R
Ruben
Guest
Does anyone know which Seminary it is that the Franciscans of The Immaculate train their future priests? I’ve checked their website but I can’t tell exactly where their seminary is, or if they have one in the US.
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J
JReducation
Guest
Franciscans do not have seminaries. We are an order of brothers. We form our friars in our houses of formation. Those who are called to be priests are usually sent to the local university to study philosophy and theology. You will have to contact the formation director of the order to find out where their house of formation is located. Seminaries are for orders of priests and for diocesan clergy.
You’re probably just using the wrong search word. Try formation or vocation director.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, OSF
F
Friar_David_O.Carm
Guest
As Br JR says.
Seminaries are places of formation for secular priests, but some religious orders resort to there use it is not all that common.
Religious studying for the priesthood attend theologates. They have their own houses of formation where they do the work of formation that is done within the seminary.
The two provinces of Carmelites in the United States attend the Washington Theological Union and have a joint formation house in DC called Whitefriars Hall.
The Byzantine Franciscans use the Byzantine Seminary in Pittsburgh and do their formation within that seminary. This is because it is the only Byzantine Seminary and they do not have the numbers to have a formation house of their own.
Seminaries are places of formation for secular priests, but some religious orders resort to there use it is not all that common.
Religious studying for the priesthood attend theologates. They have their own houses of formation where they do the work of formation that is done within the seminary.
The two provinces of Carmelites in the United States attend the Washington Theological Union and have a joint formation house in DC called Whitefriars Hall.
The Byzantine Franciscans use the Byzantine Seminary in Pittsburgh and do their formation within that seminary. This is because it is the only Byzantine Seminary and they do not have the numbers to have a formation house of their own.
J
JReducation
Guest
I went to the friars’ website. Just as I thought, it’s a matter of language. They do have a formation house in Bloomington, IN called Marian Friary. They do not have a seminary nor do they use one. My guess is going to be that they may send their student friars to either the local university, local diocesan seminary, or a theology house shared by many religious.
I can’t speak for other religious traditions, such as the Carmelites. We, Franciscans, rarely use seminaries. The problem with using a seminary to train our student friars is that most seminaries are structured to form priests. When we send our student friars to study philosophy and theology, it does not mean that they are going to be priests. Some are, but many are not. The culture of the seminary is priestly, which is appropriate for clerical orders and dioceses. But it is not the right culture for non-clerical religious orders. The usual is to attend classes in one place and live in a formation house during your years of study. This way you get the benefit of academic formation at the local school of theology and spiritual formation within your community formation house. Usually, a religious who is in formation to be a priest is also in religious formation, simultaneously. He is going through two formation programs at the same time.
Anyway, there you have it. The friars do have a formation house and all their information is on the left side of their web page.
Good luck and pray for us.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, OSF
I can’t speak for other religious traditions, such as the Carmelites. We, Franciscans, rarely use seminaries. The problem with using a seminary to train our student friars is that most seminaries are structured to form priests. When we send our student friars to study philosophy and theology, it does not mean that they are going to be priests. Some are, but many are not. The culture of the seminary is priestly, which is appropriate for clerical orders and dioceses. But it is not the right culture for non-clerical religious orders. The usual is to attend classes in one place and live in a formation house during your years of study. This way you get the benefit of academic formation at the local school of theology and spiritual formation within your community formation house. Usually, a religious who is in formation to be a priest is also in religious formation, simultaneously. He is going through two formation programs at the same time.
Anyway, there you have it. The friars do have a formation house and all their information is on the left side of their web page.
Good luck and pray for us.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, OSF
R
Ruben
Guest
Thanks so much for the information. It was extremely helpful. I understand much more clearly now. I have been in email contact with the vocations director in Bloomington and of all the things I keep forgetting to ask him, this was one. Our correspondence sometimes takes a couple of days so I thought I’d post the question in the interim. Yes, please be assured of my prayers.
W
withwind
Guest
The last time I talked to the vocation director, I was told that those who were in the priestly formation go to Rome to study. Before one can go to Rome, there is a period of discernment at their houses in the U.S (and some other countries).
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