

in their absence, refusing to impose oneself on them, and showing

that need of them is limited. Hence, it can be said that celibacy

is also an acceptance of “ solitude

There is a mysterious kind of solitude that forms an essential

element of the human condition. It is always in solitude that a

person discovers his own identity and potential. It is there that

the great decisions of life are made. The solitude of priestly celibacy

is charged with such values.

The priest, who is destined to lead men to God through Christ,

^ Cf. Paul VI, Enc. Letter, Sacerdotalis caelibatus, loc. cit., p. 686, n. 73.

^ Cf. Paul VI, Enc. Letter, Sacerdotalis caelibatus, loc. cit., p. 680, nn. 58-

59; Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Presbyterorum ordinis, n. 3.

43



will accomplish this only if he radiates the goodness and love of

God in himself. In harmony, therefore, with his state of life, a

priest must always be ready to put his own interests in second place

and subordinate the satisfying of his own tendencies, to the love of

his neighbor to which he is dedicated by reason of his priesthood.

50. Training conditions for a celibate life:

In accordance with the principle already established that sex

education must be part of the total formation of the person, it

is essential to seminarists to grow in all the natural and super-

natural virtues.^ Students should be shown how all virtues are

organically linked together through charity, which is at the root of

all virtuous living. They must be convinced of the need to give

themselves constantly and totally to the attainment of perfect cha-

rity, “ the bond of perfection ” (Col. 3, 14).

As they gradually deepen their convictions and grow in their

sense of responsibility towards their vocation, seminarists must be

guided towards the acquisition of an active zeal for the goal of

living in perfect chastity without compromise or concession, in the

full realization that, even from a human point of view, they are not

inferior to others.

Every candidate for the priesthood must know himself thorough-

ly, his physical, psychological, moral, religious, and emotional

dispositions, so that he can answer the call of God with a mature,

responsible, and considered decision.^ He must give himself com-

pletely and continuously to Christ, the Eternal High Priest, and to

His Church with full freedom of will.^ Every seminarian must be

able and willing to keep the commandments of God and to observe

the discipline of the Church.^

^ Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Optatam totius, n. ii; S. C. for Cath. Ed., Ra-

tio fundamentalis
,

loc. cit., nn. 48, 51, 54.

^ Cf. Paul VI, Enc. Letter, Sacerdotalis caelibatus, loc. cit., p. 684, n. 67.

^ Cf. Paul VI, Enc. Letter, Sacerdotalis caelibatus, loc. cit., p. 684, n. 69;

p. 686, n. 72.

^ Cf. Paul VI, Enc. Letter, Sacerdotalis caelibatus, loc. cit., p. 684, n. 70.

44



51. Training for true love in celibacy:

Far from implying lack of concern for sexual relationship, a

mature acceptance of celibacy demands that students be trained to

take cognizance of its importance and place among the rest of the

qualities which make for a fully integrated personality. This involves

training the heart, affections, and sentiments. It means being open

to others. In a word, it means a progressive and controlled devel-

opment of one’s sexual and emotional powers. It is not sufficient

to live a material celibacy. One must love others in a priestly fashion.

It would be a serious contradiction of an ecclesiastical vocation if a

candidate for the priesthood were to be selfish, closed to affection,

and worried only about himself and his own well-being. On the

other hand, an excessively affectionate nature, an over-sympathetic

temperament, and an inclination to emotional attachments are not

suitable for a celibate life either.

Celibacy is a vocation to a special kind of love. It must be lived

in a climate of friendship and, above all else, in friendship with God

in Christ.^ The priest must live a life of love which can only be found

in God as its highest source. He must exercise this life in imitation

of Christ, extending it to all without exception and with that sense

of responsibility which is an indication of a mature personality.

52. Relationship between religious fervour and chastity:

A student’s fidelity to his chosen state in life demands day-to-day

renewal. Unless he is guided to base himself on well-grounded

motives and to will to live a life of genuine chastity, he will inevitably

wallow in a sort of no-man’s land without either human or God-

given joy.

In view of the profound relationship between religious fervour

and chastity and because celibacy has a specifically sacred and Chris-

tian meaning, it is essential that the devotional formation imparted

in the seminary should -be improved and deepened. ^ Students must

be in close touch with the sources of a genuine spiritual life, which

^ Cf. Paul VI, Enc. Letter, Sacerdotalis caelibatus, loc. cit., pp. 664-670,

nn. 19-34.

^ Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Presbyterorum ordinis, n. 18.

45



is the only thing capable of giving a solid foundation to the observance

of sacred virginity.^

Celibacy is a life-long offering, in which one makes the sacrifices

which changing situations in life demand and enjoys a life enriched

by dimensions as wide as the Church. One must always measure

the sincerity and generosity of one’s first self-offering, becoming

slowly and surely more like to Jesus Christ in the depths of one’s

being. It is a permanent state of abandonment of trust in the help

of the Holy Spirit. It symbolizes and witnesses to the “eternal

priesthood” of Jesus Christ before all the People of God.

IV. Training in priestly asceticism

53. The need for asceticism:

Formation for the priesthood, and more precisely a celibate

priesthood, requires an asceticism which is superior to that required

by the rest of the faithful and which is special to those aspiring to be

priests. Although severe, it must not overwhelm, and is actually

the considered and assiduous practice of all those special virtues

which make a man a priest.^ It should be an asceticism which is both

“interiorly and exteriorly manly” ^ enabling the priest to stay faithful

to his priestly commitments and to have a guarantee of success in

his work.^

The attainment of Christian sanctity demands an ascesis of self-

denial, which is an ascesis of liberation. According to the teaching

of the Second Vatican Council, self-denial is the exercise of a kingly

power and is necessary to effect the reign of love.® Love and self-

denial complement each other, since self-denial frees man and makes

room for love; love, in turn, induces one to self-denial.

A candidate for the priesthood is the recipient of the “grace of

vocation” which brings him the precious gift of a chaste life.'^ As he

^ Cf. Paul VI, Enc. Letter, Sacerdotalis caelibatus, loc. cit., p. 687, n. 75.

^ Paul VI, Enc. Letter, Sacerdotalis caelibatus, loc. cit., p. 684, n. 70.

® Paul VI, Enc. Letter, Sacerdotalis caelibatus, loc. cit., p. 688, n. 78.

Cf. Paul VI, Enc. Letter, Sacerdotalis caelibatus, loc. cit., p. 691, n. 86.

^ Cf. Paul VI, Enc. Letter, Sacerdotalis caelibatus, loc. cit., p. 692, n. 90.

® Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Dog. Const. Lumen gentium, n. 36.

’ Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Optatam totius, n. 10.

46



becomes more conscious of this gift, he should be prompted to respond

to it with enormous gratitude to God and to correspond to this grace

with the utmost freedom and generosity.^ Asceticism is the decisive

answer to this gift, an answer which a seminarist should want to

make with the whole of his life.

54. Characteristics of priestly asceticism:

Mortification which is a part of every Christian and of every

human life is even more relevant to the priestly life. In fact, the

priestly activity of Christ, in its full biblical meaning, makes no sense

at all unless one remembers that Christ is “Priest and Victim”, and

that He sacrificed Himself upon the altar of the Cross for the love

of mankind, a sacrifice that anticipated the Mass, where He renews

this self-immolation in an unbloody manner on our altars.

Since this constitutes the apex of the priestly mission of Jesus,

one cannot imagine it could be otherwise in the lives and mission

of those called to participate in His priesthood, to assume the very

Person of Christ, and to continue His work. The holiness of the

priest, and consequently his spirituality, must clearly be centered

on the fact that he, too, must be priest and victim, in union with

Christ, High Priest and Spotless Victim.

While it underscores the necessity of a strong practice of asce-

ticism and is directed at removing every obstacle to the priestly

ministry, this truth is a positive invitation to follow the royal road of

the cross. It is an invitation to “bear in our bodies the suffering of

Christ, in order that the life of Christ might be made manifest in us”.

