



























Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age        i 

 

 

 

 

FORMATION, 
T CHE ATHOLIC
PRIESTHOOD 

AND THE MODERN AGE

Festschrift in Honour of Rev. Fr. Anselm Jimoh

E D I T O R S

Francis E. Ikhianosime, 
 Gregory E. Ogbenika, Ph.D

Department of Philosophy,

Seminary of All Saints,

Uhiele-Ekpoma, Edo State, Nigeria.

 



ii        Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

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Printed in Nigeria by: Mindex Press, Benin City. Tel: 08054755695



Notes On Contributors   iii 

 

 

 

 

 

 



iv     Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age  

 



Notes On Contributors   v 

 

 

 

 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 

 
t gives great delight and pleasure to have completed this volume, 

Formation, the Catholic Priesthood and the Modern Age: Festshrift 

in Honour of Rev. Fr. Anselm Jimoh,  and for this we are grateful. 

Different persons are worthy of thanks who cooperated with us during 

this work. First, we want to thank the Silver Jubiliarian in whose 

honour this book is written and dedicated; Rev. Fr. Dr. Anselm 

Jimoh. We can say, the idea of putting this volume together would not 

have been a reality without his influence, contributions and 

personality. As we celebrate with him, We are thankful to God for 

him for this milestone achievement in his priesthood. We also want to 

thank the various contributors to this volume. We are immensely 

thankful to contributors who have contributed from their various 

fields of specialization and study particularly Frs. Stan-William Ede, 

Ferdinand Okafor, John Odeyemi, Paul Adaja, Anthony Omodunbi, 

Lawrence Adorolo, Michael Olofinlande, Oseabulu Odenore and 

Leonard Anetekhai. We are also grateful to priests who are currently 

in formation and have shared from their wealth of experience, 

particularly, Anthony Akalue, Kenneth Adesina, Peter Egbe, Francis 

Ikhianosime and Gregory Ogbenika. We are also grateful to lay 

contributors particularly Prof. Isaac Ukpokolo, Dr. Simonmary 

Aihiokhai and Dr. Emmarex Okhakhu. We specially appreciate Prof. 

Isaac Ukpokolo for his editorial direction, suggestions and 

involvements. We extend warm sentiments of thanks to Rev. Fr. Prof. 

Anthony Kanu for reading through the papers and writing the 

foreword to the text. We also thank those who contributed resources 

towards the floating of this publication. We also appreciate the role 

played by Mindex for the publication of this book. The summation of 

this exercise is the offering of thanks to the Almighty God for His 

I 



vi     Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age  

enablement and grace that guided the entire process leading to the 

publication of this book. To Him be glory and honour and power 

forever and ever, Amen. 

 

Francis IKHIANOSIME and Gregory OGBENIKA 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Notes On Contributors   vii 

 

 

 
 

PREFACE 
 

 

his idea of publishing a book was mooted to celebrate the 25th 

priestly anniversary of Rev. Fr. Anselm Jimoh, PhD and also to 

contribute to knowledge in a field the silver jubilarian has spent 

most of these years; which is formation. For the last 25 years, Fr. Anselm 

Jimoh has been around the corridors of formation; preparing and 

teaching young men who have made a choice to become priests. Fr. 

Anselm Jimoh is a profound academician with specialty in epistemology, 

particularly in African epistemology. His contributions in this field of 

academics have been so immense that he has risen to the academic rank 

of an Associate Professor of Philosophy. He has taught philosophy in 

three seminaries, namely, Seminary of All Saints, Ekpoma, St. Albert the 

Great Seminary, Abeokuta and Ss. Peter and Paul Major Seminary, 

Bodija- Ibadan where he is currently the Head of the Department of 

Philosophy. He has devoted time, interest and efforts in sharpening 

African epistemology, defining its parameters and theorizing largely 

about its nature. All these, he has done within the ambience of formation. 

His contributions are not just notable they are influential. Hence, with 

him reaching a milestone age in his priestly ministry, it became an 

auspicious time to have a book of reading in his honour as well as 

contribute to knowledge in the area of formation. Furthermore, since 

there are ubiquitous literature on formation, this volume has adopted an 

approach that would address extant challenges, while satisfying the 

primal motive for this publication; a robust book on formation in our 

modern age. Thus, a title which would satisfy these directions was 

adopted, namely:  
 

FORMATION, THE CATHOLIC PRIESTHOOD AND THE 

MODERN AGE – Festschrift in Honour of Rev. Fr. Anselm Jimoh.  

Formation is indisputably a critical variable in the preparation and 

eventual ordination of priests. The Catholic Priesthood has been the 

T 



viii     Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age  

spotlight of many conversations in recent times from the good to the 

ugly. Although the priest or priest-to be is called to be set apart, this is 

first a call from the people. As a man called from the people, he is not 

completely immune from the challenges of society.  The formation then 

helps to shape, prepare and dispose of the priest-to-be to the gospel he is 

called to embrace.  The Church invests richly in the formation of 

seminarians and priests because of this critical importance. The 

formation covers four essential aspects of the priest, namely, the 

Spiritual, Human, Social, Intellectual and Pastoral Life. Hence, it 

becomes expedient, to have a rich resource on formation, granted many 

factors influence it today, consequent on the signs of the modern age. 

This demands that new approaches and perspectives are evolved to make 

the priest of today as relevant as ever.  

This book, therefore, reflects on some of these issues and 

perspectives to formation in the modern age. The challenges of the 

modern age to formation cannot be exhausted in one volume, however, 

care has been taken to look at some areas of critical importance in our 

social context. Also, contributors to the issues are scholars who have 

made research in those areas of allocation or they pertain to their area of 

expertise. The contributions are generally analytic and prescriptive in 

approach and the subscription of individual authors on certain issues are 

not necessarily a reflection of the collective view of other contributors of 

this volume. The idea is to evolve a systematic approach to the issues 

rather than viewing them from a stereotypical lens. The goal is to see the 

issues from a wider perspective and therefore evolve viable ways to 

provide answers to current intriguing questions. This volume, therefore, 

promises to be both contemporaneous and also a propitious literature on 

formation in our modern age. It is believed that the Silver Jubilarian who 

has contributed immensely to knowledge in different ways, particularly 

to formation, would find this book a memorabilia in his honour in 

making contributions to knowledge particularly in the area of formation. 

It also would serve as a Launchpad to mirror the years ahead on issues of 

formation as well as assist pastoral agents in charge of formation with 

rich materials to peruse. 

 

Francis IKHIANOSIME and Gregory OGBENIKA 

 



Notes On Contributors   ix 

 

 

 

 

FOREWORD 

 

 

ope Francis, during his address at the Congress on Ratio 

Fundamentalis Institutions Sacerdotalis organized by the 

Congregation for the Clergy on October 7, 2017, stated that the 

theme of priestly formation is decisive to the mission of the Church. 

He taught that priestly formation depends firstly on the action of God 

in our life, and not on our activity. It is a work that requires the 

courage of letting ourselves be formed by the Lord, to transform our 

heart and our life. He employed the biblical image of clay in the 

hands of the potter (Jer 18: 1-10) and the episode in which the Lord 

says to the prophet Jeremiah: “Arise and go down to the potter’s 

house, and there I will cause you to hear My words” (Jer 18:2). 

Observing the potter who works the clay, the prophet understands the 

mystery of God’s merciful love. He discovers that Israel is conserved 

in the loving hands of God Who, like a patient potter, takes care of 

His creature, places the clay on the wheel, models it, forms it and, in 

that way, gives it shape. If He realizes that the vase has not turned out 

well, the God of mercy once more puts the clay into the mass and 

with the tenderness of a Father, begins to mould it again. 

Consequently, God, therefore, is the patient and merciful 

artisan of our priestly formation and, this work lasts a lifetime. Every 

day we discover with Saint Paul that we carry “this treasure in earthen 

vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of 

us” (2 Cor 4: 7), and when we detach ourselves from our comfortable 

habits, from the rigidity of our mindsets and the presumption that we 

have already arrived, and have the courage of placing ourselves in the 

Lord’s presence, then He can resume His work in us: He forms us and 

transforms us. 

P 



x     Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age  

The present work on FORMATION, THE CATHOLIC 

PRIESTHOOD AND THE MODERN AGE: Festschrift in Honour of 

Rev. Fr. Anselm Jimoh Edited by Francis E. Ikhianosime and Gregory 

E. Ogbenika, is a realization of one of the greatest dreams of our 

time- the dream of keeping the fascination of the centrality of God in 

priestly formation alive and attractive even in modern times. This 

foreword, therefore, beats the drum for this harvest of thoughts from 

the best minds you can ever imagine. It contains a college of 

perceptions crystallized as a thought contribution by various authors, 

which will survive the physical structures of generations yet to come. 

This foreword sounds the drum for a piece by productive academics 

whose productivity is marked by happy versatility, rich variety, 

unfailing originality, consistent incisiveness, high voltage reasoning, 

limpidity of style and unwavering logic. 

In this piece, the Authors, like artists, combine originality 

with insightful imagination. They have substantially treated the 

historical, conceptual, basic and substantive issues on priestly 

formation with such an envious distinction. Their coherent, systematic 

and encyclopedic approach has the capacity to expand the intellectual 

and professional horizon of their readers. You can only applaud at the 

end of each chapter and wait to applaud again at the end of the next 

chapter.  

I, therefore, present to you a monumental, learned, lucid, 

patient and comprehensive piece. And I strongly recommend this 

book for all who treasure good literature on priestly formation; and 

most especially for anyone who wishes to be abreast with important 

debates and developments within the parameters of formation. 

Experts, researchers, beginners and casual readers are bound to 

treasure the usefulness of this piece. 

 

Rev. Fr. Prof. Kanu, Ikechukwu Anthony, OSA 

Dep. of Philosophy and Religious Studies,  

Tansian University, Nigeria. 

 



Notes On Contributors   xi 

 

 

 

 

CONTENTS 
 

 

1.  Prejudicial Dysfunctions, Epistemic Practices  

and Priestly Formation: Anselm Jimoh and the  

Pursuit of Genuine Knowledge               1 

Francis E. IKHIANOSIME 
 

2. Philosophy and Priestly Formation            22 

Isaac E. UKPOKOLO 
 

3. Christianity at the Forefront of Philosophy and  

Science:  Priestly Formation and the Praxis           35 

of Eruditio 

Stan-William O. EDE  
 

4. The Vocations Director And The Discernment  

of Vocations: Some Considerations For           53 

Priestly Formation 

Ferdinand N. OKAFOR  
 

5. Forming Future Catholic Priests in a 

‘Pentecostal World’: Challenges and Prospects           67 

John S. ODEYEMI   
 

6. The Primacy of Logos and Priestly Formation in  

Nigeria: Context and Content             84 

Paul Ọ. ÀDAJÀ   
 

7. Liturgical Formation In Seminaries: A Lesson  

From Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi           100 

Anthony O. OMODUNBI  



xii     Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age  

 

8. Theology of  Liturgical Homily: Priestly Ministry 

 and Challenges in Contemporary Homiletics        113 

Lawrence E. ADOROLO   
  

9. Contemporary Sexual Crises in the Church and 

 the Challenge for Priestly Formation                      134 

SimonMary A. AIHIOKHAI  

 

10. The Seminarian and the Digital Age: Implications 

for Authentic Formation            154 

Gregory E. OGBENIKA & Anthony I. AKALUE 
 

11. The Challenges of Priestly Formation in 

 the Contemporary Changing Society          171 

Michael B. OLOFINLADE 
 

12. Seminaries and Priestly Formation: New Options in 

the Light of Modern Challenges           182 

Kenneth A. ADESINA    
 

13. The Parish Priest as a Formator: Bridging the  

Gap Between the Diocese and the Seminary         195 

Peter A. EGBE  
 

14. On-Going Formation of Priests: New Approaches to  

Post- Seminary Formation            214 

Hilary O. ODENORE  
 

15. Co-Leadership as a Management Option for  

Ecclesial Administration            234 

Emmarex E. OKHAKHU 
 

Postscript:  Tu es Sacerdos in Aeternum –  

The Priest: A Friend and Servant of God          250 

Leonard O. ANETEKHAI 

 

Index           263 



Notes On Contributors   xiii 

 

 

 

 

NOTES ON CONTRIBUTORS 
 

 

Paul Ọ. ÀDAJÀ is a Ph.D Candidate in New Testament and Early 

Christianity, Department of Theology, Loyola University Chicago, 

USA. He is a Catholic Priest of the Diocese of Ekiti, Nigeria. His 

contact email: adajapaul@yahoo.com 
 

Kenneth A. ADESINA, Ph.D has a Ph.D in Classics and Christian 

Literature from Universita Pontificia Salesiana in Rome. He is also a 

Formator and Lecturer in the Departments of Philosophy and 

Theology, Ss. Peter and Paul Seminary, Bodija Ibadan. He is also an 

adjunct lecturer in Dominican University, Ibadan and a member of the 

Society for Classical Studies, USA. He is a Catholic Priest from the 

Diocese of Oshogbo. His contact email is kennade@yahoo.com 
 

Lawrence E. ADOROLO  holds a licentiate in Liturgy from the 

Catholic Institute of West Africa (CIWA), Port-Harcourt, Nigeria. He 

is the Chairman of the Liturgical Commission of the Catholic Diocese 

of Auchi.  He has different researched published papers in liturgy. He 

is a Catholic Priest of the Diocese of Auchi. His contact email is: 

adolo9@yahoo.com 
 

Simon Mary A. AIHIOKHAI, Ph.D is an Associate Professor of 

Theology (Systematics) of the Department of Theology, College of 

Arts and Sciences, University of Portland, Portland, Oregon, USA. He 

is widely published and the author of Fostering Interreligious 

Encounter in Pluralist Societies: Hospitality and Friendship (2019). 

His contact email is: aihiokhai@up.edu 

 



xiv     Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age  

Anthony I. AKALUE is a Formator and Lecturer at the Seminary of 

All Saints, Uhiele-Ekpoma. He teaches philosophy at the Department 

of Philosophy of the Seminary. His research interests are in the areas 

of metaphysics and philosophy of mind. He is a Catholic Priest of the 

Diocese of Issele-uku. 

His contact email is: ifechukwuderev@yahoo.com 
 

 Leonard O. ANETEKHAI is a Ph.D candidate of Church History, 

Department of Theology, Universitat Tubingen (University of 

Tubingen), Tubingen, Germany. He is a Catholic Priest of the 

Diocese of Auchi. His contact email is: leonibus4real@yahoo.com 
 

Stan-William O. EDE is a Doctoral Candidate in Sacred Scripture at 

the Pontificium Institutum Biblicum, Rome. His research interests 

include philosophy, theology and scriptures. He is widely published. 

He is a Catholic Priest of the Diocese of Auchi. His contact email is: 

stanwilly@yahoo.ocm 
 

Peter A. EGBE, Ph.D holds a Ph.D in Philosophy from Lateran 

University, Rome. He a Formator and currently the Head of 

Department of Philosophy at St. Albert the Great Seminary, 

Abeokuta. His research interests are primarily in phenomenology and 

Metaphysics. He is a Catholic Priest of the Diocese of Uromi.  His 

contact email is: revfrabu2003@yahoo.co.uk 
 

Francis E. IKHIANOSIME is a Formator and Lecturer at the 

Seminary of All Saints. He teaches Philosophy at the Department of 

Philosophy at the Seminary of All Saints. His area of specialization 

includes epistemology, metaphysics and contemporary philosophy. 

He is the author of the book  On Marriage and Family Life: Issues of 

Today, Hope for Tomorrow (2016). He is a Catholic Priest of the 

Diocese of Auchi. His contact email is: franklmore@yahoo.com 
 

Hilary O. ODENORE, Ph.D holds a Licentiate in Institutional 

Communications from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, 

Rome, and a Ph. D in Institutional Communications, specialization in 

Ecclesiastical Public Opinion from the Pontifical University of the 

Holy Cross, Rome.  He is an adjunct Lecturer at the  Catholic Institute 

mailto:franklmore@yahoo.com


Notes On Contributors   xv 

 

 

of West Africa and also an adjunct Lecturer at the Seminary of All 

Saints , Ekpoma.  He is the Chancellor of the  Diocese of Uromi. His 

contact email is: osichair@gmail.com 
 

John S. ODEYEMI, Ph.D holds a Ph.D in Systematic Theology 

from Dusquene, Spiritan University in Pittsburgh- Pennsylvania, 

USA.  He currently works as a parochial vicar at the Church of the 

Epiphany, Uptown Pittsburgh and a visiting research fellow at the 

Dominican University, Ibadan, Nigeria. He is also an Independent 

scholar associated with the department of theology at Dusquene 

University, Pittsburg. He is widely published. He is the author of 

Pentecostalism and Catholic Ecumenism in Developing Nations, West 

Africa as a Case Study for a Global Phenomenon, (2019). His contact 

email is: frjay1368@gmail.com 
 
 

Gregory E. OGBENIKA, Ph.D holds a Ph.D in Philosophy from the 

Pontifical Urbania University, Rome. He is a Formator, Lecturer and 

currently the Head of Department of Philosophy, Seminary of All 

Saints, Ekpoma, Edo State. He is widely published and the author of   

A Discourse on Democracy: Western and African Perspective (2019).  

He specializes in Socio-political philosophy and African Philosophy. 

He is a Catholic Priest of the Diocese of Auchi. His contact email is: 

oshokwe67@gmail.com 
 
 

Ferdinand N. OKAFOR is a Post-Graduate Student of the 

Department of Religious Education, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, 

Pennsylvania, USA. He also holds a certification in Catechetical 

Apostolate at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio. He was 

a Vocations Director of the Diocese of Auchi from 2010-2019. His 

contact email is: ferdggun@yahoo.com.au 
 
 

Emmarex E. OKHAKHU, Ph.D holds a Ph.D in Organizations and 

Management from the Capella University, Minneapolis, MN, and a 

Ph.D in Biblical  Studies from Saint Luke Evangelical School of 

mailto:osichair@gmail.com
mailto:frjay1368@gmail.com
mailto:oshokwe67@gmail.com
mailto:ferdggun@yahoo.com.au


xvi     Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age  

Biblical Studies, both located in the US. He currently consults in 

Healthcare Leadership and Management. His research interests 

focuses on the Voice of the Customer, Value based Strategic 

Planning, Organizational Turn-around, and the points of intercession 

between organizational Leadership and Theology. His contact email 

is: emmarex@gmail.com 
 
 

Michael B. OLOFINLADE, Ph.D has a Ph.D in Dogmatic Theology 

from the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, Italy. He is a 

Pastoral Theologian. He is the Secretary-General of the Southwest 

Association of Nigeria Catholic Theologians. He is a Catholic Priest 

of the Diocese of Ekiti. His contact email is: molofinlade@yahoo.com 
 

Anthony O. OMODUNBI, holds a Licentiate in Liturgy from St. 

Patrick Pontifical College, Maynooth, Ireland. He is a Catholic Priest 

of the Diocese of Oshogbo. His email contact is: 

thonyiwa@yahoo.com 
 

Isaac E. UKPOKOLO, Ph.D is a Professor of Philosophy, 

Department of Philosophy, University of Ibadan. He is a specialist in 

epistemology, philosophy of science, metaphysics and philosophy of 

culture. He is widely published both locally and internationally. He is 

the author of Methodology of Research and Writing in Philosophy: A 

Guide. His contact E-mail:ukpokolo.isaac@dlc.ui.edu.ng     

 

 

  

 

mailto:emmarex@gmail.com
mailto:ukpokolo.isaac@dlc.ui.edu.ng


      Prejudicial Dysfunctions, Epistemic Practices and Priestly…       1 

 

 

 

C H A P T E R  1  
 

 

 

Prejudicial Dysfunctions, Epistemic 
Practices and Priestly Formation: Anselm 

Jimoh and the Pursuit of Genuine 
Knowledge  

 

Francis Eshemomoh IKHIANOSIME 

  

 

 

Introduction 

The seminal work of Miranda Fricker, Epistemic Injustice: Power and 

the Ethics of Knowing1, has become the locus classicus in 

contemporary discourses in social epistemology for analysing the 

different ways there can be dysfunctions in our epistemic practices. 

Fricker explores two main ways of dysfunctions in our epistemic 

practices. The first occurs in testimonial transaction, wherein a 

speaker can have a deflated credibility from a hearer owing to 

prejudice on the hearer’s part. A deflated credibility can be due to a 
“negative-identity-prejudicial stereotype” a hearer has about a 

speaker. In such a situation, prejudice plays a negative role. In the 

history of epistemology, the debate of testimony being a source of 

knowledge is intractable and vexed. Although there are vigorous 

queries on whether testimony is an autonomous source of epistemic 

authority, it is nevertheless, arguably true that much of what we know 

is testimonially acquired; from information from books, teachers to 

what others tell us. But, prejudice plays a facultative role on how we 

accept or refute the claim of a person or an epistemic agent. For 

instance, if S has an ill-founded idea that P is a liar, because as at the 

last time S asked P if he drinks alcohol, he replied in the negative, not 

knowing that S had asked P, the question to test his sincerity, because 



2     Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

about two years ago, S had seen P at a function drinking a bottle of 

beer, but, unknown to S that P had exchanged the contents of the 

alcohol with a non-alcoholic substance earlier because there were no 

glass cups around. Then, S concluded that P is a liar on that basis. 

While S has grounds to believe P is telling a lie and so concludes that 

P is a liar, S’s claim for P is ill-founded. In such a situation, S can 

become prejudiced to whatever P says. This can be a prejudice that 

deflates S’s degree of credibility for P. Prejudice, therefore, can block 

the flow of knowledge and weaken the chances for achieving truth. 

Prejudice can manifest itself in varied ways. Fricker calls this kind of 

situation where prejudice shrinks a hearer’s credibility, testimonial 
injustice. 

 The second dysfunction in epistemic practice is what she 

calls, hermeneutical injustice. In her precis to the epochal seminal 

work in question, Fricker explains that this occurs “at a prior stage, 
when someone is trying to make sense of a social experience but is 

handicapped in this by a certain sort of gap in collective 

understanding – a hermeneutical lacuna whose existence is owing to 

the relative powerlessness of a social group to which the subject 

belongs. Such a lacuna renders the collective interpretive resources 

structurally prejudiced”.2 The dysfunction referred to by Fricker as 

hermeneutic injustice often has a cultural or historical context. For 

instance, in an environment where smokers are regarded as perverts 

because of the cultural understanding of smoking, in such a situation, 

a smoker would be morally deflated or disdained when he talks on 

some moral matters for instance. This can lead to ‘hermeneutical 
inequality’. 
 The two forms of injustices identified by Fricker abound from 

wrongs or negative influence of prejudice. Nevertheless, the 

philosophical understanding of prejudice is not necessarily negative. 

The work of Fricker, therefore, has opened up new considerations of 

harms and wrongs in epistemic practices. Her work has become a 

launchpad for discussing different social environments, how 

epistemic accounts are formed, and how epistemic transactions are 

interpreted. This work attempts to discuss how prejudicial 

dysfunction can either lead to credibility deficit or excess in the 

formation of priests, taking a seminary as an epistemic community. In 

the formation of priests, a lot rests on judgments and assessment from 

different evaluators/Formators. These reports ultimately form the 



      Prejudicial Dysfunctions, Epistemic Practices and Priestly…       3 

basis for discernment and judging of the suitability of a candidate for 

the priesthood. Like every testimonial or hermeneutic practice, the 

goal is understanding or knowledge in the long run. Prejudice can 

either stand in the way as a positive or negative element. This work, 

therefore, set to establish some ways there can be dysfunctions in an 

epistemic environment of priestly formation. This work analyses the 

understanding of prejudice from a philosophical standpoint and 

further progresses to analyse epistemic practices in priestly formation. 

Granted that the goal of every epistemic practice and epistemology is 

a holistic vision for knowledge and truth, the last part of this work 

devotes attention to how Anselm Jimoh, the silver jubilarian as an 

academic, has been involved in the pursuit of this agenda in 

epistemology, taking note of some of his contributions in pursuing the 

vision for a genuine knowledge in epistemology and also in creating a 

clearer understanding of what the priestly ministry should be as an 

epistemic subject in particular. 

 

Philosophical Understanding of Prejudice 

Prejudice as a philosophical concept is historical. Anja Steinbauer 

argues that the first philosophical musings about the concept 

‘prejudice’ (praeiusticium) started during the classical age with 

Cicero. He talks of prejudice as the opposite of the truth, associated 

with an error. For Cicero, prejudice is born out of manipulation.3 He 

cites the legal context to explain for instance, that once a juror had 

listened to a particular case over and over, so once a trial happens and 

a lawyer is citing a version of that case, has little to do to convince 

them of the veracity of his words. Thus, the case in question takes its 

merit from the understanding of previous accounts listened.  

During the period of the Enlightenment which was marked by 

the Renaissance, the understanding of prejudice as manipulation was 

abandoned, and rather, the concern was with the problem of 

prejudice. Francis Bacon’s doctrine on prejudice was equated with 
“idols of the mind” (idola) which the intellect must be purified from if 

it can get knowledge. This understanding of prejudice (idola) which 

the mind must get rid off continues with the works of Descartes. 

According to Descartes, the first act of the new philosophy is to free 

the mind of prejudice. Descartes explains: “I yet apprehend that they 
cannot be adequately understood by many, both because they are also  

a little lengthy and dependent the one on other, and principally 



4     Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

because they demand a mind wholly free of prejudices, and one which 

can be easily detached from the affairs of the senses”4 With the 

Enlightenment, prejudices takes on a negative connotation as 

prejudgment. In the light of this thought, Voltaire regards prejudice as 

an opinion without judgment.5 This transfusing understanding of 

prejudice as a prejudged opinion continued and was also a fashionable 

term during the French Revolution which denoted “all errors of the 
mind, which, in the worst cases, could only be eradicated by means of 

the guillotine!”6  

The views on prejudice during the Enlightenment period 

sometimes confused the preliminary thought of an individual on an 

issue for a conclusive claim. Hence, the misgiving and labelling of 

prejudice as errors that blurs understanding. It is against this 

background that Gadamer evolves his philosophy on prejudice which 

argues for a beneficial and valuable role of prejudice. With Gadamer, 

Prejudice as a philosophical concept was immune from his negative 

garb. Gadamer explains the positive validity, the value of the 

provisional decision as a prejudgment, like that of any precedent”7 

Cynthia Nielsen argues that “Gadamer’s focus on the positive value 
of prejudgment is part of his critique of Enlightenment rationalism, 

which claimed that judgment is legitimate only when 

methodologically justified. Absent such justification, a judgment is 

rendered baseless. Thus, all appeals to tradition and the authority of 

others – where accepting authoritative voices is misunderstood as 

relinquishing the use of one’s own reason- are considered invalid and 

irrational”.8 
Gadamer argues that prejudice aids understanding. He notes 

that anyone trying to understand something or a text projects an initial 

meaning and it is this that guides the actual meaning of the text. 

Gadamer appeals to binary opposition to establish the value of 

prejudice. The theory of binary opposition is seen as a fundamental 

organizer of language, culture and human philosophy. In simple 

terms, this theory explains that we derive the meaning of a thing or 

concept by an appeal to its opposite. For instance, we can understand 

darkness more with the concept of light, etc. It is in this sense, 

Gadamer explains that fore-meanings or what is understood as 

prejudice helps to protect a text from a misunderstanding from the 

start. In this case, the actual meaning of a text becomes more valuable 

and meaningful, only with the presence of fore-meanings. With 



      Prejudicial Dysfunctions, Epistemic Practices and Priestly…       5 

prejudice, what is required in openness. The reader must remain open 

in reading the text. He notes clearly:  

 

A person trying to understand something will not 

resign himself from the start to relying on his own 

accidental fore-meanings, ignoring as consistently and 

stubbornly as possible the actual meaning of the text 

until the latter becomes so persistently audible that it 

breaks through what the interpreter imagines it to be. 

Rather, a person trying to understand a text is 

prepared for it to tell him something. That is why a 

hermeneutically trained consciousness must be, from 

the start, sensitive to the text’s alterity.9 

 

Even with Gadamer, prejudice is not a terminus in understanding, it is 

only a pathway to getting meaning. We must take note of the window 

he offers for this, and that is “openness”. However, he fails to realize 
that prejudice can, in fact, be the clog on the wheel of openness. This 

becomes as he describes it, “the tyranny of hidden prejudices” and 
this makes us deaf to understanding and actual meaning oftentimes. 

Prejudice, therefore, can either be positive or negative. From the 

Gadamerian understanding of prejudice, the concept can be 

epistemically neutral as it pertains to forming judgment or knowledge. 

Judgment has its dignity if it has a basis and has a methodological 

justification.10 Prejudice becomes negative if it has no epistemological 

foundation and lacks adequate methodological justification and it is 

positive if it acts on the contrary to aid judgment and knowledge. 

However, Gadamer stresses the historical situatedness which shapes 

our understanding; our language, customs, social and familial ties, 

etc. These historical situations are what make up the prejudices for 

him. He writes: “The self-awareness of the individual is only a 

flickering in the closed circuits of historical life. That is why the 

prejudices of the individual, far more than his judgments, constitute 

the historical reality of his being”. Our prejudices, therefore, for 

Gadamer, form our historical reality. As Nielsen puts it, “Our 
prejudices orient us in a certain direction and direct us to specific 

concerns and questions”11 

 Gadamer maintains that prejudice could be due to human 

authority or over hastiness. It is either we have respect for persons 



6     Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

who hold them and so fall into error or we are overhasty ourselves. 

Authority within the period of Enlightenment was a major source of 

prejudice which was refuted and countered. The Enlightenment 

critique was primarily directed against religious tradition in 

Christianity, where for instance, the Bible is treated as a dogmatic 

literature and not historical and so anything that comes out of it was 

seen as authoritative and this formed a bedrock for prejudice. The 

Enlightenment rather critiqued much of these as a way to free man 

from the trammels of prejudice by subjecting every claim to the 

judgment seat of reason. Tradition and Authority were, therefore, twin 

elements that fanned the embers of prejudice. This is what Miranda 

Fricker calls Social Power.12 

 Fricker’s conception of power is at the basis of discussing her 
notion of prejudice, particularly her notion of “Identity prejudices”. 
Prejudices of this kind function as a monocle through which 

everything the person says or does is refracted. This is a kind of 

distorting the lens. According to Fricker, power which she generally 

also understands as social power is a capacity we have as social 

agents to influence how things go in the social world.13 Social power 

understood as a capacity persists through periods even when it is not 

being realized. Thus, power can exist whether operative or 

inoperative. Although, some scholars contest this understanding of 

power14. Furthermore, power can either be agential or structural, that 

is, it can either be possessed by an individual or a structure or group 

and it functions principally for control: either positively or negatively. 

And then, power is socially situated. Thus, Fricker’s working 
conception of Social Power is, “a practically situated capacity to 
control other’s actions, where this capacity may be exercised (actively 
or passively) by particular social agents, or alternatively, it may be 

operated structurally”.15 

 Be that as it may, Fricker singles one form of social power 

which is identity power. Whenever there is an operation of power that 

depends on some significant degree upon such shared imaginative 

conceptions of social identity, then identity power is at work.16 

Identity power comes to play on account of a certain position or class 

a person occupies. It is a form of authority and is a tool of control and 

sometimes silencing of the lesser other. For instance, identity power 

can be prominent in a patriarchal culture where women’s voice are 
diminished. In such a situation, when a woman speaks on an issue, 



      Prejudicial Dysfunctions, Epistemic Practices and Priestly…       7 

her position is not highly reckoned with, but once a man speaks, it is 

taken as authoritative. In such a situation, identity power can cause 

stereotypes. In this case, even before the woman speaks, her position 

is already distorted by this social stereotype as socially inferior or 

weaker. To conceive of this differently, if in such a situation, a man 

accuses a woman of something wrong in such a context, there is a 

primordial bias to accept the position of the man on the basis of his 

identity category. What is playing out here is identity power. It so 

happens in other social contexts. identity power, therefore, is an 

integral part of our testimonial exchanges, and it creates stereotypes 

in how we evaluate the judgments of those in certain identity or 

power category. Such stereotypes embody prejudices; either creating 

credibility deficit or credibility excess and this is what Fricker calls 

“prejudicial dysfunction in testimonial practice”17 In testimonial 

exchanges, Fricker notes that prejudice can insinuate itself in a 

number of ways, but its main entry point is via stereotypes.18 

Stereotypes are generally neutral. They can have a positive or 

negative valence based on its context. 

 

Epistemic Practices and the Priestly Formation 

The understanding of prejudice from the foregoing explains its 

preponderance in the epistemic transaction whether positively or 

negatively. The implication of prejudice in such exchanges is that it 

influences understanding and judgment either positively or 

negatively. It generally creates a skewed way of viewing people 

especially in an epistemologically refracted lens and this causes 

harms or wrongs in epistemic practices and even sometimes injustice 

as Fricker puts it, both testimonial and hermeneutical. These 

conversely affect how we form beliefs on people and what we count 

as knowledge in the long run. 

Epistemic practices are understood to mean the different 

pathways in generating knowledge. Put elaborately, epistemic 

practices “are the socially organized and interactionally accomplished 

ways that members of a group propose, communicate, assess, and 

legitimize knowledge claims”19 Epistemic practices are therefore 

basically interactional in which case it is a construction among 

people. It is also contextual as it involves norms of a particular social 

system. It is also intertextual in which case it involves communication 

through a history of coherent discourse, signs and symbols. It is also 



8     Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

consequential in which case it both instantiates power and legitimize 

knowledge.20 Karin Knorr Cetina expatiates on the concept in point 

by maintaining that epistemic practices are considered to be included 

in epistemic cultures, ‘the culture of knowledge settings’21, which are 

linked to and form the basis of a broader contemporary concept, the 

knowledge society. Epistemic practices, therefore, are related to a 

frame of meaning which regulate people’s lives. It is this knowledge 
which determines what people do, how they are related to and what 

constitutes people’s actions. When we talk of epistemic practices in a 
given social context or background, we are referring to a framework 

of how knowledge is formed and applied. We also refer to all those 

pathways for arriving at these, including interpersonal epistemic 

transactions. Therefore, as long as there is a social given, epistemic 

practices necessarily abound. Our concern in epistemic practices in 

priestly formation is how we form knowledge about others especially 

with the operation of social power and also how we make sense of our 

social experiences. Our concern also oscillates around how we think 

about our epistemic relations if they produce epistemic advantage or 

disadvantage especially within the context of priestly formation. 

In priestly formation, the seminary is the epistemic 

community in context. Within this epistemic community are students 

(seminarians); those in training to become priests and Formators; 

those training the students. There are a number of epistemic 

transactions that take place within this epistemic community; 

epistemic transaction between fellow students and between formators 

and students. The latter is of greater importance because in it there is 

a power play; the formator seen as superior. The epistemic transaction 

between the formator and student is important, that it ultimately helps 

in his overall evaluation and how his vocation is eventually discerned. 

Since the factor of evaluation is at stake, the whole epistemic practice 

must be looked to see how testimonial excess or deficit can play a 

role in judgment and knowledge formation. One area of concern is 

how Formators listen to their students’ concern and how the students 
make themselves known to their Formators so as to be helped. 

Another area is how the student can provide completely irrelevant 

information or provide a superfluous assessment of themselves and 

not allowing themselves to be known and assisted in the formation 

process. This can create a wrong epistemic relationship for assistance 

and support. The difficulty that can be created is a complicated 



      Prejudicial Dysfunctions, Epistemic Practices and Priestly…       9 

epistemic relationship sometimes arising from the compromising of 

information because of a prejudged understanding that such 

information can be used negatively against him. This kind of situation 

has a lot of consequences for the student and for the intended outcome 

of formation altogether.22 The practical implication is that this can 

jeopardise the opportunities of being properly assisted and eventually, 

the essence of the formation is in all defeated. 

Another area in the epistemic practice within the seminary as 

an epistemic community is that there are sporadic cases of 

communicative failure which can lead to false belief and knowledge 

formation. This can be due to what I can regard as some gaps in the 

student-formator relationship. Within this relationship, the power 

relations play a key role in either the widening of the gaps or its 

closure. Once there is no proper management of the balance of power, 

it can lead to silencing sometimes of the student, leading to wrongs or 

harm in the epistemic relations. Unless there exist an atmosphere of 

symmetric power relations, sometimes there cannot be openness in 

the relationship. The epistemic starting point for this discussion is that 

students (seminarians) can be vulnerable in the epistemic relationship 

and that prevalent stereotypes and prejudices within the structural 

framework of the seminary as an epistemic community, some are 

prejudices they have about the epistemic community which can 

hamper a holistic and healthy epistemic situation which in turn can 

hinder proper understanding of the student and eventually influence 

how he is judged or evaluated. A caveat must be established here that 

it is not the case that at all times seminarians are epistemically 

vulnerable or oppressed, but, that they can be susceptible to this based 

on the imbalance power relation that sometimes exists between the 

formator and the seminarian. 

It suffices to begin by identifying stereotype structures and 

practices that are generated and sustained in the seminary as an 

epistemic community. Stereotypes are sometimes brewed from a 

warped understanding and belief that those who underperform within 

the system will not always be promoted for the Orders that they are 

there for, regardless of the context. Also, some are within the 

seminary community with a fixed understanding and stereotype that 

not all who begin can finish in the program. This creates a Darwinian 

survival mentality; the survival of the fittest. Again, since the process 

of assessment is basically done by formators and so, the students 



10     Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

sometimes could attempt to play a positive image before them, so a 

positive impression could be formed and consequently influence 

positively the judgement of them, without it being their true image 

and personality. The primary work of a formator is not to pass 

judgment, but to form. Assessment is only part of this process of 

formation, it is not the principal role. To say that the students think 

this way, is a structural stereotype from what they have understood 

and interpreted over time. Thus, the system has foisted a negative 

stereotype which reinforces a negative attitude in them.  Another 

stereotype can be that anyone who is found out to consistently 

manifest a negative or an unapproved behaviour would be dismissed 

from the community. This is an incomplete picture of the process, 

because, this runs contrary to what a seminary should be or of its 

formation program. However, this stereotype affects how the 

students, therefore, open up in the process. These stereotypes portray 

a wrong image of the epistemic community and of the epistemic 

relation between the student and formator. These kinds of stereotypes 

already create prejudice to the epistemic transaction and interaction. 

Thus, there is epistemic distrust from the beginning of the interaction 

and this is an epistemic vice. 

There are other levels of stereotypes arising from the part of 

the formator to the student, based on certain understanding and 

experience in the past. This may sometimes be accidental, not 

habitual. For instance, to think that people from a certain region are 

poised to behave in a certain way, based on the experience of others 

from that area. There is also a case of testimonial excess, where a 

student who is academically sound is perceived as a morally balanced 

individual. His academic brilliance can create a situation of 

testimonial excess and a mirror or lens for seeing every other action 

of his in the light of brilliance. Conversely, to think that a person who 

is not academically sound is not suitable enough in other areas and so 

judged on the basis of that alone. It suffices to say that stereotype can 

also be created systemically, wherein, much of what is known about 

the individual are relied upon by information and accounts about him 

from others, not necessarily a personal experience of the student.  

