The College Seminary and Pre-Theologate

The College Seminary is a place where men begin their formation for priesthood. In the College Seminary men attempt to pursue a four-year bachelor’s degree in philosophy. If a man enters out of high school or has no college experience, he will spend four years in college seminary. Generally, if a person has half of their degree completed and then enter seminary college, they will only have to do two years. Men receive formation on four levels: human, spiritual, academic, and apostolic.
The college seminary has specific programs that are designed to clarify vocational awareness and to prepare seminarians for entrance into the theologate. By providing a challenging context for prayer, study, and social experience, the College Division assists each seminarian in making his vocational commitment with discernment and reasonable certitude. Its programs seek to impart maturing insights appropriate to the initial phases of priestly formation. The various programs of the College Division provide the seminarian with the human, spiritual, intellectual, and apostolic resources that he will need as a priest. Assisted by the structures of the individual seminaries, each seminarian can mature in his identification with Christ, with the Church, and with the people whom he will one day serve as a priest.
In human formation men learn to develop a healthy sense of themselves. They also learn how to form healthy relationships with both men and woman. They are exposed to different cultural situations and are encouraged to grow. They gain a greater sense of the meaning of celibacy and the importance it has in the life of the priest today.
In spiritual formation men grow in their most important relationship. They learn methods of prayer such as, the Rosary, Lectio, the Liturgy of the Hours, contemplation, and reflection. Men in the College Seminary go to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass every day. They practice communal prayer, days of fasting, days for penance. They are able to make frequent use of the sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation.
In academic formation the man is challenged in various fields of thought. The young man pursuing the priesthood will complete his degree in philosophy, but the education that he receives is much more than one field. Liberal arts are a valuable field for a man pursuing priesthood. He will also take some classes in theology. The most important field for the man in college seminary is philosophy. It teaches him how to think critically and to reflect, two indispensible talents for the priest. Theology is based on philosophy; therefore, before studying theology the man needs to be well acquainted with proper philosophical systems, especially those of Saint Thomas Aquinas, the Angelic Doctor. The College Division offers a four year liberal arts program leading to a Bachelor of Arts degree. The courses aim at personal and intellectual growth and a personal understanding of people and the world in a variety of disciplines. The Academic Program is intended to prepare each seminarian for future specialization, particularly in theology.
In apostolic formation the young man begins some form of ministry. His first year will most likely be spent doing in-house formation. The other three years are spent either teaching, visiting with the elderly, or some other kind of social ministry. After completing the formation program in college seminary the man moves on to the theologate.
The college seminarians are involved in a growth process which involves their personal commitment to God and their final choice of a vocation of service. They must be assisted to understand fully the options open to them, to discover their own identity, to relate themselves personally and functionally to the Church and the world, and to integrate the diverse aspects of their personal¬ities for effective action (The Program of Priestly Formation, 332).
The Pre-Theologate is a program for those men who have already completed college, but have never been to seminary. The classes that they take are: Latin, Theology, and Philosophy. They will take 30 hours of Philosophy, 12 of Theology, and 6 of Latin. (Some seminaries require more Latin or Biblical Greek) The Pre-Theologate uses the same four levels as college seminary. The man in pre-theology will be held to a high standard in order to prepare for the theologate.