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chichers
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what is the explanation of canon 234?
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cameron_lansing
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Canon 234 (1983 CLSA translation) : “§1. Wherever minor seminaries or other such institutions exist they are to be maintained and supported; such institutions are those in which, for the sake of fostering vocations, special religious formation along with instruction in the humanities and sciences is provided; whenever the diocesan bishop judges it expedient he should provide for the erection of a minor seminary or a similar institution. §2. Unless in certain cases circumstances indicate otherwise, young men who intend to be advanced to the priesthood are to be equipped with that training in the humanities and sciences by which young people in their own region are prepared to pursue higher studies.”
In general, a minor seminary is a college level institution of higher learning that is a feeder for the major seminaries where priestly vocations can be nurtured. But even if the young men do not go on toward the priesthood, their education and formation will still benefit the Church in its various apostolic activities. In this country, a college degree is usually the culmination of studies.
Paragraph one: If one exists, the canon encourages the bishop to keep it open if he can. If one does not exists and the bishop thinks it is useful to do so, the canon urges him to do that. In Pastor vobis, John Paul II clearly stated his belief that minor seminaries were important. Paragraph two: this essentially calls for these institutions to at least as academically strong as non religious institutions in the region. Canon 806 says the same for any Catholic school.
Canon 331§1 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches gives some useful insight that help us understand the Latin canon: “In the minor seminary, in the first place those who seem to show signs of a vocation to the sacred ministry are to be instructed so that they can more easily and clearly discern it themselves and refine it by a dedicated spirit; according to the norm of particular law, others also can be instructed who, even though they do not seem to be called to the clerical state, can be formed to fulfill certain ministries or apostolic works. Other institutes which, according to their statutes, serve the same purposes, even if they differ in name, are equivalent to a minor seminary.”
Admission to a major seminary involves rigorous screening, and everything is regulated by other canons and the program of priestly formation (set forth in the approved program of the episcopal conference of the region or nation). By nature, it focuses on a particular course of theological, spiritual and pastoral formation intended to “produce” good priests.
Admission to a minor seminary is less rigorous and its operation less regulated by Church law. Its programs focus on a broader intellectual and moral development of the students. It should be noted at least in the US, that many high school and college seminaries closed as enrollment dropped since the 1970s. A number of fine college seminaries still exist however.
A number of bishops have turned to setting up pre-seminary or discernment programs in which young men attend regular colleges, but participate in some kind of prayer, community and discernment under the tutelage of a priest.
In general, a minor seminary is a college level institution of higher learning that is a feeder for the major seminaries where priestly vocations can be nurtured. But even if the young men do not go on toward the priesthood, their education and formation will still benefit the Church in its various apostolic activities. In this country, a college degree is usually the culmination of studies.
Paragraph one: If one exists, the canon encourages the bishop to keep it open if he can. If one does not exists and the bishop thinks it is useful to do so, the canon urges him to do that. In Pastor vobis, John Paul II clearly stated his belief that minor seminaries were important. Paragraph two: this essentially calls for these institutions to at least as academically strong as non religious institutions in the region. Canon 806 says the same for any Catholic school.
Canon 331§1 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches gives some useful insight that help us understand the Latin canon: “In the minor seminary, in the first place those who seem to show signs of a vocation to the sacred ministry are to be instructed so that they can more easily and clearly discern it themselves and refine it by a dedicated spirit; according to the norm of particular law, others also can be instructed who, even though they do not seem to be called to the clerical state, can be formed to fulfill certain ministries or apostolic works. Other institutes which, according to their statutes, serve the same purposes, even if they differ in name, are equivalent to a minor seminary.”
Admission to a major seminary involves rigorous screening, and everything is regulated by other canons and the program of priestly formation (set forth in the approved program of the episcopal conference of the region or nation). By nature, it focuses on a particular course of theological, spiritual and pastoral formation intended to “produce” good priests.
Admission to a minor seminary is less rigorous and its operation less regulated by Church law. Its programs focus on a broader intellectual and moral development of the students. It should be noted at least in the US, that many high school and college seminaries closed as enrollment dropped since the 1970s. A number of fine college seminaries still exist however.
A number of bishops have turned to setting up pre-seminary or discernment programs in which young men attend regular colleges, but participate in some kind of prayer, community and discernment under the tutelage of a priest.
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