Hypothetically speaking, in a situation where all the reports 

that have been written about the candidates are by people who have 

had a negative bias against the candidate in question, then, the 

Formator may be relying on such a negatively biased report, unknown 



      Prejudicial Dysfunctions, Epistemic Practices and Priestly…       11 

to him to make an assessment. And so, if there are any pointers to 

such situations, whether confirmed or not, the Formator is likely to 

admit it a sequence and moral difficulty of the candidate. Here, we 

can find a case where negative bias is perpetuated and judgment 

formed on the basis of prejudicial dysfunctions. There are also 

possible situations where judgments about individuals are based on 

disparaging associations, social groups and one or more objectionable 

attributes, not just on the basis of an individual situation. When 

judgments are made on such merits, we sometimes can talk about a 

version of injustice Fricker talks as the basic form of injustice; 

testimonial injustice.23 This situation as Fricker and some 

commentators on Fricker uphold can lead to credibility deficit; that 

whatever they say is viewed in this light with some prejudice. This 

can gradually lead to eroding the epistemic confidence of the speaker 

or group. If this situation endures, it can lead to a crush of their 

confidence in their epistemic capacities. “A person or group suffering 
from such a situation will not expect what they say to be heard, and in 

time might not speak at all, as the constant assault upon their 

testimonial practices gradually undermines their epistemic and social 

confidence”.24 This is the kind of situation that can sometimes lead to 

silencing of the other or speaker with the constant erosion of his 

epistemic confidence. This can pose some difficulty in the epistemic 

practice in the seminary.  These are possible instantiations of 

structural stereotypes that build up our prejudices which eventually 

influence judgment and knowledge formation in the seminary as an 

epistemic community. One of the consequences of a negative 

stereotype is that it leads to a deflated level of credibility to the 

speakers’ word.25 In our case in point, stereotypes can cause either the 

student to be suspect of what the formator is saying or on the 

contrary, it can cause the formator to have a deficit of trust in what 

the student is saying.  In any case, stereotypes create a prejudicial 

dysfunction and this weakens a complete epistemic situation for either 

a chance for a fair judgment or a balanced and comprehensive 

understanding of an epistemic transaction. 

Stereotypes as Fricker notes are windows for prejudices and 

the first it does is the impairment of listening. It functions on how we 

listen to others. For the lecturer, once he has a negative stereotype of 

a candidate, how he listens to him becomes lopsided or impaired. The 

same is true about the student, once he forms a prejudice about a 



12     Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

lecturer, he is always at a  loosing end, not paying attention to details, 

but only listening with the wrong aid of his prejudice. He thinks of all 

the teacher says in the light of this. So, he becomes perpetually 

suspect of his contributions. This can be a major form of deflection 

for a wholesome epistemic interaction. This short-circuited interaction 

necessarily will lead to communicative failure as there would not be 

an anticipatory openness as Gadamer recommends in dealing with 

prejudice rather, there would be anticipatory reticence and deflection. 

This outcome of such epistemic practice can only be incomplete, 

imbalance and an unproductive epistemic interaction. Formation 

process in this context is skewed and lead to error. Negative prejudice 

takes a progression not only for testimonial deficit, but can also lead 

to hermeneutical injustice. Hermeneutical injustice is the second 

variant of epistemic injustice outlined by Miranda Fricker. This is the 

phenomenon that occurs “when the intelligibility of communicators is 
unfairly constrained or undermined when their meaning-making 

capacities encounter unfair obstacles”.26 Fricker puts it as “when a 
gap in collective interpretative resources puts someone at an unfair 

advantage when it comes to making sense of their social 

experiences”.27 What is needed in this situation are epistemic 

practices that lead to openness, epistemic trust and testimonial justice.  

There is an entirely new way we can evaluate epistemic 

practices in the seminary as an epistemic community and this can be 

in the pedagogical exchange; the teaching-learning process. Arguably, 

the formator as a teacher is considered as an epistemically privileged 

person possessing epistemic authority. The essence of this authority is 

to facilitate students’ learning. There are, however, ways within this 

mutual interaction that there are harms and wrongs due to prejudice 

both on the part of the student and on the part of the formator as a 

teacher. Ben Kotzee explains that epistemic harm or injustice could 

occur in such a relationship “if teachers systematically gave learners 
less epistemic credit than they deserve due to some negative identity 

prejudicial stereotype pertaining to learners in a particular setting”.28 

Epistemic credit, in this case, is understood as the testimonial value 

attached to a student. When teachers tend to place more value on 

some or a group of students at the expense of others, this can cause 

some level of epistemic harm. Although this is peculiar to many 

pedagogical settings, there is a tendency to always give more 

attention to students who are brighter than others who are less 



      Prejudicial Dysfunctions, Epistemic Practices and Priestly…       13 

academically inclined. Malcolm Gladwell describes this as the 

Matthew Effect29 in his book, Outliers.30 Kotzee corroborates this 

point in detailed terms thus: 

 

Teachers may give more epistemic credit to the views 

of students from epistemically privileged groups. On 

the testimonial level, they may believe or praise such 

students more often due to their identity as members of 

an epistemically privileged group. On the 

hermeneutical level, teachers, but more so, the school’s 
culture, language and ethos may give more credence to 

such students’ perspectives, engage more naturally 
with these perspectives and fail to comprehend the 

perspectives of less privileged students.31 

 

Conversely, there is another way that there can be epistemic harm on 

the part of students to teacher and even causing the student to be at a 

loss. Once a student has a set of stereotypes about a teacher, it forms 

some negative prejudices against such a teacher and this becomes 

refraction that impairs his openness to learning because of his bias. 

This is another form of a detour in the student-formator epistemic 

transaction. From our analysis of epistemic practices in a seminary as 

an epistemic community, prejudicial dysfunctions play roles in 

impairing proper understanding of an epistemic situation and making 

the most of an epistemic exchange. The concern to have a wholesome 

epistemic situation is the concern of analytic epistemology. This leads 

us to the third part of our conversation, the contributions of Anselm 

Jimoh to the pursuit of genuine knowledge 

 

Anselm Jimoh and the Pursuit of Genuine Knowledge 

The growing breakdown in epistemic practices reflects an increased 

need and relevance for the pursuit of genuine knowledge which is the 

goal of epistemology. The term, ‘genuine knowledge’ is specialized. 
In the analysis of knowledge, epistemologists talk of legitimate or 

genuine knowledge to differentiate it from unsubstantiated claims or 

knowledge that is not warranted. Thus, “genuine”, “legitimate”, 
“warrant” are designates to protect the process that leads to 
knowledge formation. Genuine knowledge is one that is free from the 

encumbrances of prejudice for instance and scepticism. This explains 



14     Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

the role of justification as a condition for knowledge. Efforts in 

understanding the justification condition have made some scholars 

talk about epistemology as a theory of justification. Jimoh Anselm is 

one scholar who has made substantial contributions to the subject 

matter of justification in epistemology. He maintains that epistemic 

justification describes when a person’s belief is in right standing with 
knowledge32. Jimoh notes that epistemic justification clarifies or 

reduces doubt about the genuineness of our beliefs33. The question of 

epistemic justification lends itself to various understandings, 

interpretations and theories. Justification is so central to our 

knowledge claims, yet, establishing a paradigm is very herculean.  

 Regardless of the inconclusiveness on the topic of 

justification, Jimoh Anselm subscribes to a context-dependent version 

of epistemic justification. In his article, “Context-Dependency of 

Human Knowledge: Justification of an African Epistemology”, he 
argues “that knowledge is ultimately dependent on some human and 
social factors, rather than being an objective, impersonal relation 

between the object known and the knowing subject.”34 The essence of 

context, consideration of human and social factors are at the heart of 

overcoming prejudice in our knowledge claims and this is the vision 

of Anselm Jimoh’s philosophical theorizing on justification.  

Contextualism as a theory of justification reacts against the 

incoherency of coherentism and foundationalism as theories of 

epistemic justification. Foundationalism holds that some beliefs are 

incorrigible and infallible and so do not need to be justified; those 

beliefs are said to be self-evident or derived from intuition.35 It 

suffices to say that prejudices act like foundational belief, that the 

epistemic agent, tend not to seek their justification because they are 

believed to be self-justifying or intuitive. However, it is precisely for 

this reason that foundationalism is criticized as an incomplete theory 

of justification. The most evident albatross for this theory is how 

some beliefs are infallible. Similarly, in seeking justification and 

freedom from prejudicial dysfunctions, when all our beliefs are 

interrogated and a warrant is provided for them, then, our knowledge 

claims can be genuine. This is precisely the advocacy of 

contextualism as a theory of epistemic justification which Anselm 

Jimoh subscribes and promotes. 

 It suffices to say, that Jimoh Anselm’s devotion in 

epistemology is for clearer grounds of belief or certitude and 



      Prejudicial Dysfunctions, Epistemic Practices and Priestly…       15 

dismantling grounds for doubt. This is the focus of what can be 

regarded as opus magnum or one of his most cited work, Certitude 

and Doubt: A Study Guide in Epistemology.36 Through this work, he 

treats key themes in epistemology which can aid the acquisition of 

certitude in our knowledge claims and the diminishing or elimination 

of doubts in epistemology. It suffices to say that Jimoh devotes 

special attention to African Epistemology. African Epistemology 

takes to cognizance the epistemic peculiarities of the African man as 

an epistemic agent. It, therefore, analyses issues, concepts and 

perspectives in epistemology from an African perspective. In fact, he 

advanced in one of his papers, “An African Theory of Knowledge”. 37 

In this work, he reinforces his position advanced by his subscription 

to the contextualist thesis of justification by further advancing that 

“our knowledge claims among traditional Africans are not validated 
in objectivist terms, as required by rationalists and empiricists, but 

with regards to the habits and customs of the people.38 It suffices to 

cite Jimoh in some details: 

 

Justification in African epistemology is culture-bound 

and therefore context-dependent. The truth-value or 

falsity of our epistemic claims is ultimately dependent 

on factors that are human, social and culture-based. 

An appraisal of the factors discussed above gives us a 

clear assessment of rational certainty. African 

epistemologists should consider the role played by the 

human person and the society in establishing our 

knowledge claims. There are no epistemic claims 

whose justification rests wholly on the prescribed 

objectivist terms of the rationalist and empiricist as 

seen in traditional Western epistemology. If the 

justification of our knowledge claims is situated 

within social practices, we would no longer think of 

knowledge, truth and rational certainty in abstract 

terms. Therefore, there would be no need to study 

these concepts independent of the factors alleged as 

necessary conditions for human knowledge.39 

 

The submission of Jimoh with reference to the justification of our 

knowledge claims is that both the social and cultural parameters must 



16     Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

be assessed and analysed if we must get at genuine knowledge. This 

is giving a place to the context in seeking justification. When we have 

an objective lens with which we want to see or pursue certainly, we 

cannot but create stereotypes or have set foundations with which each 

situation is judged. This is what fosters prejudice; making judgements 

from stereotypes. If we can examine issues and epistemic contents 

within each given context, as Jimoh advances, we certainly would be 

on a path for a holistic epistemic portrait in our epistemic practices.  

The contributions of Jimoh apart from advancing a picture for 

our search for certitude has also helped in reconstructing, what he 

considered as fractured indigenous knowledge systems (IKS). By 

indigenous knowledge system, Jimoh explicates is “the system of 
investigating, understanding, assimilating and attributing African 

conception of reality that is distinctively African and philosophical.”40 

As part of his project in pursuit of genuine knowledge and certainty, 

Jimoh seeks to also reconstruct the fractured epistemological template 

by which Africans evaluate their epistemic experiences. This was a 

kind of objective lens with which they investigate, interrogate and 

evaluate knowledge practices. Western logic, models and paradigms 

were the objective epistemological lens African hitherto used. This he 

believed caused epistemological silencing41, which is also known as 

epistemic injustice. This epistemic injustice which was caused by the 

bequest of a monochrome logic of western epistemology as either a 

lens, foundation or stereotype for evaluating African indigenous 

knowledge practices fractured our African epistemology. His efforts 

at a reconstruction of the fractured epistemology were advocacy of 

taking the African context, culture and circumstances to cognizance. 

This is a further search of genuine knowledge in African 

epistemology and the breaking down of the walls of stereotypes and 

prejudices which impair our vision for a holistic epistemic picture. 

It suffices to say that Jimoh’s quest for genuine knowledge is 
also evident in his contributions to the priestly formation and 

vocation. One very notable important contribution to this is in his 

article, “Priestly Formation in the Face of Contemporary Challenges 
in Nigeria: Lessons for Consideration in Auchi Diocese”42. He 

highlights some misgivings in priestly formation today and advanced 

ways for a correct understanding of what it should be. He notes: 

‘redefining the priesthood is not an option. If things are not as they 
should be, the option is to go back to the roots and make them what 



      Prejudicial Dysfunctions, Epistemic Practices and Priestly…       17 

they ought to be”.43 It is clear that the vision of Jimoh over time has 

been the reconstruction of fracture epistemic templates both for how 

we arrive at knowledge claims and what the priesthood should be. 

 

Concluding Remarks 

This paper has discussed common dysfunctions in our epistemic 

practices and how they lead to prejudice. It has been elaborately 

stated in this paper that prejudice refracts our understanding and 

impairs us from achieving a holistic epistemic picture. Although 

prejudice, at least, philosophically speaking is not itself negative, 

however, when used as an end, a judgment in itself, it always brings 

about an incomplete or partial understanding. Stereotypes reinforce 

prejudice and until we get rid of stereotypes, our understanding will 

keep being impaired by prejudice, what Francis Bacon calls the “idols 
of the mind”. Taking a seminary as an epistemic community as this 
work has established, both stereotypes and prejudice can refract a 

balanced view of things and the consequence is harms and wrongs 

done at certain levels. Apart from various harms and wrongs certainty 

or genuine knowledge also becomes scarce. The pursuit for 

knowledge that is warranted has become exigent in contemporary 

analytic epistemology since the epochal challenge by Edmund 

Gettier44 that the tripartite traditional conditions for knowledge, 

namely, “belief”, “truth” and “justification” although individually and 
jointly necessary, are not always jointly sufficient for knowledge. 

With Gettier’s hypothetical interrogation of the traditional 

understanding of knowledge, it has become expedient to tighten the 

grounds for our knowledge claims. This is the concern for “genuine 
knowledge”. Prejudice can sometimes lead to knowledge but one that 
is not warranted. Hence, the focus in contemporary analytic 

epistemology for genuine knowledge.  

 Anselm Jimoh, the silver jubilarian is a consummate 

epistemologist who has pursued the vision for genuine knowledge in 

epistemology as an intellectual focus in general and in different 

epistemic contexts in particular. With his advocacy of epistemic 

contextualism, he has made clearer the vision for genuine knowledge 

as an epistemic possibility. Through his works, he has pursued 

activism against the objectification of means for knowledge. He 

further has self-engaged in a reconstruction of fractured epistemic 

portraits of different epistemic pictures, including those fractured by 



18     Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

stereotypes and prejudice. His epistemic template of contextual-

dependency for justification of our knowledge is what this work has 

advanced for a reconstruction of the fractured epistemic situations in 

priestly formation. In synopsis, therefore, in priestly formation, the 

taking of an individual context, background and situations are 

important if we must get the best from the formation process. In our 

epistemic transactions in priestly formation, if we undermine context, 

there would be different harms, wrongs and deficits that would be 

incurred in the process. Therefore, each epistemic interaction must be 

subject to individual contextual clarification, interrogation and 

justification. If we keep having beliefs that are foundational or 

incorrigible, then we cannot make the most from our epistemic 

exchanges. But, if we subscribe to the advocacy of Anselm Jimoh for 

context-based interaction and justification in our epistemic practices, 

then, even if we cannot get a complete or holistic epistemic picture or 

certitude, we are sure to have diminished the embers of errors and 

wrongs in our epistemic exchange. The resultant outcome would be a 

healthy outlook and basis for discussing other issues in priestly 

formation. 

 

 

Endnotes 
                                                           
1 Miranda Fricker, Epistemic Injustice: Power and the Ethics of Knowing, 

Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007. 
2 Mirander Fricker, “Precis- Epistemic Injustice: Power and the Ethics of 

Knowing”  in Theoria, 61, 2008: 69-71 
3 Anja Steinbauer, “The False Mirror: A Brief History of Prejudice” in 
Philosophy Now, Issue 123, December 2017/January 2018, retrieved  on 

October 13, 2019 

https://philosophynow.org/issues/123/The_False_Mirror_A_Brief_History_of_P

rejudice  
4 René Descartes, Meditations on First Philosophy, ed. Stanley Tweyman, New 

York: Routlegde, 1993, p. 36, translated by Elisabeth S Haldane and G.R.T 

Ross). 
5 Voltaire on Prejudice as cited in “Prejudice, Philosophies and Language: 
Spinoza and His strategy of Liberation”, Conference Proceedings in Nordicum-

Mediterraneum, Icelandic E-Journal of Nordic and Meditterranean Studies 

https://nome.unak.is/wordpress/volume-12-no-3-2017/conference-proceeding-

volume-12-no-3-2017/prejudices-philosophies-language-spinoza-strategies-

liberation/#_edn2 

https://philosophynow.org/issues/123/The_False_Mirror_A_Brief_History_of_Prejudice
https://philosophynow.org/issues/123/The_False_Mirror_A_Brief_History_of_Prejudice


      Prejudicial Dysfunctions, Epistemic Practices and Priestly…       19 

                                                                                                                                  
6 Anja Steinbauer, “The False Mirror: A Brief History of Prejudice” Ibid. 
7 Hans-Georg Gadamer, Truth and Method,  second, revised edition, London: 

Continuum, 1975. p. 270 
8 Cynthia R. Nielsen, “Gadamer and Fricker on Prejudice and Testimonial 
Injustice” in 
https://www.academia.edu/40149778/Gadamer_and_Fricker_on_Prejudice_and

_Testimonial_Injustice 
9 Hans-Georg Gadamer, Truth and Method, 271 
10 Hans-Georg Gadamer, Truth and Method, 273 
11 Cynthia R. Nielsen, “Gadamer and Fricker on Prejudice and Testimonial 
Injustice” Ibid. 
12 Miranda Fricker, Epistemic Injustice: Power and the Ethics of Knowing, 9-17 
13 Miranda Fricker, Epistemic Injustice: Power and the Ethics of Knowing, 9 
14 Michael Foucault contests this understanding of power as operative even 

when not put into use. Foucault generally holds that power exists only when put 

into action. See, Michael Foulcault, Beyond Structuralism and Hermeneutics, 

Hemel Hempstead: Haverster Press, 1982. 
15 Miranda Fricker, Epistemic Injustice: Power and the Ethics of Knowing,  13 
16 Miranda Fricker, Epistemic Injustice: Power and the Ethics of Knowing,  14 
17 Miranda Fricker, Epistemic Injustice: Power and the Ethics of Knowing,  14 
18 Miranda Fricker, Epistemic Injustice: Power and the Ethics of Knowing,  14 
19 Gregory J Kelly and Peter Licona, “Epistemic Practices and Science 
Education” in Michael R. Matt History, Philosophy and Science Education, 

Dordrecht: Springer International Publishing, 2018. 139-165. 
20 Gregory J. Kelly and Peter Licon, “Epistemic Practices and Science 
Education” Ibid. 
21 Knorr Cetina, K. “Knowledge Cultures” in M. Jacobs and N Weiss Hanrahan 
(Eds), The Blackwell Companion to the Sociology,  Oxford: Blackwell, 2005. 

65-79. See also, Inger Eriksson and Viveca Lindberg, “Enriching ‘learning 
activy with ‘epistemic practices’- enhancing students’ epistemicy agency” in 
Nordic Journal of Studies in Educational Policy, 2016, 1, 

DOI:10.3402/nstep.v2.32432 
22 Ian James Kidd and Havi Carel dissussed this kind of situation happening in 

conditions of illness or healthcare and medicine. This is discussed in at least two 

of their papers, namely, Ian James Kidd and Havi Carel “Epistemic injustice and 
Illness” in David Coady and Miranda Fricker (eds.), Applied Epistemology,  a 

special issue of the Journal of Applied Philosophy, 33 (4), 2016, 172-190. Also, 

Havi Carel and Ian James Kidd, “Epistemic Injustice in medicine and 
Healthcare, in Ian James Kidd, Jose Medina and Gaile Pohlhaus, (eds.) The 

Routledge Handbook of Epistemic Injustice, New York: Taylor and Francis 

Group, 2017, 336-346. 
23 Miranda Fricker, Epistemic Injustic: Power and the Ethics of Knowing, 35 



20     Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

                                                                                                                                  
24 Ian James Kidd and Havi Carel, “Epistemic Injustice and Illness” in David 
Coady and Miranda Fricker (ed), Ibid, 177. See also, Miranda Fricker, Epistemic 

Injustic: Power and the Ethics of Knowing, 47-48. 
25 See, Miranda Fricker, Epistemic Injustice: Power and the Ethics of Knowing, 

17 
26 Jose Medina, “ Varieties of Hermeneutical Injustice” in Ian James Kidd, Jose 
Medina and Gaile Pohlhaus, The Routledge Handbook of Epistemic Injustice, 

ibid. 41. 
27 Miranda Fricker, Epistemic Injustice: Power and the Ethics of Knowing, 1 
28 Ben Kotzee, “Education and Epistemic Injustice” in in Ian James Kidd, Jose 
Medina and Gaile Pohlhaus, The Routledge Handbook of Epistemic Injustice, 

ibid. 326 
29 The Matthew Effect is based on the biblical principle of St. Matthew “for unto 
everyone that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance. But from him 

that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.”—Matthew 25:29 
30 Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers: The Story of Success,  New York: Little, Brown 

and Company, 2008, 15-34 
31 Ben Kotzee, “ Education and Epistemic Injustice”, 327 
32Jimoh Anselm, “On the Question of Justification in Knowledge Enquiry” in 
Nasara Journal of Philosophy (NAJOP), 2.1, 2017, 9-25 
33 Jimoh Anselm, “On the Question of Justification in Knowledge Enquiry” 10 
34 Jimoh Anselm, “Context-Dependency of Human Knowledge: Justification of 

An African Epistemology” in West African Journal of Philosophical Studies, 

vol. 2, 1999, 18-37 
35 Kolawole Owolabi, “The Nature of Epistemology” in Issues and Problems in 

Philosophy, Kolawole Owolabi (ed.), Ibadan: Grovacs Network, 2000, 64. 
36 Jimoh Anselm, Certitude and Doubt: A Guide in Epistemology,  Ibadan: 

Ebony Books and Kreations, 2013. This text has been revised and expanded in 

its second edition, Jimoh Anselm, Certitude and Doubt: A Guide in 

Epistemology,  Benin: Floreat Systems, 2017.. 
37 Jimoh Anselm, “An African Theory of Knowledge” in Themes, Issues and 

Problems in African Philosophy,  Isaac Ukpokolo (ed), Switzerland: Palgrave 

Macmilliam, 2017, 121-136. 
38 Jimoh Anselm, “An African Theory of Knowledge”, 135. 
39

 Jimoh Anselm, “An African Theory of Knowledge”, 138 

40 Jimoh Anselm, “Reconstructing a Fractured Indigeneous Knowledge System” 
in Synthesis Philosophica, 65 .1,  2018. 5–22 
41 Jimoh Anselm, “Reconstructing a Fractured Indigeneous Knowledge System” 
Ibid, 5 
42 Jimoh Anselm, “Priestly Formation in the Face of Contemporary Challenges 
in Nigeria: Lessons for Consideration in Auchi Diocese” in J. A. Onimhawo and 
F. E. Ikhianosime (eds), Diocese of Auchi at Ten: History, Growth and 

Perspectives, Ibadan: Safmos Publishers, 2013. 31-53. 



      Prejudicial Dysfunctions, Epistemic Practices and Priestly…       21 

                                                                                                                                  
43 Jimoh Anselm, “Priestly Formation in the face of Contemporary Challenges in 
Nigeria…”, 53 
44

 Edmund Gettier, "Is Justified True Belief Knowledge?"  Analysis 23. 6 

(1963): 121-123 



22    Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

 

 

C H A P T E R  2  

 

 

 

Philosophy and  
Priestly Formation 

 

Isaac Ehaleoye Ukpokolo 

 
 

 

Ought not a Minister to have, First a good 

understanding, a clear apprehension, a sound 

judgment, and a capacity of reasoning with some 

closeness…. Is not some acquaintance with what has 

been termed the second part of logic, (metaphysics), if 

not so necessary as [logic itself], yet highly 

expedient? Should not a minister be acquainted with 

at least the general grounds of natural philosophy?  

John Wesley, Address to the Clergy1 

 

Introduction 

I consider it simply appropriate to bring into a discourse titled 

‘formation, the Catholic priesthood and the modern age’, some candid 
reflections on the place of philosophy in priestly formation, 

particularly as attempts have been made in some quarters to represent 

certain aversion to reason when matters of faith come up. This is 

known to manifest not only in popular arguments and street 

conversations but even among pastors, preachers and teachers at Bible 

schools and Christian communities as noted above by John Wesley. 

From manifest experience, to embrace faith without reason would 

either produce a fundamentalist mindset or a fanatical disposition, 

while of course, reason without faith would either lead to agnosticism 

or atheism.  After all, an act of faith is an intelligent act.2  And in 

Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 155) we are admonished that 



Philosophy and Priestly Formation         23 

“in faith, the human intellect and will cooperate with divine grace: 
believing is an act of the intellect assenting to the divine truth by 

command of the will moved by God through grace.  And, I take it to 

be a privilege to be invited to do an essay in this regard, particularly 

in honour of a renowned philosopher, teacher and preacher of our 

time.  For me, that an essay on philosophy and priesthood is relevant 

in contemporary times, stands evident in the light of a number of 

encounters I have personally had.  I would mention just two of many 

occasions. First, many years ago, I was introduced by a Professor of 

Medicine at the University College Hospital (U.C.H) Ibadan to a 

woman who was introduced to me as the wife of the founder of “Faith 
Clinic,” a worship centre at Ibadan city. Hearing that I am a 
philosopher she exclaimed: “So, you don’t believe in God?” Yet, I 
could not readily relate my identity as a philosopher with atheism. I 

took the time to explain to her and allay her fears. Well, I hope I 

succeeded. The second instance occurred in Israel, while on a 

pilgrimage to the Holy Land, leading a group of Catholic Charismatic 

Renewal members, where I was serving as National President of the 

Group and Co-ordinator of Anglophone West Africa. The Tour Guide 

could not hide his astonishment when I disclosed to him that I am a 

teacher of philosophy, not only in a university but also in a Catholic 

Major Seminary in Nigeria. His question was, “How do you manage 
the marriage between philosophy and Catholic Charismatic 

spirituality?” My response was simple, “Philosophy and Catholic 
Charismatic spirituality are faithful spouses in me; complimenting 

and mutually assisting”. “Philosophy endowed me with reasoning 
capacity, leading me to the reasonableness of faith”. Catholic 
Charismatic spirituality, on the other hand, intervenes in my 

encounter with reality, with truths, and the good when reason 

becomes impotent and unable to lead me on. For instance, we say 

seeing is believing, but I dare to say, it is not.  We must believe that a 

thing is possible before we should believe it even though we saw it 

(John 20:29)3.  And so, in this essay, I attempt to highlight the place 

of philosophy in priestly formation.  For the avoidance of doubt, it is 

not possible to establish in one essay of less than five thousand 

(5,000) words, all that philosophy has to do in priestly formation.  I 

would just attempt to identify specific areas in philosophy, and how 

these areas stand relevant to the training of priest for the church.  

Thus, I do not intend to go into the history of the relationship between 



24    Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

philosophy and priestly formation, or how and when it started, I 

would rather attempt some highlight in the relationship.   

I begin with the question of methodology, wherein critical 

thinking and sceptical attitude are brought in as philosophical ideals.  

I then go further to represent certain epistemic modes required for 

dealing with the surrounding reality.  Next is an attempt to establish 

the need for a given metaphysics at every point in our daily 

experience.  The essay goes further to examine some ethical stances 

in relating with others. Finally, I present in a nutshell, that philosophy 

in its appeal to reason, does not deny the application of faith in our 

daily experiences, and vice versa.  All these, stand necessary not only 

as points of direction for pastoral ministries outside the Catholic 

Church but even in the Catholic Church that is usually seen as the 

church wherein the ideal church subsist.  

 

Priestly Formation Project 

The entire training of students (at priestly formation) 

should be oriented to the formation of true shepherds 

of souls after the model of our Lord Jesus Christ, 

teacher, priest and shepherd.  They are therefore to be 

prepared for the ministry of the word: that they might 

understand ever more perfectly the revealed word of 

God; that, meditating on it they might possess it more 

firmly, and that they might express it in words and in 

example; for the ministry of worship and of 

sanctification: that through their prayers and their 

carrying out of the sacred liturgical celebrations they 

might perfect the work of salvation through the 

Eucharistic sacrifice and the sacraments; for the 

ministry of the parish: that they might know how to 

make Christ present to men, Him who did not “come 
to be served but to serve and to give His life as a 

ransom for many” (Mark 10:45;cf. John 13:12-17), 

and that, having become the servants of all, they might 

win over all the more (cf. 1 Cor. 9:19). Therefore, all 

the forms of training, spiritual, intellectual, 

disciplinary, are to be ordered with concerted effort 

towards this pastoral end.4 



Philosophy and Priestly Formation         25 

Perhaps, a rather succinct statement of the above representation of the 

project of priestly formation is that, the entire training is meant to 

produce men of proven integrity, strength of character and wisdom of 

the ancients as espoused in the scripture as well as in the teaching 

authority of the church dedicated to the service of God and his people.   

It is however very pertinent to note that such candidates are taken 

from among men – from specific human contexts, which inevitably 

influenced them; and to these same contexts, the priests are sent for 

the service of the people.5  Yet, the life and ministry of these men 

must adapt to every era and circumstance of life.6  Such is the ground, 

as well as the goal of priestly education - to bring forth the ‘seed’ of 
God in the person.  The term ‘education’ to be sure, derives from the 

Latin word educare or educo ere, which means ‘to bring out’.  And 
so, to educate a person is to bring forth a reality that lies latent in the 

being.  Thus understood, the idea of education invokes a certain kind 

of Platonic innatism assisted through effective instruction and 

learning to be brought forth to manifest in words, thoughts and 

actions.  It could be added here, that, the term education derives from 

the same root as ‘exodus’ implying a sort of liberation. 
The foregoing conception of education as a process is brought to bear 

on the candidate for priesthood in the Seminary.   

As generally understood, the word ‘seminary’ derives from 
the Latin semine  which means ‘seed’.  The seminary is thus the 
ground – the nursery – wherein the seeds are sown:   the seminarians 

as it were are seeds, nurtured and carefully bred through watering, 

pruning, fertilizing, weeding and even grafting until they bloom with 

the best of values both in Faith and Reason.  

 

The Place Of Philosophy  

According to Bertrand Russell, the conceptions of life, and the world, 

we call “philosophical” are a product of two factors: one, inherited 
religious and ethical conception; the other, the sort of investigation 

which may be called “scientific”.7 Individual philosophers have 

differed widely in regard to the proportions in which these two factors 

entered into their systems, but it is the presence of both, to some 

degree, that characterizes philosophy.8  The point here is that faith 

and reason are not necessarily mutually exclusive as it is believed in 

certain quarters of human culture. Philosophy is something 

overlapping between theology and science.9 Like theology, it consists 



26    Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

of speculations on matters as to which definite knowledge has, so far, 

been unascertainable: but like science, it appeals to human reason 

rather than to authority, whether that of tradition or that of 

revelation.10 Thus understood, definite knowledge belongs to science, 

while all dogmas as to what surpasses definite knowledge belong to 

theology.  Yet, interpenetrating the spaces of science and theology is 

philosophy.   

For the purpose of clarity, philosophy by its etymology is the 

love of wisdom.  But this is not the same thing as love of knowledge, 

in the sense in which an inquisitive man may be said to love 

knowledge; “vulgar curiosity does not make a philosopher.” And so, 
properly defined, philosophy is the love of the ‘vision of truth’.  And 
here lies the meeting point of faith and reason.  

In the light of reason, philosophy employs the aid of critical 

thinking, endowing the human person with the power of disciplined 

thought life, an important fruit of college education. Critical thinking 

fosters high-order active, intelligent evaluation of ideas and 

information. More precisely, it is the general term given to a wide 

range of cognitive skills and intellectual disposition needed to 

effectively identify, analyse and evaluate beliefs and truth claims; to 

discover and overcome personal preconception and biases; to 

formulate and present convincing reasons in support of conclusion, 

and to make reasonable, intelligent decision about what to believe and 

what to do.11  Put somewhat differently, “critical thinking is governed 
by certain intellectual standards such as; clarity, precision, accuracy, 

relevance, consistency, logical correctness, completeness and 

fairness.”12 All these, present philosophy as an activity – a critical, 

rational reflection on already existing beliefs employing the tools of 

logic, language and rigour.  By these we get easily acquainted with 

ideas as Friedrich von Schelling would say:  

 

the fear of speculation, the ostensible rush from the 

theoretical to the practical, brings about the same 

shallowness in action that it does in knowledge.  It is 

by studying a strictly theoretical philosophy that we 

become most immediately acquainted with Ideas, and 

only Ideas provide action with energy and ethical 

significance.13 

 



Philosophy and Priestly Formation         27 

From the above, those ideas that provide human actions with energy 

and ethical significance are arrived at through theoretical 

philosophising employing the tools of critical thinking.  

In addition to critical thinking as a mindset, is the closely 

related disposition of scepticism.  This is perhaps one of the reasons 

why it is assumed that philosophy or reason is averse to faith.  

However, it is important to stress here that, the sceptical attitude 

referred to here is not the reckless rejection of Absolute Deity by the 

atheist, neither is it the methodic doubt of Rene Descartes, who 

derives the existence of the Absolute Deity from the ego rather than 

the ego from the existence of the Absolute Deity. This scepticism of 

philosophical prescription is not the scepticism of David Hume who 

in attempt to take empiricism to its logical conclusion rejected the 

essence of causality, the practice of induction and the projection that 

the future could resemble the past, thereby creating a problematic at 

the very foundation of scientific knowledge.  Of course, it is not the 

scepticism of the Sophist indicating some reckless current of 

relativism and its related tyranny. The scepticism here referred to in 

philosophical prescription is the scepticism of George Santayana. His 

words:  

 

Scepticism is an exercise, not a life; it is a discipline 

fit to purify the mind of prejudice and render it all the 

more apt, when the time comes, to believe and to act 

wisely; and meantime the pure sceptic need take no 

offence at the multiplicity of images that crowd upon 

him, if he is scrupulous not to trust them and to assert 

nothing at their prompting.  Scepticism is the chastity 

of the intellect, and it is shameful to surrender it too 

soon or to the first comer: there is nobility in 

preserving it coolly and proudly through a long youth, 

until at last, in the ripeness of instinct and discretion, 

it can be safely exchanged for fidelity and happiness.14  

 

From the above, philosophy prepares a mind to engage its reality – 

material, social, spiritual-, with care and caution, fairness and 

modesty, firmness and rigour, and yet, a readiness to consider what is 

before it.  In other words, the mind encounters the environment with a 

certain epistemic mode characterized by respect for ‘the other’.  What 



28    Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

this means is that philosophy equips the candidate undergoing 

priestly training and formation with certain methodological skills, 

cognitive mode, metaphysical grounding and moral attitude. This is 

the contribution of philosophy to the wholistic development and 

formation of the priest.  

Having highlighted the nature of the methodological skills 

(critical thinking and sceptical attitude) in the preceding paragraphs, 

it is now time to examine the cognitive or epistemic mode onto which 

the candidate is introduced.  Here the question is that of 

‘epistemology’, or ‘theory of knowledge’. And, the history of 
epistemology reconstructed as a judicial hearing would be deciding 

one singular question: How is reliable knowledge possible? And by 

extension, how are we to differentiate knowledge (episteme) from 

mere opinion (doxa) as we are more rationally right to depend on 

knowledge rather than opinion. The one who possesses the 

knowledge, possesses knowledge of something, that is to say, of 

something that exists, as what does not exist is nothing.15 To be sure, 

knowledge or ‘episteme’ is always true and is infallible, as it is 

logically impossible for it to be mistaken. However, opinion or ‘doxa’ 
can be mistaken.  Opinion cannot be of what is not, for that is 

impossible; nor of what is, for then it would be knowledge.16  If this 

is so, an opinion must be of what both is and is not. But how is this 

possible?  Bertrand Russell responds: 

 

particular things always partake of opposite 

characters: what is beautiful is also, in some respects, 

ugly; what is just is, in some respects, unjust; and so 

on.  All particular sensible objects, so Plato contends, 

have this contradictory characters, they are thus 

intermediate between being and not-being, and are 

suitable as objects of opinion, but not of knowledge.  

“But those who see the absolute and eternal and 
immutable may be said to know, and not to have 

opinion only. Thus we arrive at the conclusion that 

opinion is of the world presented to the senses, 

whereas knowledge is of super-sensible eternal world; 

for instance, opinion is concerned with particular 

beautiful things, but knowledge is concerned with 

beauty in itself.17  



Philosophy and Priestly Formation         29 

To this extent, philosophy arms the human mind with the capacity to 

transcend particular, sensible, transient, context-dependent objects 

and phenomena to locate the pure, eternal immutable reality.  In the 

light of this epistemic mode, the mind is able to engage the vision of 

truth which is the task of philosophy.   

The foregoing present a strong link between epistemology 

and metaphysics or ontology which has to do with the nature of 

reality in itself or the study of being.  Ontology, for instance, has been 

characterized as the study of the most general kinds that exist in the 

universe.  Usually, the emphasis has been on demarcation: which 

candidate for existence really does exist. Aristotle and Plato disagreed 

in their answers, and philosophers have gone on disagreeing ever 

since. Think of W. V.  O. Quine’s Ontological aphorism, “to be is to 
be the value of a variable.”18 Ontology in itself is an aspect of 

metaphysics, that branch of philosophy that inquires into the general 

fundamental normative principles of reality, and how this can be 

distinguished from appearance.  The conception of the reality we 

have is very functional in the way we relate with the world and our 

environment in general. It is my belief that every position held and 

maintained rests on a given metaphysics be it personal, social, 

political, intellectual, moral or relational, all must rest on some 

metaphysics, although one may not know this. Thus, it is very 

important to have epistemic consciousness of one’s guiding 
metaphysics.19  In examining the nature of reality, we do not aim at a 

detailed knowledge of particular things, such as the special sciences 

might give, but rather at an outline conception of reality within which 

all knowledge of particular things must fall, and by which such 

knowledge must be judged.  There are certain general conceptions 

which make up at once the framework of knowledge at the 

framework of existence.  Such are the categories of being and cause, 

change and identity, space and time: and our knowledge of particular 

things would depend on the conception we form of these basic 

categories.  On its part, epistemology has shown them to be principles 

of thought while metaphysics on its part inquires into their real 

significance. Metaphysics as an area of discourse consist in a study of 

the ontological meaning of the categories, either in themselves or in 

their specification, thereby marking off its field of concern from that 

of the special sciences.20   



30    Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

Part of the reality encountered by our minds is human.  And 

so, philosophy projects that branch of discourse that aids the human 

person to relate with other human persons.  This is the area of ethics 

or moral philosophy concerned with bringing to the fore, those 

general fundamental normative, immutable principles of behaviour, 

distinguishing right from wrong, just from unjust, good from evil as 

we relate with one another. Of course, it has been argued in some 

quarters, that the moral life did not begin by laying down general 

principles or conduct, but by forming codes of concrete duties.  

