vocation 102
I would like to continue where I left off the other week with the thoughts that come to mind as we approach the day of ordination of Rev. Peter Guarin and Rev. Michael Alquisada.
When a young man decides to enter the seminary, feeling that he has a reason to believe that he is called to the priesthood, he has to pass two houses of formation before he could reach the priesthood. The first is the initial formation to the priesthood consisting of 8 years minimum (I shall explain later why I placed the word “minimum”) when one is entering High School (after graduating in the elementary), or 5 years minimum if one is entering via the pre-college (after having graduated in high school outside of the seminary), or two years minimum if one graduated from a major secular course and has worked for at least two years before deciding to enter the seminary.
The second is the proper formation (theology) to the priesthood consisting of a minimum of five years.
The term initial is used in contrast to the proper formation. As an initial formation it has two main tasks, namely, to discern further whether one has the vocation to the priesthood, and secondly, to nurture the presumed vocation by equipping the candidate for the vocation.
A vocation, and for that matter the vocation to the priesthood is a call. It is a call that comes from God (sorry, it does not come from lola) and it is therefore important that an individual has a relationship with God so as to know God’s will for him. The attraction and desire for the priesthood may have come from one’s inclination (for whatever reason that is), or from an inspiration aroused by the life of another priest. It can also come as a pressure from the parents or from the environment a young man is exposed to. The thing is – is it also God’s will? It can happen that an individual may not want to. But the point in a discernment is – is it God’s will? Thus an important fixture of this initial formation is to form the habit of prayer and his openness to be directed in his spiritual life. Thus, they are gradually initiated to the discipline of spiritual life and the rigors of spiritual direction creating an atmosphere of trust and openness. Hopefully (because not all will do) they will develop as they age and deepen their relationship with God towards the end of their college life and thus be led to discern God’s will.
Equipping them for the vocation comes mainly in the form of human formation. Human formation is not something separate from the spiritual. In fact it is the grounding for the spiritual life. A good spiritual formation requires a good human formation. This formation includes the Community Life, the Academic Life, the Spiritual Life itself and the Apostolic Life (in seminary parlance they call this the CASA (a house) with H – human formation serving as the pillar). This is where a seminarian’s skills are honed: intellectually, emotionally, relationally, pastorally, spiritually. Discipline is important in this stage. Though external in its early stages it is made to gradually develop until an internal structure is formed, manifested in the good habits and character of the individual.
Sometimes seminarians are sent out on regency. Some people do not have a clear understanding as to what it is and its purpose. Regency is still part of seminary formation (thus I wrote that sometimes the number of years for formation may be increased). The capacity for discernment, the discernment itself and the development of the various skills are at times, in the judgment of the formators and the needs of the individual, better addressed or worked out outside the seminary structure. At times a seminarian requires a “distancing” so to say, so that he can look at things and assess them from afar. Other times a seminarian needs to exercise greater freedom and responsibility which the restricting and structured atmosphere of the seminary cannot fully offer. And still others need the necessary exposure that is required for the openness which discernment necessitates. These are all necessary so that one can be ready – humanly and spiritually speaking, for the rigors of the next stage – the proper formation to the priesthood.
In the proper formation (theology), a seminarian is expected to be more or less sure that indeed he is called by God to the priesthood. Supposedly (well, things don’t turn out as expected most often) they are by now able to live the life of the priesthood not just outwardly but even inwardly and are more able to make decisions that reflect his choice. Spiritual life is emphasized and this is aided by their study of theology. Skills for the pastoral ministry are augmented and further developed and this would already include immersion in the life of the parish and the varied settings of the ministry of priests. Here the individual is gradually initiated in the life and ministry of the church with the conferral of ministries until at last, with the rigorous guidance of a good spiritual director he is able to decide (which is more of a recognition and response to God’s call) to enter the clerical state which is the diaconate.
This is the stage where Rev. Ron and Rev. Peter are in. By October 26 they are going to take the final step to the priesthood and by then we hope that the years of formation they underwent will bear fruit in their life and ministry.
