Discipleship Stage
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Overview
Beginning in August 2023, St. Joseph’s Seminary will offer a two-year Pre-Theology program on its Yonkers campus welcoming candidates who have completed a Bachelor’s degree and the Propaedeutic Stage of Priestly Formation. Entering the Pre-Theology program, the candidate begins the Discipleship Stage of initial priestly formation, which seeks to cultivate a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ, a growth in Christian virtue, and the development of a philosophical foundation for future theological studies. (PPF, #132). Recognizing each seminarian’s previous life and educational experiences, the Pre-Theology Program seeks to help each seminarian engage their personal history and discern their priestly vocation, as well as allow for their completion of a Master of Arts in Catholic Philosophical Studies (MACPS).
During the Discipleship stage, the seminarian is called to continue his personal growth, especially through engagement in the four dimensions of formation. This is facilitated by his participation in the common life and communal activities of the seminary, his fidelity to a balanced personal horarium, and his transparent engagement in both spiritual direction and formation advising. Also, to assist in the formation of seminarians and available to them throughout their time in the program is the Director of Psychological Services. By cultivating greater interior freedom, the seminarian is able to undertake a mature discernment with the help of his formation advisor and spiritual director, which will allow him to discern God’s will and his readiness for the configuration stage of priestly formation.
Click here for more information on the MACPS degree
For More Information:
Please Contact Fr. Michael Bruno, S.T.D.
Dean of Seminarians
[email protected]
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Highlights of the Program
Spiritual Formation
- Bi-weekly spiritual direction with a canonical spiritual director, and the regular celebration of the Sacrament of Penance.
- In addition to the Opening House Retreat, seminarians will participate in an Ignatian-style directed retreat each year to assist in personal discernment and spiritual growth.
- Entrance into the liturgical life of the seminary centered in the Eucharist, and including the Liturgy of the Hours, Eucharistic Adoration, silent meditation, and the cultivation of Marian and other devotions.
Human Formation
- Identification of individual benchmarks at the beginning of the program for personal growth during the discipleship stage. Availability of counseling, as recommended by the psychological evaluation at admissions and the Director of Psychological Services.
- Regular individual meetings with an assigned formation advisor to guide and assist the seminarian in his priestly formation.
- Weekly formation conferences centered on communion with Christ and personal discernment of God’s will, the living of the virtues, discernment of spirits, Christian asceticism, fraternity and friendship, and the personal living and integration of chaste celibacy.
Intellectual Formation
- The M.A.C.P.S. degree is a program designed to provide a graduate level understanding of philosophy in the Catholic tradition and fulfills the philosophical requirements for priestly formation. Topics range from philosophy in antiquity through the medieval period, and to both modern and post-modern challenges.
- Ecclesiastical Latin and Biblical Greek provide the seminarian with a foundation in the ancient languages needed for future theological studies.
- Continued development of a habitus of study with access to the resources of the Corrigan Memorial Library, as well as access to the resources, museums, and cultural opportunities of the New York metro area.
Pastoral Formation
- In the first year of the program, seminarians will assist in high school retreats and in welcoming groups hosted by St. Joseph’s Seminary.
- In their second year, they will assist in the care of the sick in local Catholic healthcare facilities.
- They will also experience a diversity of parishes, language apostolates, and Eastern rites within the Church.
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