Duties to parents, children, neighbours, and nations.  These were the 

concrete forms in which the moral nature first manifested itself, and 

in which also is still finds its chief expression. In this respect, it is 

argued, the moral life is analogous to the mental life, which does not 

begin with abstract speculative principles, or with theories of 

knowledge, but with specific acts of knowing.  In both alike, the 

knowledge of principles was second and not first; and in both alike 

principles were implicit from the beginning.21  And so, it is suggested 

here that, these implicit nature or principles from the beginning 

makes the search for some overarching ground totalizing framework 

of reference for moral actions not only necessary but innate in us.  

And such is the object of focus of the human mind to which a 

seminarian is exposed. These are normative, axiomatic and 

fundamental assumptions, precepts, theories and procedures of right 

action.   

Three of the leading moral ideas are: the good, duty, and 

virtue.  Each of these is essential in a system which is to express the 

complete moral consciousness of a people.  Where there is no good to 

be reached by action, there can be no rational duty, and without the 

notion of duty, the idea of virtue vanishes.  Furthermore, where there 

is no sense of duty, but only a calculation of consequences, we would 

have merely a system of prudence.  This may be good enough in a 

way but lacks moral quality. Such conduct may be natural and 

allowed but it is not virtuous. For in such conduct, we miss the 

reference to a moral agent.  It is a matter of wit and shrewdness only 

and is not a manifestation of virtuous character.22 These later attitudes 

and dispositions the seminarians are trained to approach with 

leprosorial disdain. 

 

 



Philosophy and Priestly Formation         31 

Faith And Science  

The life of the Catholic Christian and indeed, the life of a priest in the 

Catholic Church is a life of faith. It is a form of life in which the 

individual agent understands himself first as a contingent being 

whose existence and those of other beings (human and non-human) 

proceeds from the Being of the Supreme God who originates and 

sustains the entirety of reality. Since the Priest more specifically 

receives a vocation to propagate this faith in the providence of God 

who sustains all things in the universe; one who aspires to be a priest, 

therefore, must as a matter of necessity be an exemplar of faith in 

God.  

Yet, the man of faith also lives in a contemporary world that 

is also driven by the advancements of science. By science, reference 

is made here to the totality of knowledge which comes to us through 

the deployment of ratio – reason. Here, a distinction is therefore 

made between matters of faith and science. Given the differing 

methods of faith and science (reason) the debate about the 

compatibility (if any) of the both has continued even unto 

contemporary times. We are better off when we conceive of faith and 

science has being endowments given to the human person by God. 

Hence, there can never be any real discrepancy between faith and 

reason.  Since the same God who reveals mysteries and infuses faith 

has bestowed the light of reason on the human mind, God cannot 

deny himself, nor can truth ever contradict truth.  In this connection, 

Pope (St.) John Paul II in the opening of his encyclical letter, Fides et 

Ratio stated that “faith and reason are like two wings on which the 
human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth.”23  Reason here is not 

restricted only to the activities of the natural sciences; it rather 

includes the logical ratiocinations that are typically characteristic of 

philosophical inquiries into ultimate reality. 

Insight from the Catechism of the Catholic Church is apt in 

this regard: 

 

Methodical research in all branches of knowledge 

provided it is carried out in a truly scientific manner 

and does not override moral laws, can never conflict 

with the faith, because the things of the world and the 

things of faith are derived from the same God.  The 

humble and preserving investigator of the secrets of 



32    Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

nature is being led, as it were, by the hand of God in 

spite of himself, for it is God, the conserver of all 

things, who made them what they are.24  

 

The Seminarian, therefore, is not formed only to perform parochial 

duties without the use of reason. I dare to say here that the entirety of 

the mission of a priest is short-circuited if his activities are not 

moderated by the use of reason which itself is God’s own gift. The 
onus is therefore on formators to underscore this important aspect of 

a holistic formation of priests which combines faith in God with the 

rational faculties which the same God has bequeathed to humanity. 

The one in formation too must gradually develop an understanding of 

the complementarity of the gifts of faith and reason and the 

importance of both gifts for the nurturing of a divine vocation. 

 

Concluding Remarks  

It would be rather odd to end this reflection without pointing out some 

practical signposts by which philosophy is identified in the training of 

priests.  First of such is that the activity of philosophising aids us in 

the task of apologetics25 – the task of giving a reasoned defence of 

Christian theism in the light of objections raised against it and offering 

positive evidence on its behalf (1 Pet. 3:15).   This has to do with 

making a reasoned articulation of the faith and be ready to disarm any 

attacks mounted against it.  Second, philosophy also is meant to aid us 

in the task of polemics. Whereas apologetics involves the defence of 

Christian faith, polemics is the task of criticizing and refuting 

alternative views of the world.26  Third, philosophy is very central to 

an expression of the image of God in us.  This image refers to God as 

a rational Being.27  Fourth, philosophy in priestly training curriculum 

permeates systematic theology and serves as its hand made in several 

ways.  It helps to add clarity to the concepts of systematic theology.28  

A fifth consideration is that the discipline of philosophy facilitates the 

spiritual discipline of study.  Study is itself a spiritual discipline, and 

the very act of study can change the self.29  Anyone who undergoes the 

discipline of study lives through certain types of experiences where 

certain skills are developed through habitual study: framing an issue, 

solving problems, learning how to weigh a piece of evidence and 

eliminate irrelevant factors, cultivate the ability to see important 

distinctions instead of blurring them, and so on. The discipline of 



Philosophy and Priestly Formation         33 

philosophy also aids in the development of certain virtues and values. 

Sixth, philosophy can enhance the boldness and self-image of the 

Christian community in general.30  Finally, discipline is most essential 

for the task of integration - to blend or form into a whole. In this sense, 

integration occurs when one’s belief, primarily rooted in scripture, are 
blended and unified with propositions judged as rational from other 

sources into a coherent intellectually adequate Christian world 

views.31   

I have in this essay attempted to show that the various 

elements of critical thinking, which itself generates a positive form of 

scepticism, and the need to understand the importance of ontology in 

the grounding of reality, are all crucial to the development of a culture 

of philosophising which in itself is always at the service of the 

Christian gospel and its ministers. The necessary connection between 

ethics and human relation was also briefly drawn in view of the nature 

of the ministry of Priests to which seminarians aspire to embrace. I 

have insisted here on the complementarity of faith and reason in the 

human quest for truth and meaning. These various elements highlight 

the importance of philosophical reasoning to priestly formation. 

Indeed, these various elements are means to a wholistic formation of 

priests. 

I like to restate that priestly formation is always a continuum 

which does not cease at ordination to the priesthood but continues 

through a lifetime. Just like the Church that is always being reformed, 

the Priest too continues to be reformed by applying himself to the 

demands of faith and reason as the times demand. The result of such 

continuous reformation is always a Christian community whose roots 

grow deeper in the soil while bearing a variety of good fruits for the 

wellbeing of God’s creation. 
 

 

Endnotes 
                                                           
1 Moreland J.  P. and William Lane Craig, Philosophical Foundation for a    

Christian Worldview (Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 2003), 11 
2 Anthony A. Akinwale ‘On the Relationship between Faith and Reason’, in 
Academia.edu. Ibadan 
3 Oswald Chambers Making all Things New (Hants: Oswald Chambers 

Publications Association & Marshall Moegan and Scott) pp.   



34    Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

                                                                                                                                  
4 Pope Paul VI ‘Decree on Priestly Training - Optatam Totius’ Proclaimed by 

His Holiness, (1965), No.4 
5 Pastores Dabo Vobis ‘Pastoral Exhortation of John Paul II’ No. 5 
6 Pastores Dabo Vobis ‘Pastoral Exhortation of John Paul II’ No. 5 
7 Bertrand Resells A History of Western Philosophy (New York: Simon & 

Schuster, 1945), 10 
8 Bertrand Resells A History of Western Philosophy“  10 
9 Bertrand Resells A History of Western Philosophy“  10 
10 Bertrand Resells A History of Western Philosophy“ 10 
11 Gregory Bassham, William Irwin, Henry Nardone, James M. Wallace  

Critical Thinking A Student’s Introduction (New York: McGraw Hill 

Companies, 2013), 1 
12 Richard Paul, Critical Thinking: What Every Person Needs to Survive in a 

Rapidly Changing World (Rohnert Park, CA: Centre for Critical Thinking and 

Moral Critique, 1990), 51-52 
13 Friedrich W. J. von Schelling, Werke, ed. Manfred Schroter (Munich: Beck, 

1958 -59), 3:299 
14 George Santayana Scepticism and Animal Faith Introduction to a System of 

Philosophy (New York: Dover Publication, 1955), 69-70 
15 Bertrand Resells A History of Western Philosophy (New York: Simon & 

Schuster, 1945), 10 
16 Bertrand Resell “A History of Western Philosophy“ 11 
17 Bertrand Russell “A History of Western Philosophy“  11 
18 Ian Hacking, Historical Ontology (London: Harvard University Press,  

    2002), 1-2 
19 Borden Parker Bowne, Metaphysics (New York: American Book Co., 1910),1 
20 Borden Parker Bowne, Metaphysics (New York: American Book Co., 1910),2 
21 Borden Parker Bowne, Metaphysics (New York: American Book Co., 1910),2 
22 Borden Parker Bowne, Principles of Ethics (New York: American Book Co., 

1892), 1-2 
23 John Paul II, Fides et Ratio: On the Relationship between Faith and Reason, 

(1998), no. 1  
24 Catechism of the Catholic Church , no. 159 
25 Moreland J.  P. and William Lane Craig, Philosophical Foundation for a 

Christian Worldview (Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 2003), 14 
26 Moreland J.  P. and William Lane Craig, “Philosophical Foundation for a 

Christian Worldview (Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 2003), 14 
27 Moreland J.  P. and William Lane Craig, “Philosophical Foundation” 14 
28 Moreland J.  P. and William Lane Craig, “Philosophical Foundation” 14-15 
29 Moreland J.  P. and William Lane Craig, “Philosophical Foundation” 15 
30 Moreland J.  P. and William Lane Craig, “Philosophical Foundation” 15 
31 Moreland J.  P. and William Lane Craig, Philosophical Foundation for a 

Christian Worldview (Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 2003), 15 



Christianity at the Forefront of Philosophy and Science...    35 

 

 

 

 

C H A P T E R  3  

 

 

 

Christianity at the Forefront of 

Philosophy and Science: Priestly 

Formation and the Praxis of Eruditio1

 Stan-William Oshiozekhai EDE 

  
 

Human formation ought to have as its aim the fuller 

development of priests’ humanity so that their 

humanity can be a “bridge” for communicating Jesus 

Christ to men and women today … Human formation 
entails contact with the culture: the arts, sciences, and 

politics of human life. These studies and involvements 

keep priests in touch with their own lives and the lives 

of those whom they serve.2 

 

Introduction 
The myriads of contrasting opinions that have trailed the agelong 

questions of existence and essence inevitably engender endless 

arguments regarding the fons et origo, hypostasis and goal of nature. 

The argumentative enterprise thereof has for many centuries been 

borne on the wings of dialectics between faith and reason, a core 

ground for the infinite catalogues of diverse and divisive views about 

the universe and our place in it. The calls for a separation between the 

two categories of faith and reason have been well-matched or 

sometimes even outmatched by the quest to strike a healthy balance 

or lasting accord between them. Such a quest which is believed to be 

a potential icebreaker for the unity of ideas and universal harmony 

has been one of the most challenging tasks of humankind. 



36   Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 
 In contemporary times, the scientific, technological and 

internet revolutions have taken the challenge beyond the intellectual 

realm, situating it within the very core of our day-to-day existence. 

Attempts to create a chasm between religious truths and scientific 

truths is changing the world, evident not in the gradual loss of the 

sense of the sacred but also in the befuddled clime that currently 

besets the human sense of morality. This will get worse if we do not 

confront the general misconceptions that reason and faith on the one 

hand, and religion and science, on the other hand, are contraries on 

bipolar ends of the spectrum respectively, and incapable of meeting 

without conflict. What is frequently lost in all these misconceptions, 

however, is that both the history of philosophy and the history of 

science are rich with Christian thinkers and scholars, and at the same 

time the progress of both disciplines have been facilitated and 

enriched through the centuries by Christian thinkers and scholars.  

 As a matter of fact, from the early history of Christianity till 

date, Christian scholars have been at the forefront, made remarkable 

breakthroughs, and registered indelible impacts in the disciplines of 

Philosophy and Science. While great Christian philosophers and 

thinkers like St. Augustine, St. Anselm and a host of others are very 

well known, there is incontrovertible evidence that Christianity 

provided the ideal culture for the origin of Modern Science.  

 This paper will discuss a few Christian philosophers and 

scholars whose works made a leading impact in the discipline of 

philosophy, and some of the top scientists who happen to be 

Christians whose works also revolutionized modern science. The aim 

is not only to show that Christianity has been, and is still, at the 

forefront of philosophy and science, but to sound a wake-up call to 

today’s generation of seminarians and priests who have been trained 

in philosophy and various other disciplines, to engage in active 

eruditio, so as to perpetuate the trend and to imprint positive impacts 

upon the changing world for the overall betterment of  humankind. 

That is to say, besides the religious functions of saving souls, we can 

commit the fruits of our training to active scholarship and scholarly 

productions, tirelessly until those efforts combine into a supernova 

force that is strong enough to rewrite the world’s changing narrative 
and restructure the world on the prop of a healthy faith albeit human 

and technological progress.   

 



Christianity at the Forefront of Philosophy and Science...    37 

 

 

1.  The Biblical-Christian Perspective On Philosophy and Science 
For a Christian, the logic and assumptions of philosophy, as well as 

the characteristics and assumptions of science are founded on the 

belief that the universe was created by the Almighty God who is 

faithful and consistent. 

The creation of the universe by the all-powerful, intelligent 

God (cf. Gen 1:1-2:4¸Wis 13:2-9) explains why the universe is so 

intelligible and open to our scientific investigation. In addition to the 

belief that the universe was created by God, both the Old Testament 

and the New Testament of the Bible are so rich in ‘cosmology’ and 
‘cosmological’ motifs that serve to explain the world and the real 
effects behind the natural order of things. 

In the Old Testament, motifs drawn from astral reflection are 

almost certainly present in places like Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28. 

Although the worship of heavenly bodies are regularly condemned, 

yet the foundational text of Gen 1:14 leaves room for positive 

engagement with ancient astronomy, which could, of course, stretch 

easily into more astrological speculations based on the ‘three-

heavens’ scheme of creation. The first heaven is the firmament, the 
part closest to the earth (cf. Gen 1:8), the second heaven is the home 

of the heavenly bodies, the sun, moon and stars (cf. Deut 4:19), and 

the third heaven is where God the Most High dwells (cf. Isa 14:13; 

also 2 Cor 12:2). The supremacy of YHWH meanwhile, could be 

effectively demonstrated by noting that he is the creator of the 

heavens and the earth, the one who calls the stars by name, the Lord 

of the heavenly host.3 Drawing upon the Old Testament foundation, 

the New Testament carries the cosmological reflection even further. 

In the Prayer of the Community, the creation is chanted as one of the 

Magnalia Dei (Acts 4:24; cf. Rev 4:11; 10:6; 14:7),4 with a plan for 

the fullness of time in which God will unite all things, both in heaven 

and on earth, in Christ (Eph 1:10).  When perspectives from both the 

Old Testament and the New Testament are brought together, one 

would imagine that the Holy Grail of biblical cosmology was the 

precise determination of the number of ‘layers’ or ‘tiers’ of the 
cosmos, with early theological debates raging between two, three, 

four, seven, nine or more layers. This provided a fundamental setting 

upon which future philosophers and scientists would research and 



38   Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 
propound theories regarding the nature of the universe, and the 

principles governing the manifestation of things in nature. 

It is important to note that the cosmological reflections of 

early Christians thinkers and writers fit analogically into modern 

cosmological theories. The ‘three heavens’ scheme, for instance, has 

been variously interpreted. Concomitant with the aforementioned 

categorization is the view that they refer to the regions below the 

moon, above the moon and above the sun – or might be a tripartite 

division of the night sky, with the Milky Way at the apex, with other 

regions dropping into the north and south. St. Paul, for instance, used 

this particular schema in 2 Cor. 12, just as one can explore the use of 

huperouranos, ‘the heaven above’, and duly compare it with Plato’s 
self-consciously fictionalized depiction of the ascent of the soul in the 

Phaedrus.5  

Generally, the cosmology of the New Testament writers 

provides a solid basis for the philosophical and scientific reflections 

for so many who came after them, many of whom would eventually 

become leading figures in the fields of Philosophy and Science. 

 

2.  Christian Scholars in the History of Philosophy and Science 
Many Christian scholars and Catholic clerics throughout history have 

made significant contributions to philosophy and science. The 

Catholic Church, in particular, has produced many philosophers, 

scientists and mathematicians, from among clerics, religious brothers 

and the lay faithful. There have been many others as well from other 

Christian denominations, and so we group all of them together using 

the broad categories, such as “Christian Philosophers” and “Christian 
Scientists”. Some notable Christian philosophers and scientists 
include such illustrious names as Paul of Tarsus, St. Augustine, St. 

Anselm, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Albert, Nicolaus Copernicus, 

Gregor Mendel, Georges Lemaître, Albertus Magnus, Roger Bacon, 

Rene Descartes, Pierre Gassendi, Roger Joseph Boscovich, Marin 

Mersenne, Bernard Bolzano, , Robert Grosseteste, Christopher 

Clavius, Nicolas Steno, Athanasius Kircher, Giovanni Battista 

Riccioli, William of Ockham, S. L. Jaki.  

We must also not fail to mention the Catholic Church herself 

and some of her groups and associations from the medieval times to 

the present, amongst which are religious orders such as the Jesuits 

(esp. in Philosophy and Science), the Dominicans (Philosophy and 



Christianity at the Forefront of Philosophy and Science...    39 

 

 

Science) the Opus Dei (esp. Philosophy and Communication), the 

Salesians (esp. Classics and Communications), the Legionaries of 

Christ (esp. Philosophy, Bioethics and Science vis-à-vis 

Neuroscience). We shall briefly discuss a few of the scholars and one 

of the religious orders mentioned above. 

 

(a.) Paul of Tarsus (died 67 AD) 
Over the centuries in the history of thought and scholarship, there 

have been scores of philosophical thoughts, discourses and treatises 

from renowned theologians who were also distinguished 

philosophers. We have the examples of St. Augustine, St. 

Bonaventure, St. Thomas Aquinas, Teilhard de Chardin, Paul Tillich, 

etc. No serious mention is usually made of St. Paul when 

philosophers are being counted or cited because he has always been 

regarded as a theologian, one of the finest the world has ever 

produced, and the greatest Christian evangelizer of all time. Recently, 

there is a growing trend in which scholars have begun to identify 

standard philosophical principles and theories in the writing of St. 

Paul, and more people are beginning to appreciate the great 

philosophical resorts inherent in the thoughts, teachings and writings 

of St. Paul who hitherto, was viewed and studied mainly within the 

theological endeavour. 6  

Earlier, we have hinted on Paul’s contribution to science 
through his cosmological theories. Within the same framework, Paul 

contributes enormously to Philosophy, but it suffices to say that his 

views and contributions to Philosophy and Science are intertwined. 

Much of the Philosophy of Paul is centred on the “Concept of 
Truth”, on which he based various other reflections on the meaning 
and purpose of life. For St. Paul, there was always “truth in order to 
goodness”. Goodness has its perfection in God, and the real truth is 
the perfection of certainty realized in God, and knowing God as the 

Ultimate Being who created and rules over the universe.7  

A careful study of Paul would reveal that Paul has both 

idealist and realist views of truth. From the realist perspective, Paul’s 
concept of truth has some bearing with the philosophy of Aristotle as 

interpreted by St. Thomas Aquinas. Realists argue, in line with 

common sense, that truth is the conformity of mental images and 

ideas with what is “out there”. If two people see a dog, one might say, 



40   Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 
“That is a dog”, while the other says, “That is a fox”. The first 
statement is true because it conforms to reality; the other is false 

because it does not. This is more or less in a logical tune with the 

“adequatio intellectus et re”, that is, the correspondence theory of 

truth, wherein what is in the mind or what is stated corresponds to 

what the case is in reality.8 

Also for St. Paul, besides observing and reasoning about the 

physical world, one can attain truth by reasoning from abstract 

principles, via a committed procession from the depth of faith, rising 

through the gradation of love unto its highest expression, realized 

only in the Almighty and Infinite God, the Creator of the universe and 

Lord of time and history. Faith constitutes the abounding ground for 

the abstract principles upon which the reasoning progresses, as well 

as for making the perception real, because “faith” Paul says, “is the 
assurance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen”, 
and “for those who have faith or believe, all things work together 

unto good” (cf. Rom. 4:16; 5:2; cf. Heb. 11:1; 12:2).9 That is actually 

his main standpoint on truth – the idealist intent. In this, St. Paul 

resembles Plato. Plato believes that the human mind could arrive at 

the truth only by apprehending certain ideas existing in a realm apart 

from everyday reality.10  

A synthesis of the Pauline thought, therefore, is that everyday 

reality owes its existence and meaningfulness to the One, Infinite and 

Omnipotent, God, the author of the universe, “in eo vivimus, movemur 

et sumus” (“in whom we live and move and have our being” (cf. Acts 
17:28). Following from this, every human person who exists is 

baseless and empty until he discovers the truth and lives in it; to 

discover the truth is to know God and serve him with an abiding faith 

(cf. Rom 3-5).  

 

(b.) St. Thomas Aquinas (1224-1274) 
Thomas Aquinas was a Catholic priest of the Dominican Order, 

theologian and philosopher, one who is said to have had the greatest 

influence on both philosophy and theology in all of history. 

 The mainstay of Aquinas’ philosophy is a rethinking of 
Aristotelianism, with significant influences from Stoicism, 

Neoplatonism, Augustinianism, and Boethianism. It also reflects 

some of the thinking of the Greek commentators on Aristotle, and of 

Cicero, Avicenna, Averröes, ibn-Gabirol, and Maimonides. This may 



Christianity at the Forefront of Philosophy and Science...    41 

 

 

suggest that we are dealing with an eclectic philosophy, but actually, 

Aquinas reworked the speculative and practical philosophies of his 

predecessors into a coherent view of the subject which shows the 

stamp of his own intelligence.11 The impact of his effort will, 

however, be far-reaching covering all the various aspects and 

branches of philosophy, even through centuries after his life. 

 One of the significant hallmarks of Aquinas’ work in 
philosophy is the conscious tendency to seek the middle ground on 

questions that have been given a wide range of answers. This spirit of 

moderation is best illustrated in his solution to the problem of 

universals. For centuries, Philosophers had debated whether genera 

and species are realities in themselves (e.g. Plato, Boethius, William 

of Champeaux) or mere mental constructs (Roscelin, Peter Aberlard). 

What made this odd discussion important was Aquinas’ conviction 
that these universals, such as ‘humanity’, ‘justice’, ‘whiteness’, 
‘dogness’, are primary objects of human understanding.12 

 Thomas’ spirit of compromise as a philosopher was balanced 
by another tendency, that of innovation. His original Latin 

biographers all stress this feature of his work. Thomas introduced new 

ways of reasoning about problems and new sources of information, 

and he handled his teaching in a new way, and thus stood in advance 

of his contemporaries in the philosophical endeavour.  

 

(c.) Nicholas Copernicus (1473-1543)  
Nicholas Copernicus was a brilliant Renaissance man in every sense 

of the title, a mathematician, astronomer, physician, artist, translator, 

scholar, jurist, governor, military leader, diplomat, economist and a 

Third Order Dominican. He attended various European universities 

and became a Canon in the Catholic Church in 1497.13  

He was the first astronomer to formulate a heliocentric - sun-

centred - model of the solar system, i.e. the first mathematically based 

system of planets going around the sun. He demonstrated in the book 

On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres, published just before his 

death, that the motions of the planets could be explained without 

presuming the Earth was the centre of the system. His uncle was the 

Bishop of Warmia, to whom Copernicus served as secretary and in 

whose castle he lived and began work on his heliocentric model.  



42   Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 
His new system was actually first presented in the Vatican 

gardens in 1533 before Pope Clement VII who approved and urged 

Copernicus to publish it around this time. 

 

(d.) Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) 
Described as the “father of modern physics”, the “father of modern 
science” and the “father of modern observational astronomy”, Galileo 
di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de’ Galilei was a pious Catholic, who travelled 

to the Jesuit College in Rome in 1611 to argue his support of a 

Copernican sun-centered universe (galaxies and stars as other suns 

were unknown in Galileo's time), even though the Church favoured 

the Ptolemaic and Aristotelian earth-centred theories. He took his 

telescope with him to Rome so that the philosophers and 

mathematicians could view Jupiter's moons for themselves, which he 

considered strong support for heliocentrism. The next year the clergy 

denounced his views and he was forbidden to advocate or teach 

Copernican astronomy. 

Galileo's writings on astronomy proved to be invaluable in the 

study of the Earth and stars, challenging a past system of backward 

science that leapt from disorganized speculation drawn from a set of 

already established outcomes. These writings on astronomy attempted 

to draw conclusions about the Earth and the Heavens based on 

lengthy, meticulous recordings of his observations and subsequent 

data gathered from his findings. His work in the field of astronomy is 

certainly suggestive of Galileo's "modern" approach to science as a 

whole. 

Prior to Galileo's time, the Milky Way was believed to be 

nebulous. Galileo studied it and found it to be a multitude of stars 

packed so densely that they appear from the Earth-like cloud. He 

noticed and located many other stars lots of distance away and 

impossible to be seen with the naked eyes. Among the stars he 

observed is the double star Mizar in Ursa Major in 1617. 

His most important works were experiments and 

investigations in the realms of physics. During those eighteen years, 

he changed the foundations of traditional physics – or, as others see it, 

established an entirely new science. However, remarkably few people 

outside Padua realised this. For various reasons, he did not make his 

results public until well into old age, and when he did finally become 

famous all over Europe, it was for quite different things.14 



Christianity at the Forefront of Philosophy and Science...    43 

 

 

The formulation of the concept of Inertia has been described 

as Galileo’s greatest contribution to Physics. The concept states that: 

an object in a state of motion possesses an “inertia” that causes it to 
remain in that state of motion unless an external force acts on it. In 

order to arrive at this conclusion, Galileo had to abstract from what 

he, and everyone else, saw. 

With regards to objects and their state of motion, Aristotle 

held that objects at rest remained at rest unless a force acted on them, 

but that objects in motion did not remain in motion unless a force 

acted constantly on them. Galileo carried out a catalogue of 

experiments and came to the conclusion that Aristotle’s theory was 
inconclusive, perhaps incorrect, because the frictional force between 

surfaces of inclined planes and the object objects sliding down these 

planes (hidden force) is not properly accounted for. In Galileo's 

observation, when an object is pushed across a surface, two opposing 

forces act on each other, the force associated with the push and the 

force that is associated with the friction that acts in the opposite 

direction.15  

Galileo also made a number of contributions to technology. 

Between 1595 and 1598, Galileo devised and improved a Geometric 

and Military Compass suitable for use by gunners and surveyors For 

gunners, it offered, in addition to a new and safer way of elevating 

cannons accurately, a way of quickly computing the charge of 

gunpowder for cannonballs of different sizes and materials. As a 

geometric instrument, it enabled the construction of any regular 

polygon, computation of the area of any polygon or circular sector, 

and a variety of other calculations. Under Galileo's direction, 

instrument maker Marc’Antonio Mazzoleni produced more than 100 

of these compasses. In 1593, Galileo constructed a thermometer, 

using the expansion and contraction of air in a bulb to move water in 

an attached tube.16 

In 1630 Galileo returned to Rome seeking approval to publish 

his Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, which was 

published in Florence in 1632. He was ordered to appear before the 

Holy Office for papal trial. He was confined to house arrest for the 

rest of his life. In 1992 that Pope John Paul II apologized for the 

Galileo affair, affirming that the Earth is not stationary or the centre 

of the universe - or even the solar system. 



44   Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

(e.) Rene Descartes (1596-1650) 
Descartes was a French mathematician, scientist and philosopher who 

has been called the “father of modern philosophy”. His school studies 
made him dissatisfied with previous philosophy: He had a deep 

religious faith as a Roman Catholic, which he retained to his dying 

day, along with a resolute, passionate desire to discover the truth. At 

the age of 24, he had a dream and felt the vocational call to seek to 

bring knowledge together in one system of thought. His system began 

by asking what could be known if all else were doubted, suggesting 

the famous “Cogito ergo sum” (I think therefore I am). Actually, it is 
often forgotten that the next step for Descartes was to establish the 

near certainty of the existence of God for only if God both exists and 

would not want us to be deceived by our experiences can we trust our 

senses and logical thought processes. God is, therefore, central to his 

whole philosophy and mathematical principles. What he really 

wanted to see was that his thoughts be adopted as standard Roman 

Catholic teaching.  

In essence, Rene Descartes and Francis Bacon (1561-1626) 

are generally regarded as the key figures in the development of 

scientific methodology. Both had systems in which God was 

important, and both seem more devout than the average for their era. 

 

(f.) Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) 
Pascal was a French mathematician, physicist, inventor, philosopher 

and theologian. In mathematics, he published a treatise on the subject 

of projective geometry and established the foundation for probability 

theory. Pascal invented a mechanical calculator and established the 

principles of vacuums and the pressure of air. He was raised a Roman 

Catholic, and in 1654 he had a religious vision of God, which turned 

the direction of his study from science to theology. Pascal began 

publishing a theological work, Lettres provinciales, in 1656. His most 

influential theological work, the Pensées ("Thoughts"), was a defence 

of Christianity, which was published after his death. 

 

 

(g.) Gregor Mendel (1822-1884) 
Mendel who was a monk, and later elected Abbot of his monastery, 

was the first to lay the mathematical foundations of genetics, in what 

came to be called “Mendelianism”. He began his research in 1856 



Christianity at the Forefront of Philosophy and Science...    45 

 

 

(three years before Darwin published his Origin of Species) in the 

garden of the Monastery.  

Our modern understanding of how traits may be inherited 

through generations comes from the principles proposed by Gregor 

Mendel in 1865. However, Mendel didn't discover these foundational 

principles of inheritance by studying human beings, but rather by 

studying Pisum Sativum, or the common pea plant. Indeed, after eight 

years of tedious experiments with these plants, and – by his own 

admission – “some courage” to persist with them, Mendel proposed 
three foundational principles of inheritance. These principles 

eventually assisted clinicians in human disease research; for example, 

within just a couple of years of the rediscovery of Mendel's work, 

Archibald applied Mendel’s principles to his study of alkaptonuria. 

Today, whether you are talking about pea plants or human beings, 

genetic traits that follow the rules of inheritance that Mendel proposed 

are called Mendelian.17 On the cell theory, Mendel was indebted to 

Unger’s work on the role and behaviour of cells in pollination, and his 

observation of the production of new varieties through cross-

fertilization, in particular, the notion that his involved the union of 

just two cells. Through his experiment with pea plants, Mendel 

further explored the question of how the union of two cells produced 

a new organism, the enigma of generation. He concentrated on what, 

until then, had remained overlooked: the importance of considering 

pairs of observable characters and the statistical law governing the 

pattern of their reappearance in the off-springs. 

The impact of the genetic theory is no longer questioned in 

anyone's mind. Many diseases are known to be inherited, and 

pedigrees are typically traced to determine the probability of passing 

along a hereditary disease. Plants are now designed in laboratories to 

exhibit desired characteristics. The practical result of Mendel's 

research is that it not only changed the way we perceive the world but 

also the way we live in it.18 

 

(h.) Georges Lemaître (1894-1966)  
Georges Lemaître was a Catholic cleric, who earlier in life had 

discerned his call to both the priesthood and the life of the mind as a 

research scientist around the time of his high school graduation. In 

July of 1913, Georges Lemaître earned his bachelor's degree in 



46   Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 
mechanical engineering and began work as a mining engineer.19 He 

studied theoretical physics, and in 1923 was ordained as an Abbé. The 

following year, he pursued his scientific studies with the distinguished 

English astronomer Arthur Eddington, who regarded him as “a very 
brilliant student, wonderfully quick and clear-sighted, and of great 

mathematical ability.” Lemaître then went on to America, where he 
visited most of the major centres of astronomical research. Later, he 

received his PhD in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of 

Technology.20 

 Georges Lemaitre was born in Charleroi, Belgium at a time 

when most scientists thought that the universe was infinite in age and 

constant in its general appearance. Some theories, such as those by 

Isaac Newton and James C. Maxwell suggested an eternal universe. 

Indeed, when Albert Einstein first published his theory of relativity in 

1916, it seemed to confirm that the universe had gone on forever, 

stable and unchanging. Lemaitre reviewed the general theory of 

relativity. As with Einstein's calculations ten years earlier, Lemaitre's 

calculations showed that the universe had to be either shrinking or 

expanding. But while Einstein imagined an unknown force – a 

cosmological constant – which kept the world stable, Lemaitre 

decided that the universe was expanding. He came to this conclusion 

after observing the reddish glow, known as a redshift, surrounding 

objects outside of our galaxy. If interpreted as a Doppler effect, this 

shift in colour meant that the galaxies were moving away from us. 

Lemaitre published his calculations and his reasoning in Annales de la 

Societe scientifique de Bruxelles in 1927. Few people took notice, 

however. 

It could actually be said from the foregoing that Lemaitre was 

the first person to propose the theory of the expansion of the universe, 

which is now popularly misattributed to Edwin Hubble. What is 

known as Hubble’s Law actually was derived by him and he made the 
first estimation too of what is now called the Hubble constant, which 

he published in 1927, two years before Hubble’s article. He founded 
the Big-Bang theory of the origin of the universe which is today 

called the “hypothesis of the primaeval atom”.21 

Among the many things that can be said of Lemaître legacy, is 

a statement in 1933, by Rev. Vecchierello, O.F.M. which is still valid 

today: 



Christianity at the Forefront of Philosophy and Science...    47 

 

 

It is a point of great interest nowadays when there are 

so much loose thinking and still looser writing and 

talking about the non-existence of God … to see a 
man who is both a priest and a scientist fraternizing on 

the most intimate terms with the world's most 

illustrious scientific geniuses. He not only associates 

with them, but he is their peer, and in that is the lie 

given to the old and empty charge that the study of 

science means the loss of belief in religion. Lemaître, 

of course, is usually an object of great curiosity — not 

so much to his coreligionists as to many not of the 

faith who marvel at the "phenomenon" of a Catholic 

priest being a scientist, yes, not only a scientist of the 

regular run, but a genius whose theories are most 

daring.22 

 

Perhaps Lemaître’s greatest gift to the world is a Religion-

Science/Faith-Reason intellectual framework. In addition to its 

logical, practical benefits compared to an openly hostile science-

religion approach, it also is filled with optimism and hope.23 

 

(i.) Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955) 
Teilhard de Chardin was a French idealist philosopher, 

palaeontologist, geologist and Jesuit Priest. He did a lot of work in the 

aspect of creation and evolution, advancing arguments to prove 

creation in the midst of scientific facts, and he settled for ‘evolutive 
creation’. God is the creator and preserver, the active Centre of 
centres upon which the evolutionary process derives motion for action 

and sustenance.24 His life-long search was for synthesis: of reason and 

authority, of matter and spirit, between past and future, between body 

and soul.25 

 Teilhard’s basic premise is that all of reality, the whole of the 
cosmic order is in movement (evolution), by the very fact that God 

who is Almighty Creator “makes things make themselves”.  Evolution 

as he saw it is a process in space and time that generates new levels of 

a more complex organization. All observable phenomena of the 

universe are involved in this process, particularly the phenomenon of 

man. But evolution is not only a process in which the material or 



48   Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 
quantified aspects of the matter have moved from the simple to the 

more complex; it is also a process in which primitive psychism has 

moved to more intense consciousness. Man presently climaxes the 

process of evolution as the most complex expression of cellular 

structures and the most intensely conscious.26 

 In his characteristic way of further explicating his ideas, 

Teilhard explains the situation thus: 

The whole of the cosmic order is moving towards a 

goal (the Omega Point), gradually progressing from 

one stage of development to another, each one more 

unified than the preceding. The highest stage of 

material development is life. The highest stage in the 

development of life is human life. With human life, 

consciousness achieves a level of self-reflection. We 

not only know, we know that we know. Human 

existence, therefore, represents a new and unique 

order of being.27 

 

Teilhard’s perspective on Omega Point takes account of a personal, 
transcendent centre to the creative-evolutionary process. This centre 

is outside and above the process – or to use more traditional language, 

is transcendent to it. Omega Point is active in history, not only 

through the provision of motive for action but principally through its 

own personal effectiveness. Teilhard names this active “Centre of 
centres”, God.28  

 

(j.)  Stanley L. Jaki (1924-2009) 
Stanley L. Jaki, a Hungarian-born Catholic priest of the Benedictine 

Order, was Distinguished Professor at Seton Hall University, South 

Orange, New Jersey. With doctorates in theology and physics, for 

more than forty years he specialized in the history and philosophy of 

science. The author of over fifty books and over four hundred articles, 

he served as Gifford Lecturer at the University of Edinburgh and as 

Fremantle Lecturer at Balliol College, Oxford. He lectured at major 

universities in the United States, Europe, and Australia. He was an 

honorary member of the Pontifical Academy of Science, membre 

correspondant of the Académie Nationale des Sciences, Belles-

Lettres et Arts of Bordeaux, and the recipient of the Lecomte du Noüy 

Prize for 1970 and of the Templeton Prize for 1987. 