When a young man decides to enter the seminary, feeling that he has a reason to believe that he is called to the priesthood, he has to pass two houses of formation before he could reach the priesthood. The first is the initial formation to the priesthood consisting of 8 years minimum (I shall explain later why I placed the word “minimum”) when one is entering High School (after graduating in the elementary), or 5 years minimum if one is entering via the pre-college (after having graduated in high school outside of the seminary), or two years minimum if one graduated from a major secular course and has worked for at least two years before deciding to enter the seminary.
The second is the proper formation (theology) to the priesthood consisting of a minimum of five years.
The term initial is used in contrast to the proper formation. As an initial formation it has two main tasks, namely, to discern further whether one has the vocation to the priesthood, and secondly, to nurture the presumed vocation by equipping the candidate for the vocation.
A vocation, and for that matter the vocation to the priesthood is a call. It is a call that comes from God (sorry, it does not come from lola) and it is therefore important that an individual has a relationship with God so as to know God’s will for him. The attraction and desire for the priesthood may have come from one’s inclination (for whatever reason that is), or from an inspiration aroused by the life of another priest. It can also come as a pressure from the parents or from the environment a young man is exposed to. The thing is – is it also God’s will? It can happen that an individual may not want to. But the point in a discernment is – is it God’s will? Thus an important fixture of this initial formation is to form the habit of prayer and his openness to be directed in his spiritual life. Thus, they are gradually initiated to the discipline of spiritual life and the rigors of spiritual direction creating an atmosphere of trust and openness. Hopefully (because not all will do) they will develop as they age and deepen their relationship with God towards the end of their college life and thus be led to discern God’s will.
Equipping them for the vocation comes mainly in the form of human formation. Human formation is not something separate from the spiritual. In fact it is the grounding for the spiritual life. A good spiritual formation requires a good human formation. This formation includes the Community Life, the Academic Life, the Spiritual Life itself and the Apostolic Life (in seminary parlance they call this the CASA (a house) with H – human formation serving as the pillar). This is where a seminarian’s skills are honed: intellectually, emotionally, relationally, pastorally, spiritually. Discipline is important in this stage. Though external in its early stages it is made to gradually develop until an internal structure is formed, manifested in the good habits and character of the individual.
Sometimes seminarians are sent out on regency. Some people do not have a clear understanding as to what it is and its purpose. Regency is still part of seminary formation (thus I wrote that sometimes the number of years for formation may be increased). The capacity for discernment, the discernment itself and the development of the various skills are at times, in the judgment of the formators and the needs of the individual, better addressed or worked out outside the seminary structure. At times a seminarian requires a “distancing” so to say, so that he can look at things and assess them from afar. Other times a seminarian needs to exercise greater freedom and responsibility which the restricting and structured atmosphere of the seminary cannot fully offer. And still others need the necessary exposure that is required for the openness which discernment necessitates. These are all necessary so that one can be ready – humanly and spiritually speaking, for the rigors of the next stage – the proper formation to the priesthood.
In the proper formation (theology), a seminarian is expected to be more or less sure that indeed he is called by God to the priesthood. Supposedly (well, things don’t turn out as expected most often) they are by now able to live the life of the priesthood not just outwardly but even inwardly and are more able to make decisions that reflect his choice. Spiritual life is emphasized and this is aided by their study of theology. Skills for the pastoral ministry are augmented and further developed and this would already include immersion in the life of the parish and the varied settings of the ministry of priests. Here the individual is gradually initiated in the life and ministry of the church with the conferral of ministries until at last, with the rigorous guidance of a good spiritual director he is able to decide (which is more of a recognition and response to God’s call) to enter the clerical state which is the diaconate.
This is the stage where Rev. Ron and Rev. Peter are in. By October 26 they are going to take the final step to the priesthood and by then we hope that the years of formation they underwent will bear fruit in their life and ministry.
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