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12 

THE PRINCIPLES OF FORMATION OF 

CANDIDATES FOR THE CATHOLIC PRIESTHOOD 

IN OPTATAM TOTIUS, PASTORES DABO VOBIS AND 

RATIO FUNDAMENTALIS INSTITUTIONIS 

SACERDOTALIS AS PARADIGMATIC OF HUMAN 

FORMATION 
 

Anthony O. IGBEKELE, SLS, SLD 
Department of Theology, 

Ss. Peter and Paul Major Seminary, Bodija Ibadan. 
aoigbekele@hotmail.com 

 
Abstract 
The Catholic Church has always considered the formation of candidates 
for the priesthood and the ongoing formation of her clergy among its 
greatest priorities and concerns, knowing that her overall good and the 
success of her mission are contingent on a well-formed clergy. 
Consequently, the Church has invested time and efforts to fashion out 
time tested principles that guide the formation of her candidates. The 
position of this paper is that these principles, stated in conciliar and post-
conciliar documents, because of the breadth and reach of their 
formulations, are paradigmatic of and applicable to the formation of the 
Christian person. These principles, summarized as human, intellectual, 
spiritual and pastoral, when faithfully domesticated and applied, could 
also be validly utilized for the formation of any Christian person for the 
mission of the Church and the good of the society.  
 
Keywords: Church, Human Formation, Pastores Dabo Vobis, Ratio 
Fundamentalis 
 
Introduction 
The crisis in the Christian life and in the society today is occasioned by 
the crisis in the formation of the human person for the important roles 
that are to be assumed in life. In terms of the priesthood, such crisis can 



166 Formation of the Human Person in the 21st Century 

be traced to the absence of sound formation or the presence of a faulty 
formation. The priest is fundamentally a man of sacrifice; a man for 
sacrifice; a man by sacrifice. The sacrifice motif is fundamental to his 
essence and nature. Priesthood is therefore without soul if sacrifice is 
removed from it. Sacrifice is the heart of worship and cult. It is the heart 
of liturgy. If sacrifice is the heart of the priesthood because to talk of the 
priesthood without it is to completely misunderstand the fundamental 
essence of what the priesthood is all about, then it stands to reason that 
the fundament of all formation to the priesthood is to form the human 
person to become a man of cult or worship. Formation of a Catholic 
priest is therefore formation for sacrifice. Sacrifice here intended is the 
sacrifice that found its fullest accomplishment by Christ Jesus in his 
Paschal Mystery – that is, the Passion, death, resurrection and ascension 
into glory of Jesus Christ. 

The crisis of the priesthood is therefore the crisis of authentic 
human formation for the roles that are meant to be assumed as priests. 
The most effective counter measure to this crisis therefore lies in quality 
of formation of the candidates for the priesthood. The structure of such 
formation, with some contextualizations and adaptations, are also valid 
propositions for the authentic formation of the human person in every 
age, time, season, generation, language, culture. This is because 
fundamentally, the priest is first of all called to be fully human before he 
can be fully priestly. The human substratum of his personhood is 
therefore of fundamental significance, import and relevance to the entire 
edifice of his formation. If this human edifice is faulty, corrupt, vitiated, 
corrupted at its fundament, the construction of any formative structure 
upon this sub-structure cannot therefore but be faulty. 

The insights and content of formation of candidates for the 
priesthood can also be seen to be paradigmatic1 of human formation 
because the Church has experience in the formation of the human 
person. The Church can lay claim to the experience of two millenia in 
which she has consistently and courageously been in the forefront of the 
formation and promotion of the good of the human person. On the basis 
of this experience, the Church can rightly arrogate to herself the 
competence of not just formulating the fundamental principles of 
human formation, that is, the basis on which the formation of the 
human person should rest, but even more importantly, on the strength 
of her collective experience, the Church is in a position to propose 
veritable enduring principles that can constitute into the kernel of a 
program of action for the wholistic formation of the human person in 
every age, generation, culture, time. 

The formation must be human, that is, it must proceed from the 
fundamentals of what constitutes into our humanity, be based on our 



Section 1: Ecclesiastical/Theological Perspectives And Seminary Formation    167 

being as persons created in the image and likeness of God, with all our 
compositions and essence and what makes us who we are as persons. 
Formation must also have a Christian character, that is, be based on 
Christian principles and values, ethos, norms. Formation must have 
didactic or instructional character. The didactic aspect of human 
formation does not and is not circumscribed to the formal classroom 
environment or situation. It is the experience that a greater and more 
efficient aspect of the instructional character of human formation takes 
place in the non-formal sector, especially in the home. Within the 
context of formation for the priesthood, a large aspect of the human 
formation of the candidates for the priesthood takes place in the 
substratum: that is, in the non-formal sector, among the candidates 
themselves. This is especially the locus for auto or self-formation, which 
is fundamental and indispensable to the overall realization of authentic 
priestly formation. The didactic nature of human formation makes 
especial use of the experience of the Church in this regard. That 
experience is founded on the catechetical principles that are foundational 
to instruction in the faith.  
 