(2 Cor. 4, 10). It is a positive invitation to accept, from the bottom

of one’s heart, the implications of what it means to be consecrated

as a priest.^

This is the meaning of the connection, clearly emphasized by

the Council, between the main function of the priest and his obli-

gation to imitate what he handles.®

^ Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Optaiam totius, n. 10.

^ Cf. Paul VI, Enc. Letter, Sacerdotalis caelibatus, loc. cit., p. 684, n. 70;

p. 688, n. 78; Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Presbyterorum ordinis, n. 16.

* Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Presbyterorum ordinis, nn. 13, 14; Paul VI,

Ene. Letter, Sacerdotalis caelibatus, loc. cit., p. 688, n. 78.

47



This emphasis given to priestly asceticism should by no means

neglect the fact that marriage also is a state of life that is sacrificial

and which can involve both mortification and the sacrifice of worldly

desires.

55. Ascetic commitment in seminary life:

In the light of today’s climate of general rejection of mortification,

one cannot too strongly insist that seminarians be thoroughly con-

vinced that without a committed asceticism any maturity, be it

human, Christian, or priestly is impossible. They must appreciate

that it is an indispensable condition for growing in participation in

the paschal mystery of Christ.

One who has reached spiritual maturity is faithful to commit-

ments once made. This is also the highest type of freedom. But ma-

turity and freedom can only be attained by means of a long and

uninterrupted practice of self-control and self-giving throughout

the years of formation. “An aspirant to the priesthood will thus

acquire, with the help of divine grace, a balanced, strong, and mature

personality which is a synthesis of what is natural and acquired, a

harmonious combination of all his faculties illumined by faith and

union with Christ Who has chosen him for Himself and for the min-

istry of the world’s salvation.”^

56. The fundamental option demands faith:

It is not without reason that the Magisterium of the Church

insists on the prophetic function of those who follow the evangelical

counsels. A prophet is not only one who predicts the future, but also

one who bears witness to the reality and the nearness of God.^

Falling in love with the Invisible God cannot but imply a vision

of the supernatural and a knowledge which transcends the senses.

Priestly and religious celibacy is an offering made to the Lord. It

surpasses all human reckoning in terms of fruitfulness or return.

It is a sacrifice that can only be understood by faith.

Deep spirituality is required in one who progresses towards

union with God — a searching self-discipline because he, like every

^ Paul VI, Enc. Letter, Sacerdotalis caelibatus, loc. cit., p. 685, n. 70.

* Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Dog. Const. Lumen gentium, n. 44.

48



man, must discover and accept the limits revealed in the depths of

his being. Nothing is possible without a generous acceptance of

these limits. It is something like Jacob’s wrestling with the angel

(Gen. 32, 24-32). He too must accept the disappointment of frustrated

hopes and dreams.

V. The problem of emotional integrity

57. A delicate and strongly debated problem:

A seminary student is no different from any other young person

in recognizing a need for emotional integrity; in other words he

feels the need to have a balanced and serene attitude with regard to

sex in general and with regard to women in particular. It is a question

of attaining the right equilibrium, self-control, or, as often expressed,

a state of maturity in which the emotions are so well integrated that

a young person will conduct himself perfectly normally in whatever

situation he might find himself.

It is clear that such maturity can be reached only through contacts

with Other persons, in friendships, conversation, working together,

recreation and sharing similar interests. These things have great

importance in the lives of the young. In the give and take that they

involve, a man soon learns his own limitations and realizes that he is

not self-sufficient. This can be the basis for rich spiritual experience.

However, when persons of the opposite sex are involved, it can

become very difficult to live maturing relationships. One needs ability

and responsibility to be aware of the ambiguities that can creep into

such relationships and the will to order one’s desires and emotions

accordingly. A prudent “discernment of spirits” which is sensitive

to the movements of both nature and grace is also necessary.

With regard to seminarians’ relationships with women, there

has been a notable change in these past few years. Until a short

while ago there prevailed an attitude of caution and reserve — even
to the point, in some extreme cases, of an exaggerated isolation of

the students. Today on the other hand, a giddy optimism is gaining

ground, which is based upon rash overconfidence and which, not

content with the usual and ordinary kind of contacts which life

provides, is deliberately promoting the cultivation of frequent meet-

ings with girls for the purpose of “more easily gaining emotional

maturity”.

49

4 (98)



58. The theology of chastity:

Seminarians should be carefully instructed in the theology of

chastity. They should be shown how the practice of this virtue is

one of the great dogmas of Christianity, and the apostolic fruitfulness

of consecrated virginity. Every experience of good and evil affects

our inmost being, our personality, and, consequently our apostolic

efficiency — for good or ill.
Our religion places a great value on the virtue of purity. It points

out the means that must be used to preserve and defend it: jealous

care, reserve, interior control over imagination and desires, and

external discipline of the senses.

Training in purity would be incomplete if it did not also include

instruction concerning the nature of temptations against purity,

their sources and causes, their various forms and the spiritual remedies

and methods to be used to fight them.

59. Towards a positive solution of the problem:

As in all human relationships, so too in the relations between

seminarists and women, the correct course to follow is that of truth

and sincerity. Genuineness in behavior automatically excludes

everything that is fake and artificial. It is obvious that such a course

will exclude every relationship that is intended to have an advantage

for only one of the parties, the other being “used” to accomplish

some goal.

Therefore, all these relationships are obviously excluded for a

future priest. There are still the normal and ordinary human contacts

that come in the course of life which require that women be treated

in accordance with the principles of healthy human behavior: with

courtesy, respect, and, most important of all, charity, which is due to

everyone.

This level of female relationship will give seminarians sufficient

occasions to develop, to acquire self-knowledge, to refine their char-

acters, to test their strengths and weaknesses, and to learn what

in them needs strength and encouragement. They should eventually

be sufficiently in command of themselves to be able to terminate

or suspend any such relationships without feeling upset. This sup-

poses a healthy spiritual life, imbued with a spirit of vigilant morti-

fication and continual self-control.

50



Since self-control is so necessary, seminarists should be encouraged

to face up to their emotions, prudently yet honestly: “They should

expose love openly and with confidence to their spiritual directors

and superiors, and learn to judge it in the Lord with their help.

They should, however, avoid individual relationships, particularly

any of a solitary or protracted nature, with people of the opposite

sex. They ought rather to endeavor to practise a love open to all

and therefore truly chaste. This they should habitually ask for as

a gift from God.”^

The importance given to spiritual direction presupposes, na-

turally, that the spiritual director has all the necessary qualities.

Evidently, he will not be able to solve these problems by a one-

system-for-all method, but will have to treat them case by case.

He will have to take into account the differences between individuals

and the character and emotions of each candidate. He will have to

help each one individually to face the possible crises that can disturb

or destroy his vocation.

6o. Formation demanded by the pastoral life:

The problem of the relationship between seminarists and women

is not simply a question of the student’s present personal life, but

also of his future pastoral activity. It is precisely because of his

future pastoral commitment that “particular attention should be

paid to the preparation of students for a correct and healthy rela-

tionship with women. This will involve instruction in the character

and psychology of women as it is affected by the sort of life they

lead and by their age. The purpose of this is to enable them as priests

engaged in the pastoral ministry, to undertake a more effective spi-

ritual care of women and behave towards them with the normality

and prudence which befit ministers of Christ.”^

From this it is clear that a good and healthy relationship towards

women cannot be a matter of improvisation. It has to be achieved

through a slow and delicate training process. Seminaries have the

task of preparing students for contact with women, assisting them

in the acquisition of dominion over their emotional reactions in the

^ S. C. for Cath. Ed., Ratio fundamentalis, loc. cit., n. 48.

^ S. C. for Cath. Ed., Ratio fundamentalist loc. cit., n. 95.