Christianity at the Forefront of Philosophy and Science...    49 

 

 

  Jaki was profound and persuasive in upholding the view that 

thinkers and writers of the Enlightenment period up to the present 

have been mistaken about Christianity and science. He refuted their 

submissions that Christianity was opposed to, and even oppressed, 

science. Instead, he argued that Christianity has made a great positive 

impact on science. In The Savior of Science (2000), Jaki revealed the 

Christian foundations of modern science. According to him, Christian 

monotheism alone provided epistemological underpinnings for the 

scientific endeavour, where other ancient cultures of Greece, China, 

India, and the early Muslim empire failed to make an impact.29   

Following Jaki’s four-point reasons for the unique birth of 

modern science in Christian Western Europe, explicated in the book 

Christ and Science,30 the noted conservative thinker Russell Kirk has 

this to say: “Modern science, Father Jaki points out, rose from the 

natural theology of medieval Christian learning—a fact 

that philosophes and positivists sedulously ignore.”31 Father Jaki was 

sturdy in defending the view that Catholicism has been and is still a 

blessing to science, not an obstacle, as many erroneously claim.32 

Through the rest of his life, Jaki spearheaded the move aimed 

at establishing a friendly relationship between science and religion. 

He wrote more than two dozen books on the subject, expressing the 

notable theory that modern scientific inquiry can only exist alongside 

Christianity because modern science arose from within a Christian 

society, a society which alone afforded it the opportunity to thrive. 

For this, he was awarded the Templeton Award, which is given to 

those who do outstanding work in affirming a spiritual dimension to 

reality.33 

After rising to be one of the most significant scientific minds 

in modern times, S. L. Jaki died in Madrid on April 7, 2009. 

 

Conclusion 
Belief in God has a much longer history than does the practice of 

philosophy or the ‘scientification’ of science.  These Christian 

thinkers and scholars we have discussed above, many of whom were 

Catholic priests and who were products of their age, serve as models 

for our own age when the scientific study of the universe, 

technological revolution and contrasting standards of morality have 

become real issues within the gamut of our collective existence, 



50   Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 
posing serious challenges to people’s faith in the one true God as the 
creator and sustainer of the universe and the process of the natural 

order. Our model Christian scholars familiarized themselves with the 

philosophical and scientific theories of their day and did not hesitate 

to appropriate them into their theological reflections, even giving 

them pastoral applications. They professed God to be the creator and 

sovereign of the heavens and the earth, through intellectually active 

engagement with the world and its objects.  

As the contemporary world continues to drift on the slopes of 

manifold crises – the crisis of faith, crisis of values, crisis of morality 

– and a host of other maladies, it behoves today’s generation of 
Clerics who have been trained in Philosophy and various other 

disciplines to follow the lead of the likes of those discussed in this 

paper by putting our training into active use for the service of the 

global community. We should not be afraid to actively and critically 

engage the philosophical and scientific systems of thoughts in today’s 
world with an eye to building a better world in which universal 

progress can be sustained.  

 

 

Endnotes 

                                                 
1 This paper is dedicated to my Formator, Vocations’ Director and Lecturer in 
Logic, Epistemology and Analytic Philosophy during the period of my Seminary 

Formation, Rev. Fr. Prof. Anselm Jimoh, as he marks the Silver Jubilee of His 

Priestly Ordination. 
 

2 JOHN PAUL II, Pastores Dabo Vobis, 43; US CATHOLIC BISHOPS, The Basic 

Plan for the Ongoing Formation of Priests (2001). 
3 S. M. McDONOUGH – J. T. PENNINGTON, (eds.), Cosmology and the New 

Testament (London: T & T Clark Int., 2008) 2. 
4 P. SMULDERS, “Creation: Theology”, in: K. Rahner (ed.), Encyclopedia of 

Theology: A Concise Sacramentum Mundi, London: Burns & Oates, 1975, pp. 

313-319. 
5 Cf. E. ADAM, Constructing the World: A Study in Paul’s Cosmological 
Language (Edinburgh: T & T Clarke, 2000) 3ff. 
6 A. M. HUNTER, The Gospel According to Paul, (Philadelphia: The 

Westminster Press, 1966) 1ff. 
7 A. M. HUNTER, The Gospel According to Paul, 43. 
8 J. OMOREGBE, Epistemology: A Systematic And Historical Study, (Lagos: Joja 

Publishers, 1998) 43. 



Christianity at the Forefront of Philosophy and Science...    51 

 

 

                                                                                                             
9 Cf. The Letters of St. Paul to the Romans 4:16; 5:2; cf. the Letter to the 

Hebrews 11:1; 12:2. Although it remains a major question in Biblical 

scholarship who the author of the Letter to the Hebrews is, the view by some 

that its has some connection with the Pauline school of disciples, rings a bell 

that brings a worthwhile intertextual connections between the quoted text and 

related texts in Paul’s letters.  
10 J. M. COOPER – D. S. HUTSCHINSON, Plato: The Complete Works, 

(Indianopolis, IN: Hackett Publishing Company, 1997). 
11 V. J. BOURKE, “Thomas Aquinas, St.” in P. EDWARDS et al. (eds.), The 

Encyclopedia of Philosophy (New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1967) 105-

116. 
12 V. J. BOURKE, “Thomas Aquinas, St.”, 105. 
13 Although Copernicus was highly engaged in ecclesiastical life, there are not 

extant documents to show that he he was ever ordained a priest. The fact that he 

was one of the four candidates to the assume the episcopal seat of Warmia in 

1527 gives credibility to the supposition that he was ordained a priest. Cf. 

“Nicolaus Copernicus”, in New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia [Available at: 

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04352b.htm (Accessed 21 August 2019)]. 
14 A. NAESS, Galileo Galilei: When the World Stood Still. Trans by James 

Anderson (Springer, Berlin 2005) 33. 
15 G. GALILEI, Dialogues Concerning Two New Sciences. Trans by H. Crew – A. 

de Salvio (William Andrew Pub, New York 2001). 
16 Cf. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galileo_Galilei 
17 I. MIKO, “Gregor Mendel and the Principles of Inheritance” in Nature 

Education 1(1):134, 2008. 
18  E. MAYR, The Growth of Biological Thought, The Belknap Press of Harvard 

University, 1982, 720-740. 
19 A. BERGER (ed.), The Big Bang and Georges Lemaître  D. Reidel Publishing, 

New York, 1984, 365. 
20 S. SOTER – N. TYSON, Cosmic Horizons: Astronomy At The Cutting Edge, A 

Publication of The New Press. © 2000 American Museum of Natural History.          

[Available at : 

http://www.amnh.org/education/resources/rfl/web/essaybooks/cosmic/p_lemaitr

e.html (Accessed: 14 August 2019)]. 
21 Wikipedia online: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_Lema%C3%AEtre 
22 H. VECCIERELLO, Einstein and Relativity. Lemaître and the Expanding 

Universe, St. Anthony Guild Press, Paterson 1934, 23. 
23J. R. LARACY, “The Faith and Reason of Father George Lemaitre” in 
Homiletic and Pastoral Review, Ignatian Press, San Francisco, CA 2009, 50-59. 
24 T. DE CHARDIN, The Appearance of Man, (trans. by J. M. COHEN) (New 

York: Harper and Row Publishers, 1956). 
25 D. CARROLL, “Creation”, 183. 

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04352b.htm
http://www.amnh.org/education/resources/rfl/web/essaybooks/cosmic/p_lemaitre.html
http://www.amnh.org/education/resources/rfl/web/essaybooks/cosmic/p_lemaitre.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_Lema%C3%AEtre


52   Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

                                                                                                             
26 T. DE CHARDIN, The Appearance of Man. 
27 T. DE CHARDIN, The Phenomenon of Man, (trans by Bernard Wall) (New 

York:  Harper and Row Publishers, 1959) 77-183. 
28 D. CARROLL, “Creation”, 252-253. 
29 S. L. JAKI, The Savior of Science, William. B. Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, MI 

2000. 
30 S. L. JAKI, Christ and Science, Real View Books, Royal Oak, MI 2000, 23. 
31 R. KIRK, “The Rediscovery of Creation”, National Review 35 (10) (27 May 

1983), pp. 640-41. 
32 T. D. WATTS, “Cosmology and the History of Science” in Social Justice 
Review (St Louis, MO), Vol. 100, No. 7-8, July-August 2009. 
33 Tyler Huckabee, “Nine Groundbreaking Scientists Who Happened to be 

Christians” [Available at: https://relevantmagazine.com/god/9-groundbreaking-

scientists-who-happened-be-christians/ (Accessed on: 26 August 2019)]. 

https://relevantmagazine.com/god/9-groundbreaking-scientists-who-happened-be-christians/
https://relevantmagazine.com/god/9-groundbreaking-scientists-who-happened-be-christians/


The Vocations Director and the Discernment of Vocations…   53 

 

 

 

 

 

 

C H A P T E R  4  

 

 

 

The Vocations Director and the 

Discernment of Vocations: Some 

Considerations for Priestly Formation 
  

Ferdinand Nwanagu OKAFOR 

 

 

Introduction 

The twenty-first century is associated with advancement in information 

and communication technology (ICT), like the fourteenth century 

which came with the Renaissance that was associated with new 

knowledge and the scientific method which revolutionized virtually all 

sectors of life including the Church and priestly vocation. The 

discernment of priestly vocations has become a herculean task for all 

those who are engaged in the discernment and formation of vocations 

to the Catholic Priesthood. With the challenges that are rocking the 

priesthood today ranging from sexual abuse, Protestantism, 

materialism and secularism, the question: “How Vocation Directors 
and Formators in the Seminaries discern genuine vocation or discover 

candidates with genuine vocations” has become a front-burner 

question. This is the aim of this essay. This paper, therefore, attempts 

to discuss this topic issue with theoretical and practical insights and 

further make some proposals, that is believed would enhance the 

discernment process. Without being overly presumptuous, it suffices to 

clarify some of the key concepts in this discourse. 

 

 

 



54    Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age    

 

The Concepts of Vocation, Vocations Director and Discernment 

Denotatively, the term, “vocation is from the Latin word vocātiō which 

means a call or summons. It is an occupation to which a person is 

specially drawn to, or for which they are suited, trained, or qualified.”1 

In the 15th century, the term was first attributed to a spiritual calling.2 

It was used in reference to those in the clerical order. It was Martin 

Luther who arguably later broadened the understanding of the term to 

mean all Christian calling and every state of life. Thereafter, John 

Calvin gave it the notion of industry and commerce. It was the English 

Puritans in the seventeenth century who eventually stretched the 

meaning of vocation to include any job or trade.3 In ecclesiological 

understanding, vocation is associated with “divine call addressed 
directly to a man’s soul, inviting him by means of a secret divine voice, 
to enter the clerical state.”4  

On the other hand, when the term Vocations Director is 

employed, what easily comes to mind is any priest who has been given 

the mandate to recruit and present candidates for priestly ordination. In 

reality, this is a shortfall from the true meaning and task of who a 

Vocations Director is. The principal task of directing vocations rests on 

the Bishop. He is the first representative of Christ in priestly 

formation.5 However, just as candidates are ordained to share in the 

priesthood of Jesus Christ, so as to assist the Bishop in his priestly 

functions; a priest who is chosen and assigned the responsibility of 

directing vocations is, in reality, assisting the Bishop. Therefore, a 

Vocations Director is a priest who has been assigned to recruit, direct 

and guide and evaluate the suitability of the candidates to the Sacred 

Catholic priesthood. The role of a Vocations Director is to direct and 

guide young boys or young men who express the desire to become 

priests, as well as future priests (Seminarians) so that they may discover 

their calling to the priesthood as well as the nature of the calling. As 

the name implies, the Vocations Director has the obligation of 

directing. However, his function is not only to direct but also to inspire 

vocations in young boys; as well as to form and lead by word of advice, 

encouragement, explanation and example of life, those who express the 

desire to serve in the clerical orders as deacons or priests; and where 

one is discovered not to be a suitable candidate or have the ability to 

serve in the clerical order, he sincerely advises the candidate to 

withdraw and embrace another state of life. The function of a Vocations 

Director and Formators is not about telling candidates what they need 



The Vocations Director and the Discernment of Vocations…   55 

 

 

to do, rather it is much more of modelling and encouraging vocations 

to the priesthood. To be able to function properly, it is important that 

they are exposed to some years of pastoral experience and formation 

course or seminars periodically. The Vocations’ Directors and 
Formators should endeavour to rid themselves of personal biases, 

tribalism, injustice, emotions that may prevent them from truly 

evaluating the qualities that a candidate exhibits. 

St. Francis de la Sales emphasised the need for a guide for those 

who would enter upon and advance in the devout life. He referred to 

the Spiritual guide as a heaven-sent Angel, like the Angel who guided 

Tobias on his journey.6 The role of a vocation director is not in any way 

short of the task of guiding and accompanying candidates to the 

priesthood. This kind of journey together must be characterised by 

genuine love, mutual trust, prayerfulness, openness and sincerity to one 

another, and docility to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. 

Although in every Diocese or Religious Congregation, the task 

of directing of vocations is primarily assigned to a particular priest, 

nevertheless, every priest is in a certain sense, a Vocations Director. 

Therefore, every priest must inspire vocations to clerical life and 

provide exemplary leadership and influence, as well as guide and direct 

every candidate who aspires to the Catholic priesthood. All the priests 

are united with the Bishop and share his responsibility in seeking and 

fostering priestly vocations. Together with the Bishop, they are agents 

of formation.7  

Be that as it may, since the earliest Christian teachings, there 

has been a strong nexus between the human relationship with God and 

his ability to truly discern reality.8 As far back as the earliest days of 

the Israelites, the notion of discernment was already invoked. The 

criteria for discerning a true prophet from a false prophet was already 

expressed, which were: leading the people to God and fulfilment of 

prophecy (See, Deut 13:1-5; 18:21). In the early days of the Church, 

St. John also warned the Christians of his community against false 

spirits. He admonished them to test the spirits whether they are from 

God (1 Jn 4:1-6). This process of testing of spirit is called discernment.  

Discernment as an English word was borrowed from an Old 

French word discerner.  Discerner was from two Latin words “dis” 
meaning apart, and “cernere” meaning to separate. Discerner in its Old 

French original, meant “to separate, divide, distinguish or discern.”9 



56    Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age    

 

Discernment can be employed both in the secular as well as in 

ecclesiological sense. In this secular sense, it refers to the act of 

evaluating or judging or reviewing a decision. 

In an ecclesiological sense, it is the act of prayerfully evaluating or 

judging a decision through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The concept 

when employed in vocations to the priesthood and religious life, refers, 

therefore, to the act of prayerfully evaluating or judging the suitability, 

motive, behaviours, the ability, as well as the natural and supernatural 

qualities of a prospective candidate to priesthood using both human 

reasoning and divine enlightenment. Mcintosh (2004), outlined faith, 

impulses, discretion, divine will and illumination as the elements of 

discernment.10 The purpose of discernment is to know God’s will. 
According to Mcintosh (2004), “human relationship with God was 
distorted, and the ability of human persons to see God’s ways in the 
world was drastically impaired-they could no longer recognise God’s 
truth shining forth in creation because they were no longer rightly 

acquainted with God.”11 

 

Discernment of Vocations and Evaluating the Suitability of 

Candidates  
Priestly formation refers to the art and process of providing orientation, 

guidance, and training regarding priestly life to a candidate who aspires 

to the clerical order. Priestly formation is an essential aspect of the 

priestly vocation. In view of the crises rocking the Catholic priesthood 

and taking into consideration the challenges posed by the world of 

information communication and technology, it has become expedient 

to evolve new methods or techniques in formation. The task of 

formation and the selection of formators should be taken more 

seriously than ever before. Vocations Directors and Formators should 

be truly Formators and not just lecturers or chosen to fill up the gap. 

Often times in the selection and formation of candidates, one is 

tempted to judge whether a candidate is called instead of judging the 

suitability of the candidate. This has often led to a serious error in the 

selection of candidates for the priesthood. It is a dangerous venture to 

create a dichotomy between discernment of call and deciding the 

suitability of candidates. Deciding the suitability of candidates is in 

itself a process of discernment. Using the words of Blowick (1932), 

“the true doctrine of vocation is so straightforward and so simple that 

the question of ‘deciding a boy’s vocation’ is reduced to the exercise 



The Vocations Director and the Discernment of Vocations…   57 

 

 

of prudent judgement and sound common sense.”12 It is important that 

vocations directors and formators in the Seminary know the nature and 

meaning of sacred calling in view of pastoral ministry, so as to be able 

to play their role well. 

The selection and evaluation of a candidate for the priesthood 

will be more difficult for Vocations Directors and Formators if the 

essence of priestly ministry is not put into consideration. In evaluating 

the suitability of a candidate, basic virtues that candidates are expected 

to cultivate as well the current challenges in priestly ministry should be 

brought to the fore at the point of evaluation. Right from the early 

centuries of the Church to the seventeenth centuries, as far as the issue 

of raising men to the status of pastoral leadership is concerned, the 

emphasis of the Church was always on the suitability of a candidate. 

This is what St Paul emphasised in his letters to Timothy and Titus 

regarding the choice of Overseers, Deacons and women who rendered 

special services in the early Church (1 Tim 3:1-13; 5:22; Titus 1:5-

10). In recent times, the Church has also emphasised this suitability of 

candidates in her documents on the formation of future priests. 

However, it seems some Vocations Directors and Formators have 

shifted their focus from this trend of determining the suitability of a 

candidate to the clerical state, and have given room to bias and personal 

feelings. In matters of the priestly vocation, there are already basic 

requirements which are available in the various documents on 

formation to the priestly ministry. Vocations Directors and Formators 

should, therefore, acquaint themselves with these documents. The task 

of directing vocations and formation of the candidate is to determine 

whether given the behaviour manifested by a candidate and evaluating 

such in the light of the Gospel and the teachings of the Church if such 

an individual will be able to fulfil the priestly functions.  

Basically, in the discernment of vocation, the central issues are 

the mission of Christ and the good of the Church, faith and community 

building, and the salvation of souls of the Christian community. These 

issues revolve around pastoral leadership. The process of discernment 

is to determine if the candidate has the human, physical, spiritual, 

intellectual, emotional, psychological, moral and pastoral ability to 

fulfil the role of a pastoral leader and make disciples for Christ. The 

suitability of a candidate is evaluated and determined based on the 

observable human phenomenon, while the calling is the function of the 



58    Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age    

 

Church through an appropriate authority (the Bishop). Here, the role of 

the Vocations Director and the presbyterium can never be 

underestimated. No doubt, “the vocation to the priesthood is a divine 
call; it is given by God. But God has empowered certain accredited 

ecclesiastical officials to issue it in his name. These alone can validly 

administer divine vocation.”13 

In the selection and formation of candidates for the Catholic 

priesthood, nothing should be overlooked. The first stage in the process 

of formation of candidates for the priesthood is recruitment. The 

challenge in this recruitment process is often the pressure from priests 

and the parents of the candidates, who may want to prevail on the 

Vocations Director or Formators to consider a particular candidate for 

admission and to continue to ensure his stay in formation, even when 

he is not suitable for the priesthood. Once parents, friends or relatives 

are the ones fronting the process of admission of a candidate or making 

an enquiry on behalf of a candidate into the Major Seminary, that is 

already in itself a red-alert that should be foreclosed. One who is 18 

years old should be able to take basic steps that are necessary for the 

pursuit of his career or vocation.  The first consideration for selection 

and formation of candidates for the priesthood is the genuine intention 

and desire to be a priest to serve the Christian Community. It should 

not be the intention and desire of the parents, brothers, relatives, 

friends, or the parish priest or a priest who is a friend to the intending 

candidate. It should be a personal desire to serve in the clerical state. 

The true test of one’s love for God is the capacity to live for God and 
for others. Priestly life is one of service, sacrifice and commitment. It 

is a call to live not for oneself but for God. As Jesus Christ gave up his 

life for us all, and St. Paul poured out his life as a libation for God (2 

Tim 4:6), so too, those who aspire to the sacred orders should be ready 

to sacrifice themselves totally to God, and should be seen manifesting 

this life of sacrifice already. J. Blowick (1932) identified the following: 

a supernatural attraction for the priesthood, a strong and permanent 

inclination, good intention, possession of natural and supernatural gifts 

that will enable a man to properly discharge the sacred duties of the 

ministry, as signs of an authentic vocation.14 This genuine intention and 

desire to serve in the clerical order must be expressed throughout the 

period or years of formation. 

  The work of formators will be most difficult if candidates who 

already manifest unsuitable behaviour or are known to possess terrible 



The Vocations Director and the Discernment of Vocations…   59 

 

 

behaviours such as stealing, lying, deceit, homosexual tendencies, 

fornication, materialism, and greed, moneygrubbing, nonchalant 

attitude towards the Holy Mass and Church devotions, are sent to the 

Seminary for formation. Sometimes, it is difficult to identify such 

candidates once they are already in formation. And when such is 

discovered later in the penultimate years of formation, sentiments of 

sympathy begin to wade in. At this point, evaluation becomes a matter 

of sympathy to the individual and his family, but to the detriment of the 

Church and the souls of those who will be entrusted to his care. If one 

knows the power or influence in little things to shape or change 

situations, then one will know that nothing should be undermined. This 

is not to undermine the possibility of one with such vices to experience 

conversion. Experience has however revealed that candidates with 

these vices or dispositions can hardly be opened to the process of 

encountering Christ in formation and be purified in the process of 

formation. The human person is a mystery whose life can be influenced 

by any situation. There are at least four results of those who are 

ordained into the priesthood. First, those who from the beginning 

manifested good behaviour but acted badly after ordination. Secondly, 

there are those who manifested good behaviour as candidates and still 

remained good priests after ordination. Thirdly, there are those who did 

not manifest sufficient good behaviour but were admitted on trial but 

in the process of formation were transformed are good priests and 

fourthly, there are those who gave red-alert as candidates but were 

admitted with sympathy with the hope of being properly formed, but 

they found their way into priesthood without getting changed or 

converted,  and their performance in the priesthood was a reflection of 

the red-alert they manifested. 

Priestly ministry goes beyond cultic and liturgical functions. It 

entails the proclamation of the Gospel, the celebration of the 

sacraments and pastoral leadership, which is to guide the Christian 

community in the name and in the person of Christ.15 P. Bernier, 

summarizes ministry to include five basic tasks: Building community, 

Storytelling (Proclamation), Prophesying, Nurturing, and 

Missioning.16
  Priestly ministry is a call to pastoral charity and 

leadership, and it is rooted in the vocation to the mission.17 Leadership 

according to R. L. Daft, is an influence of relationship among leaders 

and followers who intend real changes and outcomes that reflect their 



60    Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age    

 

shared purposes.18 Central to this definition is the fact that leadership 

is an influence relationship. The call to the priesthood apart from being 

a call to service is also a call to provide exemplary leadership to the 

faithful. Leadership is an essential aspect of the priestly vocation. A 

candidate to the priesthood should possess leadership qualities that will 

enable him to influence the faithful with the gospel message. This 

dimension of the priestly vocation is often not taken into consideration. 

It is important that prospective candidates understand the power that is 

inherent in the Priestly pastoral role. Leadership is a gift and a call to 

service, and it is an inherent part of the call to the priesthood. Not 

everybody possesses the gift of leadership.19 

The focus of priestly vocation is Mission, Service, and 

Leadership (MSL). The challenges in the priestly ministry today 

revolve around bad leadership. That is, the faithful can no longer find 

exemplary leadership in some priests. St. Paul in order to emphasize 

the importance of leadership in the early Church, admonished Timothy 

thus: “Let no one reproach you on account of your youth. Be a model 

to believers in the way you speak and act, in your love, your faith and 

purity of life. Devote yourself to reading, preaching and teaching, until 

I come” (1 Tim 4:12-13). 

Bernier holds the view that the fundamental purpose of the 

New Testament ministry is to preserve the self-identity of the 

Christian community as the community of Christ as well as to 

discover the gospel in the changing circumstances of life.20 Those 

who were appointed elders in the early Church were appointed not so 

much so that they might celebrate the Eucharist, but that they might 

guide and conduct the community and proclaim the Gospel. 

 Right from the time of Moses down to the New Testament 

era when the Church was still evolving, all those who were appointed 

leaders were to essentially lead the people and help them to sustain 

their faith in God. Whoever, therefore, must be admitted to commence 

the journey to sacred Priesthood or promoted to the Sacred Orders 

should be seen to manifest authentic vocation and exhibit evidence of 

his ability to perform the priestly function and lead the faithful in 

faith. The sacrament of Holy Orders is not an individual sacrament, 

like Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Penance and Anointing 

of the sick, which are received for the benefit of the recipient. Like 

the sacrament of Matrimony, the Sacrament of Holy Orders is both 

individual and social, hence the need to ensure that there are no 



The Vocations Director and the Discernment of Vocations…   61 

 

 

irregularities and impediments, because the recipients will fulfil a 

social function, which is not primarily for the benefit of the recipient 

but that of the entire Christian Community. Therefore, good intention 

alone is not sufficient to assume the office, but certain requirements 

are necessary and are insisted upon by the recipient. 21 

In the early days of the Church when celibacy was not regarded 

as part of the life of presbyters, the consideration for choosing a 

presbyter basically was the styles of life,22 centuries later, when 

celibacy became mandatory for those who are admitted into the clerical 

order, there was a shift from the styles of life to the states of life.23 

Today, in the selection of candidate the styles of life and the ability to 

assume the states of life of a priest are elements to be considered in 

determining the suitability of a candidate. The candidate before being 

admitted into the Seminary, and even while in formation in the 

Seminary and outside of the Seminary, should manifest the evidence of 

his genuine intention and desire to serve in the clerical state in his styles 

of life, disposition and readiness to embrace the clerical state. Intention 

and desire have a correlation in one’s behaviour and outlook. It is an 
aberration for one to desire the priesthood, yet adopt worldly mindset 

and style. It should not in any way be assumed that the candidate will 

change after ordination. The evaluation of the candidate to determine 

his suitability should go beyond keeping the Seminary rules. His 

actions and inactions, his behaviours and dispositions should be 

scrutinised and interpreted in the light of the Gospel, the teachings of 

the Church and the challenges of the church and the situation of the 

world today, and how his actions and inactions and behaviour reflect 

and promote the Gospel message or bear witness to the risen Lord. 

Also to be considered is the initial conversion of the candidate 

as well as openness to ongoing conversion. The initial conversion is 

evident in the reception of the Sacraments of Initiation, and the 

manifestation of the Theological Virtues of Faith, Hope and Love. 

These manifest in his prayer life, Christian devotion and service in the 

Church, as well as his detachment from the world. It is not enough to 

only be baptised, one must be open to conversion. Otherwise, after 

ordination one may behave worse than a non-Christian and do more 

harm than good to the body of Christ, as Alexander the Coppersmith 

did to St. Paul (2 Tim 4:14). Initial conversion will help a candidate 

get rid of such vices like stealing, lying, deceit, homosexual tendencies, 



62    Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age    

 

fornication, materialism, and greed, moneygrubbing, nonchalant 

attitude towards the Holy Mass and Church devotions.  

Natural and supernatural endowments of the candidates while 

in formation should be evaluated. The priesthood is a call to pastoral 

leadership. Whoever must assume this status must be seen to possess 

some leadership qualities and must be free from canonical impediments 

and irregularities, which include: amentia, psychic illness, apostasy, 

heresy, schism, attempted marriage, voluntary homicide, procured 

abortion or cooperated in abortion, self mutilation or mutilated another, 

attempted suicide, or has performed an act reserved for those in the 

sacred orders.24 Those who practice homosexuality or have deep-seated 

homosexual tendencies or support “gay-culture,” are not to be admitted 
into the Seminary.25 

The Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation “Pastores Dabo 

Vobis” enumerates four dimensions of priestly formation: human, 
spiritual, intellectual and pastoral formation.26 These four aspects are 

so important that neglecting or undermining any of these dimensions is 

to do great harm to the entire work of formation and the Church at large. 

The crisis in the priestly ministry today can be linked to an improper 

formation in these four areas. Therefore, only those candidates whose 

human, moral, spiritual and intellectual gifts, as well as physical and 

psychological health and right intention, show that they are capable of 

dedicating themselves permanently to sacred ministries are to be 

admitted to the seminary.27 

The tendency to sometimes downplay the intellectual capacity 

and formation of the candidate often arises. References are often made 

to St. John Mary Vianney, the Cure of Ars, who was regarded not to be 

intellectually bright, yet, was a model of holiness and pastoral life. The 

world we must know is constantly evolving, and the Church expresses 

herself in every age in order to adequately meet the pastoral needs of 

the world. In the age of the Martyrs, Martyrdom was seen as a means 

of proving one’s holiness. After the age of Martyrs, monastic life and 
celibate living became the ultimate way of attaining holiness. We are 

no longer in the era of John Mary Vianney when the priestly function 

was basically the celebration of the sacraments and proclamation of the 

Gospel within the liturgical assembly. With the age of Information 

Communication and Technology, the world where the Church and 

clerics minister has become more sophisticated. It is no longer enough 

to celebrate the Sacrament and proclaim the gospel within the liturgical 



The Vocations Director and the Discernment of Vocations…   63 

 

 

assembly. The Church must move away from the liturgical assembly 

into the world. The Church needs to understand and interpret the 

mandate of Jesus Christ in light of the present-day world. “Go into the 
world and preach the Gospel” (Mk 16:15) must be understood as a call 

for the Church to diversify her apostolate in the world in order to 

effectively fulfil her mission of bringing Christ into the world. To this 

end, a myopic view of the world and reality will be dangerous to the 

Gospel message. Besides, it is only a person with a sound mind and 

intellect, who is constantly open to learning that can sufficiently present 

the Church’s teaching to answer the questions of the modern-day 

human being. Experience has shown that one with low intelligence 

suffers low self-esteem and myopic in world view. Such a person finds 

it difficult to forgive and is more tribalistic, and so he excludes those 

who are not from his tribe or race from benefiting from his goodwill.  

Since the candidate for the priesthood is trained to be a leader, 

whose life can influence the followers, it is important that the candidate 

is prudent in his actions. A candidate who is not prudent will be a bad 

leader and a negative influence. According to Thomas Reese (Jesuit 

priest), “Nothing chases a person out of the Catholic Church and away 
from Christ faster than a bad priest. The priest does not have to be a 

child molester. He may simply be arrogant, patriarchal, insensitive or 

just stupid. More people leave the Catholic Church because of bad 

priests than because of disagreement over dogma.”28 “A good priest 
can spend years building a parish community, inspiring active 

participation in the liturgy, recruiting volunteers for the parish 

ministries and to help neighbourhood poor. A new pastor can destroy 

all that works in a few weeks.”29 

It is not sufficient for a candidate to be spiritual. He must be 

devout. Sometimes the spiritual life of a candidate is mistaken as a sign 

of suitability, to the detriment of other requirements. Yet, such a 

candidate is unforgiving, malicious, and does not see the need to tame 

his emotions. One who has not been able to tame his emotions, no 

doubt, will be a scandal both in his words and in his attitudes. 

The task of directing vocation and forming candidates for the 

priesthood is an onerous one. And those who are appointed to carry out 

this task should be carefully selected. They should be people with 

mature minds and sincere in their approach to issues and evaluation of 

any candidate. These qualities do not necessarily come with years in 



64    Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age    

 

the priesthood or biological age. It is much more a personal disposition 

informed by one’s background or situations in life. 
 Priestly vocation apart from being a gift to the recipient, it is 

also a gift to the Church as a whole for the benefit of her mission. The 

Faithful are also agents of the priestly vocation.30 So, in every diocese, 

there should be a vocation team comprising of Priests and Lay faithful 

who carry out the recruitment and evaluation of Seminarians. 

 

Concluding Remarks 

The formation of Seminarians today has become much more difficult 

than ever before. Similarly, the role of the Vocations Director has 

equally doubled. The Vocations Director acts as a sentry for the Church 

within his Diocese, Religious Congregation, or society of apostolic life 

for which he is appointed, and as a guide for the candidate to the 

priesthood. 

The Vocations Director acting as a sentry on behalf of the 

Church ensures that bad elements do not creep into the Priesthood. This 

role has become so important as the devil masquerades to be an angel 

of light (2 Cor 11:14-15). No doubt, he inspires his messengers as 

candidates to the priesthood, to be his ministers in order to carry out his 

mission of stealing, killing and destroying the Priesthood and the souls 

of Christians who believe in Jesus Christ (John 10:10). Wherever the 

children of light are gathered, the devil too sends his angels there (Job 

1:6). Clear evidence of inordinate missions abound in the priesthood 

today, with some young men trying to become priests at all costs. At 

any level of formation, after careful observance, where a candidate is 

found to be unsuitable for the clerical orders, he should in love and for 

the good of the Church be advised to withdraw. It does not matter how 

many years he has spent in formation. He should not be promoted in 

sympathy. To deny one ordination is neither a denial of life or heaven. 

However, it is important that Vocations Directors and Formator 

cultivate the virtue of patience in the formation of candidates. With the 

challenges facing family life, the task of formation will require greater 

patience than ever before. 

 The key players in the process of formation are the Vocations’ 
Director, the Formators in the Seminary and the Presbyters of the 

Diocese or Congregation the Seminarian belongs. This is why it is 

expedient that the Vocations’ Director knows personally the individual 
candidate as well as the family background of those being admitted. 



The Vocations Director and the Discernment of Vocations…   65 

 

 

This can be achieved if there is a synergy between the Vocations 

Director and the other priests in the diocese. Also, a candidate should 

be well known in his parish. So no candidate should be recruited who 

is not well known in his parish. In the early Church, elders were chosen 

from their community and appointed for service in their community. 

Conclusively, the vocation to the priesthood is both divine and 

human. It is the prerogative of the Bishop to ordain young men who 

have been adequately prepared for the priesthood. In reality, the Bishop 

may not really know, at a direct level the level of suitability of those he 

ordains. He acts on the reports that are presented to him. The Vocations 

Director and the entire presbyterium should work together to ensure 

that reliable candidates are admitted for formation. 

 

 

Endnotes 

1 Cf. “Vocation” in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocation, accessed September 

12, 2019 
2 Online Etymology Dictionary 
3 Hahnenberg, E.P, Awakening Vocation: A Theology of Christian Call,     

   Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 2010, 3. 
4 Blowick, J, Priestly Vocation, Dublin: M. H Gill and Sons Ltd,  1932, 1. 
5 Pastores Dabo Vobis, n. 65. 
6 https://Introduction to Devout Life in Catholicity.com, retrieved 19/9/2019. 
7 Pastores Dabo Vobis, n. 41.  
8 Mcintosh, M. A, Discernment and Truth,  Newyork:The CrossRoad Publishing   

  Company, 2004, 4.  
9 See, “Discernment” in Wiktionary, https://en.m.wiktionary.org 
10 Mcintosh, M. A, Discernment and Truth, 5. 
11 Mcintosh, M. A, Discernment and Truth,  4. 
12 Blowick, J, Priestly Vocation, vii. 
13 Blowick, J, Priestly Vocation, 238.  
14 Blowick, J, Priestly Vocation, 2 
15 Pastores Dabo Vobis, n. 43. 
16Bernier, P, Ministry in the Church, (2nd ed), New York: Orbis Book, 2015, 

xii-xiii. 
17 Bernier, P, Ministry in the Church, Ibid, xii 
18 Daft, R. L, , The Leadership Experience, MA: Cengage Learning, 2018,  5 
19 Bernier, P, Ministry in the Church, xii. 
20 Bernier, P, Ministry in the Church, 38. 
21 Blowick, J, Priestly Vocation, 315. 

                                                

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocation


66    Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age    

 

                                                                                                         
22 Bernier, P, Ministry in the Church, 92. 
23 Bernier, P, Ministry in the Church,  93 
24 Code of Canon Law, Canon 1041. 
25 Congregation for Catholic Education, Instruction Concerning the Discernment  

    of Vocations with regard to Persons with Homosexual Tendencies in view of   

    their Admission into the Seminary and to the Holy Orders. 
26 Pastores Dabo Vobis, nn 43-57. 
27 Code of Canon Law, Canon 241. 
28 Thomas Reese, “Bad Priests, of all kinds, chase people away from Christ and 
the Church” in National Catholic Reporter, 

https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/signs-times/bad-priests-all-kinds-

chase-people-away-christ-and-church. Retrieved 22/019/2019. 
29 Thomas Reese, ibid. 
30 Pastores Dabo Vobis, n. 41. 

https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/signs-times/bad-priests-all-kinds-chase-people-away-christ-and-church
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/signs-times/bad-priests-all-kinds-chase-people-away-christ-and-church


Forming Future Catholic Priests in a  Pentecostal World...   67 

 

 

 

 

 

 

C H A P T E R  5  
 

 
 

Forming Future Catholic Priests in a 

‘Pentecostal World’: Challenges and 
Prospects 

 

John Segun ODEYEMI 

 

 

 

Introduction  

Modern Ecumenism and Pentecostalism are two different phenomena 

which have occurred in the Christian world in the last hundred years.  

Even though Pentecostalism was criticized initially by the established 

churches as theologically unsystematic, lacking in doctrine and 

dogma, yet its appeal and rate of growth remain undeniable, giving 

birth to a totally new ecclesial community. This growth is now 

recognized and acknowledged among the World Council of Churches 

as perhaps the new ‘Pentecost’ of our age.  Some make the claim that 

Pentecostalism will be the new face of Christianity within a few 

decades and into the next millennium. Using Nigeria as a template, 

this essay investigates the relationship between Pentecostalism and 

Catholic seminarians in formation.  These seminarians will be priests 

within an existing but fragile ecumenical union.  Hence, there is the 

need for a framework by which one can critically explore 

Pentecostalism’s future challenges and prospects vis-à-vis future 

Catholic priests.   

In the spring of 2016, Missio Aachen, in Germany awarded 

me some grant to pursue a study of the impact of Pentecostalism in 

West Africa with a specific focus on ecumenism. I had grown up in 



68    Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation.  This country is also the most 
diverse in terms of language and ethnic affiliations, it happens to be 

home too for Pentecostalism in West Africa.  Growing up within 

these complexities of ethnic, lingual and multiple religious identities 

made me query the idea of the production of multiple meanings 

within Christianity.  It is necessary to state, that these multiplicities of 

the production of interpretations cut through traditional missionary 

founded Churches, the African Independent Churches(AICs), the 

evolution of classical Pentecostal Churches, the birth of Charismatic 

and Neo-Pentecostal bodies and currently the newest form of 

Pentecostalism which I refer to as Pentecôtistes nouvelle génération; 

(PNG).1  Let me clarify that Pentecostalism in Nigeria and in West 

Africa, from my fieldwork across Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast and 

Sierra Leone has its own peculiarities and distinctiveness from 

Pentecostalism in the global West. 