What is Human Formation? 
Formation is from the latin word, formo-formare, which means “form, 
shape, fashion, model”2 formation, from the Latin noun formatio, mean 
“something possessing structure or form“; “the act of assembling a group 
or structure.”3 ”an act of giving form or shape to something or of taking 
form: development.”4 In a general sense, human formation refers to the 
beginnings of man as homo sapiens, that is, when man came to be made 
or fashioned or evolve. Formation is the entire process in which the 
human person is moulded, shaped, configured. Human formation has to 
do with all the entire process, procedures, motivations, that are put to 
bear in the grooming of a human person. It is concerned with a part of 
human development that takes the entire human person, body, soul, 
affective self as the point of departure and point of arrival, with a view to 
promoting the emergence of right character, vision, attitudes, view on 
life.  

Human formation has to do with the configuration of the 
human person to a way of life, an ideal, a standard, and well tested 
patterns; a growth that is gradual, consistent, insistent, practical, effective, 
based on nature and founded on grace. Human formation is therefore a 
consistent development and cultivation of authentic human values. 

Christian human formation assumes the basics of human 
formation. Taking these basics as its point of departure, Christian human 
formation is the configuration of the human person to the Person and 
life of Christ. Christian human formation therefore has Christ as the 



168 Formation of the Human Person in the 21st Century 

fundamental referent, and therefore does not proceed ab nihilo, that is, 
from nothing. Human formation makes use of objective referents that, 
over time, and with constant and consistent positive usage, have attained 
universal significance and import and have crystallized into objective 
norms, ethos and practices. Christian human formation is therefore the 
conformation of the life of each individual Christian to that of Christ. 
 
The Importance of Formation of Priests  
The priesthood, in the words of Pastores Dabo Vobis 8, [henceforth PDV] 

5 is best viewed as a “special witness to the primacy of “being” over 
“having,” and as a recognition that the significance of life consists in a 
free and responsible giving of oneself to others, a willingness to place 
oneself entirely at the Service of the Gospel and the kingdom of 
God….”6 Furthermore, “the priestly ministry in the life of the Church 
and in the world knows no substitute.”7 The importance and necessity of 
priests are also stressed, since “Without priests the Church would not be 
able to live that fundamental obedience which is at the very heart of her 
existence and her mission in history, an obedience in response to the 
command of Christ: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” 
(Mt. 28:19) and “Do this in remembrance of me” (Lk. 22:19; cf. 1 Cor. 
11.24), i.e:, an obedience to the command to announce the Gospel and to 
renew daily the sacrifice of the giving of his body and the shedding of his 
blood for the life of the world.”8 PDV emphasized that “The priest is a 
living and transparent image of Christ the priest. The priesthood of 
Christ, the expression of his absolute “newness” in salvation history, 
constitutes the one source and essential model of the priesthood shared 
by all Christians and the priest in particular. Reference to Christ is thus 
the absolutely necessary key for understanding the reality of 
priesthood.”9 

The documents we shall examine individuate four areas that are 
fundamental to formation of the candidates for the priesthood. These 
four areas are: Human, Intellectual, Spiritual and Pastoral. When any of 
these is lacking in the formation of any human person, that person 
becomes defective in his formative character. 

 
The Content of Formation in Pastores Dabo Vobis 
The overall aim of Pastores Dabo Vobis is pastoral: the commitment to the 
realization of the promise of Christ not to leave His Church without 
shepherds. It is dedicated to the formulation of principles that would 
guide the formation of pastoral persons for the mission of Christ and His 
Church in the world. Formation in the Church and Christian formation 
is imitation of Christ: Christ formed those He called and gathered 
around Himself. Christian Formation is therefore nothing but a 



Section 1: Ecclesiastical/Theological Perspectives And Seminary Formation    169 

continuation of the work of Christ and in imitation of Christ who 
gathered disciples around Himself, taught them and sent them out to 
preach and cast out demons (Mk3,13-15)10 

The context, environment and basis of every human formation is 
the human society. This is because every person who is called to 
formation comes from the womb of a human society or community and 
from particular contexts and circumstances.11 Formation must have the 
capacity to confront and provide solutions to the problems, 
contradictions and potentialities of the society. The situation and 
condition of man in the world, especially with regards to rationalism, 
individualism, materialism, secularism, human sexuality and the family, 
inhuman capitalism, subjectivism, multi-racialism and multi-culturalism, 
demand that there be a robust and well-articulated formation of the 
priest for today’s world. Formation must lead to the confrontation of 
values that are detrimental to the gospel and to Christian life. For 
instance, it should confront modern problems identified as wrong 
interpretation of human existence; consumerism; subjectivism of the 
faith; a rejection of sacrifice and religious and spiritual values; a distorted 
sense of freedom that leads to a rejection of God and religious 
indifference; a debased and degraded interpretation of sexuality, in which 
sexuality becomes a turning inward to oneself of this precious gift, which 
results in exploitation and the reduction of this gift to “a consumer good” 
and is a caricature of a balanced view of sexuality that should lead to 
affective maturity and “growth in personality”.12  