51



presence of women, and opening them to a realization of woman’s

place in the spiritual order. Such a preparation will also help sem-

inarians deepen their humanity, delicacy, and tact, which must be

a mark of every pastoral relationship.

6i. A word about friendships:

In these modern days something has to be said about the possi-

bility of friendship between a seminarian (or a priest) and a woman.

This is a relation that requires careful attention and a balance which

is far from common.

It is an admitted fact that normal human relations can, under

certain conditions, contribute to the natural and spiritual maturing

of the seminarist. But, at the same time, one must be on one’s guard

against particular friendships which are dangerous and incompatible

with a priestly vocation since they interfere with freedom of heart

and universality of love. The nature of the mission for which a

seminarian is preparing requires that his spirit remain open to all

mankind with a universal love that is “sincere, human, fraternal,

personal, and offered to God after the example of Christ, a love for

all men, but above all for the poor and the distressed and for their

fellows”.^

This implies that superiors and spiritual directors know how to

give positive help to the young men confided to their care. It is often

difficult to know at the beginning of relationships what they are or

will become. It is easy for someone to think that something is “spir-

itual” when it is no such thing. Even when intentions are apparently

most correct, one has to remember how powerful emotional rela-

tionships can be, leading to a blindness towards or an underestimating

of, the real dangers that such friendships can entail. In fact, love,

when it involves the senses, is ambivalent in nature. It can easily

veer towards concupiscence and impede development instead of

assuring, as it should do, the full flowering of personal maturity.

The result is that the alleged spiritual advantages that a seminarian

would like to think he receives from friendships of this nature remain

hypothetical and uncertain, while the dangers and difficulties are

both significant and real.

^ S. C. for Cath. Ed., Ratio fundamentalis, loc. cit., n. 48.

52



One must be realistic and accept the fact that human nature can

so easily deceive. It is often easy to believe that certain kinds of

relationships are necessary when they are not, and to paint with

false supernatural motives something which is merely an inclination

of fallen nature.^

VI. Difficulties in the process of formation

62. The task of education during adolescence:

An educator must be familiar with the personality of the student

as he goes through the various phases of growth. Insofar as this

concerns adolescents, in particular, it should be noted that this period

of life is characterized by a process of physiological maturing, emerging

sexual desires, and a great deal of imaginative fantasizing about

sexual matters.

An adolescent needs help to form a healthy idea of what sex is

all about and to come to realize its place in the order of values. He

needs to learn how to react when facing temptations to impurity or

when confronting situations involving sex. He must learn to control

his instincts, not in fear, but in the serenity which only a knowledge

of the truth can bring.

With this in mind, education has to develop within the group

situation the emotional potential of the adolescent, assisting him to

objectivize his sexual drive and channel it in the direction of total

self-giving. This is an arduous task. It should not be a cause of

surprise if an adolescent withdraws within himself and feels that

he is misunderstood by everyone around him. Moreover, it is under-

standable in this situation that he might be driven to center his

erotic attention upon himself and make the task of sexual integration

yet more difficult.

63. The phenomenon of self-abuse in adolescents:

One of the causes of masturbation is sexual imbalance. The other

causes are generally of an occasional and secondary nature, albeit

contributing to its appearance and continuation. In education,

efforts should be directed rather towards the causes than to attacking

^ Cf. Paul VI, Enc. Letter, Sacerdotalis caelibatus
,
loc . cit ., p. 688, n. 77.

5 S



the problem directly. Only in this way can one promote the effective

development of boyish instincts — which means an interior growing
up towards domination of instinct. This is the growth that the causes

mentioned above tend to obstruct.

Fear, threats, physical or spiritual intimidation are best avoided.

These could encourage the formation of obsessions and compromise

the possibility of a balanced sexual attitude, making him turn further

in on himself instead of opening himself to others. Success as always

will depend on the degree of awareness of the real causes of the

problem. This is what formation needs to be particularly concerned

with.

Self-abuse upsets the kind of life which is the educator’s aim.

He cannot remain indifferent to the closed-up attitude which results

from this. Nevertheless, he should not over-dramatize the fact of

masturbation nor lessen his esteem and goodwill for the individual

afflicted. As he comes into deeper contact with the supernatural

and self-sacrificing love of the educator, the youth is bound to be

aware of his place in the communion of charity and will begin to

feel himself drawn out of his isolation.

In trying to meet each difficulty, it is better not to offer a ready-

made take-it-or-leave-it solution. Rather, using the occasion for

real interior growth, help and encourage the sufferer in such a way

that he finds his own remedy. Not only will he then solve this one

problem, but will learn the art of resolving all the other problems

which eventually he will have to face.

64. Seminary formation of adolescents:

Given that seminary training aims to impart an integrated human,

Christian, and priestly formation to its students, the most difficult

aspect during adolescence is to decide how much of this training

should be Christian and how much of it should be priestly formation.

Adolescents should only gradually be introduced to a specifically

priestly formation. Great wisdom lies behind this.

For the majority of the candidates the motives in their vocation

are initially very vague. They want to be of service to mankind, to

the Church, to Christ, but their ideas about Christ and the Church

are often unclear. Frequently their attitude is simply one of availa-

bility in a purely humanitarian sense which bears little reference

54



to God, Christ, or the Church. In fact, for many adolescents their

view of life is still very general. Philanthropy and religion are not

very distinct as yet.

This is the reason why there are many adolescents who feel

inclined to the priesthood. But as soon as their humanitarian interests

begin to take clearer shape, they give up their vocation and leave

the seminary unless their attitude has been enriched with religious

motivation. One must help these young men to grasp at the right

time what a life consecrated to God is all about. It is no use imposing

on them right from the start a way of life which is already fully

priestly.

65. The task of education during the post-adolescent years:

In youth, love tends to express itself in highly varied sexual

manifestations, entailing a combination of psycho-sexual and psycho-

emotional factors. Despite appearances and often promiscuous

attitudes among youth, young men have little knowledge of true

feminine psychology. Women fascinate them, but they do not know

why and this bothers them. They often surrender to counterfeit love,

instead of discovering that chastity and love are actually the same

virtue and that both are active, fruitful, and forgetful of self.

An educator should pay close attention to the fact that youth is

the time for a decisive and definitive choice of a state of life. They

must be given a clear view of all the possibilities open to them to

enable them to make a free choice. This is the time when they must

be guided to understand the true theology of matrimony and of

consecrated celibacy.^ This is also the time when prejudices and

“the false theories that maintain that perfect continence is impossible

or harmful to man”^ must be definitely eliminated.

66. Perseverance in vocations:

The real problem today is*^ not merely that young men have little

inclination towards a priestly vocation. It is also the problem of

perseverance in their vocation and their adherence to all the demands

that a vocation entails. Objective causes for this lack of perseverance

^ Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Optatam totius, n. 10.

* Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Perfectae caritatis, n. 12.

55



derive from the culture and the environment of today in which the

young live. But, without a doubt, there is also an important sub-

jective cause which deserves the attention of educators. This is

the unwarranted devaluation of a state of consecration to God in the

priesthood.

The youth of today are no less generous than those of yesterday,

but they need guidance on the path to commitment. Youth need

high ideals to challenge them to heroism. It is a bad mistake, there-

fore, to reduce the priestly vocation to the dimensions of an ordinary

life, without sacrifice or commitment. Young people will not respond

generously unless the recruiting appeal is based on those qualities

which ring true to the spirit of youth: a taste for hardship, the need

for dedication, and the joy of sacrifice.

Young people have to be brought to feel deeply “how gratefully

this state (of celibacy) deserves to be undertaken, not only as a re-

quisite of Church law, but as a precious gift which should be humbly

sought of God and to which they should freely and generously hasten

to respond through the energizing and fortifying grace of the Holy

Spirit.

