Seminary

• Propaedeutic Stage

  • Since formation is a lifelong journey, it is important to lay a solid foundation for this journey in the Propaedeutic Stage, especially in the human and spiritual dimensions. Thus “the Propaedeutic Stage is an indispensable phase of formation with its own specific character” (Ratio Fundamentalis, no. 59) This stage allows the seminarian to lay a foundation for a new way of life through prayer, study, fraternity, and appropriate docility to formation.

• ​​​​​​​Discipleship Stage

  • In the Discipleship Stage, which must not last less than two years, there is a systematic and rigorous formation that has at its core the goal of growing in an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ through the life of meditation, contemplation, philosophical study, and the training of one’s character in Christian virtue.

• Configuration Stage

  • In the Configuration Stage, the seminarian models his life on the self-donation of Jesus Christ, Shepherd and Servant, as he prepares more immediately for Holy Orders. “This configuration demands that the seminarian enter profoundly into the contemplation of the person of Jesus Christ, the beloved Son of the Father, sent as Shepherd of the People of God. It will make the relationship with Christ more intimate and personal and, at the same time, will lead to an awareness and an assumption of priestly identity” (Ratio Fundamentalis, no. 88). Reception of Candidacy, and conferral of the ministries of lector and acolyte occurs during this stage, marking the progressive deepening of this self-configuration to Christ both liturgically and in catechesis, evangelization, and active service to the poor.

• Vocational Synthesis Stage

  • The Vocational Synthesis Stage is the period of formation between diaconal and priestly ordinations. Since formal seminary formation has been completed, it is intended primarily as a time not of evaluation, but of integration and transition into one’s diocese or ecclesiastical entity in which the deacon is preparing to serve. This stage is a gradual realization of the cleric’s responsibility for the care of souls while he resides full-time in a pastoral setting.

“The seminary is a community journeying towards priestly ministry. I have said something very important here: one does not become a priest on one’s own.” –Pope Benedict XVI

Listed below are the seminaries to which we send the seminarians for the Diocese of Davenport.

 

Mundelein Seminary, Chicago, IL

The Lord founded the Church with a sacred ministry of bishops, presbyters, and deacons. At the core of its mission, Mundelein Seminary prepares men to be priests of Jesus Christ, Priest, Teacher, and Shepherd. It educates men for parish pastoral ministry as co-workers with their bishops in the service of the Catholic Church.

The Holy Spirit calls forth diverse gifts and ministries within the Church; the University of Saint Mary of the Lake also educates leaders for pastoral ministry as co-workers with the bishop and his priests in service to the people of Christ. It does this through distinct programs of formation for each ecclesial role.

The people of Christ deserve ministers committed to life-long learning and growth in holiness. USML provides post-graduate and advanced ministerial degree programs, as well as ongoing formation for all engaged in ministry.



 

Sacred Heart Seminary School of Theology, Hales Corners, WI

Mission
Preparing evangelizing disciples through specialized formation to conform our world to the Heart of Christ

Core Values
Faithfulness in Love of the Church: We conform ourselves to Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh and revelation of our Triune God, who is Love. Christ’s love animates our fidelity to His Church and its Magisterium. We ground ourselves in Scripture and Tradition, especially the spiritual tradition of the Priests of the Sacred Heart and their founder, Fr. Leo John Dehon.
Authenticity in Hospitality: We welcome all as Christ with the Way of charity, the Truth of integrity, and the Life of friendship. We live Our Lady’s fiat in the Dehonian charism of Ecce Ancilla, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord” (Luke 1:38).
Collaboration in Community: We foster unity and collegiality through shared worship, attentive conversation, and integrated goals. We live the Eucharist in the Dehonian charism of Sint Unum, “That they may all be one” (John 17:21).
Excellence in Innovation: We create as we think with the Church. We instill discovery in our intellectual programs, discernment and growth in our spiritual and human formation, and distinction in our pastoral vision. We live the Lord’s Prayer in the Dehonian charism of Adveniat Regnum Tuum, “Your Kingdom come” (Matthew 6:10).
Service in Pastoral Care: We exist to serve our neighbor through the Heart of Christ. We form servant leaders who herald God’s mercy, encounter the forgotten, and heal wounds of division. We live social justice in the Dehonian charism of Ecce Venio, “Behold I come to do your will” (Hebrews 10:7).

St. Pius X Seminary/Vianney House, Loras College, Dubuque, IA

St. Pius X Seminary is associated with Loras College, Dubuque, Iowa, and operated under the auspices of the Archdiocese of Dubuque. The seminary provides a full undergraduate education and preparation for theological seminary. In addition, it provides a pre-theology program for participants who have already acquired a bachelor’s degree but do not have the academic and formation background required for admission to a theological seminary. Both programs follow the guidelines set out by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in its Program of Priestly Formation, 5^th ed. (“PPF”). In the terminology of that document, St. Pius X Seminary is a collaborative diocesan seminary.