At the turn of the twentieth century, Pentecostalism in sub-

Saharan Africa had become a phenomenon that no serious scholar of 

religion could ignore. Through its evolutionary stages from the 1920s, 

Pentecostalism for various reasons, which we shall explore later, 

continued to grow and expound thereby impacting the societies it 

exists in on all fronts; culturally, economically, socially, politically, 

and religiously.  Consequently, it is said that “the Pentecostal genre of 
Christianity is becoming the dominant form of Christianity in 

contemporary Africa.”2 Cephas Omenyo, reflecting on the genre 

which in and of itself is not mono but existing in pluriformity, states, 

“The variety and diversity of African Pentecostalism is palpable.  It is 
sometimes suggested that we should speak of ‘African 
Pentecostalisms’ rather than ‘African Pentecostalism’ because of the 
existing complexities of categorization.”3  The diversities spoken of 

here deserve another script and research, starting from classical to 

Neo-Pentecostals of contemporary times. It can be argued that 

Pentecostalism is the fastest-growing religious phenomenon around 

the globe currently.  Some call it a revival of traditional Christianity, 

which is said to have grown lukewarm.  Cardinal Walter Kasper calls 

this a “third wave of Christian history” or a third phase where the 

mission is no longer ‘ad gentes’ – to the nations/peoples of the world, 

but ‘inter gentes’ – between peoples of same religious commitment.4  

This growth is adduced to evangelical movements, Pentecostal 

Churches, and Charismatic movements.   



Forming Future Catholic Priests in a  Pentecostal World...   69 

 

 

 

West African Pentecostalism may be popular, but it has 

considerable baggage of problems to deal with. For now, a brief 

reflection suffices; Pentecostalism is a proliferation and further 

splintering of the Christian Church that was born out of the 16th 

century Reformation. As young as Pentecostalism is within 

Christianity and the history of the Southern hemisphere, it continues 

to suffer multiplications and splintering or breakaway factions.  In all 

of the West African countries I visited, most notorious are Ghana and 

Nigeria, where the Pentecostal billboards and signposts litter the city 

skyline.  Television and radio broadcasts are filled daily with 

competing Pentecostal Churches, founders and general overseers 

jostling for adherents and making promises of deliverance, healings 

and breakthroughs.  Particularly, in Nigeria, this splintering becomes 

a battle for bodies and minds of people, every new assembly vying for 

social relevance and survival.  Within the raucousness, some of these 

newly founded and self-appointed church ministers create a 

fundamentalist following deeply steeped in proselytizing. The Jesuit 

theologian, Roger Haight sees some of these movements not only 

individualistic and fundamentalist, but extremely suspicious and 

exclusivistic of other Pentecostal assemblies.  Haight avers, “… so 
individualistic is their anthropology and piety that they scrupulously 

avoid all social involvement except for an extreme conservative type; 

and so independent and at times hostile to the interests of the mainline 

churches that they reject any ecumenical cooperation.”5  

The various ecclesial communities may be witnessing an 

explosion in numbers across the continent currently but they risk an 

implosion in the future due to present inaction.  The authenticity of a 

true Christian spirit lies in its witnessing, the power of her truth, her 

forthrightness in speaking against unjust structures and not the 

domination of the poor.  An appeal to divine authority for a ‘gospel of 
prosperity’, the collection of tithes, the promise of deliverances, 

revivals, night vigils etc., may not be a veritable vehicle of truth that 

builds real and enduring faith. If the Church cannot speak this 

language of freedom and be at the forefront of the liberation of the 

people, political and economic forces will take the driver’s seat. 
When a new and progressive era dawns in Africa and in Nigeria, 



70    Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

particularly, Christianity runs the risk of becoming irrelevant, as it has 

happened to some other continents. 

It is important, therefore, that seminarians pay attention to the 

complexities that will mark ecumenical relationships between 

Pentecostals and Orthodox Christian faiths. This initial formation 

prepares future priests to be disposed to ecumenical exchanges, which 

by now should be seen as inevitable. Refusal of ecumenical 

exchanges denies the unifying action of the Holy Spirit in the 

Christian community. It is the same Holy Spirit that vivifies the 

proclamation of the Goodnews.  It is this sort of unity that gives the 

Christian message credibility and makes for authentic and lasting 

conversions.  According to Killian McDonnell, at a more pragmatic 

level, it is exactly the Church’s credibility that is called into question, 
“At the level where most persons experience the Church… it is the 
want of holiness, the lack of fruit, and the manifest disunity which 

make her efforts at evangelization ineffective and constitutes a threat 

to the power of the gospel.”6 McDonnell states further that a real 

commitment to Jesus consists of entering into a community of human 

persons totally committed to resisting popular values “which see the 
ultimate goal in an ever-increasing, ever higher, standard of living, of 

resistance to mindless consumerism, and to social values which 

sanction racism and the exploitation of the poor.”7  

 

The Specificity of Nigerian Pentecostalism: A Staring Point for 

Ecumenical Formation in the Seminaries 

The first step towards understanding any natural phenomenon is a 

careful study of its history and growth. For seminarians to be 

adequately prepared to engage Pentecostalism in ecumenism, it is 

important, given their philosophical, theological and scholastic 

studies to engage in academic research and when possible fellowship 

and joint acts of praying or worship.  The following is an abridged 

history that is illustrative of the Pentecostal movement in Nigeria.   

Western and European scholars tend to locate the origin of the 

renewal of Pentecostalism solely to the Azusa Street mission of 1906, 

born out of an African American prayer group in Los Angeles.8  

Some other scholars from South America, Asia and Africa trace a 

different historical origin different from the Azusa mission.  For 

instance, Ogbu Kalu in his seminal work on Pentecostalism clarifies 

that from the very beginning, “African Pentecostalism did not 



Forming Future Catholic Priests in a  Pentecostal World...   71 

 

 

 

originate from Azusa Street and is not an extension of the American 

electronic church.”9  For Kalu, African Pentecostalism was as a result 

of the response to missionary enterprise by the indigenous African 

Christians (also known and referred to as African Independent 

Churches, (AICs).10  Citing the Ethiopian movement as an example, 

which was an attempt at a recovery of African identity through 

religion; Kalu makes the claim “Ethiopianism was a muscular 

movement that operated with a certain theodicy claiming that God has 

not deserted Africans to their humiliation but has raised a people to 

restore Africa’s lost glory.”11  This, Kalu perceived to be an African 

spirituality that will be anti-structure, anti-colonialism which will give 

birth to a vibrant nationalism. It will empower and energize African 

Pentecostalism post-independence. So, the first question to be asked 

is, how will seminarians understand and perceive African spirituality 

in relating to their own scholastic and format theological training? 

Despite the foregoing, there is a clear distinction between the 

Pentecostal movements through the decades, which makes 

contextualizing a necessity but labelling difficult and unnecessary.  In 

proper context, therefore, one can historically begin to see the 

emergence of African Pentecostalism, revivals and identity from 1900 

to 1960. Various indigenous ‘Prophets’ were already crisscrossing 
different parts of Africa from 1910 when European missionaries were 

gathered in Edinburgh to discuss further mission work in Africa.  

Kalu sums up this all-important clarification as follows, 

From the historical discourse, it can be demonstrated 

that the movement in Africa did not start from Azusa 

Street… I conclude that a charismatic wind blew 

through the African continent in the post-independent 

period that first hit the youth and women, and later 

overawed the resistance of the mainline Churches.  In 

each country, certain socioeconomic and political 

factors determined the pattern of the early concerns.  

But various strands connected across national 

boundaries.12 

 

This argument does not exclude a variety of missionary influences.  

What remains clear according to Kalu is that the emergence of 



72    Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

missionary evangelical Pentecostalism came to Africa to find these 

religious impulses already in existence. While they initially coexisted, 

various factors forced a separation. African Pentecostalism took its 

roots from the indigenous impulses.13  It would be difficult to argue 

successfully that it has remained the same ever since. 

With the emergence of this new face of Pentecostalism, a 

topological distinction is made between the AICs, the first wave of 

neo-Pentecostalism and the current mega auditoriums, and jet-flying 

Pentecostalism.  The development and timeline seem to be one and 

the same along the West African Coast and in Africa generally.14 

Brigit Meyer concludes that given the current state of African 

Pentecostalism and its classifications and categories it can give way 

to, “albeit contested, processes of de-essentializing such notions as 

African, authentic, or local, de-temporalizing tradition, deconstructing 

modernity, blurring the boundary between religion and politics, and 

even de-universalizing religion.”15 Whatever the case might be, 

Pentecostalism, especially of Nigerian persuasion continues to 

expound and enlarge.  For instance, J.D.Y. Peel notes, “The Yoruba16 

have exported their brand of Neo-Pentecostalism all over sub-Saharan 

Africa, especially to major cities like Nairobi and Johannesburg.  And 

in Europe too, whether to serve mainly their own in the diaspora or to 

light the Pentecostal fire in a native white population (as with the 

Embassy of God in Ukraine.)”17 All over Europe and America, 

Pentecostals offer a chaplaincy of welcome and safe haven for the 

throngs of African migrants.   

The contention of the relationship between future priests, who 

are now seminarians takes on another extension worthy of 

consideration; as we begin to experience a ‘reverse re-evangelization’ 
of the West by African priests, pastors and preachers, it is important 

to pay attention to ecumenical relationships in the diaspora.  The 

Pentecostals believe there is a trend which constitutes a “major 
paradigmatic change in the Christian mission, popularly labelled a 

‘reverse mission.’ African Pentecostals are convinced that God’s 
mandate to them is to reach out to the entire world.  This conviction is 

captured by their including words such as ‘global’, ‘international,’ 
and ‘world’ in their nomenclature.”18 And the history of European 

missionaries’ relationships in the evangelization of Nigeria is well 
documented and not much of it reflects ecumenical embrace or 

friendship.  In the United States, Catholics, Evangelicals and African 



Forming Future Catholic Priests in a  Pentecostal World...   73 

 

 

 

Pentecostals are already experiencing tensions based on 

proselytization.  There is much work to be done in this area so as to 

bridge the existing widening gap between Christians in the diaspora. 

From my personal experience, most Africans who arrive in 

Europe and America and who practice the older forms of Christianity 

usually have problems with ‘sombre and solemn’ liturgies they 

encounter in their new homes. Unlike the celebratory and lively 

worship back home, the migrants encounter a cold and impersonal 

style.  In some instance, their white hosts fail to extend a hand of 

welcome and sure enough, they begin to “shop” around.  Once they 
find the Pentecostal communities, they immediately feel at home.  

They network and are helped to settle down, get accommodation, 

jobs, social security cards and even for the illegal immigrant, he or 

she finds welcome and fellowship.  Pentecostals in the diaspora fulfil 

a role the older generational Churches are unable to fill.  Gradually, 

Pentecostalism is beginning to impact the host European and 

American communities. Perhaps the Pentecostals will be at the 

forefront of the re-evangelization of the global West. Here, the 

challenge for training future Catholic priests in the new 

evangelization of the next century becomes a paramount task to be 

fulfilled. 

 

A Pentecostal Perspective on Ecumenism  

Nigerian Pentecostals generally seems ambivalent when it comes to 

the question of ecumenism.  Neo –Pentecostals in the West who are 

beginning to build a viable theological base are willing to engage in 

ecumenical encounters better than evangelical and Neo-Pentecostals 

found mostly in the Southern hemisphere. Based on my fieldwork and 

research findings, Pentecostals in West Africa think that ecumenism 

is important, but in reality, I did not find many instances of 

ecumenical associations between Pentecostals, Catholics and other 

denominations. There are a few instances where Pentecostals had to 

work with other denominations borne out of immediate expediency. 

For instance, in Sierra Leone, immediately after the civil war and the 

aftermath of the Ebola decimation, a coalition between churches was 

formed to try and respond to the humanitarian needs at the time.  



74    Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

This sort of situation found in Sierra Leone is one of the 

examples that show the state of Christianity in its supposed glorious 

upsurge on the face of the continent.  Interestingly, Frank Macchia 

calls attention to ‘the tongues of Pentecost.’  Macchia avers, “The 
tongues of Pentecost may provide a pregnant metaphor for a distinctly 

Pentecostal reflection on ecumenical exchange with Roman 

Catholics.”19 Macchia clarifies further, “The tongues event of 
Pentecost exposes the scandal of both a complacent sectarianism that 

offers no need to strive for unity and a complacent Catholicism that is 

convinced such unity already exists.”20  Because the Pentecostals lay 

claim to the centrality of ‘tongues’ as it was given on Pentecost day, 
Pentecostalism cannot be sectarian, therefore must be ecumenical.  

Macchia goes further to state, 

The event of Pentecost by nature resists domestication as 

a metaphor that inspires the narratives of just one 

movement or segment of the people of God.  Pentecost is 

an ecumenical event.  It should make Pentecostals feel 

uneasy and insecure within the closet of Pentecostal piety.  

It urges them to come out of that closet and to discover 

‘Pentecostalism’ in communions other than their own, 
especially in ways unfamiliar to them.  It reminds them 

that being Pentecostal in the full sense of the word means 

transcending the boundaries of the Pentecostal movement 

in directions unexpected and quite dramatic.  It means, in 

part, facing the ecumenical promise and challenge implied 

in the presence of the Roman Catholic Church.21  

 

To focus on the mystery and transcendence of tongue-speech, 

according to Macchia is an important theological foundation for 

understanding and affirming diversity among the various Christian 

traditions.  Language, culture and doctrinal traditions are relative to 

the mystery of God who is present in these diversities of traditions 

where diversity stands for the communion of free humanity with a 

free self-revealing God.  Macchia, therefore, concludes that “such 
diverse communions can fellowship and work together as equal 

partners as they dialogue across ecclesiastical lines. Tongues as a 

prodigium that breaks in upon us from God’s spirit functions on one 
level as a kind of ‘anti-language’ that reveals the utter futility of any 
effort to attribute status to anyone language of faith.” 22 



Forming Future Catholic Priests in a  Pentecostal World...   75 

 

 

 

               Allan H. Anderson, one of the most acknowledged 

theologians to have carried out thorough research on Pentecostalism 

views the connection between ecumenical work and contemporary 

Pentecostalism as almost void.  Anderson posits that despite the belief 

of evangelicals and Pentecostals dating back to Azusa Street, it was 

presumed that this new surge of the spirit will become an Apostolic 

Faith.  This idea, that the Pentecostal movement will sweep over the 

known Christian Church holds sway till date, and more so in the 

nerve centre of neo-Pentecostalism of the Southern hemisphere.  

Anderson asserts that Pentecostals saw unity in a spiritual sense, but 

not unity in creed or doctrine.  Anderson alludes to one area in which 

ecumenism seems to function even if not profoundly taken to heart; 

the interaction between Pentecostals and Charismatic Renewals in the 

older Christian traditions.  Anderson argues, “At the grassroots level, 

the Charismatic movement brought people together from many 

different denominations in an unprecedented way… ‘A sense of unity 

was generated through the sharing of the divine experiences in the 

spirit which washed away denomination barriers at the grassroots 

level’…”23  Anderson concludes that the greatest weakness of modern 

Pentecostals is their inability to embrace their potentials for 

ecumenical diversities and unity. 

 

The Task of Ecumenism Today: Roman Catholics, AICs, 

Pentecostals Relationships  

Our theological ‘elders’ forewarned us when in 1986 they gathered in 
Mexico for the Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians 

(EATWOT) that the task of Africa’s theology must be ecclesial, 
cultural, political and liberating.  They posit the following wise 

words, 

…. we begin our common methodology of 
theologizing as people who feel in our bodies not just 

our own hearts but the pain of others.  We theologize 

together and individually from our suffering and 

humiliation.  We stand by our prior agreements to do 

theology and live our faith from the energy that flows 

from ecumenism and to which we pray our theology 

should make a contribution.  Together we define 



76    Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

poverty, in the comprehensive understanding of the 

phenomenon, as whatever robs human beings and 

groups of peoples of their humanity.  All who are 

impoverished because the culture they created has 

been trampled upon by others, all who’s right to be 
human is challenged by socio-political, economic, and 

religious structures and demands that humiliate, all 

who have to struggle to have their humanity 

recognized and respected – all these are poor.24 

 

It is to these poor that the Goodnews about the kingdom of God must 

be preached.  It is to them that the Christian Church must serve, and 

not dominate, plunder or subjugate further than where they have 

already been marginalized by the corruption of governments and 

multi-million dollar corporations. 

From my experience and fieldwork in West Africa, the 

relationship between Catholics, African Independent Churches and 

the Pentecostals in ecumenical work is not easily navigated. It is 

different from one socio-cultural milieu to another. In most situations, 

these relationships are based on mutual suspicion and disregard.  

While Catholics are accused of worshipping images and idolizing 

Mary, the indigenous African Churches are accused of syncretism and 

the Pentecostals are perceived to be proselytizers and con artists.  At 

best their relationship can mostly be described as a mutual tolerance 

or intolerance. The possible avenue by which these Christian 

traditions can ever come together is usually under the auspices of the 

association of Christian Churches in each particular Church or region 

as the case might be.  In Nigeria for instance, (and this Nigerian 

example is almost the exact template of the same situation along with 

the governments and peoples of the coastline of West Africa), 

Christians come together under the auspices of the Christian 

Association of Nigeria, (CAN). Before CAN, the Nigerian 

Anglican/Roman Catholic Commission (NARCC) had existed as an 

ecumenical body, wherein joint days of prayers for unity are held, and 

theological discussions ensued.   

Upon the arrival of the Pentecostals and in the light of the 

unstable economic and political situation in the country, it was 

imperative for the various Christian blocs under CAN to have a 

common voice facing the new political realities in the nation.  There 



Forming Future Catholic Priests in a  Pentecostal World...   77 

 

 

 

have been calls to prayers nationwide and several communiques and 

papers presented commonly from CAN in response to burning social 

issues at different times.  Most researchers who have made significant 

contributions to the study of Neo-Pentecostalism usually do not make 

concise connections between Ecumenism, the Christian Church, 

Pentecostalism, politics and social impact. It is true that many 

government officials along the West African coastline are known to 

frequent prayer camps and Pastors.   

According to John Mansford Prior, Pentecostalism is yet to 

understand “the imperative of channelling its formidable power into 

the needs of the temporal world, towards the gospel call to 

transforming the social order according to the plan of God.”25 John 

Prior asserts that Pentecostalism “has confined itself to a spirituality 
of conversion, of holiness and fellowship, failing to galvanize its 

adherents into a force of advocacy and action against the structures of 

sin.”26  Pentecostalism with its numbers is naturally expected to 

collaborate in ecumenical efforts particularly when it speaks to social 

justice issues; on paper, West African Pentecostals (pastors and 

adherents) agree that ecumenism which pays attention to social justice 

issues is essential.  However, in reality, this is not true.  This question 

can also be asked of the older Christian traditions.  It can be asked of 

those who design the curriculum for seminaries in the training of 

future priests.  The preaching of the gospel can no longer be without 

its political and liberational dimensions. 

 

Future Priests, Ecumenism and Pentecostalism: Prospects and 

Challenges.  

There is a complexity in approaching the question of anything in the 

future since no one knows the future. We can try to predict 

possibilities in the future, but there are too many factors at play 

beyond human control that can reshape the future. The future of 

Catholic priests and Pentecostals at home and abroad, engaging in 

ecumenical work is bleak.  The reality is that both sides view each 

other with suspicion.  The future as far as it can be perceived puts a 

great challenge on the part of the priests of the next generation.  

Again, there is an urgent need to review the curriculum in the 

seminaries especially as it affects Homiletics, evangelization and 



78    Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

managing ecumenical outreach.  Awareness is essential as the future 

of Catholicism in the global west may now be the missionary 

responsibility of the next generation of Catholic priests. The 

following points are the essentials that I consider a necessity for 

preparing men who will bear witness to our catholic and apostolic 

faith in the very near future. 

 Pentecostalism is a reality of the Christian Church today.  We 

have all to learn to live together as we lay claim to 

proclaiming Christ to the world. Pentecostalism in Nigeria 

and on the West African landscape is still very amorphous in 

nature to be approached in an ecclesial setting.  The onus is on 

the existing older traditions to continue to extend the hands of 

fellowship to those in the Pentecostal assemblies willing to 

work with others in an ecumenical setting. 

 There is an urgent need for our seminaries to undertake a 

theological and ecclesiological understanding of Pentecostal 

teachings, to review its hierarchical/governmental structures.  

To understand Pentecostalism in its various forms is a step 

forward in building a relationship, that lessens the existing 

tension and mutual suspicion. 

 For the Christian message to endure on the continent, the 

Pentecostals cannot afford to make the same mistakes their 

older brothers of the older traditions have made in the past; 

the idea that it is cosy and safe within their own assemblies, 

thereby becoming exclusive and not desirous of interacting 

with other Christian Churches.  The Christian Church in sub-

Sahara Africa faces a silent but potent threat from 

globalization and extreme liberalism.  As cultures collide and 

penetrate each other through technology and the new wave of 

the internet and electronic media, a common front and 

ecumenical handshake across the divide is a necessity for the 

Pentecostals and other Christians.   

 In the West African region what makes ecumenical work, a 

must is the unrelenting insurgency of extreme and radical 

Islam.  In Nigeria, the hotbed of Boko Haram insurgency, and 

in Ghana and Sierra Leone, skirmishes have been recorded 

between radical Islamic Jihadists against Christians and 

sometimes against moderate Muslims. In Nigeria for instance, 

there are public statements, unrefuted by the federal 



Forming Future Catholic Priests in a  Pentecostal World...   79 

 

 

 

government that there is an agenda to Islamize the entire 

country by Jihad. In this volatile situation, presenting a 

common ecumenical front in protecting the Christian 

population is a necessity. 

 It seems the future of Christianity lies in the soil, sons and 

daughters of Africa, yet the issues, which disunite us, are 

more than the issues that unite us. Ecumenical work, 

especially in constant dialogue, is the only way forward if the 

new Pentecost breathing in the panting heart of Africa will 

reverberate and will engage in the new evangelization of lands 

previously home of Christianity, out of which the good news 

came to us.  

 Catholic seminaries hold a wealth of spiritual and intellectual 

traditions in the training of future priests.  This process must 

now be updated to include methods and approaches by which 

the priest to be is equipped in religious dialogue broadly.  The 

interaction of traditional Christianity with the new face of 

Pentecostalism is only one stage in the dialogical process.  

There are Muslims and traditional religions to encounter and 

embrace, especially in regions such as ours so deeply 

polarized and divided. Catholic seminaries must begin to 

produce priests for the future who will take leadership roles in 

these dialogues.27 

 

Conclusion 

A seeming lack of interest on the part of Pentecostals in questions of 

political engagement, the struggle for liberation and freedom from 

political oppression and social justice, widens the gap and makes 

ecumenical work more difficult. In Nigeria, one gets a sense of a 

disconnect between social involvement and evangelism in the 

Christian Churches generally. While the Pentecostals fill up 

auditoriums and stadiums for revivals and crusades, most of them are 

unable to put programs in place which supports social services.28  

Both Pentecostals and the older Christian traditions are guilty of 

building social services like schools and hospitals, which most of 

their congregants cannot afford monetarily to use. This is very 

prevalent across the board on the West African coast. It is easily 



80    Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

noticeable in private secondary schools, polytechnics and universities 

owned by Pentecostal pastors or General Overseers (GOs). This 

extreme lack of social consciousness builds a wall that wedges any 

kind of effort at an ecumenical embrace.  According to Anderson, for 

the Pentecostals, “There has not been a clearly articulated theological 
foundation for social ministry.”29  Contrarily, they seem to focus on 

what Anderson refers to as an ‘otherworldly’ spirituality that avoids 
‘worldly’ issues. Most prominent and at the forefront of Pentecostal 

evangelism is material wealth, suppression of demonic forces, 

healings and miracles, and speaking in tongues – all of which will not 

feature on the agenda of an ecumenical meeting.  

In this work, I examined the possible connections between 

Catholic seminarians, who will become future priests, contemporary 

Pentecostalism and the notion of a possible ecumenical engagement 

towards social, political and religious reconstruction. While 

acknowledging Nigerian Pentecostalism and its phenomenal growth 

over the last few decades, it could well be said that it is the future face 

and phase of African Christianity. However, there is the distressing 

news; Nigerian brand of Pentecostalism lack a coherent ecclesiology 

especially as it focuses mostly on "health and wealth" doctrines. If 

Nigerian Pentecostalism would thrive, it must connect and reach out 

ecumenically, by committing itself to social justice issues.  It is also 

clear that there is work to be done to adequately equip young 

seminarians ordained into Catholic ministry in the coming decades as 

they encounter their brothers and sisters of the Pentecostal persuasion.   

We all know where we are today, but where we shall be tomorrow is 

in the hands of God.  We can only pray and work assiduously, and 

together so that “His kingdom may come.” 

 

End Notes 
                                                           
1 John Segun Odeyemi. Pentecostalism and Catholic Ecumenism in Developing 

Nations: West Africa as a Case Study for a Global Phenomenon. (Eugene, 

Oregon: Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2019), 52 
2 Cephas N. Omenyo. 2014. “African Pentecostalism” in Cecil M. Robeck Jr and 

Amos Yong (Eds). The Cambridge Companion to Pentecostalism. (NY: 

Cambridge University Press), 132 
3 Ibid. 



Forming Future Catholic Priests in a  Pentecostal World...   81 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                  
4 Johannes Muller & Karl Gabriel (Eds.) 2015. Evangelicals, Pentecostal 

Churches, Charismatics: New Religious Movements as a Challenge for the 

Catholic Church. (Quezon, Philippines: Claretian Publications), 9-10 
5 Roger Haight, SJ. “Responding to Fundamentalism in Africa: Three Questions 
for the Mainline Churches. “ In the New Theology Review: An American 

Catholic Journal for Ministry. Vol 7, no.1, Feb. 1994, 60 
6 Killian McDonnell. 1978. The Charismatic Renewal and Ecumenism. (NY: 

Paulist Press), 16-7 
7 Ibid., 18 
8 This also is debated by some other scholars who give credence to the 

missionary work of Charles Parham in Texas where Pentecostal charisms had 

already been experienced before the Azusa street prayer meeting.  Of the Azusa 

street ministry, Thomas Rausch writes, “It was extraordinary in a number of 
ways.  First, those coming to the mission rejoiced in extraordinary gifts of the 

Holy Spirit, including an ecstatic form of worship.  Second, though it originated 

in an African American prayer meeting in a still segregated Los Angeles, the 

congregation was soon interracial, with blacks and whites praying and singing 

together.  Third, from its beginnings the movement spread like wildfire.  Within 

six months, members and others interested in the Azusa Mission had founded 

several new congregations in Los Angeles and its environs.  Its participants held 

meetings in neighboring communities, often in tents or rented storefronts.  By 

September, its evangelists had traveled from San Diego to Seattle, by December 

they were active across the country, and at least 13 missionaries had been sent to 

Africa.  In the next two years the movement spread to Mexico, Canada, Europe, 

Africa, even to Northern Russia. cf. Thomas P. Rausch. "Catholics and 

Pentecostals: Troubled history, new initiatives." Theological Studies 71, no. 4, 

2010, 928 
9 Ogbu Kalu. African Pentecostalism: An Introduction. 2008 (New York: 

Oxford University Press), viii 
10 Other designations for the AICs include African Initiated Churches, African 

Indigenous Churches, and African Independent Churches. 
11 Ibid. 
12 Ibid. 
13 Kalu surmises the situation at the time in the following succinct words, 

“Classical Pentecostals appeared early in the African religious landscape and 

operated with a muscular indigenous agency to charismatize Africa … The 
crucial point is that none of the classical forms of Pentecostalism became 

important in the religious landscape until they benefitted  from the spiritual 

renewal of the 1970s…. and certainly counter the impression that ‘new 
crusaders’ recently forayed into Africa bearing the insignia of fundamentalism. 



82    Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

                                                                                                                                  

Pentecostalism emerged from the indigenous response of Africans to the 

missionary message; the missionary input from evangelical ministries such as  

Scripture Union, Campus Crusade, and such; from the increasing missionary 

forays of Pentecostals from the holiness tradition and Pentecostal denominations 

from various countries who utilized the labors of African agents; and from 

interdenominational parachurches, bolstered by the educational institutions  of 

many American Bible colleges  and many evangelical evangelizing outreaches. 

Cf, 64 
14 Meyer expounds on the all too common features of the new Pentecostal 

leadership in the following way, “Many PCCs present themselves as ultimate 
embodiments of modernity.  Building huge Churches to accommodate thousands 

of believers, making use of elaborate technology to organize mass-scale sermons 

and appearances on TV and Radio, organizing spectacular crusades throughout 

the country-often parading foreign speakers – so as to convert nominal 

Christians, Muslims, and supporters of traditional religions, creating possibilities 

for high-quality Gospel Music, and instigating trend-setting modes of dress all 

create an image of successful mastery of the modern world. Meyer,Birgit. 

“Christianity in Africa: From African Independent to Pentecostal-Charismatic 

Churches.” Annual review of Anthropology. 33, no.1,2004, 459   
15 Ibid, 467 
16 The Yoruba nation is the most dispersed ethnic group in Nigeria through the 

trans-Atlantic slave trade.  They inhabit the South Western part of Nigeria. 

Among the Yorubas, the first impulse of Charismatic- Prophetism and 

indigenous forms of Christianity was born in Nigeria. 
17 J.D.Y. Peel. Christianity, Islam, and Oriṣ a Religion: three traditions in 

comparison and interaction. 2016. (California: University of California Press), 

214 

 

18 Cephas Omenyo. “African Pentecostalism” in Cecil M. Robeck Jr and Amos 

Yong (Eds). The Cambridge Companion to Pentecostalism. Ibid,144 
19 Frank D. Macchia. “The Tongues of Pentecost: A Pentecostal Perspective on 
the Promise and Challenge of Pentecostal/Roman Catholic Dialogue.”  Journal 

of Ecumenical Studies, December 1, 1998, Vol.35, Issue 1.  
20 Ibid. 
21 Ibid., 2 
22 Frank D. Macchia. Ibid., 8 
23 Allan Heaton Anderson..  An Introduction to Pentecostalism (2nd Ed.) 

(Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2014), 252 
24 K.C. Abraham (Ed.) “Third World Theologies: Commonalities and 

Divergences.”  Mercy Amba Oduyoye, contributor, Commonalities: An African 

Perspective. (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1990.), 103 
25 John Mansford Prior (Maumere-Flores). “How Does the Catholic Church Deal 
with the New Religious Movements in a Constructive Way? (Focus on Asia)” In 



Forming Future Catholic Priests in a  Pentecostal World...   83 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                  

Johannes Muller & Karl Gabriel (Eds.) Evangelicals, Pentecostal Churches, 

Charismatics: New Religious Movements as a Challenge for the Catholic 

Church. Op.Cit, 255 
26 Ibid. 
27 Most of this section can be found in my book earlier cited, John Segun 

Odeyemi. Pentecostalism and Catholic Ecumenism in Developing Nations: West 

Africa as a Case Study for a Global Phenomenon. Op. Cit. 
28 While one must not make a blanket statement or over generalize on this 

matter, it must be stated that there are in the more established Pentecostal 

Churches, some who have some welfare plans for economically disadvantaged 

members.   For instance in Nigeria and Ghana, there are clear evidences to show 

that some needy Pentecostal members are provided raw food, they are given 

financial support to pay hospital bills, school fees or in some instances some 

amount to start a personal small scale business.  The problem lies with when you 

look at the wider picture. 
29 Ibid.  Allan Heaton Anderson, 278 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



84  Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

 

 

 

C H A P T E R  6  
 

 

 

The Primacy of Logos and Priestly 

Formation in Nigeria: Context and 

Content 
 

Paul Ọlátúbọ̀sún ÀDAJÀ 
 
 

 

Introduction 

A Priest must be convinced of two things. The first is the Faith. Faith 
in this sense means that his primary orientation must always be towards 
God. This is very similar to the understanding of Joseph Ratzinger 
when he avers that faith is “taking up a position, as taking a stand 
trustfully on the ground of the word of God.1 Essentially, Faith will, 
therefore, mean one “entrusting oneself to that which has not been 
made by oneself and never could be made and which precisely in this 
way supports and makes possible all our making.”2 The second is his 
vocation. Vocation must also be understood in the sense of its 
etymology which means “to call, to name, to summon.”3 At the 
background, a call is a tensive dynamic. One is always called from 
something or somewhere. One is also especially in the Christian sense 
of vocation called for something. There is, therefore, a call from 
something and a call for something. Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s statement 
that when “Christ calls a man; he bids him to come and die” should, 
therefore, be understood not in the sense of annihilation but a death to 
something that makes living for something else possible.4  

The certainty of a Priest’s faith and vocation is not of a static 
dimension. It is a certainty that abides in a spectrum. It is a tensive 
certainty. A certainty that is subject to doubt. However, the permanent 



 The Primacy of Logos and Priestly Formation in Nigeria…   85 

 

character of this doubt is that one’s orientation of always towards God. 
In the words of the anonymous writer of The Cloud of Unknowing. 

You must also know that this darkness and this cloud 
will always be between you and your God, whatever 
you do. They will always keep you from seeing him 
clearly by the light of understanding in your intellect 
and will block you from feeling him fully in the 
sweetness of love in your emotions. So, be sure you 
make your home in this darkness. Stay there as long as 
you can, crying out to him over and over again because 
you love him. It is the closest you can get to God here 
on earth, by waiting in this darkness and in this cloud.5 

This jarring subjection of a Priest’s certainty to doubt has been captured 
best in the words of Cyran that “Faith consists of a series of 
contradictions held together by grace.”6  

This certainty of Faith and Vocation in the life of a Priest was 
what I saw some twenty years ago when I got to All Saints’ Major 
Seminary, Uhiele-Ekpoma for my Priestly formation. That was where 
I met Fr Anselm Jimoh. The relationship has been one of respect of a 
brilliant scholar and of considerable distance since he was my formator 
and will always be. I do hope that the following pages I write will be a 
respectable testimony of what I have learned from Fr. Anselm Jimoh.  

My aim in this paper is to argue that it is upholding the primacy 
of the Logos in the context and content of Priestly formation guarantees 
the faith and vocation of the formandi. What this paper will not do is to 
argue that the present priestly formation efforts in Nigeria (of which I 
am a grateful beneficiary) is outdated or unproductive. My aim is to 
highlight our present remarkable efforts and argue that we can make 
them more productive with a better understanding of our context. 
 

The Nigerian Context and Content 

The Nigerian context today is that of a schizoid anthropological crisis. 
The average Nigerian is today locked in two worlds. We live in our 
own world, but our lives are characterized by continuous contact and 
interaction with the West. This contact was and has never been of equal 
partners and yet the inequality of that contact is both the source of 
repulsion and attraction in this relationship.  The most enduring effect 
of this contact has been a confusing picture of the human person that 
subsists afterwards.7 We are neither here nor there. We are neither fully 



86  Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

Nigerian nor Western. With us, “nothing is purely local, nothing is 
purely foreign, everything is remotely global.”8 Our orientation is to 
the West for an idea of humanity, but the Western idea of humanity is 
also sufficiently diseased. The crucial reality that determines the fate 
of so many is that we are more than ever submerged by ‘white 
material,’ but still, have only limited access to its trade secrets.9  Our 
bodies live in the land on the Niger yet our souls are all over the world. 
Our source of pride lies mostly on setting our feet outside our shores. 
Home is never enough, not just for the young (which is normal) but 
also for the old.  That we have even thrived at all in the midst of this is 
nothing short of a miracle.  

Our desires as Nigerians seem to have an anthropological 
disorder that is not only painful but crisis-ridden. Unfortunately, it is a 
problem that ravages the African continent. The human person has 
never been so poor and yet our understanding of the human person has 
never been so impoverished. Benedict XVI describes this 
anthropological crisis by saying that like the rest of the world, Africa 
is experiencing a culture shock which strikes at the age-old foundations 
of social life, and sometimes makes it hard to comes to terms with 
modernity.10 I must note here that though both the West and Africa are 
facing an anthropological crisis, they are of different kinds. 
Everywhere the modern person, after all, suffocates in a world that 
offers everything except answers to the deeper ‘why ‘questions.’11 In 
the West, this crisis is borne out of a large-scale rejection of values that 
have mainly held the West together. Ratzinger notes that “in this central 
question of man which still remains of the greatest importance, all the 
human problems of our time converge.”12 However, in Africa, the 
anthropological crisis started as a result of the ‘violent’ disruption of 
life as it was known before the contact with the West. Since this contact 
is still ongoing and will be ongoing for a while, it is the most significant 
background that shapes this anthropological crisis. This does not mean 
this contact is directly responsible for everything in Nigeria presently, 
it simply means that our presently anthropological crisis is simply 
incomprehensible without the context of this contact.  
Ela captures the reality of this contact when he states that: 

The problem is further complicated by the fact that the 
current generation does not necessarily look to African 
cultural traditions for answers to all its questions. 
Because the young people of today have emerged from 



 The Primacy of Logos and Priestly Formation in Nigeria…   87 

 

school systems conveying alienating messages and few 
have experienced initiation rites, the totality of the 
African universe is not open to them, and they cannot 
draw on the knowledge transmitted by the great masters 
of oral tradition.13 
 

Every African (Nigeria inclusive) value that has held for centuries can 
no longer be taken for granted. Our value of family life is so overrated 
and exaggerated nowadays that we are often ashamed to admit it. How 
do we explain our respect for life amid the bodies lying in many parts 
of Africa? Suicides which in the past was a rarity and mostly occurs in 
the case of honor is now not only common but also has roots in the 
depression holding sway in many African societies.14 How do we 
understand the richness of the Ubuntu philosophy with the xenophobia 
in South Africa? How about many of our inter-tribal conflicts which 
now have a dimension that we could never have imagined. The context 
of the Western contact has also transformed our capacity for conflict. 
For instance, a conflict between a citizen of Nigeria and South African 
would have been unimaginable 200 years ago. We also deal today with 
the crisis of advanced fee fraud in which Nigerian scammers are the 
role models who even have biblical links.15 How do we fit our increased 
level of poverty, human trafficking, kidnapping, prostitution into our 
understanding of the human person? What has happened to our ideals 
of Orúkọ rere dára ju wúrà òun fàdákà?16 One of the saddest realities 
that mirror the anthropological crises in Nigeria and across Africa is 
child soldiers. How did we really get so low in our idea of the human 
person?  

A further appreciation of this contact between the West and 
Nigeria has also introduced some ideas which could not have been 
imagined without this contact. The value of Western medicine which 
has helped us understand more some of our common ailments like 
malaria cannot be overestimated. The fear and killing of twins were 
also a scourge which came to end with this contact. This contact has 
also transformed our world in terms of art.  Our array of the musical 
instruments has also been expanded, thanks to this contact. Also, the 
rise of soccer in the continent especially Nigeria is unimaginable 
without contact with the West. For the most part, in Nigeria, this game 
keeps us united. In some cases, this contact has been for good and in 
some cases, it has left us for the worst. However, the worst outcome of 



88  Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

this contact is the anthropological crisis our country suffers from today. 
Yet, I am not sure we can resolve this crisis outside the context of this 
contact.  

While the context of Nigeria today is the anthropological crisis, 
the content of that crisis is Pentecostal. While Pentecostal is 
immediately thought of a religious phenomenon, my understanding of 
this phenomenon extends beyond the religious connotations. It is a 
national phenomenon, especially in Nigeria. However, this non-
religious aspect of this phenomenon can be well understood if we put 
attention to its religious manifestation.  

