Institute for the Preparation of Seminary Formation Staff and Advisors

Along with the National Catholic Education Association Seminary Department, the Society of St. Sulpice, Province of the United States (Sulpicians) co-sponsor an Institute for men and women beginning formation work in seminaries. Since 1993, the Institute has provided an orientation for rectors, teachers, spiritual directors, mentors and advisors new to a seminary setting.

The Institute brings together new formation personnel in order to learn about the various challenges of priestly formation in the contemporary seminary. The Institute introduces participants to the following core issues in seminary ministry:

• The Content of Formation;
• A Pastoral Methodology;
• The Human Development Issues of Today’s Seminarians;
• Psychological Testing and Admissions;

• Fr. Gerald McBrearity

  Education for Celibacy;
• Trends and Transitions in Seminary Formation;
• The Formation Process:
• Internal Forum and External Forum Relationships;
• Intellectual Formation;
• Priestly Formation and the Multicultural Seminary Population; and
• Forming Priests for the 21st Century.

The faculty for the Institute includes Father James Walsh, Sister Katarina Schuth, OSF, and Sulpicians Fathers. Melvin Blanchette, Gerald McBrearity, Philip Keane, Gerald Brown and John Kemper. Fr. Gerald McBrearity is the Director.

Formation Institute 2009
The next Institute for the Preparation of Seminary Formation Staff and Advisors will be held in June 5–12, 2009 at St. Patrick Seminary in Menlo Park, California. Registration forms will be mailed to all seminaries and religious houses of formation in late 2008 by the Seminary Department of the NCEA. At that time, additional information and a registration form will be available for download from: www.ncea.org/departments/seminary/SeminaryPrograms.asp

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