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In his Apostolic Exhortation on priestly formation, Pastores Dabo Vobis, Pope John Paul II writes: “The whole formation imparted to candidates for the priesthood aims at preparing them to enter into communion with the pastoral charity of Christ the Good Shepherd” (#57). Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary offers a concurrent program of supervised apostolic formation as an integral part of a seminarian’s pastoral formation for priesthood. In the College Division, the Apostolic Formation Program is required of all seminarians in II College, III College, IV College and Pre-Theology. All apostolic assignments are fulfilled on Thursdays and usually involve a time commitment spanning morning and afternoon.
The Apostolic Formation Program at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary engages seminarians in practical, supervised experiences of service in such settings as culturally diverse parishes, nursing homes, senior citizen centers, special education schools, social service agencies, and hospices. Such opportunities seek to foster in the seminarian a deeper sensitivity to people’s needs and aspirations, their circumstances of life, their attitudes toward God and neighbor. The Apostolic Formation Program promotes experience-based learning which challenges the seminarian to integrate his formal classroom knowledge with practical experience. The apostolic dimension of this program encourages the seminarian to reflect on his own unique calling to service and sacrifice, which are integral to mature Christian living as well as an invaluable preparation for his life of pastoral ministry.
The supervisory relationship is critical to the Apostolic Formation Program experience. The supervisor guides the seminarian’s involvement in specific tasks, encourages his initiative and creativity, monitors his ability to follow directions and execute tasks, and provides valuable corrective feedback. The professional, mentoring relationship between seminarian and supervisor cultivates the seminarian’s capacity for reflection on his apostolic experiences and enables the seminarian to appropriate insights that enable self-assessment and growth.
