“Candidates for the priesthood should have diligent care for the quality of their intellectual formation… For the salvation of their brothers and sisters they should seek an ever deeper knowledge of the divine mysteries. . . . Theological formation . . . should lead the candidate for the priesthood to a complete and unified vision of the truths which God has revealed in Jesus Christ.” (PDV, n. 51, 54)
“The intellectual formation of the future priest is based and built above all on the study of sacred doctrine, of theology.
The value and genuineness of this theological formation depend on maintaining a scrupulous respect for the nature of theology. . . The theologian is therefore, first and foremost, a believer, a person of faith. But the theologian is a believer who asks himself questions about his own faith (fides quaerens intellectum), with the aim of reaching a deeper understanding of the faith itself” (Pastores Dabo Vobis, n. 53).
Primary Outcome: To be a self-educator, i.e., to challenge oneself and to inspire others to continue to learn more about the faith and moral life and all aspects of the Catholic intellectual tradition.
How do I seek to know and love God and the things of God through study and learning?
- By better managing time on a daily basis for required study
- By finding extra time for additional study beyond the course requirements
- By making a commitment to read sacred scripture and/or Church documents
- By becoming more disciplined to read and study during breaks in the seminary schedule
- By selecting specific texts to be read within a certain time frame
- By identifying areas of personal academic weakness in philosophy or theology and choosing a course of action for improvement