Every form of formation of the human Christian person must 
have the ideals of the Christian life as its goal and aspiration. These ideals 
are enumerated as true and genuine freedom; the value of the human 
person; love for authenticity and sincerity; a new understanding of the 
reciprocal rapport between men and women; a move towards a just and 
sympathetic world; openness and dialogue; commitment to peace; the 
resurgence of ideals voluntary service can help youth and young men to 
follow the path of complete consecration to God as a priest.13 
 
The Fundamental Characters and Foundation of Formation of 
the Christian Person 
The formation of the human person, for it to be Christian, must have 
three indispensable and fundamental characters and foundations: 
Christocentric and Christological, Trinitarian and Ecclesiological. In 
terms of its Christocentric and Christological foundation, it must be 
based on the contemplation of Christ, the high priest, in whose 
priesthood the ministerial priesthood is a participation. The entire 
ministerial priesthood is a participation in the life of Christ Himself.14 



170 Formation of the Human Person in the 21st Century 

Christian formation of the human person must have a Trinitarian 
foundation, origin and source. This is more so for the life of the priest: 
“the priest, by virtue of the consecration which he receives in the 
sacrament of orders, is sent forth by the Father through the mediatorship 
of Jesus Christ, to whom he is configured in a special way as head and 
shepherd of his people, in order to live and work by the power of the 
Holy Spirit in service of the Church and for the salvation of the world.”15 
The missionary and relational dimensions of priestly formation16, 
ministry and life are brought out through and in this Trinitarian 
foundation 

Lastly, the Christian formation of the human person must have 
an Ecclesiological foundation. The church is mystery, communion and 
mission. 17 The human person is a mystery based on the connection with 
God who is mystery in Himself. The human person is called to relational 
communion relationship with others, that is, the communion and 
sharing of life. The human persons who discover themselves in mystery 
and communion are the same persons called to express these dimensions 
in mission, that is, taking the good news out and witnessing to the world. 
 
Human Formation 
In its discussion of human formation, the Ratio Fundamentalis (henceforth 
RF) concentrates on four principal and indispensable dimensions: 
psychological formation which “focuses on the constitution of a stable 
personality, characterized by emotional balance, self control and a well 
integrated sexuality”;18 moral formation which entails the formation of a 
good conscience, that is, the formation of “responsible persons able to 
make the right decisions, gifted with right judgement and able to have an 
objective perception of person and events”19; aesthetic formation which 
indicates capacity to relate with the environment and appreciation of 
beauty and goodness; historical formation which involves the personal 
history of the persons for formation, their socializations prior to entrance 
into formation and how this has affected the growth of their personality. 
Formation is to help them to guard against attachment or preferences of 
certain persons over and above others; to be inclusive rather than 
exclusive in their social and relational preferences and choices. Human 
formation also exposes them to the dynamics of self-formation, that is, a 
formation of the self that is guided and accompanied by trained 
formators and experts. In this regard, there must be openness to the 
formative contributions of women “who, by their witness of their lives, 
give an example of prayer and pastoral service, a spirit of sacrifice and 
self-denial, of care and tender closeness to their neighbours”20 

Human formation is fundamental to and is the first of the 
dimensions of formation. Everything a human person wants to be is built 



Section 1: Ecclesiastical/Theological Perspectives And Seminary Formation    171 

upon the human substratum or the humanity of that person. Holiness 
perfects humanity, and does not replace or diminish it. “The whole work 
of priestly formation would be deprived of its necessary foundation if it 
lacked a suitable human formation”21. The foundation of all human 
Christian formation is configuration to Christ. Human formation 
determines Christian and priestly identity. The qualities acquired in 
human formation are important for candidates to the priesthood if they 
are to be balanced, strong, free, with the capacity to bear the weight 
pastoral responsibilities.22 

Human formation is therefore to be understood as ontological 
configuration to Christ. The priest is called by God. He is chosen by 
God for a special mission. His human formation therefore has to be 
Christic and Christo-centric. His vocation is a gift, and not merited. He 
therefore has to cooperate with the Giver of the gift for the gift to 
blossom and arrive at its fullest maturity and realization. As a person 
called to serve the people, the priest needs to “sharpen his human 
sensitivity so as to understand more clearly their needs, respond to their 
demands, perceive their unvoiced questions and share the hopes and 
expectations, the joys and burdens which are part of life: thus he will be 
able to meet and enter into dialogue with all people.”23 

The human aspect of formation has to do with the ability of the 
person in formation to be at home with his humanity, personal history 
and limitations and rise above all of these limiting and militating 
situations. The person to be formed has a fundamental role to play in his 
formation. Consequently, “each seminarian is the protagonist of his own 
formation … and is called to a journey of ongoing growth in the human, 
spiritual, intellectual and pastoral areas, taking into count his own 
personal and family background. Seminarians are likewise responsible for 
establishing and maintaining a climate of formation that is consistent 
with the values of the Gospel”24. 

Formation helps candidates preparing for the priesthood to be 
“balanced people, strong and free, capable of bearing the weight of 
pastoral responsibilities, to be educated to love truth, to be loyal, to 
respect every person, to have a sense of justice, to be true to their word, 
to have genuine compassion, to be men of integrity and especially to be 
balanced in judgement and behavior.”25 Human formation is formation 
in essential good attributes: courage, magnanimity, humility, common 
sense, discretion, transparency, right judgement, honesty, love of truth26 
Both PDV and RF are agreed that the foundation of formation would be 
faulty if the human dimension of it is not properly taken care of.27 
Human formation is formation of the humanity of the person, the 
radical transformation of the core of a human person. 



