Seminary: five years?

[BayCityRickL]

I’m not sure why the Church insists that a man spend five years in a seminary.

After all, law school is three years, medical school is three or four years. Some nursing schools are down to 1 year for candidates with a college degree.

On the other hand, pharmacy takes 5 or 6 years, total. Architecture takes 5 years of full time work.

Is this seminary five years of pure academic work?

It seems that college plus three years ought to be enough. Let those who are chosen, do graduate, post-ordination studies, or let them all do graduate studies five years after ordination.

when I went away to college, the only thought that encouraged me was that each day I was one day closer to graduation, which seemed so far away.

We are so used to priests who have full faculties. But, what would it take to produce a weekend priest, whose faculties were perhaps limited to saying Mass and preaching?

 

[SeekerJen]

BayCityRickL:

After all, law school is three years, medical school is three or four years. Some nursing schools are down to 1 year for candidates with a college degree.

Medical school is 4 years of coursework and mandatory rotations plus at least three years of residency and/or fellowship post-graduation. All of the 1-year nursing programs that I’ve seen are for people who already have a bachelors in a biological or biomedical science field (otherwise you’ve still got a year or two of pre-requisites to complete before you qualify). I’m hoping to enter a Ph.D. program for either Immunology or Molecular Biology next fall. Between coursework and dissertation research, I expect to need 5-6 years to complete the degree. Then I need at least 3 years in a postdoctoral fellowship before I can apply for university faculty appointments. And this is after a bachelor’s in biochemistry and 4 years work experience.

5 years for most post-bachelor education and training programs doesn’t seem like such a stretch to me. Especially as I’m assuming the seminary program includes graduate level course work and important “hands-on” training, such as working at a parish or in other ministry, not to mention the time spent in the diaconate before full priestly ordination. And considering how many problems have been surfacing with priests and seminaries lately, perhaps 5 years isn’t long enough in all cases.

 

[Brain]

our dioscese does 2 years of theology 1 year of service at a parish as a layman 2 more years of theology, deaconate ordination and service for 6 months to a year, then priestly ordination.

 

[m134e5]

The seminary is much more than a place to get book knowledge- you can get the book knowledge you need at a regular academic college. It is meant to be a place of spiritual and emotional growth- and that cannot be rushed.

 

[Brain]

The seminary is the ideal place for dicernment. If there is evidence you are claled, you go and, aside from the academics, you test your call.
At least that is how all the priests i have talked to discibed it.

 

[puzzleannie]

BayCityRickL:

Is this seminary five years of pure academic work?

It when I went away to college, the only thought that encouraged me was that each day I was one day closer to graduation, which seemed so far away.
?

Seminary formation is much more than academic, it is also spiritual formation and pastoral formation.

Sorry you had a bad time in college and transfer your feelings onto others. When I was in school both undergrad and grad school I was so grateful for the privilege, so excited by learning, contact with great minds, the discussions late at night, the new worlds that opened up to me, that I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. This even though for most of those years I was raising my family and working as well.

 

[Teddymartin]

Greetings in Christ and Mary

I am a seminarian so I thought I would give my (name removed by moderator)ut. Under normal circumstances in the United States it takes 4 years of undergraduate studies, plus 4-5 years of major seminary. As mentioned in the above posts, the seminary is so much more than a physical place or even a purely academic environment. In John Paul II’s Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation entitled “Pastores Dabo Vobis” (I will give you Shepards) JPII lays out the four major areas of formation. They are Human, Spiritual, Intellectual and Pastoral. I highly recommend that reading the document if you are in any way interested with priestly formation and the on going formation of priest. I am currently in my third year of philosophy and sometimes it feels a bit long but it is certainly is worth every moment. One discerning a call to the priesthood has to put on the new man and become a man of Jesus Christ. This process certainly doesn’t happen over night. With years of prayer, study and service we will by God’s grace be Shepards that truly serve our Bride, the Church. I hope my perspective helps. God bless and have a blessed advent as we await our Blessed Lord’s coming.
Link: vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_jp-ii_exh_25031992_pastores-dabo-vobis_en.html

 

[m134e5]

Everyone I have spoken with about the seminary has said it is/was a great experience, and they sure didn’t seem to regret being there for as long as they were. Even those who stop after the first four years who I have talked to have said they treasure the time they spent there- that they grew a lot in their faith, and learned a lot about who they were, and what God’s will was for them.