Nigeria has some of the biggest Pentecostal churches in Africa 
if not in the world. The pentecostal presence in Nigeria is not limited 
to the religious space. It has spilt into politics, organized crime, and 
education. A good number of private universities are owned by 
Pentecostal churches (or more accurately Pastors).17 Anthonio Spadaro 
describes Pentecostalism as “the belief that God wants his followers to 
have a prosperous life, that is, to be rich, healthy and happy. This type 
of Christianity places the well being of the believer at the center of 
prayer, and turns God the Creator into someone who makes the 
thoughts and desires of believers come true.”18 Spadaro makes an 
obvious link between the prosperity gospel and the American Dream. 
This trend is not absent in Nigerian brand of Pentecostalism like John 
Odeyemi argues that most prominent and at the forefront of Pentecostal 
evangelism is material wealth, suppression of demonic forces, healings 
and miracles, and speaking in tongues.19 In a sense, material prosperity. 
Hence the main prayers here are for “financial breakthrough, success 
in business or advancement by promotion at jobs, opening and 
begetting the “fruit of the womb,” success in exams, securing a life 
partner, and even the securing of travelling visa documents.”20  

Many scholars argue that the rise of Pentecostalism can be 
linked to both factors of indigenous traditions and the social-economic 
conditions in Africa. Ebenezer Obadare in, Pentecostal Republic avers  
that “not only does the Pentecostal worldview draw directly from 
indigenous traditions of witchcraft, but Pentecostalism also presents a 
unique blend of more traditional and modern perspectives.”21 Odeyemi 
also thinks that “one of the earliest things that made Pentecostalism 
appeal to a wide range of people is its experiential African world view 
of mystical and diabolical causalities. The African mind is always alive 
and aware of these realities.”22 He also thinks the socio-economic 



 The Primacy of Logos and Priestly Formation in Nigeria…   89 

 

realities have a part to play in this case since this form of Christianity 
thrives because it provides a creative response to many destabilizing 
aftereffects of failing or failed political systems.23 The present socio-
economic as a result of these failed political systems include a plethora 
of problems like ethnicism, poverty, illiteracy, irresponsible and 
corrupt governments.”24 

The idea that the problems that confront Africans are 
sociological and a result of our socio-economic realities has led to 
African theologians arguing that theologizing in Africa must always 
carry a political character. Emmanuel Katongole for instances argues 
that “the faith crises in Africa is neither primarily nor predominantly 
cultural but political.”25 My concern is that seeing African problems as 
largely political is playing directly into the hands of the Pentecostal 
orientation. One way it does that is to see religion as primarily as a 
message of socio-political redemption and hence lead to an 
exaggerated concentration on a form of liberation theology on the 
continent that neither liberative nor touches the question of the human 
person. This is evident as one scholar noted that “Third world 
theologians are agreed that theology must be liberative and has to be a 
critique of “injustice, inequality, corruption, and authoritarianism.”26  
Éla also notes that “at a time when Africans, like other peoples, are 
facing the shock of technological and cultural modernity, liberation of 
oppressed must be the primary condition for any authentic 
inculturation of the message.27  

While it will be foolhardy to deny the socio-economic realities 
in Nigeria, I want to argue that the origin of these problems is not 
sociological but anthropological. In fact, the argument that our 
challenges are sociological in character is to play directly into the hands 
of the Pentecostal context of Nigerian life. While I am not against a 
theology that critiques the power structures in Africa, we must always 
acknowledge that the fact that politics is related to human salvation, 
does not mean that human salvation can be realized through politics.28 
This is because a Christianity that defines itself essentially in terms of 
social ‘involvement’ has contours that are too blurred and ignores a lot 
about the human person.29  Such a Christianity has attempted to bring 
God down to the level of a Deus ex machina who becomes superfluous 
through the advance in man’s own capacity.30 I also think that more 
importantly, it is all scratching the problems on the surface. This is 
because our challenges are deeper than the social and political 



90  Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

dimensions, though, that is the more visible symptoms that we can 
observe. We are dealing more with a human person that is broken at 
the level of the understanding of the human self.  

A closer look at the modus operandi of Pentecostalism in 
Nigeria abundantly reflects an anthropological crisis. Odeyemi notes 
that these new-age pastors are a crossbreed between motivational 
speakers, marriage counsellors, life coaches—even boot camp 
instructors and preachers.31 These pastors acting on an idea of how a 
human being should be and wants to create a new person in the shape 
of their ideas. Interestingly, they are getting successful.  Smith, notes 
the individualistic mentality of Pentecostalism, as many of these born-
again Christians are more individualistic than their parents but less 
isolated than their counterparts in the west.32 Odeyemi avers that “while 
in the older traditions, prayers seek a connection with the Divine in the 
self, amongst the Pentecostals, it seeks it in an explosion outside of the 
self.33 It shows we are really dealing with a problem of the idea of the 
human person. Hence, our social under-development should be seen in 
its naked reality as representing a fundamental aspect of the 
anthropological pauperization of the African person.34  It is easy to 
dismiss rampant kidnappings, persistent corruption, child soldiers, 
bribery, examination practices and other punishing circumstances as 
indices of social realities but what does it tell us about the idea of the 
human person we now hold as a people. Our orientation of the human 
person seems to be warped for the most past. We have in essence a 
restless human person whose main yearnings are both disordered, 
irrational and unfortunately unknown to him/her.  

I term this content of this crisis as Pentecostal because the 
Pentecostal spirit is the most pervasive spirit in Nigeria today. The lure 
of Pentecostalism for the Nigerian Christian is so much that Pentecostal 
ideas have filtered into the mainline churches.35 Politically Odeyemi 
and Obadare argue correctly in their works that, the Pentecostals 
churches are rarely against the government because they are really 
thriving with the status quo. There are even Catholic Priests who are 
publicly linked to government officials. Interestingly, these Catholic 
Priests’ modus operandi in worship and sermon is overtly laden with 
Pentecostal themes. That is why I think the pervasiveness of the 
Pentecostal spirit is more widespread, non-religious and more secular 
than we imagine. This strengthens my argument that we are dealing 
with an anthropological crisis. We use language like ‘it is well’ 



 The Primacy of Logos and Priestly Formation in Nigeria…   91 

 

profusely even when it is not well. Some even say, ‘it is well even 
inside the well’. There is an unmitigated yearning for success that has 
no respect for the other person. Interestingly, the idea of success is 
largely defined within the context of this continuous encounter 
(contact) with the West. We deceptively look as if we are oriented 
towards God but actually, we are not. We are oriented towards the West 
and its diseased idea of life and the human person.  

And how does this relate to the Priestly formation? I think two 
ways. One is the fact that every seminarian today is a product of this 
anthropological crisis which has Pentecostalism as its content. It is the 
world in which we move, live and have our being.36 Some are even in 
the seminary and have as role models some of these Pentecostal 
pastors. We may therefore not agree with the Pentecostal content out 
there, but we cannot ignore it. Secondly, this is the content they are 
being called out from and for. It is a very difficult situation when you 
combine this context and content. If we do not take time to think about 
this crisis now, there is a great danger ahead. To combat this situation, 
I propose the primacy of the Logos 

 
The Primacy of the Logos.  
Logos as a word has a significant wide range in the ancient world 
ranging from every day to philosophical usage. The root λεγ represents 
a comprehensive and overarching unity of meanings. These include 
gather, collect, select, report and speak.37 As a concept, Logos was 
introduced into Greek philosophy by Heraclitus of Ephesus (circa 6th 
century BCE).38 The fluidity of the interpretation of logos is attested by 
the fact that over time, it acquired a variety of meanings and these 
include word, speech, language, narrative, statement, pronouncement, 
question, report, account, sermon, teaching, call, sense.39 An interesting 
usage of this term was by the Stoics who saw in Logos the universal 
divine reason inherent in the cosmos.40 Hence Logos moved from a 
particular understanding to the universal principle of rationality. This 
means we can now translate this ubiquitous word as wisdom, reason, 
speech or rationality. While, the Septuagint translates the common 
Hebrew word dbr (word, report, command, thing, matter, affair) 
especially in the Pentateuch, the connection between wisdom and logos 
was made explicit in the Wisdom of Solomon around first century 
BCE.41  



92  Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

Thomas H. Tobin notes that Logos is an important concept in 
Hellenistic Judaism with a complex and long history starting from 
second century BCE with the Jewish writer Aristobulus.42  However, it 
was in Philo that this concept reached its full flowering in Jewish 
literature. Philo relying on the Stoic idea of logos as the principle of 
rationality interpreted it to be the intermediate reality between God who 
was essentially transcendent, and the universe.43 In some instances, 
Philo’s idea of logos has been translated to be a metaphor for God’s 
action in the world.44 However, Tobin’s position on Philo’s idea of the 
logos is worth quoting in full.  

For Philo, the logos served as the intermediate 
metaphysical reality through which the universe was 
originally ordered and by which it continues to be 
sustained in an orderly state. It was not simply a 
metaphor; it was a real aspect of divine reality through 
which God was related, although indirectly, to the 
universe. Although a derivative reality, the logos was 
not created as was the rest of the universe. In much the 
same way, the logos cannot aptly be characterized as 
either personal or impersonal. Rather it was the source 
of intelligibility of the universe and so was itself 
intelligent in a way that transcended the universe and, 
in that sense also went beyond the categories either of 
personal or impersonal.45 

 
Logos made a significant presence in the New Testament, occurring 
330 times but it was in the Johannine literature that its presence is most 
remarkable. Logos was understood in the Johannine prologue in the 
sense of the historical appearance of Jesus, the eternal and divine giver 
of life on earth.46 Thus, the logos of middle Platonists (including Philo) 
enters into history. Tobin argues that identification of the logos with a 
particular human being was indicative of the author of the Johannine 
prologue though keeping with the speculative character of Hellenistic 
Judaism but moving the conversation in a new and quite different 
direction.47 Joseph Ratzinger notes that  

John takes up again here a paradigm of theological 
thought that is extremely widespread in both the Greek 
and the Jewish intellectual world and naturally adopts 
a series of connotations that are already developed 



 The Primacy of Logos and Priestly Formation in Nigeria…   93 

 

within it, so as to apply them to Christ. Perhaps one 
could maintain, however, that the new element that he 
imparted the Logos concept lies significantly in the fact 
that was decisive to him was not the idea of an eternal 
rationality—as the Greeks supposed—or whatever 
other speculations there might have been previously, 
but rather the relativity of the existence that is 
inherence in the concept of the Logos.48 

As a result of this, Ratzinger sees the Christian faith, not as a 
renunciation of reason, but rather, is the acceptance of the extreme 
depth of divine reason.49 Whether in the sense of the word or in the 
sense of a Person, Christianity must never oversee an amputation of 
reason.50  Neither must it entertain within its ranks, a diremption of 
faith and reason. Faith is not to be placed in opposition to reason since  
it has always been clear from its very structure that Christian Faith is 
not to be divorced from reason.”51 Faith is also not the resignation of 
reason in view of the limits of our knowledge or even circumstances.52 
Faith “grasps reason in its whole breadth and depth and protects it.53 
When the Christian faith submits to any form of irrationality, not only 
is religion threatened, reason too is at risk.54  In its missionary activity 
in Africa, Western missionaries failed in many aspects but not in the 
reasonableness of faith. This is evidenced in the fact the investment the 
missionaries made into education in Africa. 

Today, the Pentecostal content of our anthropological crisis 
attempts to view religious experiences outside the realm and sometimes 
against the realm of reason as the new way of approaching the Divine. 
To be against the reasonable is the new definition of religious 
experience.55 I take as an example, the approach to human health. 
Elnathan notes satirically that the Nigerian God cures everything from 
HIV to high blood pressure.56 This is not only an attack on reason, but 
there is also little reason to develop our health sector if a majority of us 
have that understanding of God and humanity. Our health sector was 
almost better when the missionaries were among us because they have 
an understanding of what humanity needs to do in terms of health; that 
is exactly where the Pentecostal overlords want us. This phenomenon 
has become a challenge for Priests of the 21st century since 
unfortunately, we have in our midst today Priests who either 
intentionally or unconsciously oversee this diremption of faith and 
logos. We also live among people who daily do this.  This reality 



94  Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

becomes absurd when one finds cases in which either Priests or 
laypersons who oversee some liturgical events often pass off this 
diremption as the “new reason” creating an epistemological crisis.57 At 
the heart of our Pentecostal content is the separation of faith and reason. 
This is so much evident in not only in the teachings but in many of the 
Pentecostal attitudes that subsist in Nigeria. When we separate faith 
and reason, what we have is this anthropological crisis in which ‘gods’ 
become a tool in the hands of man. That way not only is religion 
threatened, reason too is at risk.58 We have a marriage between faith 
and any other things ‘out there.’ And God has never stopped calling 
people from ‘out there’ 

 
The Way Forward 

My suggestion is that we need to devote a lot of resources in studying 
the idea of the man that has resulted in Nigeria in the face of this 
continuous contact with the West. We should risk studying what sort 
of humanity we now have today.  Having this idea of what sort of 
humanity is prevalent in Nigeria will also help know which ideas we 
need to hold on in this contact and which one we need to jettison. Our 
philosophy classes in the Seminary should have a course on the various 
ideas of the human person that subsists in Nigeria today. As Ratzinger 
states: “One must know oneself as one really is if one is to know God. 
The real medium, the primordial experience of all experiences, is that 
man himself is the place in which and through which he experiences 
God.”59 

We can do this most by paying attention to works of fiction that 
come out of Africa today. Many of these works, aptly express desires 
or dreams than philosophical sobriety can.60 Fortunately, we have an 
abundance of them nowadays, and they also have been gathering 
international awards (again the continuous contact).61 We also must 
pay attention to the music that trends nowadays. Some of these songs 
not only reveal the influence of the West but also conceals some of the 
persistent African ideas.62 I think we need in our seminaries courses on 
contemporary African literature. Future priests sitting down and 
analyzing the ideas of the human persons we have in this novel will 
equip them with a good knowledge of the context that they will work 
in. It will also give them an idea of themselves and how much of these 
ideas show up in their own thinking. It is a tremendous epistemological 
and metaphysical task that is necessary. If it is not done, we are going 



 The Primacy of Logos and Priestly Formation in Nigeria…   95 

 

nowhere. It is easy to think we can change our structures or politicians 
but if we still have the same thinking about the human person, every 
change will be an illusion.  

After we have studied the humanity that has emerged out of this 
contact, we must hold this humanity against the standard of the Logos 
both in terms of rationality and in his Person, Jesus Christ. This is 
because, “Christ is like a signpost indicating where humanity is 
tending”63 This is the only way we can have in the words of Ela 
“another history, another society, another humanity, another system of 
production, another style of living together.”64

 What Jesus actually 
wants is not for us to change our bad water/poor water into a cleaner 
one which is what the sociological interpretation of our condition will 
do. What is required by our philosophical and theological 
investigations into our understanding of man in Africa is to change our 
water, whether poor, dirty or clean into wine.65 As Sarah Oakley notes 

Theology involves not merely the metaphysical task of 
adumbrating a vision of God, the world, and humanity, 
but simultaneously the epistemological task of 
cleansing, reordering, and redirecting the apparatuses 
of one’s own thinking, desiring, and seeing.66 

This may be difficult to even start to think about but as Rumi once 
wrote “If the nut of the mystery can’t be held, at least let me touch the 
shell.67  
 
Conclusion 

With that, we return to the question of Faith and Vocation as certainties. 
Our Faith should be rooted in the person of Jesus Christ, the second 
Adam, from whom alone the Christian picture of man can be correctly 
developed.”68  However our vocation is a calling from a Pentecostal 
reality which has a distorted vision of man to proclaim a vision of man 
‘most human of man’69 We, therefore, need men in our seminaries who 
have their eyes fixed straight on God, and who learn from him what 
true humanity is because God returns among men only through men 
who are touched by God.70 This reiterates the position that 

Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or 
a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, 
which gives life a new horizon and a decisive 
direction71 

 



96  Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

Endnotes 

1 Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger Introduction to Christianity, (trans. J.R. Foster. With 
a New Preface trans. Michael J. Miller, San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2004), 69.  
2 Ratzinger Introduction, 70. 
3 See vocare in John C. Traupman, The Bantam New College Latin & English 
Dictionary, (3d ed., New York: Bantam Dell, 2007), 453. 
4 Dietrich Bonhoeffer The Cost of Discipleship (New York: Simon &  Schuster, 
1959), 89.  
5 The Cloud of Unknowing with the Book of Privy Counsel: A New Translation by 
Carmen Acevedo Butcher, (Boulder: Shambhala, 2009), 12. 
6 Saint Cyran as quoted by Joseph Ratzinger, Introduction to Christianity, 173 
7 While I am of the opinion that Colonialism holds a prime place in the disruption 
of Life as Africans as we know it (a disruption in which they have little or no say), 
it is only but the beginning of a contact that continues till date. That is why my 
focus will be on contact which for me is imperfective in character and not aoristic. 
Cf. Sandra R. Shimoff, “Banquets: The Limits of Hellenization,” Journal for the 
Study of Judaism, XXVII, 4. (1996): 440-452. Shimoff notes that “When two 
cultures compete for allegiance of a single people, the politically weaker culture 
has three options: Assimilation, rejection or accommodation… accommodation 
to the dominant culture while maintaining cultural identity and integrity may be 
the only option that allows for survival.” 
8 Stephen Smith, The Scramble for Europe: Young Africa on its Way to the Old 
Continent (Cambridge, Polity, 2019), 33. 
9 Stephen Smith, The Scramble for Europe, 79 
10 Benedict XVI Africae Munus (http://w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-
xvi/en/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_ben-xvi_exh_20111119_africae-
munus.html) No11. 
11 Lieven Boeve, “Christ, Humanity and Salvation” The Ratzinger Reader: 
Mapping a Theological Journey (ed. Lieven Boeve and Gerard Mannion, (New 
York: T&T Clark, 2010), 51-79. 
12  Joseph Ratzinger, “The Dignity of the Human Person” in H. Vorgimler (ed.) 
Commentary on the Documents of the Documents of Vatican II: Pastoral 
Constitution on the Church in the Modern World (Vol 5, New York: Herder and 
Herder, 1969), 115-163. 
13 Jean-Marc Éla My Faith as an African (trans. John Pairman Brown and Susan 
Perry, Eugene, Oregon: Wipf & Stock, 2009), xv. 
14 Iku ya ju esin is a Yoruba Proverb which loosely translates “death is better than 
shame.” 
15 Cf. “Letter from Africa: Why Nigeria’s internet scammers are ‘role models’ “ , 
September 23, 2019 in https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-49759392  
16 A good name is better than gold and silver. (cf. Proverbs 22.1). Though a 
Biblical Proverb, it has a home even before the biblical in many languages/ethnic 
groups with an emphasis on honesty as the best policy. 

                                                           

http://w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_ben-xvi_exh_20111119_africae-munus.html
http://w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_ben-xvi_exh_20111119_africae-munus.html
http://w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_ben-xvi_exh_20111119_africae-munus.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-49759392


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17 John Segun Odeyemi Pentecostalism and Catholic Ecumenism in Developing 
Nations: West Africa as a Case Study for a Global Phenomenon (Eugene, Oregon, 
Wipf & Stock, 2019), 55.  
18 Anthonio Spadaro, “The Prosperity Gospel: Dangerous and Different.” 
(https://lacivitacattolica.com/free-articles/) Published Date: 18 July 2018.  
19 John Segun Odeyemi Pentecostalism and Catholic Ecumenism in Developing 
Nations, 32. 
20 John Segun Odeyemi Pentecostalism and Catholic Ecumenism in Developing 
Nations, 13 
21 Ebenezer Obadare Pentecostal Republic: Religion and the Struggle for State 
Power in Nigeria, (London: Zed Books, 2018), 22. 
22 John Segun Odeyemi Pentecostalism and Catholic Ecumenism in Developing 
Nation, 55.  
23 Odeyemi, Pentecostalism and Catholic Ecumenism in Developing Nation, 51. 
24 Odeyemi, Pentecostalism and Catholic Ecumenism in Developing Nation,33 
25 Emmanuel Katongole, “The Gospel as Politics in Africa” Theological Studies 
77:3 (2016): 704-720. 
26 Mercy Amba Oduyoye “Commonalities: An African Perspective” in The World 
Theologies: Commonalities and Divergences: Papers and Reflections from the 
Second General Assembly of the Ecumenical Association of Third World 
Theologians, December 1986, Oaxtepec, Mexico (ed. K.C Abraham, Maryknoll, 
New York: Orbis Books, 1990): 100-104.  
27 Jean-Marc Éla My Faith as an African, xvi.  
28 Lieven Boeve, “Christian Faith, Church and the World” The Ratzinger Reader: 
Mapping a Theological Journey (ed. Lieven Boeve and Gerard Mannion, (New 
York: T&T Clark, 2010): 119-138. 
29 Joseph Ratzinger as quoted in The Ratzinger Reader 169 
30 Joseph Ratzinger, “The Dignity of the Human Person” 157 
31 Odeyemi, Pentecostalism and Catholic Ecumenism in Developing Nation, 52.  
32 Stephen Smith, The Scramble for Europe, 62 
33 Odeyemi, Pentecostalism and Catholic Ecumenism in Developing Nation, 15 
34 The World Theologies: Commonalities and Divergences, 35 
35 Obadare Pentecostal Republic,30.  
36 Acts 17:28 
37 Horst Robert Balz and Gerhard Schneider Exegetical Dictionary of the New 
Testament, (1990), 2, 357.  
38 Joseph Komonchak, Mary Collins and Dermot A. Lane, The New Dictionary of 
Theology (2000), 601.  
39 Balz and Schneider, 357.  
40 Komonchak, 601. 
41 Thomas H. Tobin, “The Prologue of John and Hellenistic Jewish Speculation” 
Catholic Biblical Quarterly 52 (1990):252-269. 
42 Thomas H. Tobin, “The Prologue of John” 256 
43 Tobin, “Prologue of John” 257. 
44 Tobin, “Prologue of John” 266 

https://lacivitacattolica.com/free-articles/


98  Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

                                                                                                                                  
45 Tobin, “Prologue of John” 266. 
46 Balz and Schnedider,357. 
47 Tobin, “Prologue of John” 267-268. 
48 Joseph Ratzinger Dogma and Preaching: Applying Christian Doctrine for 
Daily Life, (trans. Michael J. Miller and Matthew J.O. O’Connell, Edited by 
Michael J. Miller, San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2005), 188.   
49 Elio Guerriero Benedict XVI: His Life and Thought (trans William J. Melcher, 
San Francisco: Ignatius, 2018), 367. 
50 Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger Introduction to Christianity, 139. 
51 Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Principles of Catholic Theology: Building Stones 
for a Fundamental Theology, (trans Sister Mary Frances McCarthy, S.N.D. San 
Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1987), 325. My idea of the primacy of the logos is from 
here.  
52 Joseph Ratzinger, A Turning Point for Europe? The Church in the Modern 
World: Assessment and Forecast  (2nd ed. trans. Brian McNeil, C.R.V, Foreword. 
James V. Schall, S.J. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1994),110 
53 Joseph Ratzinger, A Turning Point, 112. 
54 Elio Guerriero Benedict XVI, 432 
55 Interestingly, this is also a trend in the Western World where there is now an 
established distinction between being religious and spiritual. There is also an 
increase belief (misguided I think) that Psychedelics can induce religious-like 
experience. This argument holds that at best Psychedelics can replace religion or 
at worst become its substitute/alternative. This is the position of Michael Pollan 
“seems to me the great gift of the psychedelic journey, especially to the dying: its 
power to imbue everything in our flied of experience one heightened sense of 
purpose and consequence. Depending on one’s orientation, this can be understood 
either in humanistic or in spiritual terms—for what is the Sacred but a capitalized 
version of significance?... Religion has always understood this wager, but why 
should religion enjoy a monopoly?” How to Change your Mind: What the New 
Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us about Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, 
Depression, and Transcendence (New York: Penguin, 2018), 355. It is obvious 
that the notion of religion as argued in Pollan’s work does not capture Christianity 
as I have argued so far. This is not to say Christianity has not overseen some 
absurd and irrational events. I am arguing that such moments have been corruption 
of the Christianity.   
56 Elnathan John, Be(com) ing Nigerian: A GUIDE, (Abuja: Cassava Republic, 
2019), 12. 
57 One of the classes I took with Fr Jimoh is Epistemology.  
58 Elio Guerriero Benedict XVI, 432 
59 Ratzinger, Principles of Catholic Theology, 354 
60 Rémi Brague The Kingdom of Man: Genesis and Failure of the Modern Project, 
(trans. Paul Seaton, Notre Dame, Indiana: University of Notre Dame Press, 2018). 
xiv 
61 Chigozie Obioma, An Orchestra of Minorities New York: Little Brown and 
Company, 2019. Ayobami Adebayo Stay with Me (New York: Vintage Books, 



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2018); Akwaeke Emezi, Freshwater (New York: Grove Press, 2018). One must 
also mention a writer like Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie who has published some 
bestsellers like Purple Hibiscus, Half of a Yellow Sun and Americanah. 
62 I find interesting a Podcast Jesus and Jollof by ‘two proudly Nigerian women’ 
talking about the things they love, their stories and life in general. The interesting 
part is that while they are first generation immigrants in America, they exhibit in 
their show persistent Nigerian values.  
63Joseph Ratzinger Dogma and Preaching 194 
64 Jean-Marc Éla My Faith as an African, 84 
65 Ratzinger, Principles of Catholic Theology, 324. 
66 Sarah Oakley as quoted in Lauren F. Winner The Dangers of Christian 
Practice: On Wayward Gifts, Characteristic Damage, and Sin. (New Haven: Yale 
University Press 2018), 179.  
67 The Essential Rumi, (trans. Coleman Barks, New York: HarperOne, 2004), 65.  
68 Joseph Ratzinger, “The Dignity of the Human Person” 120 
69 Aidan Nichols, The Thought of Benedict XVI: An Introduction to the Theology 
of Joseph Ratzinger, (new ed. New York: Burn and Oates, 2007), 87. 
70 Joseph Ratzinger as quoted in The Ratzinger Reader, 132-33 
71 Benedict XVI Deus Caritas Est No 1 



100   Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

 

 

C H A P T E R  7  

 

 

 

Liturgical Formation In Seminaries: 

 A Lesson From Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi 
 

Anthony Olumuyiwa OMODUNBI 

 

 

 

Introduction 

Few weeks after my ordination to the Catholic priesthood, the diocese 

of my incardination (Osogbo diocese) organised an orientation 

program for all the new priests to be involved in pastoral engagement 

within the diocese. The priest who anchored the liturgy session 

opened by saying: “you have to put aside what you have been taught 

in the seminary and learn how we do things in the diocese.” My first 

intuitive reaction was, why then do we have to spend nine years in the 

seminary if it is only to be ordained and put aside what we have 

learnt? He went further to say, “you have learnt theory in seminary 

and now you will be involved in the practical life of the liturgy.” I 

was a bit settled at that and was disposed to go through the orientation 

exercise which was however highly beneficial for my integration into 

the pastoral life in the diocese.  However, after ten years of pastoral 

ministry and deeper studies in the liturgy, the question continues to 

pop up querying why the gap between theory and practice in seminary 

formation? Why what should was learned in seminary not adequately 

and sufficiently introduce the newly ordained into the ministry? Or in 

this particular case, why should what was learnt in seminary not be 

the ‘moulding of a liturgical minister?’  

While I do not want to engage in the argument whether 

priestly formation, especially in Nigeria, is achieving the goal of 

moulding liturgical minister to meet the present-day challenges or not, 

this reflection seeks to emphasise that all that is being taught and done 



Liturgical Formation In Seminaries: A Lesson From...      101 

 

 

in seminary, especially in the areas of moral, spiritual and 

intellectual/academic formation, should at the same time have a 

liturgical focus. While this does not imply that formation should be 

reduced to liturgy, this reflection argues that prioritizing the liturgical 

dimension of priestly formation is one of the major ways of bridging 

the supposed gap between theory and practice. After all, ‘the liturgy is 

the summit towards which the activity of the church is directed; it is 

also the source from which all its power flows.1 It is through the 

liturgy that the work of our redemption takes place;2 it is rightly seen 

as an exercise of the priestly office of Jesus Christ and therefore, ‘no 

other action of the Church equals its effectiveness by the same title 

nor to the same degree.’3 Thus, having seminary formation with a 

liturgical focus can never be overemphasised. 

To justify the position of this reflection, I will consider the 

meaning of the age-old maxim lex orandi, lex credendi as it pertains 

to the indispensable role of liturgy in the life and faith of the Church, 

and how it could effectively bridge the gap between worship and 

doctrine, theology and liturgy, and theory and practice. 

 

Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi: A Maxim In Context 

The late 20th-century discussion on the emergence of what is today 

called liturgical theology, brought with it a new look at the age-old 

Latin maxim, lex orandi, lex credendi. The discussion which centres 

around the relationship between liturgy and theology reopened the 

understanding of the maxim lex orandi, lex credendi as it sheds light 

on the interplay between praying and believing, between Christian 

worship and doctrine.4 Major scholars in the discussion affirm the 

importance of liturgy in the understanding of the belief of the Church 

since she prays as she believes. This, however, does not mean that 

what the Church believes does not affect how the Church prays, as it 

is evident in the periods of reforms. The proper understanding of the 

context in which the maxim first appeared is therefore instructive on 

how it should be correctly understood and used. 

The axiom lex orandi, lex credendi is the binominal for the 

phrase ‘ut legem credendi lex statuat supplicandi’ that is ‘so that the 

law of prayer may establish a law for belief.’  The phrase has its root 



102   Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

in the response attributed to a lay monk, Prosper of Aquitaine (a 

disciple of Augustine), to Semi-Pelagians.5 Like Augustine, Prosper 

of Aquitaine argues in favour of the need of God’s grace for the 

salvation of human beings. For Prosper, the grace of God is needed at 

different instances and in different degrees in one’s life. To justify his 

position, Prosper argues from the scripture, Church tradition and the 

liturgy of the Church: 

In inviolable decrees of the blessed apostolic see, our 

fathers have cast down the pride of the pestiferous 

novelty and taught us to ascribe to the grace of Christ 

the very beginning of goodwill, the growth of the 

noble efforts, and the perseverance in them to the end. 

In addition, let us look at the sacred testimony of 

priestly intercessions which have been transmitted 

from apostles and which are uniformly celebrated 

throughout the world and in every catholic church; so 

that the law of prayer may establish a law for belief. 

For when the president of the holy congregations 

perform their duties, they plead the cause of the 

human race before the divine clemency and, joined in 

the sighs of the whole Church, they beg and pray that 

grace may be given to unbelievers; that idolaters may 

be freed from the errors of their impiety; that the Jews 

may have the veiled removed from their hearts and 

that the light of truth may shine on them; that heretics 

may recover through acceptance of the faith; that 

schismatics may receive afresh the spirit of charity; 

that the lapsed may be granted remedy of penitence; 

and finally that the catechumens may be brought to 

the sacrament of regeneration and have the court of 

the heavenly mercy opened to them. 

That these things are not asked of the Lord lightly or 

uselessly is shown by the outcome.  For God is 

pleased to draw many out of every kind of error, 

liberating them from the power of darkness and 

placing them in the kingdom of his beloved Son, 

turning them from the vessel of wrath to vessels of 

mercy.  This is felt to be so completely the work of 

God that the God who achieves it is always given 



Liturgical Formation In Seminaries: A Lesson From...      103 

 

 

thanks and praise for bringing such people to the light 

or truth.6 

There is need to underscore some points from this citation in order to 

get its relevance to this reflection. 

First, what Prosper refers to as the practice of prayer covers 

for all of the liturgy and not just a reference to liturgical texts. In the 

following chapters of his work, he advanced the same argument in 

relation to ritual actions like pre-baptismal exorcism and exsufflation 

(symbolic action of blowing out the spirit) to argue that they are 

actions referring to the fact that there is need for the grace of God 

even for infants who are brought forward for baptism. 

Second, Prosper acknowledges that liturgy is not the only 

doctrinal source, nor lays claim that it is the primary source.7 On the 

contrary, liturgy, together with the magisterium and scriptures are 

sources for doctrine. Hence, he used the words ‘in addition.’ In the 

mind of Prosper, none is considered as receiving its authority from the 

other. Rather, they all corroborate one another. At best, what we can 

say is that the agreement between the sources further fosters their 

authority. In fact, in its context, Prosper in his mind simply implies 

that ‘one may have recourse to the prayers of the Church in order to 

resolve the controversy on grace because they correspond to a biblical 

mandate (1 Tim 2:1-2), and are the expressions of the living tradition 

of the Church.’8 In other words, ‘Church’s engagement in rites 

grounds the articulation of Church’s belief’9 in as much as it aligns 

with the scriptures and magisterium. 

Third, the writing of Prosper affirms the authority of the 

liturgy in the facts that it is a universal prayer, the same everywhere 

and followed by all Catholics all over the world. They are credible 

because, they are actions of the holy congregation in the presence of 

God, and the fact that God answers the prayers attests to its authority. 

 

Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi: A Principle in Practice 

Though the adage, ‘ut legem credendi lex statuat supplicandi’ often 

reduced to lex orandi, lex credendi is attributed to Prosper of 

Aquitaine, the fundamental principle underlying the adage predates 

Prosper’s formulation.  The principle is evident in many New 



104   Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

Testament writings and was carried on by the Apostolic Fathers.  As 

an example, the prayers addressed to Jesus in the New Testament 

Christological hymn (Philippians 2: 5-11), confessing Jesus as the 

Lord – sharing the divine name KYRIOS used for YHWH – 

contribute immensely to the doctrine of the Divinity of Jesus.  In the 

same way, the Trinitarian baptismal practice in the Matthean 

community reflected in Matthew 28:19 reflects an instance where the 

practice of the Church is already constituting in a way the belief of the 

Church in the Trinity. 

Many of the early Church Fathers constantly had recourse to 

the liturgy in the explanation of the faith of the Church.10 Ignatius of 

Antioch drew from the Eucharistic liturgy to argue against the 

Docetists (who claim that the human body of Jesus is unreal but a 

phantasm, and therefore cannot really experience suffering). Thus, 

Ignatius refutes the Docetists that their teaching negates the truth of 

the Eucharist as the flesh of the Jesus Christ our saviour who suffered 

for our sins and was raised from the dead.11 

Through several references to the liturgy of baptism, early 

Church writers argue for what developed to the different doctrines 

related to baptism. For instance, in the argument against Julian 

Eclanum, who teaches that children are born without original sin, 

Augustine argues from the implication of exorcism and exsufflation 

which are carried out during the baptism of Children. For Augustine, 

the two rites – exorcism and exsufflation – are done to release the 

children from the power of the devil. And that it is because there is an 

ailment that we have recourse to the remedy. This same approach of 

appealing to the liturgy to understand the belief of the Church about 

baptism is also evident in the post-baptismal mystagogical catechesis 

of Ambrose of Milan, Cyril of Jerusalem and Theodore of 

Mopsuestia.12 These bishops taught the neophytes what they are to 

believe based on what was celebrated.  

In the sixteenth century, the axiom witnessed a modification in 

its application. During the period of the Reformation, the disputes in 

the understanding of Christian doctrines led to the reformulation of 

liturgical texts and practices. For the reformers, what is believed is 

what should reflect in worship. Believing now modifies and 

establishes praying. It should be noted that this move is not a denial, 

but a reversal, of the maxim. The principle of lex orandi, lex credendi 



Liturgical Formation In Seminaries: A Lesson From...      105 

 

 

was not absent but understood in a different way. A way that affirms 

the dual movement of the influence of one on the other. 

The reversal approach to the principle is also well favoured in 

the reform of the Roman Catholic liturgy. In his encyclical on the 

liturgy, Mediator Dei, Pope Pius XII modified the meaning of the 

maxim in this succinct statement:  

during the discussion of a doubtful or controversial 

truth, the Church and the Holy Fathers have not failed 

to look to the age-old and age-honored sacred rites for 

enlightenment. Hence the well-known and venerable 

maxim, "Legem credendi lex statuat supplicandi" - let 

the rule for prayer determine the rule of belief. The 

sacred liturgy, consequently, does not decide or 

determine independently and of itself what is of 

Catholic faith. More properly, since the liturgy is also 

a profession of eternal truths, and subject, as such, to 

the supreme teaching authority of the Church, it can 

supply proofs and testimony, quite clearly, of no little 

value, towards the determination of a particular point 

of Christian doctrine. But if one desires to 

differentiate and describe the relationship between 

faith and the sacred liturgy in absolute and general 

terms, it is perfectly correct to say, "Lex credendi 

legem statuat supplicandi" - let the rule of belief 

determine the rule of prayer.13  

 

Pope Pius XII acknowledges the symbiotic interplay between faith and 

liturgy and throws more weight behind the rule of faith determining 

the rule of prayer.  He justifies this claim on the ground that the 

ecclesiastical authority has the responsibility of organizing and 

regulating divine worship, ‘enriching it constantly with new splendour 

and beauty, to the glory of God and the spiritual profit of Christians’ 

(MD no.49). The ecclesiastical authority carries out this responsibility 

by modifying the human elements of the liturgy as the needs of the 

age, circumstance and the good of souls may require, and as the 

ecclesiastical hierarchy, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, may 



106   Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

have authorized (MD no.50). While the reasons are laudable and 

appealing, it does not necessarily warrant the reversal of the meaning 

of the maxim.14  

In a nutshell, either understood in its original context or in the 

application of the reversal, the axiom, lex orandi, lex credendi 

expresses a deep and mutual relationship between liturgy and the faith 

of the Church. The liturgy celebrates the faith of the Church. This is 

where the maxim is relevant to the core of this reflection. The 

relevance is that if all that is learned in the seminary is to aid in the 

understanding of the faith and life of the Church, and for the future 

priest to be equipped for the ministry, what is learned invariably 

affects how future priests would understand and relate with the liturgy, 

which is the source and summit of the life of the Church. Therefore, 

for seminary formation in faith and ministry to achieve its goal, the 

approach to liturgical formation is key. 

 

Reconsidering the Liturgical formation in Seminaries 

The Vatican II Decree on the Training of Priests, Optatam Totius (OT) 

recognizes that the training of priests should ultimately have a 

liturgical focus. Making the clarion call towards this recognition, the 

conciliar fathers requested that the entire formation of major 

seminarians should aim at enabling students to be formed as pastors of 

souls, following the example of Jesus our teacher, priest and shepherd. 

(OT no.4).  Such formation is described as having a liturgical focus 

when the conciliar fathers say that ‘the students are to be trained for 

the ministry of the word... for the ministry of worship and 

sanctification so that by prayer and sharing in the liturgical 

celebrations, they may carry on the work of salvation’ (OT no.4). 

While the document makes the suggestion of the various necessary 

courses to be undertaken in the seminary to achieve the goal of the 

formation, the document made two other salient points relevant for 

this reflection. 