172 Formation of the Human Person in the 21st Century 

The person to be formed is taken from a human community, has 
a human personality. In terms of the formation of a priest, the humanity 
of the priest should be a bridge and not an obstacle.28 
Consequently, human formation should lead to personal maturity, in 
their spiritual, emotional, physical, sexual, intellectual, psychological and 
social dimensions. Human formation must lead to the perfection of the 
image of Christ in the person being formed and reflect the perfection 
found in the humanity of Christ, the perfect man. A solid human 
formation makes the relational, relatedness and interactive dimensions of 
the human person possible. It leads to the development of solid human 
qualities.  

Human formation should lead to affective maturity, the ability to 
love and to receive love. This love takes the whole person as its point of 
departure and forms the candidates in responsible love and the authentic 
meaning of sexuality, which will also include education to true meaning 
of friendship and “fraternal affection”. Human formation, that leads to 
human maturity, must also concentrate its creative energy and attention 
on formation to the responsible use of freedom. This responsible 
freedom will help the candidates to overcome the problematics of 
selfishness and individualism and advance the education of the moral 
conscience.29  

Human formation should lead to commitment to the truth, 
respect for others, justice, truth telling, compassion, integrity, balance in 
judgement, self-control, strength of character, development of a high 
sense of responsibility.30 It should also focus on self-determination and 
responsibility for one’s actions, which translates into a balance in 
relationships. Consequently, the entire life history, the ability of the 
person to be reconciled to and integrate that personal history, family 
influences, awareness of personal weakness, are very important for 
human formation. Human formation of the candidates for the 
priesthood should also take into cognizance the importance of 
interpersonal relationship and relationship with the environment31; 
relationship with women; the ability to take responsibility; self-
determination; awareness of personal weakness; the care for physical 
well-being; cultivation of good habits; emotional stability; development 
of leadership skills; cultivation of interactive skills; capacity for dialogue; 
openness; respect; affective maturity; understanding of self and others 
and sympathy; compassion; patience; tolerance; love of the truth; 
honesty; moral excellence; transparency. 
 
Spiritual Formation 
The second important dimension of formation which human formation 
leads to and in which it finds its completion is spiritual formation. There 



Section 1: Ecclesiastical/Theological Perspectives And Seminary Formation    173 

is in every human person the religious “character” or dimension: the 
openness to transcendence and the absolute.32 Spiritual formation has to 
do with communion with God, with Christ, submission of life to the 
Spirit, “in a filial attitude toward the Father and a trustful attachment to 
the Church. Spiritual formation has its roots in the experience of the 
cross, which in deep communion leads to the totality of the paschal 
mystery.”33 Spiritual formation is the core “which gives life” to the being 
of the priest and to his activities in the world. It should lead to union 
with the Trinity, drawing close to and living in intimate union and 
communion with Christ, living out the paschal mystery, seeking Christ 
through meditation on God’s word, participating in the divine mysteries 
of worship, in filial obedience to the Bishop and in veneration of the 
Blessed Virgin Mary.34  

Spiritual formation opens candidates to the mystery that the 
Christian religion is: “the gift, of a personal covenant of love and life 
between God and human beings.”35 It is communion with Christ, that is 
expressed in the deepest act of love and friendship with Him. It is search 
for Jesus which if assiduously carried out, will lead to finding Him, 
following Him and being in communion with Him.36 This seeking or 
search for Jesus would be achieved if three important steps or paths are 
covered: “a faithful meditation on the word of God, active participation 
in the Church's holy mysteries and the service of charity to the “little 
ones.”“37 The fundamental and primal way of responding to the word of 
God is prayer,38 which is nothing but that deep intimacy with God, 
which expresses itself in a total gift of self “to Christ and through Christ 
to the Father.”39 Formation for prayer will include formation for the 
appreciation of silence. Formation for Christian commitment to prayer 
finds its highest expression in the Eucharist, the “‘summit and source’ of 
the sacraments and the Liturgy of the Hours.”40 Spiritual formation will 
also include formation for the liturgy of the Church, the expression and 
continuation of the Paschal Mystery of Jesus Christ. It will include 
formation and appreciation for the other sacraments, especially penance, 
the cultivation of the practices of asceticism and self-sacrifice; the 
understanding of the meaning and centrality of the cross, the heart of the 
paschal mystery, in the life of every believer and identification with 
Christ crucified.41 Spiritual formation will also teach the candidate to 
seek Christ in people, to offer himself as a gift to others, to be a man of 
charity and to teach others what the commandment of love truly 
entails,42 and to understand the core spiritual values inherent in the 
evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience as the free 
expression of the total gift of self in imitation of the charity of Christ.43 
 
 



