www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life The Christian East & West 5th edition of the Program of Priestly Formation

The newest edition of the Program of Priestly Formation [usccb.org] has been promulgated. Just click on it here and be taken to the USCCB Vocations & Priestly Formation website.

They have up'ed the Philosophy requriements (from 18 credit hours to 30 and have added 12 credit hours of Theology) for entrance into the seminary.

It also states in footnote 6 of the Preface that this is binding on "[i]Eastern Churches sui iuris in the United States except where it conflicts with their particular traditions and pastoral life, and with the requirements of the Codex Canonum Ecclesiarum Orientalium (CCEO)[i]".

I was told that the old PPF did not apply to the Eastern Churches but now it is explicitly spelt out.

How is this going to affect the Eastern Churches?

I think this is really going to impact later (also known as second career (this is my third though)) vocations.

I am going to finish my take in the pre-novitiate (postulancy) with 21 credit hours of Philosophy and 9 credit hours of Theology. But the Carmelites have a two year internship that follows the novitiate (comes before the seminary) so I will be able to finish up these requirements there.

It appears to me that no Eastern Bishops are named as having worked on this document. Strange.

David, Byzantine Catholic and Carmelite pre-novice (postulant)

Thank you David, for posting this.

I wonder by what authority the national bishops conference can impose a discipline upon an eastern church. I understand that some (or all) eastern bishops participate in some way with the bishops conferences, but I have to wonder if this isn't in some way an unintended side effect, unleashing the forces of assimilation by impressing the lessor (in size only!) churches into a mold fitting the agenda and unique concerns of the greater (in size only) church.

This could be a dangerous trend, if actually true. A 21st century form of the old monster once thought of as latinization.

This makes me think that the eastern Catholic bishops should rethink participation in the national bishop's conferences and instead rely upon their own synods as a way of guaranteeing the integrity of the Sui Iuris churches.

Now I am in no position to critique the propposed changes themselves. For all I know they might be suitable and worthwhile improvements. On the other hand these could be an unnecessary burden placed upon smaller churches and orders which are already struggling to provide affordable training for future clergy.

For a man (celibate or married) planning a life of service in brocade the costs and debts incurred in preparation must be seriously weighed against the potential earnings serving the typically smaller parishes and missions of the Eastern churches. This is a problem which may not be of immediate concern to the many bishops of a church where it is not unusual for parishes have three thousand families on the lists.

Michael

Michael,

It is interesting that you bring up costs.

Here is a section of the document. Note the bolded section.

58. In the admissions process, an evaluation should be made of a candidate�s indebtedness, his ability to handle finances (i.e., responsible record-keeping and payment of personal taxes), spending patterns, and a willingness to cover a portion of his seminary expenses. Candidates should demonstrate an aptitude for learning principles of good stewardship, avoiding any attitudes of entitlement. They should also show an openness to developing professional approaches to personal and church-related business matters.

I think it will hurt things as, unless you are really planning on this from the beginning of your college career you will have a lot of classes to take to prepare.

Older men who already have degrees are looking at 14 classes. If you take 5 classes are year, that is a year and a half.

A minor in philosophy will only get you 18 credits. So everyone will now have to be a philosophy major or they will have a number of extra classes to take.

And then lets look at it realistically, how good are the philosophy courses at public universities? Even at some Catholic Universities? I am lucky to be attending a good orthodox Catholic University. There is a public university in this city where 2 classes of the Ethics class is devoted to the discussion of homosexuality in penguins in the effort to show that homosexuality is ethical behavior.

It is just another attempt to fit vocations into a mold that the bishops have in mind which is part and parcel of the "vocations crisis" today.


David, Byzantine Catholic and Carmelite pre-novice (postulant)

You might have missed it but the USCCB(cf. "Foreword") credits 3 successive Bishops' Committees (since 1999) which worked on the PPF.

The Committee which finally brought the PPF into completion had Archbishop Basil Schott, of the Ruthenian Pittsburgh Metropolia, as one of its 5 members.

Amado

Thanks for that Amado, but then how do we explain this that I just found?


Paragraph 66 of the PPF states, "An applicant for the priesthood must testify that he is not married
or, if he is married, he has the approval of the Holy See. If an Eastern Catholic candidate is married, a certificate of marriage is required along with the written consent of his wife (CCEO, c. 769�1, 2�) and the approval of the Apostolic See."

