Religious and Priestly Ongoing Formation with Christ Yesterday Today and Tomorrow is surely a powerful religious instrument which can be used to better oneself as a religious or a priest in our todays fast changing society. It helps one as a religious to look back at the values which initially motivated him/her to be a religious. One looks at these values and evaluates oneself to see how such values have helped him/her to develop as a human person and a religious. In this way, the book works as an ongoing formation resource which helps one as a religious to grow spiritually and humanly. The book has also some practical case studies which may provoke some serious reflections within oneself. These reflections help one to have an ongoing burning zeal to serve Christ as a religious. Reading this book is a virtue of ongoing self discovery in ones life as a religious or a priest.

See Pamphlet 5-383 for duplicate copy.

John Paul II on the mission and the formation of the priests of the future

The preparation of new priests for ministry currently faces closer scrutiny than at any time since the Reformation, and the importance of effective priestly formation has perhaps never been clearer in the entire history of the Church. In Models of Priestly Formation, some of the world’s leading experts on the topic consider priestly formation since Vatican II, explore current best practices internationally, and imagine what the future of such formation might look like. The book promises to become an essential reference for every person involved in priestly formation and for anyone interested in understanding better how it is carried out and how those who do it think about their task. The eBook edition includes four additional essays.

Practical guidance for priests in their lifelong journey of human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral formation Given the demands of ministry, it can be difficult for priests to keep learning and growing without the structure of seminary life. Yet, ongoing formation is essential for effective ministry and evangelization. Written by bishops, the Guide to Ongoing Formation for Priests offers practical guidance on the lifelong pursuit of human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral formation for priests at every stage of their priesthood. This official text from the Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is published here in print for the first time. The Guide to Ongoing Formation for Priests: Describes a holy, healthy priesthood and explains how priests can remain dedicated to lifelong learning and growing Offers solutions to common challenges of living the priesthood today, both within the Church and the wider culture Addresses ongoing formation at every stage of life, including early priesthood, the middle years, and “retirement” Organizes guidance around the four dimensions of formation: human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral Includes appendices for those involved in ongoing clergy formation at the diocesan level on the topics of recently ordained priests, evaluating when clergy need assistance, cultural considerations of formation, and boundary education The Guide to Ongoing Formation for Priests is intended to be a resource that priests review regularly, both in their development of individualized formation plans, and in discussion in spiritual direction, with colleagues, and with mentors. This new edition of the Guide features: A newly designed cover with beautiful sacred art Colored tabs with paragraph numbers at the top of each page for easy navigation Carefully designed pages to make each page readable, organized, and inviting A document summary explaining the intended audience, the document’s origin, and the purpose it seeks to serve within the mission of the Church The official text of this work written by the USCCB Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations This edition is part of The USCCB Collection from Ascension, which features official documents from the United States bishops previously published by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

Renewal in the Church is not primarily about topics and issues, as some so tediously seem to think. Those who think the Church would be stronger if it changed some of its teachings don't seem to take seriously enough the experience of those churches that have already changed those same teachings. This book is written as a series of letters on renewal. But, these are not letters previously sent to individuals and now being brought together. They were written for this book. They have been called letters instead of chapters to allow for their different lengths and the different levels of scholarship required by each topic. It also allows for a more personal style of writing. The chosen topics are all relevant to renewal, and the comments are limited to how they open up opportunities for renewal, or illustrate the ongoing need for it within the Catholic Church. This is an international Church which celebrates the 50th anniversary of the beginning of Vatican II in 2012. It is a timely moment to reflect on the Church and its continual renewal in todays world.

The perfect gift! A specially priced, beautifully designed hardcover edition of The Joy of the Gospel with a foreword by Robert Barron and an afterword by James Martin, SJ. “The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus… In this Exhortation I wish to encourage the Christian faithful to embark upon a new chapter of evangelization marked by this joy, while pointing out new paths for the Church’s journey in years to come.” – Pope Francis This special edition of Pope Francis's popular message of hope explores themes that are important for believers in the 21st century. Examining the many obstacles to faith and what can be done to overcome those hurdles, he emphasizes the importance of service to God and all his creation. Advocating for “the homeless, the addicted, refugees, indigenous peoples, the elderly who are increasingly isolated and abandoned,” the Holy Father shows us how to respond to poverty and current economic challenges that affect us locally and globally. Ultimately, Pope Francis demonstrates how to develop a more personal relationship with Jesus Christ, “to recognize the traces of God’s Spirit in events great and small.” Profound in its insight, yet warm and accessible in its tone, The Joy of the Gospel is a call to action to live a life motivated by divine love and, in turn, to experience heaven on earth. Includes a foreword by Robert Barron, author of Catholicism: A Journey to the Heart of the Faith and James Martin, SJ, author of Jesus: A Pilgrimage

Local norms for structuring seminarian formation and teaching the next generation of priests Seminarians are the future of the priesthood. During these formative years, they learn what it means to conform their hearts to the service of the Church and develop the charity, faithfulness, and compassion they will need to minister to their future parishioners. The Program of Priestly Formation guides those who teach seminarians with advice on forming compassionate spiritual fathers who will serve their parishioners well. It also outlines the structural elements of seminary formation and the various people responsible for accompanying a seminarian through his formation. The Program of Priestly Formation: Begins with an introduction to priestly formation, outlining its foundations in community and its missionary spirit Explores the theological foundations of the ministerial priesthood and the Church’s role in promoting priestly vocations Outlines the process of admission into a formation program and local norms for how seminarians are evaluated throughout their education Organizes guidance around the four dimensions of formation–human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral–and how to incorporate these at each stage of seminary formation The Program of Priestly Formation is intended for bishops, priests, seminary rectors, seminary faculties, formators, and all who minister to seminarians as they fulfill this high call to form missionary disciples and lay the foundation for a lifetime of priestly formation. This new edition of the Program features: A newly designed cover with beautiful sacred art Colored tabs with paragraph numbers at the top of each page for easy navigation Carefully designed pages to make each page readable, organized, and inviting A document summary explaining the intended audience, the document’s origin, and the purpose it seeks to serve within the mission of the Church The official text of this work written by the USCCB Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations This edition is part of The USCCB Collection from Ascension, which features official documents from the United States bishops previously published by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

The formation of priests means following a singular 'journey of discipleship', which begins at Baptism, is perfected through the other sacraments of Christian Initiation, comes to be appreciated as the centre of one's life at the beginning of seminary formation, and continues through the whole of life.This Ratio Fundamentalis emphasises that formation - both initial and ongoing - must be seen through a unifying lens, which takes account of the four dimensions of formation proposed by Pastores Dabo Vobis. Together, these dimensions give shape and structure to the identity of the seminarian and the priest, and make him capable of that 'gift of self to the Church', which is the essence of pastoral charity.