A New Vision of Formation

While our constant goal has been to provide the very best priests, our means of attaining that goal has necessarily changed, attentive always to the mind of the Church and the signs of the times.

Throughout the years, the U.S. bishops have offered concrete guidelines for formation through their periodic Program of Priestly Formation. In 2022, the bishops offered seminaries the sixth edition of this document with some major changes in procedures and vocabulary, all in the spirit of St. John Paul’s Pastores Dabo Vobis.

In anticipation of this document, Saint Meinrad has been looking for ways to accomplish what we have always sought to accomplish, namely, the finest formation we can offer for priests in service to the Church.

Saint Meinrad now introduces its new formation vision, based on the sixth edition of the Program of Priestly Formation. We are introducing two new programs, beginning with our El Camino program for seminarians new to formation. This propaedeutic program, already underway at Saint Meinrad, offers an excellent opportunity to initiate men into seminary formation under the guidance of an extensive and experienced staff.

Next, we present our new program for assisting dioceses and religious communities with the Vocational Synthesis stage of the new Program of Priestly Formation. The transition back to life and ministry in the diocese or religious community will be facilitated and amplified by the new Emmaus Program, offering essential training and evaluation for those moving into the parish-based model for the transitional diaconate.

Please view the videos to learn more about these new programs.