Now with an Eastern Bishop on one of the Committees and an actual reference to the Eastern Code in this paragrah, why do they ignore Canon 758 �2 which says, "2. It is furthermore required that the candidate not be impeded according to the norm of can. 762. 3. The particular law of each Church sui iuris or special norms established by the Apostolic See are to be followed in admitting married men to sacred orders."

It is within the particular law of each Church that determines if an approval of the Apostolic See is necessary, and I am pretty sure that it is only the Ruthenians that have left this requirement in their particular law.

So is this a case of the Latin Bishops trying to reign in the Eastern Churches on the issue of the ordination of married men once again?

It is my understanding that the particular law of the Ruthenian Metropolia of Pittsburgh already requires married candidates to rely on approval from Roma. I have no idea why the particular law of the Ruthenians is like this.

This should not be the case for the Melkites or Ukrainians however (AFAIK). Therefore this condition might be an imposition upon the other eastern Catholic churches. Churches who were not represented on the committee.

Michael

That is what I was trying to say if I was not all that clear on it.

If it is an impostion on the other Eastern Churches, how can that be when the Canons say otherwise.

I find this troubling.

But then what do I know. To some I am a sell out as it is.


David, Byzantine Catholic and Carmelite pre-novice (postulant)

I also find it troubling.

Dear DavidB:

Just read again what you initially posted:

The general rule in the U.S. is the PPF as promulgated.

Exception: where any rule as applied to Eastern Catholic furture ordinands would be in conflict with "their particular traditions and pastoral life, and with the requirements of the CCEO."

I think there is no intention to "impose" on the Eastern Catholic Churches.

Amado

I would say it will affect the Eastern Churches very little. According to Eastern canon law, each Church sui iuris can determine her own standards of priestly formation as per the CCEO. Some Churches already have this as particular law, and this document will not in any way affect particular law.

The USCCB is an episcopal conference and as such only promulgates guidance and "norms". This is quite different from canon law. We can certainly use this as a resource, or as guidance, but this in no way supercedes the CCEO or the particular law sui iuris.

An Eastern Catholic bishop is not going to vacate episcopal authority or ability to exercise economia on a case-by-case basis, especially with regards to later married vocations, when the CCEO and particular law gives him such.

I really don't see any problems. I think it will be perhaps more interesting to see if all of the Latin dioceses actually follow it. Promulgated USCCB documents seem to be regularly forgotten in some Latin dioceses.
FDD

These two sentences are interesting. In the first sentence, the married candidate (and by this, I would infer Anglican/Episcopalian/Lutheran, et al, candidates) are not required to have the consent of his wife, though the Eastern Catholic is required to have his wife's consent.

BTW, is there a difference between having "the approval of the Holy See" vs "the approval of the Apostolic See"?

Since this topic is on priestly formation, it's probably a good place to ask these questions?

1. When someone is considering the priesthood, what inital steps are taken.

2. With regard to schooling, where does one start? How many years does it take before siminary? How many years is siminary?

3. Can schooling gained through this process but used in the 'outside' world, for a different profession, should the individual deside they infact do not have a true vocation? What type of jobs could this schooling be used in?

Thanks for any help you are able to give.

Peace,
Mary

P.S. This would be for a yound man wanting to be a EC priest.

Most EC eparchies have their own vocations directors. A call to the chancery of your EC eparchy or a visit to the website should get you the name and contact info. That would be a good start.

Father James Bankston is the vocations director for the Eparchy of St. Nicholas which your mission is under. You can PM me for direct contact info.
FDD

I wondered on this myself. Maybe its an attempt to reign in Churches like the Ukrainians.

After all, the Maronites and Melkites have patriarchs of an Apostolic See, Antioch.

As for your comment Diak, see the promulgation of the PPF which is included in the Document. It says that these guidlines now hold unless it goes against what is already set.

When I went to the seminary in Pittsburgh I was told not to worry all that much about philosophy because the (old, 4th edition I believe) PPF was not binding upon the Byzantine Churches. The 5th edition explicitly states that it does and I do not believe that any of the particular laws actually spell out class requirements for the semianry.

Also the crediting body for semianries will look at this and adopt this requriement, so that to get into an MDiv program one will need to have 30 credit hours of philosophy and 12 credit hours of theology. Its not a bad thing but as I have said, it is going to be a big hurdle for the older vocation.