How many years just it take to become a priest?

[Epsilon_Omega]

This is probably a redundant thread, but i couldn’t find a good thread through the search option.

How many years normally does it take in the seminary before becoming a priest? I used google and it brought me 4 years after college or 7-9 years if out of secondary school. Currently I am planning to attend Franciscan University of Steubenville for 4 years, and I am gonna be studying theology and maybe minor in philosophy? Will it take 4 years after college if all goes well?

Thanks for any and all responses

 

[RevDrNorth]

This is probably a redundant thread, but i couldn’t find a good thread through the search option.

How many years normally does it take in the seminary before becoming a priest? I used google and it brought me 4 years after college or 7-9 years if out of secondary school. Currently I am planning to attend Franciscan University of Steubenville for 4 years, and I am gonna be studying theology and maybe minor in philosophy? Will it take 4 years after college if all goes well?

Thanks for any and all responses

Caveat…I am not a Roman Catholic Priest (“but I play one on TV” or “but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night”).

I can tell you as a Protestant clergyman that as a general rule you need 4 years of undergraduate and 3 years (or 4) of full time seminary training. Mainline Protestant/RCC clergy undergo one of the longest Masters programs around at between 72 and more commonly 90 credit hours. Often there is also an internship attached. Requires learning at a minimum Greek and often Hebrew (latin?). Others do that much work and come out with a PhD…clergy a Masters of Divinity.

But you do it to be prepared (able to give an answer for the hope that is within)…and “study to show yourself a workman approved” knowing that it is to give God your best (even though the pay and hours do not add up to what the secular world would expect) and to be of service to others in your calling as a clergyman.

If God is calling you it is well worth the effort!

Good luck!

Rev North

 

[Epsilon_Omega]

Thank you, Rev North.

Currently I am planning to major in theology and then also do the Pre-theologate program if it is possible, to get my philosophy credits done. I guess it won’t truely be the pre-theologate program, but for all of my electives, I plan to take philosophy and stuff.

Thanks for the info

 

[orgel_maestro]

It might be different depending on whether u enter your regular diocesan seminary or a traditionalist seminary like the FSSP or the Institute of Christ the King (both of which are in communion with Rome btw). In the latter case, it maybe longer (?), because there is a lot of other stuff that you take like gregorian chant, latin etc. I guess the best way is to contact the vocations director, I’m sure you won’t have to retake classes if u’re a philoso/theo major.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

Thank you, Rev North.

Currently I am planning to major in theology and then also do the Pre-theologate program if it is possible, to get my philosophy credits done. I guess it won’t truely be the pre-theologate program, but for all of my electives, I plan to take philosophy and stuff.

Thanks for the info

How long does it take? It all depends on the individual and what their educational background is.

With the release of the Fifth Edition of the Program of Priestly Formation, it appears that the bishops are looking for men who have majored in philosophy.

I say this becuase the new requirements are 30 credits in philosophy and 12 credits in theology.

The easiest way to do this would be to major in philosophy and minor in theology (which would get you 18 credits, I believe).

If you major in theology then you will almost have to do a double major to get the required philosophy credits.

Ideally it takes 8 years to become a secular priest. Four years for your bachelors and four years for the Masters of Divinity.

 

[augieboo]

How many years normally does it take in the seminary before becoming a priest? I used google and it brought me 4 years after college or 7-9 years if out of secondary school. Currently I am planning to attend Franciscan University of Steubenville for 4 years, and I am gonna be studying theology and maybe minor in philosophy? Will it take 4 years after college if all goes well?

ByzCath is right about the 30 units philosophy and 12 units of theology, so if you’re serious about preparing for the priesthood, you definitely want to major in philosophy and minor in theology. It might not seem to make sense to you now, because it is natural to assume that undergraduate theology is the best preparation for graduate theology. This is the case in, say, physics, literature, or history.

But this is not the case in theology.

In a certain sense, studying for the priesthood is like studying medicine. Pre-med students don’t take undergraduate courses in infectious diseases, they take undergraduate courses in biology, anatomy, physiology, and the like, because knowledge of those fields is necessary to understand the actual med school course-work.

In much the same way, theology requires a very strong grounding in philosophy.

**So, buckle down and do the philosophy major. **

---

So, how long will it take?