67. Particular difficulties of adulthood:

It is only realistic to suppose that a priest, like any other human

being, will be subject to the crises of the human condition and the

difficulties that mark a man’s development: emotional crises, sex,

relationship with authority, finding his true place in the world and

the Church, crises of the spiritual order. For this reason, candidates

for the priesthood must be prepared to face such problems in a spirit

of sacrifice, with courage and constancy.

It is an important stage when a man passes the mid-way point

in life. The basic problems will have already been solved between

the ages of 20 and 30, problems such as vocation, profession, and

life-direction. The chances of going back are slim.

At this age youth is gone with its outlook and its prerogatives:

enthusiasm, hopes, dreams of sanctity, and great works done for the

Church. Instead a wiser, more calm and balanced life sets in; but

also more vulnerable. Perhaps one has already at this age achieved

^ Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Optatam totius, n. 10.

56



recognition, a position of responsibility, success. But, maybe the

individual has failed both from a human and from an apostolic

standpoint. He can simply be resigned to a state of obscurity.

This can bring torment to some priests, an interior restlessness,

a crisis “of emptiness,” filled only with dissatisfaction and frustration

over ideals no longer attainable. In such circumstances a need for

human companionship can make itself felt very strongly indeed.

68. Reason for crises in priestly lives:

From the point of view of family life, a priest will find himself

alone. Usually the family in which he grew up as a boy is gone and

he has no family of his own. The apostolic enthusiasm that sustained

him in his younger days has waned and he feels himself shunned by

the younger generation. So at about the age of 40 interior and exterior

loneliness generally awaits him. It is then that he may feel more

consciously the loss of what he has renounced and the burden of

celibacy.

Add to this a measure of monotony in a ministry that seems always

the same and maybe include a feeling of dissatisfaction with one’s

environment and mistrust of the hierarchy of the Church. When

things never change, nor is there hope of change, there often can be

dissatisfaction.

He withdraws sadly into himself, is irritable and bad tempered.

At this point the danger is that he will begin to rediscover and over-

estimate the pleasurable things in life from which he separated

himself when he consecrated himself to God. He will undergo the

spiritual crisis of distaste for his regular work and his prayers coupled

with a scepticism over his spiritual progress and a conviction that all

his efforts are futile.

69. Preventing and solving these difficulties:

A priest who finds himself in this situation must first of all be

patient with himself and accept himself for what he is without being

upset at the onslaught of desire. These impulses are part of human

nature, and a priestly vocation does not take away nature. Impatience

in the face of these urgings and a failure to understand them are

causes for defections or for tediousness in a vocation.

57



However, a patient and calm acceptance of what the years are

bringing will not suffice, nor be possible, without a living faith and

a humble and active union with God. One needs to repeat frequently

the words of Saint Paul (2 Tim. i, 12), “I know Whom I have believed

and I am sure.” This humble and lively union with God, forged

out of a knowledge of self, trust, abandonment to His Will, and prayer

will bring constant freshness to a priest’s spiritual life and will keep

him young as the years speed by. Union with God and the eyes of

faith will enable difficulties to be put in their true perspective. Even

if difficulties remain, their weight will be lightened, and the experience

of emptiness and solitude will be transformed into a precious offering

to God.

If the crisis is so deep that a priest asks to be allowed to suspend

his ecclesiastical obligations in order to live and think things out as

a layman for a while, it is preferable that he be admitted to a com-

munity environment in which love and charity prevail and where

he can be assisted to recapture an outlook of faith by some spiritual

and pastoral activity.

58



PART IV

THE SEMINARY AS A CENTER OF EDUCATION

70. Conditions for seminary formation:

Far from being an isolated component in the spiritual structure

of a priest’s personality, chastity constitutes the culmination of a

balanced life strong in faith and solidly built on an ardent charity.

This is why nothing in the life or climate of a seminary can be

indifferent to the building up of this virtue. Indeed, the whole

seminary atmosphere must be regarded as a principal and funda-

mental factor in the work of formation. It is, therefore, necessary

to recall the essential features of seminary life which, directly or

indirectly, have a bearing on formation in chastity.

Every seminary must be such as to “intensify in each student

the joy of his calling.”^ Celibacy lived for the kingdom of God must

be shown to be a wonderful grace ever since men first heard the

joyful tidings of the resurrection of Christ.

In order to impart this spirit of joy, students should be given a

taste for the practice of ecclesial and apostolic charity, which is equally

a love of Christ, a communion in friendship with superiors and fellow

students, an evangelical spirit, and a desire to be cooperative. This

aspect of the program cannot so much be taught as caught — by
the example of life as it is lived in the seminary.

There follow some further suggestions aimed at creating an

atmosphere in the seminary which will further the formation of the

students. These suggestions are based on a wise use of interpersonal

relationships, an intense spiritual life, an ardent ecclesial charity,

the use of appropriate contacts with the outside world, and an adequate

use of the means of social communication.

^ Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Optatam totius, n. 5.

59



I. The atmosphere of the semina'ry

71. The seminary as a fraternal community:

The climate in which human relationships are exercised in a

seminary is an important factor in pastoral formation. Before he

takes out of the seminary the riches that are to be found there, a

student has first to give something. He has to give to the environment

in which he lives a spirit of mutual service which consists in each

contributing his share to the creation of conditions of life which

favor the development of his companions.

There are certain trends which characterize this seminary atmos-

phere. First of all, one would hope that in a seminary community,

every student will freely examine his vocation, and not simply take

it for granted merely because he finds himself in a seminary. ^ Due

account should be taken of the variety of dispositions with regard

to the students’ vocations and the changeableness of the minds of

the young. Educators should respect each and every student and

should not establish degrees of worthiness. At no time should it

even be hinted that someone who changes his mind in the seminary

is a traitor. All the students should be regularly reminded that they

have a personal right and obligation to deeply study their vocation

and to choose with complete freedom.

A successful seminary community also depends on the establish-

ment of interpersonal relationships characterized by a family-like

trust and brotherly-type friendships.'^ It should be remembered that

trust is not imposed by authority, but has to be won and inspired.

And friendship can be encouraged or destroyed. It can be encourag-

ed when the seminary is in itself a school of friendship, where the

spirit of brotherhood is promoted even on the purely human level

and where the seminary positively believes in it. Nothing destroys

it so much as a spirit of malicious insinuation or sourness. True

formation for celibacy must be rooted in a spirit of fraternity.®

A life filled with brotherly love and harmony, which is industrious

and replete with a human and supernatural warmth, irradiates over

all a sense of restful calm, equanimity, and deep satisfaction. In this

^ Cf. S. C. for Cath. Ed., Ratio fundamentalist loc. cit., n. 13.

^ Cf. S. C. for Cath. Ed., Ratio fundamentalist loc. cit.t nn. 13, 14, 46, 48.

® Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Perfectae caritatist n. 12.

60



sort of atmosphere students will be, as it were, immunized from the

need to seek emotional compensations outside the community. It will

be more difficult for them to regret the renunciation which their

choice of celibacy has involved.

72. The seminary as a community which forms:

In the last analysis, maturity means adherence to and love for

reality, one’s own, that of others, God’s. Hence, the most formative

instrument is an atmosphere of truth\ or, in other words, a spirit of

openness and loyalty, affection, respect, and communication. In this

climate the discovery of one’s vocation will be gradually achieved

as the result of a mature choice rather than an effect of external

conditioning. The atmosphere of a seminary will contribute to the

mature development of the candidates in the measure in which it

will be warm with truly human relationships, capable of stimulating

personal responsibility and initiative while gradually leading to a

convinced and reasonable obedience which is proper to the children

of God.

It is hard to imagine how seminary life can fulfil its function

without close collaboration between staff and students in which the

personality, abilities and competence of each student can be evaluated.