Firstly, in the revision of the ecclesiastical studies to be 

undertaken, the primary aim is to coordinate philosophy and theology 

in such a way that together they open the minds of the students more 

and more to the mystery of Christ, which touches the whole of human 

history, continually influencing the Church, and is particularly at work 

in the priestly ministry (OT no.14). The mystery of Christ which 

contains, but not limited to, the work of our redemption takes place 



Liturgical Formation In Seminaries: A Lesson From...      107 

 

 

through and in the liturgy (SC no. 2). It is this same celebration of the 

liturgy that all of the ecclesiastical studies in seminary formation is 

revised to enhance in the life of seminarians. 

Secondly, when the document OT outlines the various 

disciplines that should be included and their respective relevance to 

the formation of seminarians, Liturgy was accorded a distinct position 

- not just one of the disciplines but the focus of all. To underscore this 

position, OT simply says that ‘Liturgy which is to be regarded as the 

first and ever necessary source of true Christian spirit, should be 

taught in the spirit of articles 15 and 16 of the constitution on the 

Sacred Liturgy’. (OT 16). It is pertinent at this juncture to look at the 

content of the articles of Sacrosanctum Concilium referred to:  

15. Professors who are appointed to teach liturgy in 

seminaries, religious houses of studies, and 

theological faculties must be properly trained for their 

work in institutes specifically designed for this 

purpose. 

16. Sacred Liturgy is to be ranked among the 

compulsory and major causes in seminaries and 

religious houses of studies. In theological faculties, it 

is to be one of the principal courses. It is to be taught 

under the theological, historical, spiritual, pastoral, 

and juridical aspects.  In addition, those who teach 

other subjects, especially dogmatic theology, sacred 

scripture, spiritual and pastoral theology, should – 

while accepting the intrinsic demands of their own 

disciplines – expound the mystery of Christ and the 

history of salvation in a manner that will make clear 

the connection between their subjects and the liturgy, 

and the unity of all priestly training. 

 

The request of SC 16 is of great significance which, I strongly believe, 

its neglect is partly one of the reasons for that gap between theory and 

practice, what is taught in the seminary and what is practised. All the 

subjects are expected to shed light, no matter how little, on the 

understanding and celebrations of the mystery of Christ. Courses that 



108   Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

seem highly unrelated in any way to the liturgy in the past has proven 

to be of great importance in the understanding and appreciation of the 

mystery being celebrated. For example, different developments in 

social sciences – sociology, psychology and anthropology have really 

developed ritual studies which today offers avenues for better 

understanding of Christian worship and specifically sacramental 

theology and practice.  

The demands from the teachers of different courses in the 

seminary further calls for the reassessment of their process of 

recruitment. Pope Francis was conscious of this need when he writes 

that those who teach in the ecclesiastical faculties must be 

distinguished by a wealth of knowledge, witness to Christian and 

ecclesial life, and sense of responsibility.15 Though the intrinsic 

demands of some of these disciplines may not necessarily involve 

relating it to Christian worship, students are to be prepared in such a 

way that they have the love of rigorous investigation, observation and 

demonstration of truth, together with an honest awareness of the limits 

of human knowledge (OT 15).  This will enable them to be better 

disposed and appropriate whatever is taught in relation to Christian 

worship. 

Moreover, while many of the courses may not directly be 

related to worship, they could be related to faith and the understanding 

of human person. In these ways, the courses bolster the preparation of 

seminarians for liturgy in two ways. On the one hand, since the 

Church celebrates what she believes, relation of courses to faith 

invariably fosters conviction and understanding in worship.  On the 

other hand, the human person is the primary subject of worship. A 

better understanding and appreciation of the human person, therefore, 

enhance the liturgical ministry of the priest.  

Furthermore, to corroborate the importance of liturgy at the 

core of priestly formation, the conciliar fathers suggested that the 

spiritual formation of students in seminaries and religious houses 

should be given a liturgical orientation (SC no.17). This is purposely 

to aid their understanding of the sacred rites and to assist them to 

participate in them wholeheartedly. In this same vein, the seminarians 

are equipped to celebrate sacred mysteries and popular devotion with 

the spirit of the sacred liturgy (SC no.17). 

 

 



Liturgical Formation In Seminaries: A Lesson From...      109 

 

 

Forming Priests as Christ-like Leitourgos 

Seminary formation is geared towards making students like Christ - 

teacher, priest and shepherd. This expectation of the conciliar fathers 

is further expressed in the Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priest, 

Presbyterorum Ordinis (PO) that the sacrament of orders make priests 

in the image of Christ (PO no.12). This fundamental notion of 

Catholic priesthood has its effect on how priests are formed. The 

introduction to the Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis 

expressly stated that ‘the purpose of priestly education/formation is 

based on the concept of the Catholic priesthood.16 While the concept 

of Catholic priesthood may take volumes of writings to exhaust, I will 

want to discuss it in this reflection in relation to the foregoing 

argument of the priest being in the likeness of Christ. Or better put in 

the light of the understanding of the Catholic priest acting in persona 

Christi at liturgy. 

The New Testament highlights the priestly role of Jesus in 

different ways. He is regarded as the great high priest of the order of 

Melchizedek who offers both requests and supplications to God 

(Hebrew 5:5-7). He is our high priest who sits at the right hand of God 

ministering (leitourgos) in the heavenly sanctuary (Heb. 8:1-2). It is 

pertinent to note here that the author of the letter to the Hebrews refers 

to Jesus as our ‘liturgist.’ Contrary to the long-held opinion that 

liturgy is from the two Latin words laos (people) and ergon (work) 

resulting in the definition of liturgy as work of the people, Paul 

Marshal rightly corrected17 that it is from the words ergon (work) and 

leitos (public). Therefore, the etymological meaning of liturgy is a 

public work done on behalf of the people. It is in this light that we can 

better understand the priest as the minister of the word and the 

mystery of Christ as related in the Vatican II documents earlier cited. 

Seminary formation which intends to mould ministers like 

Christ, our liturgist, invariably aims at forming ‘liturgists.’ It is a 

disservice to the generations of believers who will be led in worship 

by him who does not understand what he is doing. In as much as the 

actions of the priests are to be carried out in the person of Christ, 

anything less than a formation after a Christ-like liturgist is a sham. 

Knowing rightly that the liturgy is the exercise of the priestly office of 



110   Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

Jesus Christ, his ministers are to be formed with the same ideal in 

mind. It will never be overemphasised that having a liturgical focus is 

the real essence of priestly formation. 

The centrality of liturgy in the formation of a priest does not 

end at his ordination. The conciliar fathers recommend ongoing 

liturgical formation for priests. This is intended to deepen their 

understanding of the mysteries they celebrate and to faithfully live the 

liturgical life (SC18).  This is essential so that remaining alter 

Christus, they at the same time remain a ‘liturgist’ who ministers in 

the name of Christ. 

 

Conclusion 
The maxim lex orandi, lex credendi was discussed in this reflection as 

highlighting the relationship between liturgy and theology, praying 

and believing, faith and worship. Since in the original usage of the 

maxim, liturgy, in agreement with scripture and tradition, influences 

what the Church believes, it is expedient that the formation of 

liturgical ministers put into consideration the urgent need of 

appropriating learning in the seminaries to have a liturgical undertone. 

The understanding of the maxim in its context affirms that the faith of 

the Church is what the liturgy celebrates. This affirmation guides 

against two extremes - of liturgical archaism (the idea that the way 

things are done in the past is always and the only ideal way of 

worship) and of the fluid liturgy (the idea that liturgy must adapt to 

modern-day ‘beliefs’ and its charismatic expressions). The faith of the 

Church which is celebrated in the liturgy is not a view or an ideology 

of a movement, no matter how popular within the Church. Therefore, 

the envisaged liturgical formation of seminarians prepares against the 

tendency of bringing different aberrations into worship and at the 

same time guards against rubricism.  

Perhaps, if what this paper has discussed is faithfully 

considered, the attitude of ministers to the liturgy may be more 

positive and their conviction in the power of the rites further 

strengthened. These will possibly help to bridge the supposed gap 

between what they are taught in the seminary and what is expected of 

them at worship. 

 

 

 



Liturgical Formation In Seminaries: A Lesson From...      111 

 

 

 Endnotes 
 
                                                           
1 Vatican Council II, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum 

Concilium, no. 10. (Henceforth referred to as SC). 
2 Sacrosanctum Concilium, no. 2. 
3 Sacrosanctum Concilium, no. 7. 
4 For a detailed discussion on the interplay between theology and liturgy, see 

Michael Aune, ‘Liturgy and Theology: Rethinking the Relationship,’ Worship 

81(2007): 46-68, 141-169. 
5 Pelagianism is the theological position that human beings, are like Adam 

before the fall. They are born innocent, with absolute free will and absolutely 

capable of obeying God’s commandment and by so doing merit eternal life on 

their own.  It was an extreme position against the Gnostic and Manichean 

doctrine. Augustine responding to the adherents of Pelagianism argues that 

human will is not free but sick, human nature is mortally wounded by sin and 

that from the moment of birth, human beings does not have the capacity to 

choose the good. This led to the development of Augustine’s teaching on 

original sin.  For him, it is only the grace of God that can enable human beings 

to turn to God. Without this grace, humanity is condemned.  Pelagianism was 

condemned at the Synod of Carthage in 418 and the Council of Ephesus in 431.  

However, there arose a slight modification of the teaching of Augustine to 

further emphasise the fact that God created man good and all about the goodness 

is not lost in the fall, giving rise to Semi-Pelagianism.  This doctrine holds on to 

the necessity of divine grace for salvation, but further claims that even the first 

step to this is dependent on free will. For further readings on Pelagianism and 

Semi-Pelagianism, See Jaroslav Pelikan, The Christian Tradition: A History of 

the Development of Doctrine, vol.1: The Emergence of Catholic Tradition (100-

600) (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1971), 278-331. 
6 Capitula Coestini 8. As translated by Geoffrey Wainwright, Doxology: The 

Praise of God in Worship, Doctrine and Life (New York: Oxford University 

Press 1980), 225-226. 
7 Some contemporary theologians however see in the maxim a confirmation of 

liturgy as the primary theology. Aidan Kavanagh, for instance, argues that the 

liturgy is the primary source for theology. See Aidan Kavanagh, On Liturgical 

Theology (New York: Pueblo, 1984), 134; Aidan Kavanagh, ‘Response: Primary 

Theology and Liturgical Acts’ Worship (1983): 323-324. 
8 Paul De Clerk, “‘Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi’: The Original Sense and 

Historical Avaters of an Equivocal Age,” Studia Liturgica 24 (1994): 192. 
9 Kevin W. Irwin, “Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi – Origins and Meaning: State of 

the Question” Liturgical Ministry 11 (2002): 59. 



112   Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

                                                                                                                                  
10 For elaborate discussion on the application of the principle in early 

christianity, see Maxwell E. Johnson, Praying and Believing in Early 

Christianity: The Interplay Between Christian Worship and Doctrine 

(Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2013). 
11 Smyrnaeans 6. Translated from Ignatius of Antioch, Letters. In Cyril C. 

Richardson, ed & transl, Early Christian Fathers (New York: Touchstone, 

1996), 114. 
12 For the mystagogical catechesis of Cyril of Jerusalem, Ambrose, John 

Chrysostom and Theodore of Mopsuestia, see Edward Yarnold, The Awe-

Inspiring Rites of Initiation: The Origins of RCIA, (Collegeville: Liturgical 

Press, 1994), 65 -250. 
13 Pope Pius XII, Encyclical on the Liturgy: Mediator Dei, (November 20, 

1947), no. 48 (Henceforth referred to as MD). 
14See Aidan Kavanagh, ‘Response: Primary Theology and Liturgical Acts,’ 342. 

He argues that ‘with the presence of the verb, statuat, in the sentence, it is 

impossible to reverse the subject and predicate any more than one can reverse 

the member of the statement: the foundations support the house. Having said 

that, one cannot really say that the house supports the foundation. One must say 

something different.’  
15 Pope Francis, Apostolic Constitution Veritatis Gaudium: On Ecclesiastical 

Universities and Faculties, Art. 25 par. 1:1, January 29, 2018. 
16 Introduction to Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis, March 19, 

1985. 
17 Paul Marshall, “Reconsidering ‘Liturgical theology’: Is there a Lex Orandi for 

All Christians?,” Studia Liturgical 25 (1995): 129-155. 



Theology of  Liturgical Homily: Priestly Ministry and Challenges…     113 

 

 

 

 

 

 

C H A P T E R  8  
 

 

 

Theology of  Liturgical Homily: Priestly 

Ministry and Challenges in 

Contemporary Homiletics 
 

Lawrence Ekhayemhe ADOROLO 

 

 

 

Introduction 

The use of the concept, Liturgical homily has its foundation on the 

liturgy and the spirit of the liturgy which has its profound meaning in 

the actual celebration. The word liturgy is from the Greek word 

“Leitourgia”  and which is from two-component words laos – people 

and ergon – work. Thus, the liturgy was a concept used for the work 

carried out by the people. It means public work of any kind, 

particularly in the civil life of the people.1 But as time went on, it 

became a concept used in the religious services in the temple. 

Following the etymological meaning of the word, liturgy, we can say 

that liturgy is the public and official worship of the Church.”2 In the 

history of the Church, this has been a general understanding of the 

term liturgy as expressed in the worship and the rites.3 

 The use of this concept culminated in the papal encyclical of 

Pope Pius XII, Mediator Dei.4  The document states that: “the Sacred 
Liturgy is consequently, the public worship which our Redeemer as 

Head of the Church renders to the Father, as well as the worship 

which the community of the faithful renders to its founder, and 

through Him to the heavenly father. It is, in short, the worship 

rendered by the mystical body of Christ in the entirety of its Head and 



114   Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

members.”5 This was the line followed by the constitution of the 

second Vatican council on the sacred liturgy, which consequently 

emphasized active and conscious participation of the faithful in the 

spirit of every liturgical celebration. We must note here that Christ is 

always present in the Church, especially in her liturgical celebrations. 

Thus, he is present in his word since it is himself who speaks when 

the holy scriptures are read and preached to us in liturgical 

celebrations.6 It is in the homily that the actual power of the Word is 

made manifest. The term ‘homily’ has a wide range of definitions. 
For some, it is a biblical sermon; for others, a doctrinal talk, some say 

its aim is to edify a congregation; others give as its purpose, moral 

instruction. Even among the Christian churches, there is a diversity of 

usage. Many protestant still prefer the word “sermon,” even when 

they refer to preaching that occurs within the liturgy. When they do 

use the word “homily” they describe it as walking through the text, 
step by step.”7 Roman Catholics on the other hand, now widely use 

“homily” for the renewed form of preaching ushered in by the 

liturgical reform of Vatican Council II; it is that form of preaching 

which flows from and immediately follows the scriptural readings of 

the liturgy and which lead to the celebration of the sacraments. In 

current Roman Catholic Parlance “homily” is distinguished from 
“sermon” where the latter is a form of preaching that is not 
necessarily connected to the biblical readings and is heard outside the 

context of the liturgy; homily, on the other hand, is a popular 

exposition and application of the scripture. A homily must have the 

following characteristics: biblical, liturgical, kerygmatic and must be 

familiar.8 

 The word “homily” from its etymology is derived from the 
Greek word “homou” (together) and “homilos (a crowd). The word 

connotes a familiar conversation with a group of people or a pastor 

conversing with a flock in words and images that they recognize. The 

crowd is not some haphazard mob of strangers but a gathering of 

friends, people familiar to the preacher. It is not a conversation of 

imposition or of persuasion.9 

 However, for the purpose of this work, the liturgical homily 

should be understood as an interpretation primarily from the scriptural 

and liturgical sources to show God’s wonderful action in the history 
of salvation, particularly as it is related to the specific community 

being addressed. Thus, it is a type of interpretation drawn from the 



Theology of  Liturgical Homily: Priestly Ministry and Challenges…     115 

 

 

 

scripture to make practical application to the spiritual life of the 

worshipping assembly.10 

 This work attempts to discuss the theology of liturgical 

homily. It seeks first by establishing a clearer understanding of the 

concept; its nature and theological basis. It further attempts to 

examine the role of liturgical homily and subsequently to discuss 

some of the problems in the practice of liturgical homiletics. It 

highlights some of the common practices today. This paper concludes 

with some recommendations to advance faithful adherence and 

practice as a liturgical action in the spirit and mind of the Church. 

 

The Nature Of Liturgical Homily 

The word ‘homily is not a conversation or persuasion but rather a 
discussion like the one the two disciples engaged in as they were on 

their way to Emmaus (cf. Luk. 24:14). In the discussion, one noticed 

that the Lord’s interpretation of the things that went on in Jerusalem 

“these past days” is different from their own. In every liturgical 
homily, the preacher shed light on the word of God and makes the 

heart of the assembly burn. The preacher does not force his preaching 

upon listeners. The familiar conversation on the road to Emmaus 

shows that homily is more than information; it is the interpretation 

that leads to recognition of the good news. 

 With a backdrop from the Greek etymology of homily which 

means familiar conversation Chibuko sees the nature of liturgical 

homily as a familiar conversation on the very mysteries of Christ.11 

He notes that liturgical homily consists of the systematic exposition of 

the scripture readings or of some particular aspects of them, or of 

some other texts taken from the Ordo or proper of the Mass of the 

day, having regard for the mystery being celebrated or the special 

needs of those who hear it.12 more so the character of the homily 

should be biblical. It must be on interpretation of the scriptural texts. 

This is thus a distinguishing mark of preaching liturgical homilies. 

The aim or paramount importance of every liturgical homily is the 

spiritual feeding of the faithful. This would justify why the liturgy of 

the word could rightly be called the “table of the word” this 
nourishment prepares the faithful for the nourishment that comes up 



116   Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

again at the second table at the liturgy of the Eucharist, which is the 

“table of the Body and Blood”.  
 In a distinct and expository fashion, Robert Waznark gave 

some of the characteristics of a homily which are: biblical, liturgical, 

kerygmatic and familiar.13 By biblical, he means an exposition and 

interpretation of some sacred texts and that the preaching should have 

a scriptural basis; by liturgical he meant that the word is made flesh 

again in the liturgy celebrated; Thus, this preaching is done within the 

liturgical celebration. ‘Kerymatic’ on the other hand connotes 
preaching that has a herald metaphor which is beyond the words of a 

mere human messenger but the word of God spoken through a 

messenger. “Familiar conversation” talks of a familiar style in the 

communication of this word, that is a familiar conversation with a 

group of people or a pastor conversing with a flock in words and 

images that they recognized.14 Despite the developing trends of the 

meaning of liturgical homily today, the above four characteristic 

marks still help to define and explore the nature of liturgical homily. 

However, they can be further nuanced in the light of liturgical praxis 

and cultural shifts. Be that as it may, every homily must be prophetic 

in nature. Meaning it should be able to move from an interpretation of 

scripture to life, to the interpretation of our daily life to scripture.15 

 By nature, every homily is first to proclaim the Word of God, 

not our personal irritations or convictions and then preaching about 

the signs of God in the lives of the people. The homilist should never 

be the focus of the homily; he should avoid personal references, 

mixed metaphors, and negative associations. Rather, it should be 

coherent and brief.16 Patrick Chibuko discussing the nature of 

liturgical homily says every homily “should be sufficiently biblical, 
theological in content and rooted in sound doctrine. It should have a 

tinge of newness to a familiar topic, should be in time with the 

liturgical season or occasion, be based on the eternal truth of the 

Gospel and the Paschal mystery of Christ.17 Furthermore, the nature 

of liturgical homily shows that it is not a time the preacher gives his 

personal views about current theological debates. However, these are 

useful in the liturgical homily in so far as thy help the preacher to 

unfold the mystery of faith being celebrated and help the faithful to 

appreciate the faith that they are celebrating and to profess it stoutly 

in their lives. It should consist of only the exposition of the Word of 

God as contained in the scriptures in such a way as to bring home its 



Theology of  Liturgical Homily: Priestly Ministry and Challenges…     117 

 

 

 

saving and liberating truth to the hearers, enabling them to understand 

that truth in relation to their daily lives in the world which Christ 

came to redeem and which those who are in Christ are called to serve. 

This ministry of preaching must be done articulately and effectively. 

It is not at such time the preacher learns oratory or exercises 

personality power, rather it is the holy spirit who uses the word of the 

minister to bring home to the hearers the truth of the scriptural 

message for them.18 This does not mean that the preacher need not 

spend hours of prayer and study in preparation of his homily; 

although it is God who gives the increase, the labour of planting and 

watering must be done by the human minister (cf. 1 Cor. 3:6). Hence, 

every liturgical homily must be a proclamation with special relevance 

to the existential situation of those who are addressed. 

 Homily by nature is not picking one or the other phrase or 

idea from a gospel or an epistle and using it as the basis of moralizing 

which has little or no relation to the rest of the word of God nor any 

connection with the sacred banquet into which the whole liturgy of 

the word is supposed to lead the people.19 Its character should be that 

of the proclamation of God’s wonderful work in the history of 
salvation, the mystery of Christ ever made present and active within 

us. The object of every homily is to draw from the texts the message 

of salvation, which they contain and to confront the present 

congregation with it as if they were hearing it for the first time. In 

other words, no matter what the text may be, it is always the gospel 

that we preach, or more precisely, what we proclaim. Hence we must 

say that whatever we ourselves may feel about it, to turn aside from 

this proclamation and to substitute instruction or moral exhortation 

for the direct preaching of the word in the liturgy is foreign to the 

very idea of liturgical homily and indeed of preaching itself.20 

 In a nutshell, the preacher does two things in every liturgical 

homily: to teach and move; to teach the virtues and vices: the virtues 

to make them loved, practised and cling to; the vices to have them 

detested fought and flown. You to have to give light to the reason and 

warmth to the will. Preachers are always to tie their liturgical homily 

to one of the four fundamentals: faith morals, sacraments and prayer 

that remain the foundations of the present Roman catechism.21 

 



118   Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

Theological Backgroud Of Liturgical Homily 

My attempt here in providing a theological background to liturgical 

homily will include a biblical foundation (Old and New Testaments), 

the patristic period, the magisterial and some contemporary 

theologians on liturgical homily. 

 

Liturgical Homily in the Old Testament: The Old Testament 

contains a great deal of liturgical celebration and rites presided over 

by the elders of the people of Israel. The entire bible is borne out of 

the liturgical celebration of the people and presided over by elders.22 

Therefore, the tradition of exposition of biblical readings is found in 

the Jewish synagogue. It was a tradition of interpreting and applying 

the scriptural message to the contemporary situation like other 

elements of Christian liturgy, this particular ecclesial form of 

preaching which saw an amazing development during the patristic era 

is rooted in Judaism, especially in the synagogue worship of Jesus’s 
time. This consisted essentially of a liturgy of the word, which is 

composed of four parts: The reading of the Torah, reading from the 

Prophets, the Homily and prayer. The synagogue homily being a 

reflection of the entire biblical tradition is completely original with 

respect to the other cults. It is associated with the word and its special 

importance for these people, among whom it is constantly re-

actualized in the face of new events and the demands of fidelity to the 

covenant. 

 However, two texts give us a very good idea of the function of 

the synagogue homily and sum up its history. Neh. 8:18 tells us how 

Ezra read from the book of the law of God interpreting and explaining 

its meaning so that everyone could understand the reading. Luke 4:21 

recounts the words with which Jesus, in the synagogue at Nazareth, 

introduces his commentary on the reading of Isaiah 6:1-2 “today this 
scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”23 

 

New Testament: The Sabbath bible reading custom which had to be 

followed by clarifying explanation was for our Lord the main 

opportunity for preaching the Word of God to receptive hearers and to 

proclaim his kingdom.24 In the New Testament, we find many 

elements that lead to the Christian homily. 

 On the way to Emmaus, the two disciples in their words 

express disappointment. Then Jesus appears and began to explain to 



Theology of  Liturgical Homily: Priestly Ministry and Challenges…     119 

 

 

 

them the scripture beginning from the Old to the New Testament. At 

the end of the explanation, there was the breaking of bread and they 

recognized him. Through the explanation of the word, their hearts 

were burning with joy and the joy came to fullness in the breaking of 

bread.25 This is a wonderful example of what happens at every 

liturgical celebration where a well prepared and delivered homily 

precedes the celebration of the sacraments. Jesus taught them the full 

meaning of the scripture. In the feeding of the five thousand people 

(5000), Jesus taught them before giving them something to eat. He, 

first of all, taught them and then fed them (Matt. 14:13-21). Also at 

the last supper, he taught them before the celebration.26 

 On the same tradition with Jesus, the apostles, therefore, 

examine the Old Testament for words and events that are fulfilled in 

the mystery of Christ. The first Christian communities express their 

faith awareness that Christ is present among them through the word 

and sacraments of the church. The Acts of the Apostles constantly 

gives us a glimpse of Paul as he “converses” with his communities 
assembled in the name of the Lord. At Antioch in Pisidia, Paul and 

Barnabas, in similar circumstances were ordered by the rulers of the 

synagogue to direct “a word of encouragement to the assembly (cf. 
Acts 13:15). One could be right to say that during the apostolic era as 

we have it in the New Testament; the homily was an effort by the 

apostles to proclaim the good news of Jesus through whom God has 

acted and continued to act in our lives. 

 

Patristic Era: The exposition of scripture continued in the liturgical 

preaching of the early Christian churches. The witness of Justin to the 

preaching of the homily as an established liturgical practice would 

always remain a credible reference point for subsequent liturgical 

tradition. His description of a second century liturgy preaching 

contains one reliable information which is very old about the homily 

at Mass: “On the day called Sunday all gather in the same place, 

whether they live in the city or in the country: the memories of the 

apostles or the writing of the prophets are read for long as time 

allows. When the reader has finished, the president delivers a 

discourse (Logos) urging and exhorting us to imitate these good 

examples …”27 The basic characteristic of the patristic homily is that 



120   Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

in Christian homilies three methods are involved; Reading of the 

sacred text, detailed explanation of what has been read, and 

contemplation of the mysteries in their realization.28 This was a show 

of strong desire to proclaim the things of God in human terms. This 

era was displayed in essence what liturgical homily ought to be, 

namely an informal conversation by a pastor of souls with his people 

during a liturgical action based on the biblical texts presented by the 

liturgy. There was an emphasis on the essential elements of a homily 

which is derived from the fact that it is given during a liturgical 

action.29 

 Furthermore, this era through Origen strove through 

allegorical exegesis to adapt the scripture to all levels of the 

congregation through the homily, to describe the familiar style in 

which preaching is done. It was a style that is direct and free, a 

manifestation of mystical exegesis of scripture, practical application 

and final exhortation, but the tone set is one of familiar 

conversation.30 

 Also, the systematic reflections in Christian preaching by two 

greatest homilists: St John Chrysostom and St. Augustine were proud 

and stimulating during this era.31 This, as it were, is not the 

place to offer an extended exposition of the Patristic Fathers’ 
contribution to the theology of preaching or the relation of preaching 

to the sacraments. But it suffices to say that their sources and 

contributions on homiletics provide much valuable information and 

bedrock for a liturgical homily. The writings of the Fathers of the East 

and West supply much valuable insight in this regard.32 Therefore, in 

general, it can be confidently stated that the patristic Fathers of the 

Church commonly teach that God is actively present in the reading of 

the scripture and the preaching of the Word of God in every liturgical 

celebration. 

 

The Magisterium: In the Church’s magisterium, the ground for the 
renewed vigour towards the abundant use of the scriptures in the life 

of Christians was softened especially by Pope Leo XII in his 

encyclical letter, Providentissimus Deus (1833), by Pope Benedict XI 

in his letter Spiritus Paraclitus (1920), and by Pope Pius XII’s Divino 

Afflante Spiritu (1943). Indeed sacred scriptures are of paramount 

importance in the celebration of the liturgy, especially in the 

Eucharistic Celebration,33 for it inspires the other prayers and songs of 



Theology of  Liturgical Homily: Priestly Ministry and Challenges…     121 

 

 

 

the Eucharistic celebration, all the action and signs of liturgy derive 

their meaning from the scripture.34 

 With this, it becomes the good wish of the Fathers of the 

Second Vatican Council that easy access to the sacred scripture 

should be provided for all the Christian Faithful not only by merely 

reading the Word of the sacred scriptures but above all through 

exposure to a biblical-based homily. Hence, Sacrosanctum Concilium 

(SC) states that the Sacred Scriptures is of the greatest importance in 

the celebration of the liturgy. From it are drawn the lessons which are 

read and which are explained in the homily.35 Furthermore, it says 

that “by means of the homily, the mystery of faith and the guiding 
principle of the Christian life are expounded from sacred texts during 

the course of the liturgical year.36 

 The Code of Canon law in canon 767 paragraphs three and 

four went further to recommend that “if a sufficient number of people 
are present, there should be a homily at weekday Masses, also 

especially during advent and lent or on a feast day or an occasion of 

grief. It is the responsibility of the Parish Priest or the Rector of a 

church to ensure that these provisions are carefully observed.”37 In the 

second typical edition of the 1972 Roman Missal, Paul VI added that 

homily should ordinarily be given by the Priest celebrant.38 

 The 1981 typical edition of the order of readings of the Mass 

recalls the most important teaching concerning the homily, describing 

it more briefly as part of the liturgy of the word.39 But it adds some 

important direction thus: whether the homily explains the biblical 

word of God proclaimed in the readings or some other texts of the 

liturgy, it must always lead the community of the faithful to celebrate 

the Eucharist wholeheartedly, so that they may hold fast in their faith. 

From this living explanation, the Word of God proclaimed in the 

reading and the Church’s celebration of the day’s liturgy would have 
a greater impact. But these demands that the homily is truly the fruit 

of meditation, carefully, prepared neither too long nor too short and 

suited to all those present even children and the uneducated. 40 

 

Contemporary Theologians: In order to correct obvious anomalies 

in the liturgical celebration, many contemporary theologians have 

taken pains to educate both the clergy and the laity on the proper 



122   Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

nature of liturgical homily and how it can be best actualize in our 

liturgical celebrations. 

 According to Robert P. Waznak, “every homilist represents its 
community voicing its concerns, by naming its demons and thus 

enabling it to gain some understanding and control of the evil which 

afflicts it. He represents the Lord by offering the community another 

word, a word of healing and pardon, of acceptance of love.41 The 

primary task of the homilist, therefore, is not to explain but to 

interpret. He seeks to attend to the present moment as revelatory of 

God’s past events and future possibilities are seen in the light of 

present theophanies. Waznak concludes by saying that every homily 

should lead God’s people to recognize a living word of meaning in 
the Eucharist and in the concrete circumstances of their lives.42 

 For A.G Martimort, a homily is a pastoral act because it 

consists in breaking the bread of the Word; it is a truly liturgical act 

because it continues the effective action of the readings and forms a 

single whole with these. Whether delivered by the chief celebrant 

himself or by another Priest or by a deacon, care must be taken not to 

weaken the connection of homily with the liturgical action.43 He sees 

the homily as the most important way of bringing out the “today” of 
God’s Word in the life of Christian assembly who had gathered for 

ecclesial prayers and celebration and will soon scatter again and 

return to the world. A good homily must be first of all a proclamation 

of joy for what God has done for us and then it should enlighten the 

concrete life situations of present-day people, revealing where and 

how this salvation can be achieved and fulfilled.44 

 A very well proclaimed word of God and well prepared and 

delivered homily nourishes the faith of the people in a great deal. It 

keeps the celebration alive. They are usually very challenging and 

never boring. Therefore, the readings and homily are to be celebrated 

in the same manner as the words of consecration. Just as the word of 

consecration cannot be altered anyhow, the same applies to the 

readings and homily.45 Hence Chibuko says that “every homily must 
speak of life, passion, death and resurrection of Christ, namely the 

paschal mystery. Cross of Christ must not be found missing in 

homilies especially in a materialistic society that seems to be 

deviating from the cross and going after a cross-less Christ. The 

centrality of the paschal mystery of Christ must be sufficiently 



Theology of  Liturgical Homily: Priestly Ministry and Challenges…     123 

 

 

 

emphasized.46 He furthermore brought out the power behind the word 

of God in the liturgy when he says: 

Anywhere the Word of God is powerfully proclaimed 

and preached, (behind a powerful microphone or 

public address system), enriched with nourishing 

fruits of deep prayerful reflections, local idiomatic 

expressions, poetic forms, proverbs and wisdom tit-

bits, with good liturgical and cultural music to help in 

digesting the word and signs, the situation is quite 

different. Attendance at such ceremonies are usually 

full and the Christian life and culture boom. Then in 

response, the people are prepared to take up 

responsibilities to solve social problems because they 

are now fully armed with Christ and all these, of 

course, lead to reverence to the Word of God and the 

sacrament being celebrated.47 

Thus, the homily heightens the awareness of who we are now as well 

as who God is calling us to become. Through it, the people receive in 

their heart a word of encouragement, correction, wisdom, guidance, 

hope or deeper insight into their selfish claim on their own lives. 

Consequently whatever we need must be in the homily for those who 

are expecting to hear it. A liturgical homily must always have a deep 

personal meaning for those who await it openly.48 

 

Homily As A Liturgical Action 

The designation of a homily from other forms of preaching implies 

the fact of one given at a liturgical celebration on a biblical text and 

by an ordinary minister of homily and by a presiding cleric (cf. sc. 

52). Since the liturgical reform of the second Vatican council, the 

homily is seen to be an integral part of the liturgy of the word. It may 

be based not only upon the scriptures proclaimed but also upon any of 

the liturgical texts and upon the mystery being celebrated. This 

distinguishes the homily from a sermon, which is a religious, but not a 

strictly liturgical form of oratory and may have no relation to readings 

or other liturgical elements of the celebration in which it is delivered. 

The liturgy of the word is prescribed in all the revised liturgical rites, 

even in the private celebration of the sacrament of penance. The 



124   Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

liturgical rites themselves proclaim that the Christian community is 

based on God’s written word and only in the context of hearing the 
word can we celebrate the various sacramental mysteries. Thus 

whether at Mass of during the celebration of one of the liturgical rites, 

it is always assumed that a proclamation of the word may be followed 

but at least a brief homily.49 The liturgical homily has achieved its 

esteemed place in all liturgies. The homily has a place and must not 

be neglected in the celebration of all the sacraments, at Para-liturgies, 

and in assemblies of the faithful. It will in every case, be a privileged 

moment for preaching the Word of the Lord: the homily as a liturgical 

action leads the assembly to celebrate the liturgy more deeply and 

more fully, more faithfully and be formed for Christian witness in the 

world. The homily enables the people to respond in faith through 

liturgical word and gesture. It is in such sense we see the homily as 

liturgical action.  

 In a further development, while the homily provides a bold 

and existential proclamation to the stability of the liturgy, the 

liturgical ritual gives the homily its rooted-ness in the Gospel and the 

church’s tradition of prayer. More so, the stability of the liturgical 
context safeguards the homily from becoming an instruction, a non-

gospel speech, and an appeal for personal piety over against the needs 

of the community. The fact of the homily being structured in a 

liturgical context prevents it from any frivolity preaching can ever 

degenerate to. Thus, the homilist must know that the exhortation he 

gives is not any kind but one that should be markedly biblical 

arousing the faith of the people and based on the particular liturgy 

being celebrated. We can see a kind of mutual association between 

the liturgy and homily. While the homily gives the liturgy a structure, 

the liturgy protects the homily from an aberration. The homily is the 

meeting point between the word proclaimed and Christ’s signs, which 
converge to accomplish among the faithful the mystery of faith.50 The 

homily in this sense could be said to be interpretative, interpreting the 

particular liturgy being celebrated. Thus as a liturgical action, homily 

takes on the features of an actual celebration and draws inspiration 

from particular rites and ritual. The homily, therefore, as a liturgical 

action should blend with the overall rhythm of the liturgy celebrated. 

 

 

 



Theology of  Liturgical Homily: Priestly Ministry and Challenges…     125 

 

 

 

Today’s Problems with Liturgical Homily: 

The homily is where there is one of the major liturgical problems in 

today’s liturgy. The grassroots problem of a liturgical homily is in its 

preparation and delivery. This problem touches on the purpose of the 

homily and it is deeply rooted in the question of interpretation. A 

homily must be able to take the word in its original meaning and 

translate it into ever-new expressions, courageously using it to 

confront the most dramatic aspects of our constantly changing culture 

and crisis in which people find themselves today.51 

 Nowadays, insufficient time and lack of adequate preparation 

characterize the delivery of liturgical homilies. In most cases, the 

celebrant (homilist) gives only a few minutes to the homily on 

Sunday or other major liturgical celebrations because of other various 

parish activities that are taking place within the liturgical celebrations. 

Due to lack of adequate preparation, the problem of showing off in 

the process of delivering is very common among homilists. This 

comes in various ways. Some take the occasion as an opportunity to 

show off their oratory. In some great liturgical occasions the homily 

time is now the time for one of those rhetorical exercise with 

appropriate gestures and vocal inflection which have always delighted 

the crowd and which like  some works of art, exist for the art’s sake, 
that is, in this case for the pleasure that good people take, as they say, 

in listening to a “man who can speak well.52 For some, anything could 

be spoken of as well and besides the gospel and no allusion is ever 

made, ordinarily, to the other scriptural texts of the liturgy. Moral 

exhortation, political comments, financial appeals, and sometimes, 

but less frequently, a sort of catechism lesson for adult had long since 

taken the place of the homily  

 For others, it is the time to speak about social problems in 

order to win the peoples approval, and for some still, it is a time to 

entertain the congregation. The situation becomes more problematic 

when the homilist because of lack of preparation uses the time for 

delivering a homily for singing, clapping, dancing and even using 

funny expressions calculated to invoke laughter and applause.53 

Furthermore, the practice is now gaining ground in our local churches 

whereby after the gospel, the choir or the homilist himself intones a 

chorus, sometimes as long as five minutes or longer in some extreme 



126   Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

cases, before the homily. The homily as an integral part of the liturgy 

of the word comes immediately after the gospel reading. Thus, it is an 

unnecessary prolongation of the liturgy to begin a hymn after the 

gospel which takes a considerable length of time during which many 

in the congregation do not know whether to keep standing up or to sit 

down. 

 Another practical problem facing liturgical homily in today’s 
liturgical celebrations is the lack of effective public address system in 

our Parish churches. The use of a public address system is to facilitate 

communication, but this is not always the case; rather, most of the 

public address systems in our churches are not functioning well. 

When they are used, the congregation hardly hears the preacher 

clearly and distinctly, it irritates and alienates the congregation as 

well as frustrating the genuine effort of the preacher. Hence, the 

obvious presence of poor public address system in most of our 

churches militates against the actualization of a good liturgical 

homily. The consequence of all the identified problems is that the 

faithful go home after each liturgical celebration with little or nothing 

to inspire and nourish their Christian living.   