Assuming you major in philosophy, it will depend on whether you join a diocese or an order. Most diocesan programs will be very similar, but those of the religious orders can vary quite a bit.

**DIOSESAN **

The Program of Priestly Formation requires four years of theology study above and beyond the undergraduate requirements. It also requires a great deal of what is called “Pastoral Formation”.

Paragrah 243 states that

The pastoral formation program should be an integral part of the seminary curriculum and accredited as such, but none of its elements should compromise the two years of full-time pre-Theology studies or the four years of full-time theological studies.

In practice, this seems to be taken care of by inserting a full “Pastoral Year” into the program, so that the course of study looks like this:

Year 1 = Theology 1
Year 2 = Theology 2
Year 3 = Pastoral Year
Year 4 = Theology 3
Year 5 = Theology 4

(This example it taken from my home diocese, whichi is St. Petersburg, Fl.)

During the pastoral year you will be assigned to live and work in a parish or other ministry situation.

RELIGIOUS ORDERS:

Most orders seem to have a year of so of “postulancy”, followed by a couple years of “Novitiate”. After this they send you off to a seminary for four years. Some orders add all kinds of other stuff on top of this. For example:

Legionaries of Christ require Latin & Greek, plus training in fighting with medieval weapons. :knight2: (Kidding on that last part)

Jesuits send everybody for advanced degrees, plus extra training in how to subvert the doctrine of the Church. (Hah hah! Just kidding on that last part too!

Anyhow, I hope this is helpful to you.

FINAL POINT

In closing let me reiterate the most important part:

MAJOR IN PHILOSOPHY! :yup: :extrahappy:

I didn’t. :banghead: :crying:

 

[SereneOne]

Can anyone shed light on how many years in seminary it took Jesus before he was allowed to preach? How about Peter or James?

Thank you and Merry Christmas.

 

[puzzleannie]

Can anyone shed light on how many years in seminary it took Jesus before he was allowed to preach? How about Peter or James?

Thank you and Merry Christmas.

Jesus was lecturing to the rabbis in the Temple at age 12 so clearly the Father and the Holy Spirit oversaw his training, which took about 30 years.

Peter, James and the other apostles were already mature men and as observent Jews were instructed in sacred scripture and tradition, the Torah, the Law and the Prophets, their whole lives, and spent at least 3 years in direct preparation for their ministry with Jesus Himself. Since even the best seminary is not Jesus, preparation under the direction of humans takes more time.

 

[Joannm]

In practice, this seems to be taken care of by inserting a full “Pastoral Year” into the program, so that the course of study looks like this:

Year 1 = Theology 1
Year 2 = Theology 2
Year 3 = Pastoral Year
Year 4 = Theology 3
Year 5 = Theology 4

(This example it taken from my home diocese, whichi is St. Petersburg, Fl.)

During the pastoral year you will be assigned to live and work in a parish or other ministry situation.

:

This is what is required in my diocese as well. The only way to actually cut some time off this schedule is if a man has an MA in Theology before entering the seminary, but then I think they might only accept a certain amount of credits.

 

[ChadS]

I just wanted to mention though that the formation of a priest is more than just a numbers game. Many of the replies seem to focus on how many credits does a person need or how long a person needs to be in school. While that is very true the time taken in pre-theology and theology training is also a time where the diocese and candidate take time to develop the candidate’s spirituality and prayer life. A properly formed and molded prayer and spiritual life can be of an even greater benefit and more practical use in the daily ministry of a priest than say reading and knowing all the intricacies of medieval theological disputes (although this can be important also).

ChadS

 

[SereneOne]

Jesus was lecturing to the rabbis in the Temple at age 12 so clearly the Father and the Holy Spirit oversaw his training, which took about 30 years.

Peter, James and the other apostles were already mature men and as observent Jews were instructed in sacred scripture and tradition, the Torah, the Law and the Prophets, their whole lives, and spent at least 3 years in direct preparation for their ministry with Jesus Himself. Since even the best seminary is not Jesus, preparation under the direction of humans takes more time.

Thanks, p.a. You re-enforced the point I was making several times in your reply. Blessings be on you!

 

[FrCorey]

It’s faster to become a doctor.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

RELIGIOUS ORDERS:

Most orders seem to have a year of so of “postulancy”, followed by a couple years of “Novitiate”. After this they send you off to a seminary for four years. Some orders add all kinds of other stuff on top of this.