Solidarity and social intercourse must be adopted as program and

method for the entire seminary. “Under their Rector’s lead superiors

and professors shall be united in spirit and action, forming one

family with the students to fulfil the Lord’s prayer ‘that they all

may be one’ (Jn. 17, ii) thus fostering in the students joy in their

vocations.”^

73. The group dynamic in seminary formation:

To promote personal formation one must place students in an

environment which is favorable to the development of all their qua-

lities and potential. To help achieve this, while always protecting

the unity of the seminary^ circumstances may encourage the division

of students into smaller groups.^ This system is helpful in activating

the bonds which bind each to the other, in ensuring a fair division

^ Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Optatam totius, n. 5.

^ Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Optatam totius, n. 7; S. C. for Cath. Ed., Ra-

tio fundamentalis, loc. cit., n. 23.

61



of tasks between members of the group in accordance with each

one’s abilities and directing them to the common good.

Moreover, one cannot afford to overlook the fact that the way

priests frequently have to live and act is pluralistic. It is right that

this attitude be imparted in the seminary and made part of seminary

life itself.

The group system could serve this purpose, particularly if the

groups can be organized in relation to actual diocesan needs, and,

therefore, to the future fields of the students’ ministry. They could

serve a positively dynamic and pastoral purpose. Surrounding them,

other circles with an apostolic or purely human interest can help

form bonds of friendship and cooperation. This could add to the

richness and vitality of the students’ formation.

74. The function of discipline and rule:

The atmosphere of freedom, respect for the individual, and the

value placed on personal initiative should not be interpreted as

freedom from every kind of discipline. A seminarian who freely

chooses to enter a seminary must also freely accept and respect its

terms. Discipline is part of the spiritual structure of the whole life

of a student and priest. When it is “interiorized” it becomes an

indispensable component of his spiritual life.^ This does not mean

that discipline is only interior; it is “personal and communitarian,”^

and exterior.^

While the discipline set out by the Rule of Life of the seminary

retains its vital importance, the heart of seminary formation is to be

found in the influence of the human and Christian relationship which

exists between seminarist and educator. This implies that the students

are not left to themselves and that educators cannot dispense them-

selves from their duty of being present with, indeed very close to,

the students. Iron discipline, a minutely-drawn rulebook, or rigid

surveillance are no substitute for the educator himself being present

to guide and strengthen the students with friendship, intimate con-

versation, and watchful care over their way of life.^

^ Paul VI, Enc. Letter, Sacerdotalis caelibatus, loc. cit., p. 683, n. 66.

^ Paul VI, Enc. Letter, Sacerdotalis caelibatus, loc. cit., p. 683, n. 66.

® Cf. Paul VI, Enc. Letter, Sacerdotalis caelibatus, loc. cit., p. 688, n. 78.

* Cf. Paul VI, Enc. Letter, Sacerdotalis caelibatus, loc. cit., p. 684, n. 68;

Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Optatam totius, n. ii.

62



General principles of formation need an individual approach in

their application. There is no such things as one kind of formation

that is suited to all. Sometimes a superior will allow a particular

student of whom he has personal knowledge to follow a course of

action involving risks, being convinced that ultimately he will find

out for himself what is good and what is not, instead of having a

mode of conduct rigidly imposed on him. At other times a respon-

sible superior will intervene decisively to save someone who is presum-

ing too much on himself or who, without sufficient reason, is placing

himself in grave danger.

II. The seminary and the spiritual life

75. The life of prayer in formation:

The choice of celibacy must be made with magnanimity. It must

be made with the full realization that it is no small thing to dedicate

one’s entire life to one gigantic love which embraces at the same time

God, Christ, and souls. It must be made with the full realization

that while celibacy is a great gift of God to be asked for with hu-

mility,^ it is also a gift that a man gives to God. This generosity will

open the heart of the seminarist increasingly to prayer, adoration,

and contemplation of Him Who is the recipient of this gift and Who

will be for him a source of constant joy and youthful spirit.^

A seminary must introduce its students to the practice of habitual

and spontaneous meeting and dialogue with God in Christ by the

manifold ways of prayer. Liturgy, meditation on the Word of God

and study of the Person of Christ, the center of every reffection in

faith and theology.

A life centered on God in prayer is absolutely essential for a life

of consecration. A seminarian and a priest must have the gift of

piety to a high degree; it is nothing less than a tremendous love of

God. They are, and must always remain, the privileged witnesses

of the beauty and happiness that come from intimacy with the God

of revelation.

The man who is celibate by calling and abandons prayer is on the

verge of ruin as far as his celibacy is concerned. The whole basis of

^ Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Optatam totius, n. 10.

* Cf. S. C. for Cath. Ed., Ratio fundamentalis, loc. cit., n. 54.

63



his life consists in his relationship with God, and this relationship is

kept alive by prayer — the prayer of the Church herself, and the
personal prayer of the priest in his daily personal devotions. It is

impossible for a priest to be good in giving spiritual direction unless

he prays. Without a rich, spiritual relationship with God in his life,

no priest can give effective help to anyone.

76. Criteria for the revision of forms of piety:

Before one sets about revising forms of piety, it is important to

establish what reason lies behind them. Forms correspond to needs.

The psychological and pastoral needs of today will suggest what

adaptations are necessary in the forms of piety. Today a certain

spontaneity is recommended in devotion in which one opens one’s

heart to the loving friendship of Christ in an encounter with the

Heavenly Father.^ Personal piety based on the mystery of salvation

should not be considered an “extra” to one’s daily life, but rather

as life’s constant living inspiration.

Spontaneous prayer has its place. However, it would be an

illusion and a fundamental error to believe that praying only when

one feels an inclination to do so is more fruitful than praying at the

times set down by rule. It is equally erroneous to maintain that

praying at set times causes disaffection towards prayer. Promote

spontaneous prayer, but, above all, promote the interiorizing of

all prayer.

Religious education should endeavor to highlight the value of

practices of piety as expressions of the life of the Gospel in which

we share in the intimacy of the Father through Christ in the Holy

Spirit.2

77. Liturgical formation of seminarists:

Seminarists must be formed, not simply to assist at sacred func-

tions, but to share in and to live an intensely sacramental and

liturgical life. For a man who is not disposed to seek to follow

Christ, the Liturgy can appear to be simply a tiresome performance.

^ Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Optatam totius, nn. 4, 16; Deer. Presbyterorum

ordinis, n. 13.

2
Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Optatam totius, n. 8; Deer. Presbyterorum or-

dinis, n. 18.

64



However, every effort must be made to prepare devotional services

and liturgical ceremonies in a manner which will appeal to young

people and enable them to participate in them gladly and willingly.^

It is important that they acquire a sense of the Liturgy as a community

living of the life of Christ.

The ministry of the priest is primarily not human work, but the

work of Christ in Person. The priest, therefore, has to fulfil his

ministry according to the Spirit of Christ, High Priest and Eternal

Shepherd. How close should be the intimacy between Christ and

the priest! Seminary training must be geared to the acquisition of

this perfection: to prepare the students to live interiorly the life of

Christ and to prepare them to perform their ministerial functions in

His Spirit.2

78. Meditation on the Word of God:

In the presence of God in Christ, a seminarian should love to

meditate, whether alone or in a group, on the words of revelation.^

He should try to apply them to his daily life. He should develop the

habit of seeing the whole of Christian life (its traditions, institutions,

persons, and doctrines) in the light of the Gospel, in the realization

that it is the Word of God which judges and converts the Church.

This should inspire his personal and apostolic activity.

Communion with Christ, moreover, is not only communion with

His thinking. Above all it is communion with His life of love, of

which His Easter mystery is the central act and the most authentic

and powerful expression (Rom. 6, 2-1 1). No baptized Christian,

and certainly no priest, can remain a simple spectator to this mystery,

but must participate in it, imitating Christ, Who died for sins and

rose for the glory of His Father, and thus manifest Christ to the

world (Phil. 3, 8-11; 2 Cor. 4, 10; 3, 18).

