The propaedeutic stage is a key component of the 2016 Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis and the Program for Priestly Formation, sixth edition.
In 2021, The Saint Paul Seminary became one of the first North American seminaries to institute a propaedeutic stage formation program.
Fr. John Floeder brings more than 12 years of formation experience and is assigned to accompany the seminarians as his primary assignment and work. He lives with the men and walks with them in prayer, communal life and overall formation.
The rhythm of life is built around prayer in common. This includes:
- Daily Mass
- Daily Holy Hour with exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
- Liturgy of the Hours
- Lectio Divina
- Weekly sharing of graces
The seminarians live community life in a residence distinct from the Saint Paul Seminary, a former convent now known as Damascus House. Here, they share a common life of prayer, study, recreation and fraternity. Seminarians cook and prepare multiple meals a week to help them to a shared sense of service, ownership and brotherhood in the Lord. They learn to develop their capacities as “men of communion” in the give and take of fraternal life.
Seminarians meet twice weekly with a staff psychologist for group work in the human dimension. They also work individually and together to come to grow in self-knowledge, becoming aware of areas where they are in need of greater healing or freedom so as to come to greater self-possession. Areas of focus include:
- Personal growth
- Affective maturity
- Family of origin
- Anxiety and depression
- Integration of chastity
The seminary provides an opportunity to step back from media and technology to help reorder the seminarian’s relation to screens and online content. This space and silence helps him hear the voice of the Lord and more deeply engage with his interiority, community and the world around him. It also helps him develop a right relation to technology and media. Seminarians will not have access to phones, tablets, computers, or other devices Sunday through Friday. They will be able to use such devices on Saturdays to allow for reasonable contact with family and friends.
Seminarians engage in weekly apostolic works in collaboration with local organizations who work with the poor and marginalized. This helps the men to get outside of themselves, encounter Christ in others, and awaken a pastoral vision and heart. Additionally, seminarians will serve on an extended mission trip.
Fr. John Floeder brings 10 years of seminary formation experience, living with and accompanying the men in their formation and discernment.
Participants learn the key tenets of discipleship from seminary faculty, including renowned scriptural expert and catechist Jeff Cavins.
Each seminarian will work with a spiritual director to help him grow in relationship with the Lord. Additionally, seminarians meet twice weekly for sessions on prayer and the spiritual life. This provides a basic overview of the central aspects of the spiritual life and tradition. Areas of focus include:
- Vocational discernment
- How to engage in relational mental prayer
- Discernment of spirits
- Virtues
- Gifts of the Holy Spirit
Seminarians meet twice a week with local Scripture and formation experts, including renowned Catechist Jeff Cavins. They engage Scripture to awaken a thirst for God’s word and gain a sense of the whole. While not academic in scope, seminarians go deep into key themes and threads. All of this is done with a view towards encounter with God, understanding the Kerygma and the call as disciples and developing missionary zeal and the ability to share faith in the gospel with others.
As a preparation for future studies in philosophy and theology, seminarians meet twice weekly with professors from the seminary to spark and develop their intellectual life. In a seminar format, seminarians are guided through numerous great works ranging from Homer to Joseph Pieper. The goal is to awaken wonder and hunger for truth and to learn to think with the Church as a man transformed by the Gospel.
To help the seminarians to grow in their understanding of the creed, sacraments, moral life and life of prayer, they take part in The Saint Paul Seminary Catechetical Institute. They hear from dynamic presenters as they walk through the Catechism of The Catholic Church and participate in faith sharing groups with local lay people as part of this Monday evening experience.
Afternoons are free of scheduled obligations to allow space for healthy leisure. This includes shared recreation, exercise and healthy living and creative work according to a man’s interest and ability. There is also the expectation of regular manual labor, including helping with renovations for religious sisters and work on nearby farms and rural land.
