What is Propaedeutic Stage
“Propaedeutic” means to “to teach beforehand.” Given the experiences in recent years, the universal Church sees the need for a period of time dedicated to prepare candidates for seminary life. It serves as a transition from a secular “fresh from the world” orientation and “without experience of seminary” to initial priestly formation. “The ‘propaedeutic stage’, with its own specific identity and formative purpose, is now presented as necessary and mandatory” for all men regardless of age.
The Vision of the Propaedeutic Stage
The Propaedeutic Stage is a “period of time to preparation of an introductory nature in view of priestly formation to follow or, alternatively of the decision to follow a different path.” Preparation here qualified as ‘introductory’ involves being equipped with skills and the orientation to begin formal priestly formation. It is, therefore, a time of being introduced and initiated into the entire priestly formation process.
The Objectives of the Propaedeutic Stage
The principal objective of the Propaedeutic Stage is to “provide a solid basis for spiritual life and to nurture a greater self-awareness for personal growth.”
The means of introducing a candidate to priestly life and to the formative process are the following: initiation to spiritual life; providing knowledge of the self for the first time; offering necessary knowledge to understand the fundamentals of the faith as gleaned from the Catechism for Filipino Catholics (CFC); obtaining a more objective and universal understanding of the apostolate of the Church; and helping a candidate become aware of God’s call through prayerful listening to His word in the Scriptures, thereby assisting him in clarifying his motivation in entering the seminary.