What is the Propaedeutic Stage of seminary formation?

 

The Diocese of Tucson currently has four seminarians in formation, three of whom are in the propaedeutic year, which is the first of four stages. While this phrase is long and obscure, it simply means “providing introductory instruction.” The propaedeutic year of seminary formation accomplishes just that. This introductory year allows men who are discerning a vocation to the priesthood to step away from the busyness of daily life and into a community with other men discerning the priesthood. 

 

This is the second year that propaedeutic year has been available, because in 2023, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops published a revised edition of the Program for Priestly Formation, leading to some changes in the four stages of seminary formation. 

 

For those considering the priesthood, the thought of undergoing a propaedeutic year might cause alarm from the sheer intensity of the terminology. However, there’s no need to be concerned. We’ll shed some light on what actually happens during a propaedeutic year so that discerners can confidently know what is in store for them, should they take the next step in discerning if they’re called to the priesthood. 

 

“The propaedeutic year is more of a spiritual and human formation year,” said Fr. Alan Valencia, diocesan Director of Vocations, “where holy habits and community life are fostered and strengthened, while taking a few classes.” 

 

Some describe it as a way of getting accustomed to the seminary. Previous seminarians who experienced the propaedeutic year said that it helped them get into the routine and life of a seminarian. 

 

The daily routine is simple. In the morning, there is holy hour and morning prayer, with Mass and breakfast to follow. First year seminarians begin taking entry level courses in Catholic studies and liberal arts. After classes, seminarians reconvene for evening prayer and dinner. Evening activities range from formation with a guest speaker, fraternity with games and socializing, personal free time, cleaning the shared areas, or volunteering at a local parish. A bit later the seminarians enjoy the ‘grand silence’ when technology is put away and quiet falls over the formation house. The detachment from phones and technology is described as a real blessing, because it’s a way to find more peace in the stillness. 

 

Although first-year seminarians join a community of men who are mostly unfamiliar to each other, bonds of friendship are quickly forged by the shared experience of discernment. When asking the same deeper questions and wrestling with the same challenges, even strangers in seminary quickly find common ground in the Lord.  

 

The propaedeutic year also includes spiritual direction, growth counseling, and formators who advise and walk with the first-year seminarians along the journey of discernment. 

 

All in all, the propaedeutic year is described as a graceful time that helps men know if they’re ready for the discipleship stage of seminary formation. Discerning the priesthood and seminary formation are finite periods of time. Seminary is a time of continued discernment for men to see if they are called to the priesthood or not.  

 

“My time in seminary formation provided me with an environment geared towards building my relationship with Christ and growing as Catholic man with brothers who were guided by a common purpose: am I called to be a priest? I greatly benefited from the firsthand exposure to the life of a diocesan priest, which was personally more helpful than I could have ever learned from a book, an interview, or a speaker. I am blessed to have had the opportunity to mature in my faith, grow knowledge of the Church and her teachings, and build a foundation for my future service to the Church and her people,” said Zach Ferell, who has continued serving the Catholic Church as a youth minister, director of religious education, and now as a canon lawyer for the Diocese of Tucson. 

 

God plants seeds during seminary that continue to bear fruit as men live out their unique paths toward holiness.