174 Formation of the Human Person in the 21st Century 

Intellectual Formation 
This aspect of formation of the human person has to do with the 
formation of the mind, and the scientific acquisition of knowledge, 
which is not intended to be a mere acquisition of knowledge but a 
knowledge that is directed towards knowing and adhering to God. 
Intellectual formation is important because of the nature of the ministry 
to which the candidates will be called to share in, the need for 
evangelization and the necessity to defend the faith.44 Being called to 
collaborate with Christ in the salvation of their brothers and sisters, they 
have the responsibility “to seek an ever deeper knowledge of the divine 
mysteries.” Owing to the challenges of modernity and post modernity, 
the formation of candidates must equip them intellectually to have the 
capacity to proclaim “the changeless Gospel of Christ.”45 This formation 
needs a stable institution and a formal atmosphere for it to take place. In 
the formal environment in which the formation of candidates to the 
priesthood takes place, there is need for a corp of persons who by virtue 
of their preparation and training, are equipped to carry out the duties and 
responsibilities of the intellectual formation of the candidates for the 
priesthood. Intellectual formation must take place in a suitable 
environment.  

Formation candidates must demonstrate commitment to 
intellectual formation, 46 which must have focus and content. This 
intellectual formation is carried out through the study of Philosophy and 
Theology, two disciplines that must be coordinated effectively “so that 
they supplement one another in revealing to the minds of students with 
ever increasing clarity the Mystery of Christ, which affects the whole 
course of human history.”47 This dimension formation must not be 
simple expression of rarified truths but equally pastoral application of 
same and concern for the challenges and preoccupations of the times. 
With a firm intellectual formation, formation candidates are equipped to 
thoroughly assess the negative teachings and philosophies that are 
bandied about in the modern world and proffer solution to counteract 
them, based on the truths of the gospel. Intellectual formation must also 
focus on the “unity of the educational process in its diverse aspects.”48 
Consequently, the “commitment to study, which takes up no small part 
of the time of those preparing for the priesthood, is not in fact an 
external and secondary dimension of their human, Christian, spiritual 
and vocational growth. In reality, through study, especially the study of 
theology, the future priest assents to the word of God, grows in his 
spiritual life and prepares himself to fulfill his pastoral ministry.”49 What 
this implies is that intellectual formation must not be carried out as if it is 
an end in itself, as pure abstract knowledge that has no bearing with real 
life, but must be “integrated with a spirituality marked by a personal 



Section 1: Ecclesiastical/Theological Perspectives And Seminary Formation    175 

experience of God. In this way a purely abstract approach to knowledge 
is overcome in favor of that intelligence of heart which knows how 'to 
look beyond,' and then is in a position to communicate the mystery of 
God to the people.”50  

The study of Philosophy will lead to a “deeper understanding 
and interpretation of the person, and of the person’s freedom and 
relationship with the world and with God.”51 It will also lead “the 
students gradually to a solid and consistent knowledge of man, the world 
and God.”52 It is also vital because of the links that exist between the 
great themes studied in Philosophy that find expression in theology. 
Philosophical studies will also help to dethrone “subjectivism as a 
criterion and measure of truth…”53 and lead candidates to appreciate the 
truth that can never be given by man but is a gift from God Himself. The 
second part of intellectual formation of the candidates is theology, the 
discourse on God. Theological studies must have the true faith as its 
point of departure and point of arrival.54 This faith is one about which 
questions are asked and answers are given, on the basis of divine 
revelation, tradition and the living magisterium of the Church, in order 
to arrive at its deeper understanding. This faith is faith in Jesus Christ, 
which is expressed and exercised in the Church. Thus, the faith has 
Christological, Ecclesiological and Ecclesial foundation, implication and 
dimension. These dimensions should help the candidate to develop a 
deep love for Christ and His Body, the Church. Intellectual formation 
must be integrated with spiritual formation and the prayer life, otherwise 
it regresses into pure abstraction and theological gymnastics and 
sophistry. The aim of theological formation should be the arrival at “a 
complete and unified vision of the truths which God has revealed in 
Jesus Christ and of the Church’s experience of faith.”55 It should 
integrate the scientific study of theology with its pastoral aim and seek 
the inculturation of revealed truths within the cultural expressions that 
the Church is called upon to preach the message of salvation.56 
 
Pastoral Formation 
The last aspect of formation of the human person for the priesthood is 
Pastoral Formation. Pastoral formation has to do with the configuration 
of the candidate to become shepherds after the image of Christ, the 
Good Shepherd. This is stated so well in Optatam Totius that 
recommends that candidates should be trained for the ministry of the 
word, of worship and sanctification, of the shepherd. The other three 
dimensions of formation: human, spiritual, intellectual should be 
directed to “a specific pastoral end.”57 Pastoral formation should consist 
of “mature reflection and practical application”58 and taking cue from 
Pastoral Theology, must not be seen just as an art, but as “a scientific 



176 Formation of the Human Person in the 21st Century 

reflection on the Church as she is built up daily, by the power of the 
Spirit, in history; on the Church as the “universal sacrament of salvation, 
as a living sign and instrument of the salvation wrought by Christ 
through the word, the sacraments and the service of charity.”59 It must 
concern itself with the practical application of the principles encountered 
and acquired during the scientific intellectual formation that the 
candidate has to undergo. These principles are to be put into practice in 
the various pastoral trainings, experiences and services that are to be 
carried out during the formative years. Pastoral formation should lead 
the candidates to “deeper communion with the pastoral charity of Jesus 
Christ”60  

