We Equip Those Who Form Future Priests
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Why Support S.F.C.?
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The world needs holy priests.
For this, we need great priestly Mentors.
"The Formation of future priests is one of the most demanding and important tasks for the evangelization of humanity."- Saint John Paul IIView Testimonials and Endorsements
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We all want to see a thriving Church that can bring healing to the world. The Church is going through challenging times, particularly the priesthood. We need holy priests more than ever.
Saint Pope John Paul II said that “the formation of future priests is one of the most important tasks for the evangelization of humanity.” Our future priests need good formation more than ever. Therefore, it follows that those doing the formation need to be well-prepared for this vital responsibility.
That is where the Seminary Formation Council comes in. We offer comprehensive formation programs to those involved in mentoring future priests. We serve rectors, vocation directors, formation advisors, spiritual directors, professors, pastors, administrative faculty, lay supervisors, and more.
By offering personal renewal, practical resources, and global fraternity, we empower these individuals to feel confident in their ability to accompany seminarians to be shepherds to the modern world. By supporting S.F.C. your impact is multiplied to hundreds of priestly mentors, who impact thousands of future priests, who impact countless people in Church and society. Make an impact and support Priestly Formators.
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We Impact Priestly Formation Worldwide. You can too.
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FAQ
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Catholic priestly formation is a comprehensive process that goes beyond mere education. It encompasses intellectual, spiritual, pastoral, and human development, aiming to prepare individuals for the sacred ministry of priesthood. While education plays a crucial role in priestly formation, it alone is insufficient.
Formation also involves fostering a deep interior relationship with God, developing virtues, acquiring pastoral skills, and nurturing emotional maturity to serve effectively in various pastoral contexts. Thus, Catholic priestly formation is a holistic journey that shapes individuals not just academically but also spiritually, humanly, and pastorally, preparing them for the diverse challenges and responsibilities of priestly ministry.
Specifically, seminarians undergo formation in 4 dimensions: Human, Spiritual, Intellectual and Pastoral
By empowering formators to accompany seminarians through growth in these 4 dimensions, S.F.C. helps the Church form holy priests who are ready to be shepherds to the contemporary culture.
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Our greatest struggle in today’s seminaries is that most priestly formators are assigned to this role with little or no preparation. S.F.C. solves this problem by offering quality education, practical tools, fraternal support, and most importantly interior spiritual enrichment. Our comprehensive formation empowers these individuals to accompany our future priests as Christ accompanied his disciples. Those who undergo our programs leave feeling confident in their ability to accompany seminarians to be shepherds in contemporary culture.
“It was just a reality that when people began working in a seminary, (often times priests who were going to be responsible for forming the next generation, people like me) were just thrown into seminary formation and sort of told to learn how to do it. I didn't understand accompaniment and really how to build that trust relationship with seminarians. I didn't understand the role of psychology and what that plays in the aspect of formation. I didn't understand the distinctions between internal and external forum. I didn't understand a lot of what has to happen in seminary formation for it to really work well...S.F.C. was founded to solve this problem.”
- Bishop Andrew Cozzens
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