This baptismal and priestly participation, however, cannot be

brought about except through the working of the Holy Spirit, since

the paschal mystery becomes ours only because of its Author, the

Holy Spirit. Such a spirituality must guide from within the life of

anyone called to the ministerial priesthood.

^ Cf. S. C. for Cath. Ed., Ratio fundamentalis, loc. cit., n. 14.

* Cf. S. C. for Cath. Ed., Ratio fundamentalis, loc. cit., nn. 44-45.

* Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Optatam totius, n. 8.

65

5 (98)



79- Formation through theological study:

The modern seminarian has a very special need: what is termed

“a living synthesis of faith”. This is a faith which has to be discovered

for oneself and sheds light on one’s daily life, not merely a faith

limited to adherence to a number of determined truths, but also the

practical exercise of Christian choice and the source of Christian

trust in Christ and His Church. A serious emotional crisis in a priest

is almost always preceded by a weakening or a dimming of faith.

The study of theology should deepen the spirit of faith in semi-

narians. The “Introduction to the Mystery of Christ” and the

“History of Salvation” are to be taught, not only for the students’

spiritual benefit, but also to give them a single organic vision of all

their priestly studies.

^

The seminary should give the students a systematic and organic

presentation of all theology and, in addition, an introduction to

biblical, patristic, historical, and sociological research with a view

to assisting them acquire a personal, critical ability to evaluate modern

thought. All of this should serve to cultivate in the students a pro-

found faith which is sensitive to the needs of our times, yet always

nourished by the love of Christ working in the Catholic Church.^

These exhortations concerning the general spiritual climate of

the seminary cannot be considered extrinsic to the main concern

of this document, formation in chastity. If a seminary cannot produce

this atmosphere and the future priest is consequently uninfluenced

by it, there is little hope that chastity, without such nourishment,

will survive.

HI. The seminary and ecclesial charity

8o. Relationship between superiors and seminarians:

A seminarian needs to be immersed in an atmosphere of apostolic

charity. The aim of a seminary is to enable him to experience that

to live as a Christian in the spirit of Christ and as a priest in celibacy

one thing is needed: to practice and give witness to ecclesial charity

^ Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Optatam totius, n. 14; S. C. for Cath. Ed., Ra-

tio fundamentalis, loc. cit., n. 62.

^ Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Optatam totius, nn. 16-17; S. C. for Cath. Ed.,

Ratio fundamentalis, nn. 76-80.

66



in the Lord. Living charity, which is a gift of the Holy Spirit, is an

instrument for the education, conversion, and sanctification of oneself

and others.^

Seminary superiors must appear to the students not simply as

those who give orders, directives, warnings, and punishments, but

also as those who arouse love among their subjects and witness to

this love in their own personal lives. The higher the authority, the

more profound the obligation to be the source of unity in charity.

^

It is precisely by means of the love and charity displayed by a superior

that a student is enabled to acquire the same love of God.

When a seminarian has tasted the charity of the Lord through

the person of his priest-educator he will know what it means when

he comes to express it tomorow in the context of the presbyterium

gathered around the Bishop and to communicate it to his flock.^

The charity he experiences in the seminary and in his diocese

will help a priest to live his celibate life in serenity without any

nostalgia for a lay life.^

8i. Formation in apostolic charity:

The spiritual formation of candidates for the priesthood must

be pastorally orientated and be programmed with a view to their

future ministry. Priests are the official builders of the community

of the Church. Not only are they given spiritual power for this

ministry (2 Cor. 10, 8; 13, 10), but they are expected to “treat all

with outstanding humanity in imitation of the Lord.”®

Community life in the seminary, animated by sincere charity

and radiating apostolic zeal, is a preparation for — even a prelude
to — fraternal cooperation among the clergy in apostolic work.®
Students should, therefore, feel themselves bound to their diocese

and interested in its problems. Thus they should gain a diocesan

^ Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Presbyterorum ordinis, n. ii; Deer. Perfectae

caritatis, n. 12.

® Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Deer, Presbyterorum ordinis, n. ii; Deer. Perfectae

caritatis, n. 24.

® Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Optatam totius, n. 8.

^ Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Perfectae caritatis, n. 12; Paul VI, Ene. Letter,

Sacerdotalis caelibatus, loc. cit., pp. 688-689, nn. 79-80.

® Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Presbyterorum ordinis, n. 6.

® Cf. S. C. for Cath. Ed., Ratio fundamentalis
,

loc. cit., n. 46.

67



spirituality which has its roots, in other words, in their future sphere

of work.i

Union with God in prayer and the love of silence and spiritual

things are no obstacles to, but rather requirements of an apostolic

concern for the vicissitudes of man and the “signs of the times”.

They are a response from the future priest’s loving solicitude and

his sincere, selfless devotion.

^

A seminarist should grasp the meaning of the connection between

his celibacy and apostolic concern. Voluntary celibacy is a witness

of love, “an answer of love to the love” of Christ. In Him loving in

human fashion receives, through grace, a new and incomparable

strength.^

Perfect chastity is lived by a priest “not out of contempt for the

gift of life, but for a higher love of that new kind of life which flows

from the paschal mystery”.^ For a priest human love is sacrificed

for the love of Christ and, therefore, for the love of the Church and

of all mankind. For this love a priest gives up other attachments and

legitimate affections.®

82. Growing in the imitation of Christ:

The example of the Supreme Shepherd shows clearly how super-

natural is the priest’s mission of redemption. The primary and fun-

damental source of his pastorate and what it means to be a pastor

is his living, total consecration to Christ, given to the world by the

Father.®

The sacrament which deputes a baptized person a pastor makes

him an “elect of Christ” for the salvation of his brothers, contracted

out to Jesus Christ in fraternal love (Phil. 3, 12; Gal. i, 10; 5, 13).

It is a life of complete submission to the demands of the love of God,

of disposability to the action of grace, a living less and less for oneself

and more and more for Him Who brings all things to their fruition

(2 Cor. 5, 14-15).

^ Cf. S. C. for Cath. Ed., Ratio fundamentalist loc. cit., n. 47.

® Cf. S. C. for Cath. Ed., Ratio fundamentalis, loc. cit., n. 47.

® Cf. Paul VI, Enc. Letter, Sacerdotalis caelibatus, loc. cit., pp. 666, n. 24.

* Paul VI, Enc. Letter, Sacerdotalis caelibatus, loc. cit., p. 661, n. 13.

® Cf. Paul VI, Enc. Letter, Sacerdotalis caelibatus, loc. cit., pp. 661, 667,

668, 669, nn. 13, 20, 26, 30.

* Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Presbyterorum ordinis, n. 14.

68



Shepherds of souls must continue to be formed in that love which

is, of its nature, exclusive. They must realize that the “yes” they

once said to the Bishop who ordained them committed them per-

manently and completely to God’s saving love. In the priestly prayer

of Jesus it is impossible to separate the “for them” from the “I give

myself”. So also in the formation of priests, consecration to God

cannot be separated from service of the brethren. Rather the one

must be completely grounded in the other.

IV. Necessity and means of contact with the world

83. New requirements in priestly formation:

Seminaries have sought rightly to preserve their students from

too much worldly influence in order to establish a climate better

adapted to the interior life. Alongside this concern, which is still

required and valid even today, the need has arisen to establish some

contact between the student and the world and with the situation

in which the family of man in reality lives. When all is said and

done about seminary formation, one has to face the fact that it is

not possible to pretend to maintain a kind of segregation from the

world which can only be pure fancy today.

