A. MISSION STATEMENT

The Regional Seminary of St. John Vianney & the Uganda Martyrs helps those who have experienced in their lives the call from God to announce the good news of the Kingdom, to develop and grow in authentic discipleship. Seminarians live, pray, study and work together to form and test themselves for the sacred priesthood. They prepare themselves to be qualified and ordained heralds of the Good News of salvation, dispensers of the Christian mysteries and servants of the People of God, with specific reference to the poor and underprivileged. This goal at once distinguishes the Seminary from other educational institutions and makes unique demands of self-dedication and commitment on the seminarians. A team of formators is in charge of their development process.

The period of training encompasses the time necessary for the seminarian to incorporate Kingdom values into his way of thinking and living. Anything not of the Kingdom is addressed and eliminated. The Rector, Dean of Studies, Formation Team, community, together with schedules and studies, facilitate the continued internalization of these values. In this way essential elements such as prayer and action, obedience and co–responsibility, poverty, and generosity, intimacy and chastity, community and privacy, and internationality are integrated into a lifestyle which is a witness to Christian values.

B. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

1. A community which is co-responsible and obedient

   Great emphasis is placed on co-responsibility in the Seminary community. This is brought about by the consensus model of decision-making which does not mean majority rule. It entails, through personal and community insights, an active but careful search for God's will which is accepted and acted upon. It may be that consensus is not possible always. Then it becomes the duty of the Rector, after having listened to all concerned, to make the necessary decision. Obedience on the part of seminarians becomes the other face of the coin of co-responsibility. (Pastores dabo vobis, #28).

2. A community which is prayerful and active

   The Seminary community must be one which is centered on God, and made up of persons who value and work for the deepening of their relationship with Him. Prayer is essential. At the same time the community has to be involved in study, apostolic work and reasonable time for play. The effort to integrate these values is a communitarian task. It must not be perceived as the responsibility solely of the Rector. After consultation with the community, periods of common liturgical prayer are to be arranged, as also days of recollection and community retreats.

   The example of the more experienced members of the community is a powerful encouragement for the newer members in their struggle for a greater integration of these values.

3. A community which embodies the Church's preferential option for the poor

   Formation for justice and peace and the preferential option for the poor are not choices but a necessity in today's Church. The formation community must be aware of the concrete social problems and challenges in the circumstances in which the Seminary community finds itself.

   A realization of what "identification with the poor" entails will lead the Seminary community to an ever simpler style of life. "Priests following the example of Christ, who rich though he was became poor for love of us, should consider the poor and the weakest as people entrusted in a special way to them and they should be capable of witnessing to poverty with a simple and austere lifestyle, having learned the generous renunciation of superfluous things." (Pastores dabo vobis, #30)

4. A community which fosters growth in healthy interpersonal relationships

   Through the style of open community, and an atmosphere free of suspicion, it is to be hoped that the environment is created in which healthy relationships with other men and women are fostered. Courses and workshops will help the members of the community to come to a more mature understanding of the dynamics involved in interpersonal relationships. A truly trusting relationship between seminarian and director permits growth in this area.

   Purity is to be understood as single–mindedness in the pursuit of the Kingdom. Relationships are chaste if they help to retain this attitude. It is in community that seminarians live this consecration of their affectivity to God for the salvation of the world. In the sharing which characterizes their fraternal way of life, God reveals to them, ever more clearly, his love. Friendships are sound, and contribute to the development of personality, when they are pure and frank before God, and open to the discernment of the community. Formation in chastity must lead to the acceptance, intellectually and affectively, of the priestly requirement of celibacy which is a gift from God. "To put into practice all the moral, pastoral and spiritual demands of priestly celibacy, it is absolutely necessary that the priest pray humbly and trustingly, as the Council points out. In the world today, many people call perfect continence impossible. The more they do so, the more humbly and perseveringly priests should join with the Church in praying for the gift of fidelity. It is never denied to those who ask." (Pastores dabo vobis, #29).

