St Marys Seminary Baltimore, MD SOT catalog 2019

Program of Pastoral Formation
Seminarians Tom Lanza (Diocese of Metuchen) and Mark DeCelles (Diocese of Scranton) meet with a nursing supervisor at
Mercy Medical Center during their hospital placement as part of the pastoral formation program.
St. Mary’s Seminary & University’s theological
curriculum and priestly formation program
have been designed to prepare seminarians to
assume more demanding pastoral responsibilities
as soon as possible following ordination.
Community life, prayer, academics, and spiritual
formation all contribute to forming
priests who are able be good shepherds of
God’s people. St. Mary’s programs are intentionally
linked to and integrated with pastoral
formation in learning parishes and hospitals
during the academic year. All academic courses
identify specific pastoral outcomes in the
course syllabi.
The purpose of the Pastoral Formation
Program at St. Mary’s Seminary is to help
seminarians understand the dynamics of
Catholic parishes today and learn how to
apply their theological and pastoral education
to the realities of parish life. Carefully selected
local parishes and hospitals are the sites
where pastoral training takes place for every
seminarian. The seminary faculty leads the
process of mentoring, evaluation, and theological
reflection on pastoral experience so
that seminarians will develop the necessary
leadership skills for priestly ministry today.
Pastoral formation guides seminarians in the
process of becoming a strong leader and a
good shepherd in imitation of Christ. In order
to prepare men to be effective pastors for
today’s Church, St. Mary’s program is carefully
focused on the actual dynamics of parish
ministry.
Seminarians are assigned to different “learning
parishes” and as members of a seminary
pastoral team in their 1st, 3rd, and 4th years
of theology. Through progressively graduated
and cumulative experiences they develop
priestly and pastoral leadership skills and to
learn how to lead communities of faith in a
collegial manner with true pastoral charity.
Under the direction of the Director of
Pastoral Formation, 4th year seminarians
coordinate learning teams as part of their formation
in pastoral administration.
In the 2nd year seminarians are assigned to
hospitals under the supervision of the hospital’s
Pastoral Care director.
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