It is impossible to abstract oneself from the subtile, often critical,

state of the unbelieving contemporary world. Young students cannot

afford to be ignorant of the realities of the world in which they are

going to be called to work. Nor must they be allowed to be because

the presentation of the faith demands that it be presented relevantly

to the people addressed. Therefore, the formation of priests today

must be undertaken with eyes wide-open, with honesty, courage,

and in ways which were not perhaps required in the past.^

This means that the student should be helped by a formation

which is both positive and grounded in theology to face risks and

overcome mistakes and ambiguities surrounding the final choice he

will make definitively at his ordination. His basic decision to embrace

the priesthood must be prompted not by fear or ignorance of the

world or a repudiation of the realities of life, but by his clear vision

of his true meaning in the world and of his relationship to others.

^ Cf. S. C. for Cath. Ed., Ratio fundamentalis, loc. cit., n. 69.

69



84- The purpose of interpersonal relationships

:

Complete isolation in a seminary could prevent a seminarist from

appreciating the problems of his own generation. He might become

inclined to assume conventional and depersonalized forms of re-

lationships with others. It could deprive him of the opportunity

to make a responsible decision about his vocation in relation to the

world outside. It could make understanding of men and life, where

he is going to have to carry out his apostolate, more difficult.^ Without

an appreciation for the trials which beset human beings outside,

he could be insensitive as a priest to the problems of others. Finally,

there is the danger of creating in seminarians a spirit of privileged

caste.

Human relations are not only an instrument in the apostolate;

they are, in their theological aspect, a value in their own right. The

Christian, as an image of God in Christ, is called to live in the world

as a new creature. It is the priest, through his mission of living

in charity and friendship, in intimate and fraternal affection and

family-like unity, who expresses in himself the true meaning of the

new creature in Christ.

It is precisely because of the need for the education of students

not to be divorced from contact with modern man that the Ma-

gisterium of the Church has called for a formation of students for

the priesthood with emphasis on such virtues as friendship, loyalty,

reliance on one’s word, and the capacity to give to others generously

and faithfully.

2

85. Seminarians and their families:

Home life plays an important role in training a candidate for

the priesthood. It is there, for example, that he can discover meaning,

value, and difficulties in human love. The family teaches him the

importance and value of an affective relationship and the possibility

also of appreciating particular aspects of feminine psychology.

The time he spends with his family is very important for the

formation of a seminarist, not only during summer vacations but

^ Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Optatam totius, nn. 3, 19.

^ Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Optatam totius, n. ii; S. C. for Cath. Ed., Ra-

tio fundamentalis, loc. cit., nn. 51, 69.

70



also during the academic year. It presents the opportunity for engag-

ing in a number of social contacts in the course of his recreation,

employment, or pastoral activity, and can test the usefulness and

relevance of the counsels he has received in the seminary. Taken

seriously, this aspect of the students’ formation can awaken the

sense of responsibility and the spiritual lives of the members of the

family and the parish clergy.

The family should be the “garden” in which vocations are born

and grow. It ought to be the “first seminary” and thereafter the

primary cooperator with the seminary.^ Nevertheless, in view of the

numerous serious shortcomings in many families today care has to

be taken that the family does not destroy what the seminary is trying

to build.

If families are to carry out a complementing and sustaining role

in the formation and perseverance of the future priest, a good deal

of pastoral formation of the family needs to be undertaken. One of

the main objects of the work for vocations consists precisely in eliciting

the cooperation of families, bringing parents to a knowledge of what

they can and must do in regard to the discovery and growth of sacred

vocations.

The tasks of parents with regard to Church vocations are manifold

because they are called to prepare, cultivate, and support the vocations

God gives to their children. They have to acquire for themselves

and their families profound moral and religious values, a deep and

convinced spirit of religious practice, exemplary Christian moral

conduct, a concern for the Church and its apostolate, a decent edu-

cation for their children, and a correct concept of what a vocation is.

86. Relationship with the local parish:

A Christian lives out his experience of faith and welcomes the

invitation to help extend the faith to others in an ecclesial community.

Such a community, where the various roles of priests and lay people

are correctly lived and where the Lord is the center of every activity,

helps each one in the community to understand the ecclesial dimension

of his own vocation.

^ Cf. Pius XI, Enc. Letter, Ad catholici sacerdotii, 20 Dec. 1935: A.A.S.,

28 (1936), pp, 5 ff. ; Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Optatam totius, n. 2.

71



Therefore, the parish has a necessary part to play in the emergence

of priestly vocations, and in the seminarian’s perseverance. The

parish must do all in its power to involve its Church students in the

apostolic activity of the community.^

This goal can be reached by a parish if it is a genuine community

living a life of faith and duly concerned for the realization of the

kingdom of God; if the priests of the parish influence the young by

the example of their holy lives and their pastoral zeal; if the faithful

are interested in promoting vocations, pray for vocations and the

sanctification of priests; if the laity collaborate in carrying out the

community’s pastoral obligations.

87. Contact with the world:

A seminary today has to be a community open to the life of today.

It has to maintain contacts of all sorts, contacts with the families of

the students, contacts with the world of youth, contacts with the life

of the Church both on a local and a universal level and contacts with

the problems of mankind.^

But when one says that it should be “open” and not “closed”,

this is far from meaning in some unplanned or mindless fashion.

It means rather that it must be designed to produce students who

will be capable of a truly human and priestly relationship with others,

an openness of spirit to their problems and an ability to engage in

dialogue.®

A priest is called to be in the world, to understand the world,

and to accept the world, but, at the same time, to undertake a mission

which distinguishes him from the world. He can never be in all

things “like them”. The true priest is a solitary, living in solidarity

with the world around him. His work keeps him in simultaneous

contact with the community of men and the communion of saints.

He lives among men, but keeps in his sight God.^

A seminarian must be formed to live in a worldly environment

^ Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Optatam totius, n. 2; S. C. for Cath. Ed., Ra-

tio fundamentalis, n. 1 1 ; Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Presbyterorum ordinis, n. 1 1

;

Deer. Ad gentes divinitus, n. 19.
^

Cf. S. C. for Cath. Ed., Ratio fundamentalist loc. cit., n. 12.

® Cf. S. C. for Cath. Ed., Ratio fundamentalist loc. cit.t nn. 12, 20, 47, 51,

58, 69, 95.

® Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Presbyterorum ordinist n. 17.

72



with the soul of a priest. He must be taught to assume a proper

bearing in the company of others and to let his interior, spiritual

strength dictate his personal reactions in conversation. Seminary

training must form him to be able to stand up spiritually on his own

feet in the face of the pressures that will come from his surroundings.

88. Training to be an apostolic presence in the world:

Seminary students have to learn to adopt an apostolic outlook

in their outside contacts. It was for this reason that the Second

Vatican Council expressed the desire that students be introduced

to the apostolate — not so much to make a contribution to parochial
work-as to create in them a pastoral attitude in their dealings with

others, to arouse in them a taste for the apostolate of charity which

could inspire their daily round of duty, as well as spurring them on

to discover a means of exercizing the apostolate in accordance with

modern needs.^

It is of fundamental importance to send seminarists into the

apostolate, and to do so not just to help the clergy but to acquire a

missionary spirit and apostolic charity and, furthermore, to enable

them to learn up-to-date techniques and evaluate the results after-

wards.2 Their celibacy must also, then, be integrated into their

personal apostolic mission.

To accomplish the high ideals of the pastoral formation of future

priests requires a highly qualified staff. They must be skilled men,

true animators, who are capable of assisting the students and are

responsible for the necessary pastoral evaluation of their work and

for pastoral supervision. It is a waste of time to talk about the seminary

rule or the need for the seminary to be open to the world unless the

seminary is under the direction of priests who have the talent and

ability to be true educators.^

89. Instruments of social communication:

Communications media play an important role in forming men

today, and so, too, in forming priests. These media are not unrelated

to the problem of forming men in perfect chastity since so often they

^ Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Optatam totius, nn. 12, 19.

^ Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Optatam totius, nn. 19-21.

® Cf. S. C. for Cath. Ed., Ratio fundamentalis, loc. cit., nn. 30-31.