5. A community which integrates community living and respect for the individual

   The building of a community which reflects Kingdom values is one of the reasons for living together in the Seminary. Later in life the seminarian, as a religious animator, will have to propose the Kingdom to others; he will do this with conviction because he has experienced it in his own life. The Kingdom and its realization, however, is of the Spirit, and the individual members of the community need the time and space necessary for their personal interaction with the Spirit so that their contribution to the building up of the Kingdom may indeed be of the Spirit. Time for personal prayer and a weekend of solitude is set aside each semester to develop this. The respecting of another's space and time is only possible if one is capable of, and is at peace being alone. A healthy regard for and love of solitude is one of the signs of an integrated person.

6. A community which keeps contact with its roots

   Seminarians must be open to other cultures and capable of listening to the voice of God as expressed in these cultures, for the Word enlightens everyone who comes into this world. Patterns of racial, ethnic, or cultural privilege are to be combated in a spirit of true dialogue, but vigorously. Care must be taken that there is no dominating cultural bias, and that all are encouraged to express their culture through liturgy, meals, and other activities within the community. This is to be regarded as a right and a duty, but never a privilege. While it is true that people may not be comfortable with other cultural expressions, it is a duty of fraternal charity not to hurt others by one's reactions. An extended period in another culture should be an integral part of Seminary formation.

7. A community which is open and welcoming

   One of the characteristics of Jesus was his welcoming attitude to all who sought him sincerely. Christian communities have to be models of that same spirit. No one, rich or poor, should feel out of place in the Seminary. The poor experiencing the Christian welcome in their own lives begin to feel that they have value after all. The rich are often called to reexamine their worth through the witness of Christian love and respect for the individual which a welcoming community gives.

C. PRINCIPLES OF FORMATION

1. Formation is a period of ongoing growth in discipleship. The Seminary period is one of monitored progress. The essential elements are spiritual, academic and pastoral. The dreams which motivated the entry of the seminarian into the Seminary are to be purified and strengthened.
2. Because seminarians enter at different stages of intellectual, psychological and emotional development, programmes of formation both within and outside the Seminary must be tailored to individual needs.
3. Individual formation programmes are to be decided upon through dialogue, considering the needs of the Diocese and the Caribbean. The person's own gifts, acquired skills, and areas of further growth are to be taken into account. The continual tension of effecting this is to be acknowledged and accepted.

Respect for Personal Growth

Too stringent time limits should not be put on the formation process. Some seminarians will develop more slowly than others, and no one should be made feel that something is wrong because his process is more leisurely; nor for that matter should anyone feel superior because of a rapid process. Each one must be encouraged to seek his own pace to arrive at the goal of the formation programme which is to help the seminarian become a committed priest and minister.

Formation for the Future

Formation must always look towards the future. We do not know what form the Church of the twenty-first century will take. Seminarians, however, must be prepared to work in that Church. A deep openness to the promptings of the Spirit must be developed as well as an ability to read the signs of the times. New forms of community, apostolate, prayer, etc. will suggest themselves and these should be incorporated into the structure of community.

Intramural Formation [Spiritual and Academic]

Spiritual Formation

Growth in discipleship means "to put on the mind that was in Christ Jesus." (Phil. 2: 5) This means coming to know Jesus so intimately and patterning one's life on his so closely that one projects the values that Jesus had. Certain structures of Seminary life attempt to do this.

1. Apart from the moments of community prayer, the emphasis on prayer methods will be continued so that seminarians will develop and maintain an appetite for personal prayer. They will be asked to spend at least an hour daily in personal prayer.
2. The spiritual director will also ensure that a programme of retreats and days of recollection is drawn up in which over a period of time certain aspects of the Christian life are treated. There will be a weekly Gospel meditation. The solemnities of the Church's liturgical year will be appropriately celebrated as will occasions of national and world importance.
3. Spiritual direction, as the moment when seminarians are helped to recognize the voice of the Spirit in their lives, will be a priority.
4. Following the definition of St. Anselm, "Fides quaerens intellectum", seminarians will be helped to understand theology not as a secular subject but as an exercise in contemplation.