Pastoral formation is therefore “a type of formation meant not 
only to ensure scientific, pastoral competence and practical skill, but also 
and especially a way of being in communion with the very sentiments 
and behavior of Christ the good shepherd: “Have this mind among 
yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5).”61 Pastoral 
formation, which is not mere apprenticeship, should “seek really and 
truly to initiate the candidate into the sensitivity of being a shepherd, in 
the conscious and mature assumption of his responsibilities, in the 
interior habit of evaluating problems and establishing priorities and 
looking for solutions on the basis of honest motivations of faith and 
according to the theological demands inherent in pastoral work.”62 It 
should expose the candidates to living out the charity of Christ in terms 
of the care for the less fortunate, the poor, the sick, the marginalized, the 
normads, and to various forms of social works, all with the intention of 
expressing the closeness and the love of Christ to those who are most in 
need of it. It should teach the candidate to defend the rights and dignity 
of man, created in the image and likeness of God, wherever such appear 
to be jeopardized, and inculcate in the candidate the capacity to live out 
his mission as a service in the community.63 It should help the candidate 
to understand and see the Church as mystery (work and presence of the 
Trinity), communion (community, collaboration, cooperation) and 
mission (the missionary dimension of the life of the Church).64 
 
The Formation for the Priesthood as Paradigmatic of Formation 
of the Human Person 
The four principal areas that are foundational and fundamental to the 
formation of candidates for the priesthood could also be validly 
contextualized and utilized as paradigms and directional principles for 
the formation of any human person in order to arrive at fullest Christian 
maturity and attain the deployment of their latent potentials and the 
realization of their possibilities. 
 



Section 1: Ecclesiastical/Theological Perspectives And Seminary Formation    177 

Human Formation 
The insights gained in the documents studied can be validly proposed for 
the formation of any human person, and especially of a Christian, in any 
circumstance. The documents proposed that human formation is the 
bedrock of all formation. The formation of any person is fundamentally 
based on human formation. Human formation is the formation of the 
humanity of the person, the radical transformation of who a person is. 
This human formation has the ontological configuration to Christ as its 
principal point of departure and arrival. It involves sensitivity to the 
needs of others, ability to be at home with one’s humanity and rise above 
personal history and limitations. Human formation has to do with 
formation to be balanced persons, to love truth, justice, be loyal, 
respectful, compassionate, to be persons of integrity and be balanced in 
judgment and behaviour. Human formation will therefore include 
formation in affective maturity, self-responsibility, self-determination, 
development of leadership skills, cultivation of interactive skills, moral 
excellence and transparency. These are foundational principles that 
should form the bedrock of the formation of human persons for the 
good of society and humanity in general. Consequently, the insights of 
the documents are very valid in this regard for the authentic formation of 
persons. 
 
Spiritual Formation in the Formation of the Human Person 
The important insights and guiding principles used in the spiritual 
formation of candidates for the priesthood are equally of valid 
importance in the formation of the human person. The documents 
describe spiritual formation as predisposition to transcendence and the 
absolute, communion with God and with Jesus Christ, the good 
shepherd and submission of life to the Holy Spirit,65 and that it is central 
to the life of the faithful and “unifies their being and living as Christians, 
that is, as new creatures in Christ who walk in the Spirit...”66 It consists 
in living the life of Christ, living in union and communion with Christ, 
communion with Christ, search for Jesus, meditation on God’s word, 
participation in the mysteries of worship, and dedication to the service of 
charity. These ideals of the spiritual formation of candidates for the 
priesthood are also important in the overall formation of the human 
person in terms of cultivation of the ideals of self-sacrificial love, love of 
the cross, dedication and commitment to the paschal mystery, 
participation in the liturgy of the Church, living out ascetical practices 
that help in the promotion of the life of man in the world. The insights 
in these documents clarify the fact that man’s push towards 
transcendence can be validly assisted through authentic formation in 
spiritual values that are cognate to his nature. 



178 Formation of the Human Person in the 21st Century 

Intellectual formation 
The documents studied emphasized the formation of the mind and the 
indispensability of the scientific acquisition of knowledge, which should, 
however, not be for the sake of mere acquisition but a knowledge that is 
God-centred and directed towards knowledge of God and the good of 
others. The formation of the mind is important in today’s world. This 
need is especially seen in the propagation of the culture of death, moral 
relativism, flight from commitments; consumerism; hedonism and 
pleasure seeking. Intellectual formation will equip the human person to 
make differential judgment and determine in a personal, informed way, 
the course of action to take. We are aware and are living witnesses today 
to the power and influence of the modern means of communication in 
the shaping of behaviour and conduct. A well-integrated, well informed, 
balanced and systematic presentation of truths within the programme of 
intellectual formation, will help every human person to make the right 
decisions about the course of actions to pursue. 
 
