Spiritual Formation

Spiritual Formation

1. The spiritual formation given in this Seminary will chiefly consist in removing the hindrances and obstacles in one’s nature, temperament and character which impede the action of the Holy Spirit; and in cultivating those virtues, which are necessary for priestly life – chiefly a deep love of God and of souls, and an abiding spirit of self sacrifice, which arises from faith in Christ.

2. Since grace does always work upon and perfect nature, the students will not forget that the acquisition of supernatural virtues must need have as background the assiduous cultivation of natural and social virtues, such as, truthfulness, honesty, frankness, sociability, politeness, sense of responsibility and the like (Charter, 3.2.1).

3. The students will have at heart the desire to imbue themselves with a true priestly spirit. They will gradually assimilate in themselves wholesome habits of prayer and sacrifice, necessary for the generous dedication of themselves to the cause of the Reign of God. They will strive to acquire the knowledge and personal experience of the Lord, the Good Shepherd, in order to mould themselves into pastors of souls; they will try to appear and really be, in their person and in their activity, servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God (I Cor 4:1).

4. The students will strive not to succumb to the oldest temptation in the world to regard self rather than God as the centre of one’s life.

5. They will participate in the Holy Eucharistic sacrifice daily, fully, actively and consciously, renewing their offering of self to the Lord daily so that they may grow more and more in the spirit of Christ, the Good Pastor, who gave his life for his sheep (Can. 246, § 1).

6. Every student will choose a Spiritual Director for himself, from among the Spiritual Directors and the Staff members, whom he will consider as father in Christ and to whom he will go for guidance and direction with an open heart and mind (Can. 239, § 2).

7. Bearing in mind that the Sacrament of Reconciliation absolves sins, revives the fundamental gift of conversion received in baptism, opens the way to receive God’s mercy and helps us to grow in the love of God, every student will receive this sacrament at least twice a month (Can. 246, § 4).

8. The students will normally approach their own spiritual directors for their confessions. They are free, however, to go to any priest residing in the Seminary or coming from outside, provided he has the faculty to hear confessions (Can. 240, § 1).

9. Every student will be faithful to his daily meditation and other exercises of piety. He will cultivate in himself a great desire for personal prayer so that he may promote in himself integration between interiority and activity. He will always be on his guard against the danger of becoming so involved in the work for the Lord as to forget the Lord of all work.

10. Every student will read the Word of God attentively and meditate on it devoutly every day, so that he may more and more realize that the Word of God is the life-giving bread and source of strength in his life and an encounter with the surpassing knowledge of Christ (Charter, 3.2.2 (a)).

11. The students will avail themselves of every opportunity to express their love and devotion to Christ’s Eucharistic presence, of which they will, as priests, be the custodians, by loving recourse to him through frequent visits to the Blessed Sacrament.

12. They will devote some time daily to spiritual reading, so that by reading the documents of the Church, the masters of spiritual writings, they may be able to live Christ’s message and bear witness to the contemporary world.

13. They will profess a special love for the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of Jesus and our Mother (Can. 246, § 3). They will recite the rosary daily, striving at the same time to be increasingly convinced of the suitability, beauty and efficacy of this prayer, which proposes for meditation the mysteries of Our Lord’s life (Charter, 3.2.2).

14. Every month, the students will spend a day in recollection. Every year, they will make a spiritual retreat of at least five full days (Can. 246, § 5).