Academic Formation

The goal of the academic life is to prepare each seminarian to be a qualified and ordained herald of the good news of salvation in the Caribbean today. The seminarians should have the strongest motives for diligence in study and zeal to acquire the knowledge required to serve the Church of God well. The Seminary academic programme continues for six and a half [61/2] years, including philosophical, theological and pastoral elements (within the context of the spiritual programme). It is an integrated programme with emphasis on philosophy in earlier years and on pastoral elements in the later years. It is spread over four cycles, corresponding to the development and academic maturity of the seminarian.

The first cycle, introductory, is of four semesters; the second, intermediate, is of four; the third, advanced, is also of four; the fourth, a concluding semester, is meant to integrate the whole course. The entire programme carries an emphasis on biblical studies, normally at least one course during each semester. The second emphasis is on dogmatic and moral theology and the imbibing of the Catholic tradition in accordance with the teaching of the magisterium. During the intermediate and advanced sections of the programme, those seminarians who meet the academic requirements for admittance to the University of the West Indies (U.W.I.) will normally be registered for the Bachelor of Arts degree in theology. The affiliation of the Seminary to U.W.I. allows for accreditation of this section of the Seminary's academic programme by the University.

Evaluation

Evaluations monitor the growth of the seminarian in the formation process. This form of supervision is not to be considered the exclusive prerogative of the Rector and Formation Team. The function of evaluation is, through a continuing dialogue between seminarians, Rector and Formation Team, to discern the will of God for the individual, to stimulate growth and provide a model which will be part of the seminarian's spirituality. This, eventually, will be reflected in the way that the ordained cleric will go about organizing his life in community with others.

There are various moments of evaluation, many of which operate during the whole formation process.

1. The first moment is the personal interview with the Rector when, on a monthly basis, various aspects of individual and community interaction are discussed and examined.
2. The second moment is that of the written assessments in which the seminarians are asked to evaluate themselves and their progress in the attainment of personal and community goals. This evaluation is accomplished on a twice yearly basis.
3. The third moment is when, under the direction of the Director of Pastoral Formation, the growth of the seminarian in pastoral attitudes and activities is examined, taking particular note of his relationships with laity.
4. The fourth moment is when the seminarian requests admittance to ministries and orders.

The whole community evaluates the seminarian's readiness to be accepted. Through the process of evaluation described above seminarians themselves will come to mature decisions as to their suitability for the life which they hope to embrace. They should never be surprised with adverse criticisms on the occasion of the application for orders.

Extramural Formation [Pastoral]

By extramural formation is meant those aspects of development that are carried out with personnel and in places outside the Seminary. These include parish assignments, Inter–diocesan Training Programmes (ITP), summer ministerial experience, and field placements. These extramural programmes must be ordained to the development of a seminarian who is in touch with himself as a person and as a Caribbean man, with a knowledge and acceptance of his ministerial capabilities. These programmes also provide the opportunity for the formators to evaluate the progress of the seminarian in the development and acceptance of the goals and values of the diocese.

Inter-diocesan Training Programme

The extramural programme needing the most preparation is the ITP, to be understood as a supervised experience of ministry in a transcultural setting, and normally in a country other than that of the seminarian and in the so-called "third world". The preparation involved includes both grooming of the seminarian through language study if necessary, courses and readings on the culture which will welcome him, and the ability to recognize in himself the symptoms of culture shock, burnout, excessive loneliness, etc. On the other hand the receiving personnel must be experienced in programme formulation, supervision, and theological reflection. While this process may not be a necessity for every seminarian, it is envisioned that the Rector in consultation with the staff — the Dean of Studies and the Formation Team — will propose this programme to diocesan bishops for individual seminarians.

Vacation Ministerial Experience and field placements

While the value of getting to know the parishes and works of the diocese is to be maintained, the need for supervision, theological reflection, and the growth process of the seminarian must always be taken into account. It is to be hoped that during the years in the Seminary, through vacation ministries and field placements, seminarians will have an experience of cross–cultural ministry in parishes, work with addicts, shut–ins and vagrants.

The Rector, in consultation with the Dean of Studies and Formation Team, has the authority to suspend formal studies for a semester so that a particular seminarian be given a parish or agency assignment to work in a specific programme, in apprenticeship with the laity if this would help his growth and development.

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