Not all religious orders have a postulancy, some admit you right into the novitiate.

Also some orders, like mine, add a year or two of internship in one of their ministries.

This is what is required in my diocese as well. The only way to actually cut some time off this schedule is if a man has an MA in Theology before entering the seminary, but then I think they might only accept a certain amount of credits.

I am not so sure an MA will cut all that much time off and even if you can get out of the Seminary any earlier as there is formation within the Seminary besides the credited classes one must take.

 

[Joannm]

Not all religious orders have a postulancy, some admit you right into the novitiate.

Also some orders, like mine, add a year or two of internship in one of their ministries.

I am not so sure an MA will cut all that much time off and even if you can get out of the Seminary any earlier as there is formation within the Seminary besides the credited classes one must take.

YOu are probably correct. We had a decon serving in our parish the last 6 month of the seminary before ordination because he had an MA and didn’t need to take any more courses so he had the time to spend the last semester in a parish full time.

 

[Gianania]

Hi, I am Gianania,

Do priest have a doctorate in divinity when they become priests?

 

[Neal]

6 years if you have a B.A., 8 if you don’t.

with B.A. 2 years pretheo (or 4 years undergrad for philosophy) 4 years theology. Even if you have a philosophy degree you might have to do a year of philosophy, as most universities have ****** philosophy programs filled with junk, as opposed to “real” philosophy (Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas, Augustine, etc.). 4 years of theology are required, you leave with two degrees, a M.A. in Theology and a Masters of Divinity. Your last year you are a Deacon and are in a parish all weekend, over the summers you have assignments, at least thats how we do things in St. Louis. If you want more info about where you are contact your diocese’s vocation director.

You will need to learn some Latin and Greek (I hope so anyway), also some Hebrew, but thats not required typically, unless you plan on focusing on scripture study.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

Hi, I am Gianania,

Do priest have a doctorate in divinity when they become priests?

No they have a Masters of Divinity which is a four year professional masters degree.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

6 years if you have a B.A., 8 if you don’t.

with B.A. 2 years pretheo (or 4 years undergrad for philosophy) 4 years theology. Even if you have a philosophy degree you might have to do a year of philosophy, as most universities have ****** philosophy programs filled with junk, as opposed to “real” philosophy (Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas, Augustine, etc.). 4 years of theology are required, you leave with two degrees, a M.A. in Theology and a Masters of Divinity. Your last year you are a Deacon and are in a parish all weekend, over the summers you have assignments, at least thats how we do things in St. Louis. If you want more info about where you are contact your diocese’s vocation director.

You will need to learn some Latin and Greek (I hope so anyway), also some Hebrew, but thats not required typically, unless you plan on focusing on scripture study.

You only leave with a Masters of Divinity, not with an M.A. in Theology unless you add classes to fulfill the requirements of that degree.

You could learn some Latin, some programs require it, Hebrew and Greek would be electives and are not required by any program I know of.

 

[Neal]

You only leave with a Masters of Divinity, not with an M.A. in Theology unless you add classes to fulfill the requirements of that degree.

You could learn some Latin, some programs require it, Hebrew and Greek would be electives and are not required by any program I know of.

I guess thats a difference in seminaries. Kenrick in St. Louis requires the M.A. in Theology. I know the college in St. Louis, Cardinal Glennon College, requires Latin, the theologate assumes you know some. Greek is not required nor is Hebrew, but I would highly recommended it, IMHO. Again, this is why you best talk to your vocation director for the info on where your diocese/religious order sends men.

 

[CDNowak]

I guess thats a difference in seminaries. Kenrick in St. Louis requires the M.A. in Theology. I know the college in St. Louis, Cardinal Glennon College, requires Latin, the theologate assumes you know some. Greek is not required nor is Hebrew, but I would highly recommended it, IMHO. Again, this is why you best talk to your vocation director for the info on where your diocese/religious order sends men.

St Charles in Philly has the option for MA (Latin required, if you don’t have it out of college then you get it in THE). Greek/Hebrew expected for college, Pre-The, and as an elective continuing into Theology.

It also may depend on the diocese or order, some men at SCS were told by superiors to take the extra degree, conceivably others will be told not to (my understanding of what some of the other college/religious guys told me on that one).