73



have become too involved in sex. They are, for better or ^vorse,

problems that touch the personal life of a priest who will be using

them and will be subject to their influence. They also touch the

pastoral work of the priest because these media both form, inform,

and transform his people and shape their social consciousness. He

has to help his people use them properly and guard against their

harmful effects.^

It is not, therefore, simply and solely for their personal formation

but also to prepare them for the apostolate that aspirants for the

priesthood should be introduced to the correct use of these instru-

ments of social communication (press, radio, television, cinema,

etc.) and should, in general, be equipped to communicate their

thoughts by the spoken and written word to the men of our time

in a manner adapted to the mind of today.

Evidently this is a serious problem of enormous proportions,

particularly if one takes into account the real situation of the press

and the wide use and influence of radio and television. The fact is

that the internal and external environment of the seminary community

depends greatly on the media which, therefore, have it within their

power to form or de-form candidates for the priesthood.

The formational problem presented by the media cannot be

reduced merely to a disciplinary regulation of their use. It is above

all a question of positive education, of reflection on the social phe-

nomena in which we are immersed. It is the problem of seminary

personnel being prepared and specialized enough to look after this

aspect of training. It is not only a question of trying to limit the

damage that dangerous instruments can do, but of forming future

priests who will be capable of living responsibly in the hard world

of reality.

^ Cf. Vat. Coun. II, Deer. Inter mirifica, passim; Pont. Comm, for Social

Comm., Past. Instr. Communio et progressio, 23 May 1971: A.A.S., 63 (1971),

PP- 593 passim.

74



CONCLUSION

90. Formation as a synthesis of nature and grace:

It is hoped that the guidelines and suggestions presented here

will be of some service to seminary staffs. They have been inspired

by a study of the elements of nature and grace which go into seminary

and priestly formation. Aware of their high calling and responsi-

bility, educators in seminaries should endeavor at all times to combine

the resources offered by nature and grace in their work.

Effective training for priestly celibacy must begin with the indi-

vidual as he is and help him develop and reach perfection. He has,

therefore, to be known and understood in himself. As one finds him

so one adapts the means of training to his individual mentality — a
mentality formed by his personal background, a conflation of indi-

vidual and social influences.

The natural conditions which favor the spiritual life can be

summed up in the concept of maturity. To use every effort in order

to reach maturity in oneself, and to assist others to reach theirs,

signifies cooperation with divine grace to construct the spiritual

edifice which is a man and, a fortiori^ which is a priest.

While it is true that the spiritual life depends essentially on grace

in its mysteriousness and, as such, transcends the psychic mechanisms

of man, it is nonetheless true that these mechanisms affect the action

of grace. It is important, therefore, that the personality of the semi-

narian becomes more richly human in order to serve better as a sign

and instrument of the call of the Holy Spirit.

It is the task of formation to enhance the humanity of the indi-

vidual, to direct him towards, and to bring him if possible to, per-

fection in such a way as to enable the action of grace to be more

effective. The training process will be effective in proportion to the

degree of attention paid to the individual conditions, be they normal

or otherwise, of the candidate. Only then can one make a human

person into a valid instrument for the work of divine grace.

75



THE PROGRAM OF

CONTINUING EDUCATION

OF PRIESTS

Prepared by the Bishops' Committee on Priestly Formation and the

Formation Committee of the Conference of Major Superiors of Men.

This document is a result of Vatican Council II. In the Decree on

Priestly Formation, the Council Fathers asked the Episcopal Con-

ferences to develop means by which continuing education of priests

can be implemented in their own countries. In 1969 the Sacred

Congregation for the Clergy provided directives which were to

guide the Episcopal Conferences in this work.

Chapters include: Nature and purpose; responsibilities and roles:

Of Bishop and priest, of Priests' Senate, of educational institutions,

of the director; Programs: General programs, spiritual programs,

major academic and professional programs, special categories;

Areas of Concern: Motivation, Financing, Evaluation.

Send copies. (V-239) 50(^

THE PROGRAM OF PRIESTLY
FORMATION

Part One: Professional Formation for the Priesthood: Objectives—

The Academic Program—Pastoral Formation—Spiritual Formation-

Community Life and Discipline—Seminary Administration—Ecumeni-

cal Dimension in Theological Education

Part Two: College Formation: Aims and Objectives—Academic pro-

gram—Other Elements of Formation—Seminary Administration

Part Three: High School Formation: Aims and Objectives— Elements

of Formation—Seminary Administration

Part Four: The Religious Priest's Formation: Nature of Religious

Life—Community Life—Commitments to the Counsels—Early Train-

ing: Novitiate—Administration

Appendices: Model Curricula for Theologate and Seminary College

—Relation of Philosophy and Theology—Some Special Observations

about the High School Seminary—Pastoral Care of Vocations

Price: $1.50—Bulk Rates on Request.

Please send copies (V-155).

THE BASIC PLAN FOR PRIESTLY FORMATION. (V-135).

Ratio Fundamentalis Instifutionis Sacerdotalis. Sacred Con-

gregation for Catholic Education. 3/16/70. $1.25

LATIN TEXT OF ABOVE. (V-135 L). $1.00

NORMAE QUAEDAM. (V-138-L). 1968



PRIESTHOOD STUDIES

SPIRITUAL RENEWAL OF THE AMERICAN

PRIESTHOOD. Edited by Ernest E. Larkin,

O. Carm. and Gerald T. Broccolo.

"This document is a call to all priests to face the challenge of a

new World/'

Chapters include: American Culture and Spirituality; Ministry and

Spirituality; Personal Relationships and Spirituality; Discipleship and

Spirituality; Personal Integration and Spirituality. (V-230) $1.25

THE PRIEST AND SACRED SCRIPTURE. Edited

by Rev. Eugene Maly.

Biblical aspects of Priesthood presented in a report prepared as

part of the widely discussed study on priestly life and ministry in

the U.S. commissioned by the National Conference of Catholic

Bishops.

Chapters include: The Nature of Biblical Religion; Jesus Christ;

The Church in the New Testament; Ministries in the New Testament;

Ministries in the Old Testament. (V-226) 95^

SYNOD DOCUMENTS

THE MINISTERIAL PRIESTHOOD. JUSTICE IN

THE WORLD.

Two documents issued by the Synod of Bishops held in Rome, 1971.

Ministerial Priesthood includes sections on: Principles of Doctrine;

Guidelines for the Priestly Life and Ministry; Priests in the

Mission of Christ and the Church; Priests in the Communion

of the Church. Justice in the World includes sections on

Justice and World Society; The Gospel Message and the Mission of

the Church; The Practice of Justice; A Word of Hope. Both documents

under one cover. (V-187) 50^

UNITED STATES CATHOLIC CONFERENCE

PUBLICATIONS

1312 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D. C. 20005

Name

Address

City/State/Zip



STANDING ORDER SERVICE

By filling in and returning the form below, you will

be included in the standing order service, a plan by

which each new printing of the USCC Publications Office

is automatically mailed to subscribers. These printings

are mainly Papal Documents and the Bishops' yearly

statements but may include special publications or an

occasional pamphlet of current Interest. Many include

indexes, study outlines and bibliographies.

Not all Papal messages or documents are included

but rather a selection of the more important ones or

those of special interest to American Catholics, or for

which there is an unusual number of requests.

There are usually from 15 to 30 printings each year

ranging in price from 10^ to 75^^. The total yearly

bill is usually $12.00 to $18.00 depending on the num-

ber of items published during the year. Occasional

special standing order discounts off the list prices are

offered on some items.

Billings are made annually in December for the pre-

ceding year, unless you specify otherwise or unless the

quantity ordered is large. You may cancel your stand-

ing order any time.

I wish to place a standing order for copies of

all new printings issued by the USCC Publications Office

until such time as I request cancellation of this order.

Please address the mailings as follows:

Name

(Print)

Address

City State Zip

Signature