Pastoral Formation  
Every human person, to arrive at full maturity, needs the important 
insights on the formation of the pastoral person as enunciated in the 
documents and teachings of the Church. The person and character of the 
Church through history, the lessons the Church has learnt, will be of 
invaluable aid in the pursuit of such a pastoral endeavour. Pastoral 
formation principles could be used in the development of certain values 
in the human person: the charity of Christ in the care for others; 
commitment to social work; work for the promotion of human dignity 
with Christian principles; living out one’s Christian mission as a form of 
service that benefits other people; recognition of one’s identity and that 
of others; capacity for communion, collaboration, cooperation, co-
responsibility; understanding; trust and love for the Church. The 
principles of pastoral formation could also be validly deployed in the 
search and actualization of the different vocations, for instance, 
“marriage, social services, apostolate, ministries and other responsibilities 
in pastoral activity, the consecrated life, involvement in political and 
social leadership, scientific research, teaching.”67 The fruits of Pastoral 
formation will be valuable in teaching the lay faithful “in their vocation 
to be present in and to transform the world with the light of the Gospel, 
by recognizing this task of their and showing respect for it.”68 The 
principles of pastoral formation of the candidates for the priesthood are 
equally important in the area of the missionary content of the life of 
every baptized and of every human person. Every human person should 
live with the self-recognition that life has a mission. In the context of the 
Christian person, that mission is Christ Himself, the way and the truth 



Section 1: Ecclesiastical/Theological Perspectives And Seminary Formation    179 

and the life. That mission of Christ is prolonged and carried on in the 
activities of the Church, called upon to continue and carry on the 
mission of the Saviour until the end of time. That mission includes 
living out and proclaiming the gospel of Christ in the events of life and 
even sometimes as lay missionaries, witnessing to the truths of the 
gospel, in cooperation and collaboration with the ministerial priests. 
 
Conclusion  
The four formative principles, pillars or dimensions: human, spiritual, 
intellectual and pastoral, formulated and stated in conciliar and post-
conciliar documents on the formation of the candidates for the sacred 
priesthood, especially Optatam Totius, Pastores Dabo Vobis and the New 
Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis and used for the training of 
candidates in preparation for the assumption of responsibilities as 
Catholic priests, are valid instruments that could also be used for the 
formation of any human person. The underlying strength of these time-
tested formative principles lies in the fact that they would ensure, in a 
wholistic way, the configuration of the human person, to the Person of 
Christ, the perfect Model of formation. The reasonability of these 
principles reveals the Church as that great teacher that strives to make 
disciples for Christ, since everyone who encounters the Church, cannot 
but be formed after the image of Christ, the Bridegroom of the Church. 
However, as consistently maintained in this paper, the wholistic 
formation of the human person gives absolute premium to the humanity 
of the human person who is called to witness to Jesus Christ. The 
humanity of every individual sets the fulcrum or pivot around which the 
other dimensions turn. Thus, a faulty human formation cannot produce 
a formed individual in the wholistic sense. The dependability of the 
other dimensions of formation on human formation is clearly cut. The 
point of divergence between the dimensions of the formative processes 
under the jurisdictions of human, spiritual, intellectual and pastoral 
indicates the various cardinal aspects of the human person; the point of 
convergence is largely the integration of these aspects of the human 
person, to be formed in the image of Christ, thus, becoming another 
Christ in the society. These formative principles, though insufficient in 
themselves, when taken together, become sufficient in building up the 
candidates for the sacred priesthood and the human person called to live 
out their mission in the society. Hence, there must a successful 
synergizing of the results of the various dimensions of formation to 
attain holistic formation of the human person.    
 
 
 



180 Formation of the Human Person in the 21st Century 

Endnotes 
                                                      
1 The word paradigma is originally a Greek (and later Latin) word. Etymologically, 

the word paradigma is from two Greek words, ‘para’ meaning ‘beside’ and 

‘deiknynai’ meaning ‘to display or show’” and these two words “were combined to 

form ‘paradeiknyai’, which possessed the literal meaning ‘to display side by side’”. 

The word “was used to refer to 'a model or pattern',” [“Paradigm” in 

https://www.macmillandictionaryblog.com/paradigm, accessed 08.03.21, 08.45 am]. 

It could also mean a method, a well-tested and proven to be reliable form that 

could be replicated. Paradigm is thus “a standard, perspective, or set of ideas” 

[“Paradigm” in https://www.google.com/search?client=opera&q=paradigma 

&sourceid=opera&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8, accessed 08.03.21, 09.16 am.] 

Paradigmatic is the adjectival form of paradigma and it means “serving as a typical 

example of something” and “of or denoting the relationship between a set of 

linguistic items that form mutually exclusive choices in particular syntactic roles.” It 

is also “a fancy word for describing something that is an ideal or standard. ... You'll 

come across it if you study the subject of linguistics, where "paradigmatic analysis" 

is one way of analyzing a text, by examining patterns within it.” “Paradigmatic” in 

https://www.google.com/search?client=opera&hs=V8Y&ei=a9pFYLWOLbHO1fAPkI

mnyA8&q=paradigmatic+meaning&oq=paradigmatic&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAE

YATIKCAAQkQIQRhD5ATIFCAAQkQIyAggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyAgg

