Each candidate comes into the Formation Program with a history of personal maturing and interrelationships. His life has been significantly shaped by his family, his post-school studies and work experience. Human formation seeks to build on the qualities already discerned in the candidate and further nurture the necessary skills for an effective and responsible priestly ministry. The program seeks to help the seminarian come to a free and well deliberated discernment of God’s call in his life. It does this through a deepening of his self-knowledge and how he can be conformed into the example of Christ the Good Shepherd. This will occur through his formation in the human virtues and nurturing his capacity to relate to and with others. Human formation endeavours to assist the seminarian to develop into a whole, integrated, relational and collaborative individual who is faithful to living his commitments in a chaste manner. The program nurtures the seminarian’s understanding, appreciation of and commitment to living his commitment to celibacy.
“In order that his ministry may be humanly as credible and acceptable as possible, it is important that the priest should mould his human personality in such a way that it becomes a bridge and not an obstacle for others in their meeting with Jesus Christ the Redeemer of humanity.” (PDV #43) Consequently, Pastores Dabo Vobis (# 43) emphasises the following aspects of human formation
of priests:
As the seminarian grows into the likeness of Christ the Good Shepherd he is encouraged to develop a high level of self-knowledge and confidence for priestly ministry. A priest ideally should be conscious of the talents and gifts he brings to this ministry and his personal strengths and limitations.
The priest is a member of the Church and a minister of the Church. Effective collaboration with others is essential in priestly ministry, and so a priest ideally should be someone who can relate well with others. The Human Formation program encourages the seminarian to have well-developed social skills as he lives out his ministry of service with others.