School of Theology Catalog 2021

third-year seminarians take on distinct pastoral
roles in the parish and then gather to discuss
how pastoral theology becomes operative
in a parochial setting. Here is where they
make their classroom learning come alive.
Continuing in their academic studies, seminarians
in the second year spend five hours a
week in a health care environment under the
supervision of a hospital's Pastoral Care
Director.
One of the critical components of our pastoral
formation program is the Homiletics
Program, which seeks to help seminarians
become effective preachers by emphasizing
the development of a rich spiritual, pastoral,
and theological imagination for the ministry
of the Word. The proclamation lab enhances
the preaching of the seminarians in the second,
third, and fourth years. With the help of
the St. Mary's Communications Resources
Center, writing support is also provided.
During the summer, the dioceses assign seminarians
to parishes in their home dioceses,
enhancing and providing the continuation of
their seminary formation.
To help assess their ongoing progress, the
parish, direct service agencies, and hospital
sites all provide periodic evaluations for each
seminarian to the Pastoral Formation
Department. These reports, combined with
faculty mentoring and evaluation, and theological
reflection sessions on pastoral experiences
facilitated by St. Mary's faculty, help us
monitor each seminarian's readiness for the
ministry. The Pastoral Formation Program
Handbook also explains the goals and expected
outcomes for each class and method of
evaluation.
Finally, all St. Mary's seminarians will conform
to the COVID-19 protocols in place at
each pastoral assignment regarding vaccination,
masks, and social distancing throughout
their internship.
Fr. Paul Maillet, P.S.S., Vice Rector, in a formation conversation with Mark Donohue (Diocese of Wilmington).
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