AMgIIADoHCAAQRxCwA1DmhQNYqooDYJDVA2gBcAJ4AYABwwOIAdMIkgEJMC4x

LjIuMC4xmAEAoAEBqgEHZ3dzLXdpesgBCMABAQ&sclient=gws-wiz, accessed 

08.03.21, 9.34 a.m 
2 “Latin definition for: formo, formare, formavi, formatus” in https://latindictionary 

.net/definition/20903/formo-formare-formavi-formatus, accessed 20.02.2020, 18.31 

p.m 
3 “Formation”, in https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/formation, accessed 20.02.2020, 

18.39 
4“Definition of formation”, in https://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/forma 

tion, accessed 20.02.2020, 18.15pm 
5 Pastores Dabo Vobis is the post synodal Apostolic Exhortation written by Pope 

John Paul II at the conclusion of the Eighth Ordinary General Assembly of the 

Synod of Bishops, from 30 September to 28 October, 1990, dedicated to “The 

Formation of Priests in Circumstances of the Present Day. This post synodal 

apostolic exhortation has as its focus the formation of priests for the modern age 

and time. Formation must know the present situation of the world full of 

ambivalence and contradictions, difficulties and potentialities, and have genuine 

courage to discern, interpret and find solutions to it [Cf. Pastores Dabo Vobis 10] 

Formation of persons for the priesthood must therefore have gospel discernment 

at its heart: the ability to discern and interpret the situation of the world in the light 

of the gospel of Jesus Christ, that is, in the light of Christ Himself [cf. Pastores Dabo 

Vobis 10] 
6 Pastores Dabo Vobis 8 
7 Pastores Dabo Vobis 10 



Section 1: Ecclesiastical/Theological Perspectives And Seminary Formation    181 

                                                                                                                         
8 Pastores Dabo Vobis 1 
9 Pastores Dabo Vobis 12 
10 Pastores Dabo Vobis 2 
11 Pastores Dabo Vobis 5 
12 Cf. Pastores Dabo Vobis 8 
13 Cf. Pastores Dabo Vobis 9 
14 Cf. Pastores Dabo Vobis 11H 
15 Pastores Dabo Vobis 12 
16 Cf. Pastores Dabo Vobis 12 
17 “As a mystery, the Church is essentially related to Jesus Christ. She is his fullness, 

his body, his spouse. She is the "sign" and living "memorial" of his permanent 

presence and activity in our midst and on our behalf. The priest finds the full truth 

of his identity in being a derivation, a specific participation in and continuation of 

Christ himself, the one high priest of the new and eternal covenant.” Pastores Dabo 

Vobis 12 
18Congregation for the Clergy, The Gift of the Priestly Vocation- Ratio 

Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis, Liberia Editrice Vaticana, Vatican (2016), n. 

94 
19 Ibid. n. 94 
20 Ibid. n. 95 
21 Pastores Dabo Vobis 43 
22 Optatam Totius 11 
23 Pastores Dabo Vobis n. 72  
24 Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis, 130 
25 OptatamTotius 11 
26 Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis, no: 93. 
27 Pastores Dabo Vobis, no: 43. 
28 Pastores Dabo Vobis, no: 43. 
29 Cf. Pastores Dabo Vobis 44 
30 Cf. Optatam Totius, no: 11. 
31 Cf. Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis, no: 94. 
32 Pastores Dabo Vobis 45 
33  Cf. Pastores Dabo Vobis 45 
34 Cf. Optatam Totius 8 
35 Pastores Dabo Vobis 46 
36 Cf. Pastores Dabo Vobis 46 
37 Pastores Dabo Vobis 46 
38 Cf. Pastores Dabo Vobis 47 
39 Pastores Dabo Vobis 47 
40 Pastores Dabo Vobis 48 
41 Cf. Pastores Dabo Vobis 48 
42 Cf. Pastores Dabo Vobis 49 
43 Cf. Pastores Dabo Vobis 50 
44 Cf. Pastores Dabo Vobis 51 
45 Pastores Dabo Vobis 51 



182 Formation of the Human Person in the 21st Century 

                                                                                                                         
46 Congregation for the Clergy, Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis, n.141 
47 The Second Vatican Council, Optatam Totius 14. 
48 Pastores Dabo Vobis 51 
49 Pastores Dabo Vobis 51 
50 Pastores Dabo Vobis 51 
51 Pastores Dabo Vobis 52 
52 Optatam Totius 15 
53 Pastores Dabo Vobis 52 
54 Cf. Pastores Dabo Vobis 53 
55 Pastores Dabo Vobis 54 
56 Cf. Pastores Dabo Vobis 55 
57 Optatam Totius 4; Cf. Pastores Dabo Vobis 57 
58 Pastores Dabo Vobis 57 
59 Pastores Dabo Vobis 57 
60 Pastores Dabo Vobis 57 
61 Pastores Dabo Vobis 57 
62 Pastores Dabo Vobis 58 
63 Cf. Pastores Dabo Vobis 58 
64 Cf. Pastores Dabo Vobis 59 
65 Cf. Pastores Dabo Vobis 45 
66 Pastores Dabo Vobis 45 
67 Pastores Dabo Vobis 59 
68 Pastores Dabo Vobis 59 