 

Present and Common Practices today: 
In a liturgical celebration, the people of God who gather to celebrate 

await eagerly to hear God speak to them through the mouth of the 

Priest when he preaches. Even though we can’t deny the fact that 

some priests still take this part of the celebration seriously by the way 

and manner they preach the Word of God, some others however, have 

long lost the sense of the mysteries they celebrate in the way they 

deliver their homily in the liturgical celebration. This point becomes 

very true, when we consider the singing, clapping, and dancing we 

often experience during homily time which often results to sweating 

and losing concentration and end up not getting any spiritual 

nourishment from the word of God in such liturgical celebration. The 

only explanation to this in my own view is a desire by the priest to be 

acclaimed rather than pass across the Good News of Christ. Also, 

playing to the gallery, that is attempting to impress the people because 

of poor knowledge of the scripture. 

 Indeed the present situation of some liturgical homilies today 

show lack of adequate preparation, failure to use simple language, 

failure to go straight to the point and inability to relate the Word of 



Theology of  Liturgical Homily: Priestly Ministry and Challenges…     127 

 

 

 

God to the lives of the people on the part of the priests. Priests should 

be confident of what they say and preach it with authority, power and 

conviction and without fear or favour or just merely reading abstract 

ideals that elicit sleep and distraction on the congregation. 

 The situation now shows that some priests no longer follow 

the Catholic methodology of delivering a homily. Rather, the 

Pentecostal influence seems to be more evident in our preaching. 

Hence, one wonders the effect of the courses of homiletics and liturgy 

taught during the seminary’s formative years. Some priests now use 

the ambo during the time of homily in our liturgical celebration as an 

opportunity to preach politics, talk about themselves, reel insults on 

personalities and attack those whom they feel hinders their progress in 

the parish. In some instances, there is no single reference to the 

readings of the day, rather it will be a talk from one political issue to 

another or talk about fundraising in different forms all in the name of 

church projects. Though priests should be current on the issues 

affecting the society in the pages of national dailies and see how they 

can use the scriptural readings of the day to address the situation, does 

not mean that priests should be preaching false miracles and healing 

as we are currently observing in our celebrations now. This practical 

application is lacking in our liturgical homily today because some 

homilies are void of adequate preparation, skilful presentation and 

many often it is not done behind a good public address system. This is 

very true when you consider the fact that some of the liturgical 

homilies we listen to today don’t have a particular topic or theme for 

the day. Hence no precise message but repetitions and thus fail to 

address the people’s fears and worries, rather what we see is an overly 

emotional style of shouting and dancing as well as preaching Christ 

without the cross. 

In some occasions the priests rush their Masses; hence they 

give little time to preaching the Word of God because they are 

rushing to meet up another Mass in the other stations or in the same 

Church. The consequence of this is that parishioners of such parish 

after Sunday Mass go to other churches where more time is given to 

the preaching of the Word of God. In some of our celebrations, the 

liturgy of the word is generally poorly celebrated. The lectors are not 

properly trained to read effectively. Taking of photographs, video 



128   Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

coverage and other movements which are now practices of the day 

contribute immensely to the poor celebration of the liturgy of the 

word. For a proper celebration of the word and for the actual 

nourishment of the people, such actions and movements should be 

discouraged in our liturgy. Nobody can give what he does not have. 

Some priests today are carried away with material things and so are 

easily distracted. Some are always and only concerned with the 

structural development of the parish. Thus, they have little or no time 

to study the scripture, meditate and reflect on the Word of God using 

the bible and other Church documents and commentaries to prepare 

their homily. Proper preparations, it is said, prevents poor 

performance.  

 However, the obvious truth in the present and common 

practices in liturgical homily is that some of the liturgical homilies 

have been pastorally enriching and helpful to the spiritual 

nourishment of the clergy and lay faithful. On the contrary, some of 

the liturgical homilies both in content and in style of delivery have 

been poorly done, and cannot properly elicit faith and inspirations in 

the spiritual life of the people.             

 

Recommendations: 

Based on this in-depth study, it is obvious that a thorough and critical 

view of the subject matter has been dealt with by showing that the 

Church is not only to read the word of God but also to see to it that 

through the homily the Christian life is nurtured, by taking into 

account the mystery being celebrated and the needs proper to the 

people of God. Hence some recommendations offered here are to 

serve as a working tool to improve the content and style of preaching 

the homily in liturgical celebrations. They are meant first and 

foremost to promote evangelization and also to help both the clergy 

and the lay faithful in the actualization of every word of God 

celebrated in the liturgy. From the foregoing, one could notice that the 

homily within liturgical celebration poses a very vital challenge to 

both the preacher and listeners. Thus, these recommendations will in 

no small measure help the clergy and the assembly to have a better 

knowledge of the nature of liturgical homily and how it can nourish 

their spiritual life, and also help in the appreciation of the celebration 

of the entire paschal mystery of Christ. 



Theology of  Liturgical Homily: Priestly Ministry and Challenges…     129 

 

 

 

(1) Liturgical Commission: The Second Vatican Council 

recommends a functional liturgical commission for promoting 

liturgical apostolate. The role of such commission in the 

liturgical life of any given local Church is indispensable. It 

will help to regularly assist in the formation and 

implementation of liturgical guidelines. Such guidelines and 

implementation will help a great deal in controlling some of 

the ugly situations we observe in the practice of liturgical 

homily today. 

(2) On-going Liturgical Formation of Priest: Since the homily 

is a type of preaching generally reserved for the clergy and it 

is seen as part of the Church’s teaching office, there is an 

urgent need for on-going formation among the clergy which 

was recommended by the document of the Second Vatican 

Council on the ministry and life of priests. The ministry of 

priests involves sanctity and knowledge. Just as priests have 

monthly recollections and annual retreats of at most a week 

duration for their spiritual growth, something comparable 

ought to be put in place to address their needs for on-going 

theological formation. 

(3)  Proper Liturgical Formation for Major Seminarian: The 

seminarians of today are priests of tomorrow who will be 

given the responsibility of preaching homilies. According to a 

popular adage: “The morning shows the day”. The scripture 
says “train up a child the way he should go, and when he is 
old, he will not depart from it (Prov. 22:5). There is a need for 

proper formation of major seminarians. Since the training of 

future priests starts from the seminary, there is the need for 

their curriculum to be updated especially in the area of 

homiletics. The Church insists that in carrying out various 

ministries in the Church, the minister must be properly 

trained. Hence, those to be ordained priests require 

appropriate formation for the role they are called to play in the 

Church. In homiletics curriculum, the formation can be 

general and specific. The general formation will take the form 

of doctrinal and liturgical formation. They should be equipped 

with more than a passing knowledge of the Scripture, Sacred 



130   Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

Doctrines, the teachings of the magisterium, liturgical norms 

and practices etc. Specifically, they should be formed 

liturgically, this formation will give them some basic 

understanding of the meaning and structure of liturgical 

celebration in general and also the relationship between the 

liturgy of the word and the liturgy of the Eucharist. This 

formation should also involve technical training of the 

seminarian on how to prepare, and deliver a liturgical homily. 

(4) Faithfulness to the Church’s form of worship: There is a 

need to put some order and uniformity in the liturgical 

celebration especially in the liturgy of the word. This should 

be consistently followed in the celebration of all the 

sacraments. Thus, any attempt by the priest to imitate some of 

the Pentecostal churches in their emotional style of shouting 

and dancing as well as preaching Christ without the cross 

should be discouraged. The essence of liturgical celebration is 

total transformation expressed in the sanctification of the 

people, the edification of the Church, the glorification of God 

and witnessing in Christian living. 

(5) Proper Preparation: There should be proper preparation by 

the priest before every homily. In the liturgy, there is no room 

for improvisation. The homilist should and must not go to the 

ambo just to say something; rather he should go to the ambo 

with something to say. A very well prepared and delivered 

homily will nourish the faith of the assembly a great deal. It 

will also keep the entire celebration alive and will be 

appreciated by the assembly. All prepared and delivered 

homily will be very challenging and never boring. As part of 

the preparation, the homilist should endeavour to guide 

against too long or too short homilies. He should be able to 

strike a balance. A good homilist is one who through his 

proper preparation sees to it that no more than proportionate 

time is given to each of the integral parts of the celebration so 

much so that the actions are kept flowing and performed with 

dignifying grace. The preacher with proper preparation must 

approach the ministry of preaching with all seriousness, zeal 

and utter dependence on the Holy Spirit. 

(6) A Theme for Every Homily: In every homily delivered, 

there should be a theme. A particular topic with a reflection 



Theology of  Liturgical Homily: Priestly Ministry and Challenges…     131 

 

 

 

on the readings or mystery being celebrated should be 

delivered with depth, precision and especially with contextual 

relevance. To go through an entire gospel topic can bear fewer 

fruits because the preacher, who can dwell only very little on 

every element, cannot develop them or explain to the 

congregation what he wants to say. Bearing in mind, that the 

assembly is present and disposed to hear sacred ideas that will 

influence their lives, the preacher, through his theme and 

content of his message should be able to present commentary 

of the readings and an application of same to the concrete 

situations that make meaning to his listeners. From the theme 

also, the assembly should be able to draw a connection 

between the content of the homily and their daily life as 

Christians. 

 

Conclusion:  

This study has evaluated in-depth the nature and actual application of 

liturgical homily in the life of the Church. It was able to create the 

awareness that there is a need for improvement in the style and 

content of liturgical homily today. From the presentation, it was 

established that lack of preparation by priests hampers proper 

liturgical homilies in the liturgical life of the Church. From the 

findings of the study, it is also clear that the Church has everything to 

gain if the clergy understands the nature and importance of homily in 

our liturgical celebrations. By so doing, they will be acting in full 

conformity with the Bible, the theology of the Church, liturgical 

provisions and the teaching of the magisterium. It is a general call for 

all to recognize and appreciate the nourishment that every well 

prepared and delivered homily can bring to the Church and her 

mission of evangelization. 

 It is the belief that this work will to a great extent be able to 

remove any misunderstanding that some might have heard about the 

nature of liturgical homily before now. Thus, we wish to state that 

although this work does not claim to be exhaustive of all there is to 

explore and discuss about the liturgical homily, it still has 

convincingly spelt out the dynamics and challenges of the clergy in 



132   Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

the preaching of a liturgical homily. However, it can serve as a 

springboard for further researches in the future.                     

 

 

Endnotes 
                                                           
1 Frank L. Cross (ed), The Oxford Dictionary of Christian Church, 2nd edition) 

(London: Oxford University Press, 1974). 
2 Gasper Leferbre, The Spirit of God in the Litrugy, (London: Burns and Oattes, 

1959) 12. 
3 Jovian P. Lang, Dictionary of the Liturgy, (New York: Catholic Book 

Publishing Crop, 1989) 254 – 255. 
4 Pope Pius XII, Encylical Letter on the Sacred Liturgy, Mediator Dei Nov. 20, 

1947. 
5 Mediator Dei 20. 
6 Sacrosanctum Concilium 7. 
7 Robert Waznak, “Homily” in Peter Fink, ed., The New Dictionary of 

Sacramental Worship, (Dublin: Gill and Macmillan, 1990) 552-553. 
8 Waznak, “Homily” in Peter fink ed. 552-553. 
9 Lang 254 – 255. 
10 Lang 254 – 255. 
11 Patrick Chibuko, Keeping the Liturgy Alive – An Anglophone West African 

Experience, (London: IKO- Verlag fur Interkulturelle Kommunikation, 2003) 

124. 
12 Chibuko, Keeping the Liturgy Alive – An Anglophone West African 

Experience, 125. 
13 Waznak, “Homily” in Peter Fink ed. 553-558. 
14 Waznak, “Homily” in Peter Fink ed. 555. 
15 Waznak, An Introduction to the Homily 26. 
16William Bausch, Story Telling – The Word Homilies and How to write them, 

(New York: Paulist Press, 1996) 57. 
17 Chibuko, Liturgical Preaching According to the Modern Liturgy 38 
18 Richardson 264. 
19 Emerie A. Lawrence, Homilies for the Year, (Collegeville, Minnesota: The 

Liturgical Press, 1965) vii. Viii. 
20 Emerie viii 
21 Martin Vivies “The Nature and content of Preaching” in Faith and Liturgy: 

The Proceedings of the Seventh International Colloquium of Historical, 

Canonical and Theological Studies on the Roman Liturgy, (London: Ciel, 2002) 

29-30.  
22 Fink 553. 
23 Domenico Sartore, “The Homily” in: Ansagar J. Chupungco ed Handbook for 

Liturgical Studies, the Eucharist Vol.3, (Collegeville Minnesota: The Liturgical 

Press, 1997) 91. 



Theology of  Liturgical Homily: Priestly Ministry and Challenges…     133 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                  
24 Cf. Luke 24:15 – 35 
25 CCC 1337 
26 Chibuko, Liturgical Preaching According to the Modern Liturgy 7 
27 Sartore 191.  
28 Sartore 192. 
29 Fink ed. 553 – 558. 
30 Sartore 211 – 212. 
31 Edward J. Kilmartin Christian Liturgy: Theology and Practice, (Kansas city: 

sheed and ward, 1988) 288. 
32 Kilmartin 288 – 289. 
33 SC 24 
34 Sartore 194 
35 SC 35:2 
36 SC 52.  
37 The Code of Canon Law, (London Collins Publication. 1983) 767. 
55Misale Romanum ex Decreto Sacrosanti Occumenici Concilii Vol. II 

Instauratum, auctoritate Pauli Pp Promulgatum, ed typical altera. 1975. 

Institution Generalis. 42. as cited in: Domenico Sartore, 195. 
39 Ordo  Lectionum Missae (OLM), 1969, 24. 
40 Paul VI, “Evangeli Nuntiandi” Evangelization in the Modern World. Teporis 
43, AAS58 (1976) 1008 – 125. 
41 Waznak 558. 
42 Waznak 558. 
43 A.G. Martimort ed. The Church at Prayer Vol. I Principles of the Liturgy, 

(Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press. 1987) 139 
44 Martimort ed. Vol. II: The Eucharist 67 – 68. 
45 Chibuko, Liturgical Preaching According to the Modern Liturgy 30. 
46 Chibuko, Liturgical Preaching According to the Modern Liturgy 31. 
47 Chibuko, Liturgical Preaching According to the Modern Liturgy 31 – 32. 
48 Theodore E. Dobson, How the Eucharist can Transform Your Life, (Indian: 

Paulist Press, 1998) 30 and 66. 
49 Dennis C. Smolaski, Sacred Mysteries: Sacramental Principles and Liturgical 

Practice, (New York: Paulist Press, 1992) 72. 
50 Chibuko, Liturgical Preaching According to the Modern Liturgy 16. 
51 Patrick Chibuko, Paschal Mystery of Christ: Foundation for Liturgical 

Inculturation in Africa, (New York: Peter Lang, 1999) 44. 
52 Alfred P. Gibbs, The Preacher and his Preaching, (Lagos: Ken Maranatha 

Ventures, 1989) 24. 
53Hilary P.O. Okeke, Let us Celebrate the Mystery of Faith: a pastoral Letter, 

(Onitsha: Good Mark Print Production, 2005) 71.  

 



134   Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age   

 

 

 

 

 

C H A P T E R  9  
 

 

 

Contemporary Sexual Crises in the 

Church and the Challenge for Priestly 

Formation1 
 

SimonMary Asese AIHIOKHAI 

 

 

 

Introduction 
Priestly anniversaries are times for great celebrations and deep 

reflections on the part of the entire Church. Silver Jubilees ought to be 

celebrated with great pride and hope. I rejoice with Rev. Anselm Kole 

Jimoh as he commemorates this special moment in his priestly 

ministry. Many like him continue to be the hope of the Church even at 

times when ugly narratives of priestly sexual abuse have come to 

distort all that the Church stands for in our times. I have been asked to 

reflect on a topic that demands an honest engagement. On that note, 

let me transition to the purpose of this work.  

 In this work, I intend to do the following; shed light on some 

of the trends of the emerging sexual abuse cases; present a critical 

analysis of the formation styles within Nigerian seminaries with the 

intent to articulate a new vision of priestly formation that will help  

the Nigerian Church in particular and other national churches both in 

Africa and other parts of the world to prevent future scandals, while 

properly training the men who present themselves to be trained for the 

ordained state.  

 

 

 



 Contemporary Sexual Crises in the Church and the Challenge   135 

 

Trends of Current Abuses 

A critical question must be asked, one that demands an honest 

response. Does the Church have a sexual ethics problem, one that 

may be inadvertently contributing to the issues it is faced with today? 

I am convinced by the multiple evidence available that the response is 

in the affirmative. The ongoing ideological struggles between experts 

in the social sciences and pure sciences tasked with investigating the 

human mind, gender and sexuality on one hand, and church experts 

and theologians who argue for various theological positions on human 

sexuality demonstrate the point being made here. The dust seems not 

to have settled but many in the Church’s hierarchy are impatient with 
the perceived ‘slow’ analysis of the sciences and would rather prefer a 
particular reading of religious texts along with their own cultural and 

personal sensibilities. It might be important to offer a quick note of 

caution; science can be a gatekeeper of truth for the Church. When 

healthy relations are built with the scientific community, the Church’s 

doctrinal positions will be greatly advanced and best address the 

demands of the signs of the times. Science is today teaching us that 

gender binarism is a limited and sometimes a confusing way to speak 

of the breadth of our human condition. As noted by Judith Lorber, any 

discourse on gender ought to be predicated on cultural knowledge, 

which sometimes varies from one culture to another. In western 

societies, “until the eighteenth century, philosophers and scientists 

taught thought that there was one sex and that women’s internal 
genitalia were the inverse of men’s external genitalia: the womb and 

vagina were the penis and scrotum turned inside out.”2 Lorber further 

explicates, while looking closely to how gender identities are given in 

western societies, that the nuances found in the human person, 

ranging from chromosomal markers, anomalous genitalia, and other 

physiological differences tended to be rigidly categorized by the 

duality of male-female; man – woman; and heterosexual – 

homosexual.3 How is the Church’s theological anthropology 
responding to this new discovery? Is the Church’s preference to 
appeal to biblical texts to buttress a particular type of anthropology or 

is it to have an open mind to what is being discovered by scientists 

without making any moral judgement? These are options that lead to 

quite different and sometimes opposing conclusions.  

 Again, gender binarism is being challenged by new scientific 

discoveries in the area of intersex realities.4 Based on scientific 



136   Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age   

 

 

discoveries, it is common knowledge that there are “over 70 sex 
chromosomal” expressions within the human population.5 Thus, even 

language needs to be adjusted to account for such breadth of sex 

expressions in the human population. Male and female are at best 

labels of erasure and truncate the pendulum reality science is 

exposing us to.6 One conclusion can be made from these unfolding 

knowledge of the human organism; our knowledge of ourselves as 

humans is the knowledge that is not fixed. It is always progressive 

knowledge. Ignoring all these discoveries and simply upholding what 

is termed traditional views on gender binarism as was recently done 

by the Vatican dicastery, Congregation for Catholic Education in its 

recently released document on gender theory is problematic.7 An 

important question worth asking, when one hears arguments on 

human sexuality that is based on traditional views, is this: what 

cultural knowledge heritage is one alluding to and defining as the 

norm?  

 The document from the Vatican dicastery fails to address the 

fact that Christian anthropology is not constructed outside of a 

cultural locus with all the biases that play out in such a locus. What 

the document calls “right season” as the defining marker of the 
Church’s position on what it means to be human must be engaged 

critically for what it is.8 Reason is always culturally determined. The 

argument proposed in the document is to reject any “separation of sex 
from gender.”9  The Jewish and Greco-Roman cultural influences on 

how the Church reasons and its vision of what it means to be human 

ought to be acknowledged as such. The Church’s position does not 
exhaust the issue at hand. While the Church upholds a Greco-Roman 

metaphysical grounding of human sexuality, there are also legitimate 

arguments to be made based on other ways gender expressions are 

more fluid that are not grounded in metaphysics. Examples of non-

metaphysical views of human sexuality can be found among the 

“Berdache in North America and the Fa’afafine in the Pacific, and the 
Kathoey in Thailand.”10 Furthermore, if culture is the place where the 

divine-human drama is fully experienced, then cultural differences 

that define gender fluidity as found in different human communities 

should not be dismissed easily simply because they differ from those 

that have shaped the Church’s views. Rather than a rigid vision of 
what it means to be human, these differences can become the 



 Contemporary Sexual Crises in the Church and the Challenge   137 

 

possibility for embracing a richer vision of what it means to be human 

in a culturally diverse world. 

 The cautionary note from the American Jesuit theologian, 

James Martin that “the document is mainly a dialogue with 
philosophers and theologians, and with other Church documents; but 

not with scientists and biologists, not with psychologists, and 

certainly not with LGBT people, whose experiences are given little if 

any weight” is something that should make everyone to be very 
concerned.11 To have an informed opinion on an issue demands a 

deliberate and holistic engagement with all factors shaping that issue. 

To simply dismiss an aspect of the process and uphold views that are 

at best one-sided and/or incomplete should not be the approach to the 

teaching office of the Church should be following. Conclusions like 

these hurt people who are already at the margins of society and the 

Church. Perhaps, the following cautionary insight is helpful in 

shedding light on what is at stake here; “it is important to emphasize 
that although heterosexuality operates in part through the stabilization 

of gender norms, gender designates a dense site of significations that 

contain and exceed the heterosexual matrix. Although forms of 

sexuality do not unilaterally determine gender, a non-causal and non-

reductive connection between sexuality and gender is nevertheless 

crucial to maintain.”12   

 Thanks to the social sciences we are more knowledgeable 

about how human conditioning plays out even in the most private 

aspects of our lives, our sexual preferences.13 Even though no current 

study has been done in the context of Africa, the churches of Africa 

can also learn from the insights and experiences of those in the 

western world. It is on that note that I intend to call attention to some 

insights found in the recent study done on the sex abuse crisis in the 

United States of America.  

 There are some observable trends found in the John Jay 

Report of 2004 by John Jay College of Criminal Justice that was 

commissioned by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops 

(USCCB). The report focused its studies of sexual abuse in the 

Church between 1950 and 2002. It found out that there were over 

10,000 sexual abuse allegations brought against priests and deacons 

working in dioceses in the United States. It also showed that the 

percentage of priests and deacons working in the country (109, 694), 

4% (4392) were accused of sexual abuse of minors and adults. I 



138   Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age   

 

 

should be clear here by stating the obvious; the report was not 

extensive enough. It did not study the members of the hierarchy and 

members of lay religious orders. Recent revelations have shown that 

the scandal is not just limited to priests or deacons or even to male 

members of the Church with leadership roles. Female religious 

communities have had their own share of the scandal as well. The sex 

abuse scandal is one that affects every aspect of the Church, ordained 

and lay. 

 The John Jay Report offers some interesting profile of the 

abuses and the abusers that may be of use to those interested in 

revamping priestly formation in the twenty-first century. Grooming 

tactics were prominent ways the abusers used in carrying out their 

illicit sexual contacts with their victims. The abusers took time to 

build a trusting relationship with their victims and then threatening 

them should they betray their confidence and reveal what abuses were 

occurring. The age profile of the abusers is also telling. Half of those 

accused of abuse were below the age of 35 when they first carried out 

their first sex crimes. Less than 7% of the abusers were themselves 

victims of sexual abuse as minors. 19% of them were also dealing 

with alcoholism. 70% of the abusers were formed in seminaries under 

pre-Vatican II seminary formation programs.14 What do all these tell 

us? They point to the fact that there is a very strong case to be made 

for using insights from the social sciences to address this crisis. These 

are not just accidental cases that played themselves out without any 

organic pattern in them. Rather, a closer study of these patterns 

reveals some innate deficiencies in the formative programmes 

operative during the years these abusers were in seminary and/or in 

ministry.  

 

Formation Styles and Lessons to be Learned 

My work as an educator has taught me the relevance of viewing 

formation as something that must be holistic; one that ought to engage 

the different aspects of human life if it is to have any transformative 

impact on the ones being formed. In 1992, Pope John Paul II gave to 

the Roman Catholic Church a post-synodal apostolic exhortation, 

Pastores Dabo Vobis (I will give you shepherds after my own heart – 

Jer. 3:15). Here, John Paul II articulates the need for formators of 

future priests to take seriously the need to tailor their education to 



 Contemporary Sexual Crises in the Church and the Challenge   139 

 

meet the needs of our times. He called for a clear understanding of 

holistic formation that accounted for the human, spiritual, intellectual, 

and pastoral. It is worth pointing out the bold claim made by John 

Paul II, who argued for human formation as the core of all holistic 

formation on which the other three aspects of formation hinge. His 

vision of the human is also very interesting; it is conditioned on what 

he calls “affective maturity.”15 In his words, “Affective maturity 
presupposes an awareness that love has a central role in human life… 
We are speaking of a love that involves the entire person, in all his or 

her aspects  - physical, psychic and spiritual – and which is expressed 

in the ‘nuptial meaning’ of the human body…”16 Following the 

release of this document, many houses of formation in the western 

world and in Africa began the much-needed conversation to figure out 

how to revamp their formation process to allow for a clear 

understanding and expressions of these four aspects of formation. I 

recall vividly, efforts made by some religious communities in Nigeria 

who began to explore ways of revamping their formation programme 

to account for this new guidance on priestly and religious formation.  

 Furthermore, to show how much work still needs to be done 

even by the religious communities that want to make a difference, it is 

proper to share an incident that occurred some years ago during my 

undergraduate studies. During my senior year as a philosophy student 

in the seminary, a course on human sexuality was introduced as an 

elective. It was going to be taught as two sessions. One was to be 

taught by a nun and the other by a member of my religious 

community. I happened to have registered for the latter. During our 

first week of class meetings, it dawned on me that what was needed 

was not just a course but a total re-education of all priests and 

seminarians for our lack of training in the area of human sexuality. 

The instructor kept referring to Origen, the great theologian of the 

Early Church, as someone who had cut off his ‘third leg,’ a 

euphemism for castrating himself. When I pushed further by asking 

the instructor to explain how humans mutated from having three legs 

to now having two, I was made to know that such types of questions 

were not going to be entertained by him. That was it for me. I realized 

that the issues at stake were deeper than just taking a class on human 

sexuality. The anthropological vision that has defined how we 

perceive ourselves as sexual beings, our comfort level with our own 

sexual conditioning, our linguistic comfort in carrying out such 



140   Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age   

 

 

discourses all needed to be critiqued deeply and if necessary, 

transformed radically if the vision of Pope John Paul II was to be 

realized for the Church, particularly in the Nigerian context. I am not 

alone in making this observation. Another “reason why renewal and 
transformation are constantly needed is the fact that our knowledge of 

reality is constantly increasing and changing and this inevitably 

affects the way we live our lives. For instance, it makes an enormous 

difference if our understanding of homosexuality changes from 

regarding those who engage in same-sex behaviour as either deviant 

or sick ‘heterosexual’ persons to seeing them as persons whose 
fundamental orientation attracts them to persons of the same sex.”17  

 No one denies the fact that the establishment of structured 

priestly formation has yielded some positive results. The intellectual 

formation has been a great success for priests over the centuries. 

Lovely spiritual practices have been developed through the quasi 

monastic settings of seminaries. A good sense of community among 

the future members of the clergy is developed during these formative 

years. However, with regard to sexual formation, the outcome has 

been very poor, if we are to be honest with ourselves. Since the 

Church is made up of men and women, one wonders what dictates the 

rationale behind having junior seminaries that house young boys who 

are excluded from substantive interactions with young girls their age? 

As part of their priestly formation, ought not these young boys be 

provided with healthy sex education and ways of appreciating 

personal boundaries in their interactions with each other and with 

women and girls? As reputable psychologists would opine, dating is 

part of holistic human formation. Through the dating experience, a 

young man or a young woman begins to learn how to negotiate 

appropriate boundaries for themselves and for those they may have 

feelings for. They learn to appreciate the fact that consent must be 

clearly given and sustained always, otherwise it is not consent. As 

these young men and women attain adulthood, their affective maturity 

aligns itself also with those of the spiritual and intellectual. When one 

listens carefully to all the traumatic stories of the sex abuse cases 

involving ordained men in the Roman Catholic Church, one thing is 

central, these accused have no sense of what healthy affective 

boundaries entail. Even with the level of intellectual education, they 

have attained in life, their poor social skills, manipulative 



 Contemporary Sexual Crises in the Church and the Challenge   141 

 

personalities, puerile tricks at luring their victims to enter into a 

relationship of trust speak to a disconnect between the different levels 

of their formation. It is as though one of the four integral pillars of 

formation (affects) is not properly aligned with others. This is not an 

accidental reality. This distorted alignment is traceable back to the 

very origins of the founding of seminaries. The establishment of 

formal structures for priestly formation came from the Council of 

Trent’s attempt at curbing ideas it had deemed injurious to 
orthodoxy.18 Men who were to serve the Church were to be trained 

clearly in ways that the radical ideas of the times could be curtailed.19 

Interestingly, the psychological background for this approach and 

attitude is intricately linked to a somewhat problematic attitude 

toward all things that do not fit perfectly well with the stated goals of 

raison d’etre for seminaries.20 Issues dealing with human sexuality 

would necessarily be seen as suspect, especially in a church with a 

strong Manichaean heritage; one that frowns at the sensual, and 

considers the sexual as the pathway for tempting and corrupting the 

purity of the soul. Rather than explore the broad nature of human 

sexuality as an essential condition for priestly formation for men 

whose ministerial duties will entail relating with other humans 

through the breadth of their human affects, a form of spiritualizing of 

the affects has come to replace that which needs to be addressed in a 

more pragmatic and concrete manner. Celibacy and chastity are 

spoken of using the spiritual motifs of the heavenly bride. Theological 

and spiritual works have flourished over the years in addressing the 

sexual urges and realities of these candidates for priestly and religious 

life. A huge mistake on the part of the Church is not to take seriously 

new fields of knowledge, especially in the social sciences, that deal 

with the human person as a sexualized being. It is on that note that I 

want to offer some concrete interventions to help articulate a more 

robust priestly formation programme for the Nigerian Church and 

other local and national churches that may be facing similar problems.  

 

Envisioning A New Formation Paradigm 

Priestly formation is not for its own sake. It is for the good of the 

Church. Those who chose to respond to the call to serve in the 

ministerial priesthood are chosen from the community of the baptized 

in churches located in particular cultures and societies. Understanding 

these facts is fundamental in helping to build up a formation 



142   Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age   

 

 

programme that is relevant for the times. Thus, any seminary 

formation today in the Church, be it in Nigeria or anywhere in the 

global north, must take seriously the reading of the signs of the times. 

The Church of the twenty-first century is not going to be similar to 

that of the twentieth century. We currently live in the age of 

technology. Different types of community are springing up globally 

that go beyond previous understandings of that term. New notions of 

ecclesial structures are being formed. A broader understanding of 

ecclesial leadership is fast becoming the norm. The laity is becoming 

very educated theologically and sometimes more informed 

theologically than the ordained as seems to be the case in the western 

world. Nigeria is not immune from these changes occurring. The 

existential and ultimate questions being asked by the young are 

conditioned by the totality of their experiences in more globalized and 

pluralistic contexts. With the above in mind, I offer the first of four 

interventions to help articulate new formative programmes for the 

future members of the clergy in Nigeria; priestly formation in Nigeria 

today should begin with a serious reflection on the signs of the times 

in the country. What does it mean to be a Church in today’s Nigeria, 
where religious and cultural pluralism are key components of the 

lived experiences of the people? What and how does it mean to be a 

Church in an era when Nigeria is positioned to become the largest 

economy in Africa and may become a prominent player in the global 

economy? How and in what ways can the Church be relevant to a 

society where women are rightly reclaiming their roles in society? 

Simply reciting old arguments to address new discourses is at best an 

insult to people’s intelligence.  
 To read the signs of the times is to position the Church for its 

role as an agent of the new evangelization. This new evangelization 

ought not to be focused solely on making Christians out of people. 

Rather, it ought to go beyond that. It must help people appreciate who 

they are as sexualized beings. Today, we live in an era of full self-

expression. This is the era of the #METOO Movement. This is the era 

of #BlackLivesMatter Movement. The Church in Nigeria cannot 

function as though it is isolated from these global social movements 

and concerns. It should also resist the temptation to want to appeal to 

catechesis that offers shallow answers to complex issues. Human 

sexuality is a complex matter, one that must not be seen anymore 



 Contemporary Sexual Crises in the Church and the Challenge   143 

 

from the locus of the problematic. The Church in Nigeria ought to 

come up with a holistic human formation that addresses the spectrum 

of human sexuality as embodied in the lives of candidates for the 

priesthood. To think and operate formation programmes with the 

mindset that all persons in the programmes are themselves 

heterosexual persons may not be doing justice to the needs of persons 

who do not identify with heterosexuality.  

 A recent poll conducted by The Initiative for Equal Rights 

(TIERS) found out that “39% of Nigerians approve of members of the 
LGBTQ+ community having equal access to public healthcare, 

education, and housing.”21 The Church ought to be leading this 

conversation and promoting inclusive social teachings that address the 

needs of these persons. The best way to account for this is to have a 

robust formation programme that speaks to these social issues. 

Making the hermeneutical shift that moves from the problematic to 

the locus of giftedness can help the Church to see possibilities of hope 

and new knowledge it may not have been capable of seeing 

previously. Stated differently, “a Christian theology of creation means 
that we accept the whole of reality, ourselves included, as given and 

gift. The task of human freedom is to become who we are and we 

cannot do that without continually trying to understand better who we 

are. This is a never-ending process.”22 Thus, reading the signs of the 

times is itself a form of prophetic response to the call of discipleship 

that is relevant to our era. The Church must be seen and must also see 

itself as an instrument of God’s mercy. Pope Francis has made his 
pontificate a reflector of this theological and ministerial stance. There 

is beauty in such a strategy. For too long, the Church has embraced a 

rigid normative approach to human sexuality that is defined radically 

by western notions of natural law, which, of it itself, is culturally 

conditioned. A legitimate question the Nigerian Church must respond 

to is this: are there no cultural insights from Nigeria that can help the 

Church to embrace a more humanistic, personalistic, and holistic 

understanding of human sexuality that is not radically limited by the 

dualism of good and evil or right and wrong that seems to have 

defined western understandings of sexual identities and expressions? 

This question calls for Nigerian theologians and the members of the 

Church to take seriously their responsibilities as educated members of 

the Church to articulate an Afro-Nigerian theology on human 

sexuality that speaks to what it means to be human in the Nigerian 



144   Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age   

 

 

context. Without denying the usefulness of the natural law tradition in 

western societies’ construction of knowledge, be it in their 

philosophical or theological traditions, I am of the view that an 

African pragmatic ethics needs to be the modus operandi for the 

Nigerian Church. What does this entail? Perhaps, the insight of 

Kwame Gyekye will help explicate the point I am making here. In his 

words: 

On what grounds are some acts (etc.) considered 

good? The answer is simply that each of them is 

supposed … to bring about or lead to social well-
being. Within the framework of Akan social and 

humanistic ethics, what is morally good is generally 

that which promotes social welfare, solidarity, and 

harmony in human relationships. Moral value in the 

Akan system is determined in terms of its 

consequences for mankind and society. “good” is thus 
used of actions that promote human interest. The good 

is identical with the welfare of the society, which is 

expected to include the welfare of the individual… It 
is clear that this definition does not at all refer to the 

will or commands of God. That which is good is 

decreed not by a supernatural being as such, but by 

human beings within the framework of their 

experiences in living in society.23 

In a very abbreviated form, natural law tradition makes a 

metaphysical assumption that imputes moral normativity on persons, 

objects, and actions irrespective of the nuances brought about by 

context or social locations of the acting subject. On the other hand, 

African pragmatic ethics situates the moral content of a being, object, 

or action within their complex relational interactions operating in a 

concrete community.24 

 Let me offer a second intervention. Christianity’s Achilles 
heel has always been a bias for a dualistic vision of the human person. 

Question three of The Penny Catechism begins by asking: In whose 

image and likeness are humans made? The corresponding answer is 

that it is in God’s image that humans are made. Then the next 
question asks categorically if the likeness of God is “in your [one’s] 
body or in your [one’s] soul.” The response is telling. “This likeness 



 Contemporary Sexual Crises in the Church and the Challenge   145 

 

to God is chiefly in my [one’s] soul.”25 For centuries, many Christians 

have recited these lines and have never stopped to question the 

theological rationale behind such glaring dualistic anthropology. If 

the soul is what “chiefly” represents the divine likeness in us, one is 
thus compelled to ask the question, what then does the body 

represent? Christian theology has a rich and yet very sad history in 

depicting the body and all that it represents as a pathway for 

temptations and the corruption of the soul. What does this mean in 

light of sexual ethics today? I would say, everything. The sexual crisis 

the Church faces today can be traced to this disjointed and 

paradoxical dualism inherent in the Church’s theological 
anthropology. Not being able to see the human body with all its 

embodied affectivity as epiphanic gifts of God’s encounter with 
creation reduces the Church’s capacity to mediate a rich narrative of 
how God works in and with us in the concreteness of our 

embodiment. God did not become human “chiefly” in our soul. 
Rather, the incarnation speaks of a God who chose to become fully 

one with us in all that we are except sin. In the incarnation, all 

dualistic arguments are rendered invalid. God became not just a 

human being but a sexualized being. It is important that theologians 

take this seriously. If I may be as vivid as possible, the sexualized 

God-human experienced all the emotions attached to sexual self-

discoveries and these entail all the hormonal realities involved. I 

recall a conversation I had with a fellow theologian some years ago 

when I made the comment that the adolescent Jesus must have had 

wet dreams and thought constantly of the persons he had ‘crushes’ on 
as do typical adolescents who are going through puberty. I could see 

my colleague almost having a nervous breakdown. He just could not 

conceive of his Jesus as being described in such ‘dirty’ terms. For 
him, sexuality is a dirty thing and at best sinful. The keyword here is 

an experience. “Though experience is always open to fallible 
interpretation, the bottom line is that experience is, and always has 

been, the most reliable source for discerning God’s will.”26 It is not 

the abstract postulations of reason as though the reason has its own 

embodiment different from its unity with the body. 

 The Church is in urgent need of a holistic approach to human 

sexuality, one that must move away from beginning the conversation 

from fallenness, sinfulness, and evil to a starting point that stresses 

the beauty, sacredness, and fulfilling nature of being a sexualized 



146   Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age   

 

 

being. There is too much shame in the current theological discourse 

on human sexuality. The Church should move to a locus of pride in 

addressing what it means to be fully human. This responsibility must 

begin with the actual formation of future ministers of the Church. One 

wonders how those who are called to mediate the fullness of God’s 
life to the Church and world and who are trained to see a fundamental 

aspect of that divine-human life as innately sinful can themselves be 

effective in their callings. Are they not being set up to fail even before 

they begin their ministry? The challenge for seminary formators today 

is to address the following questions: how comfortable and healthy 

are the discussions around human sexuality in the curriculum? How 

matured are the candidates for the priesthood to express who they are 

as sexual beings, and what concrete ways do they embrace to ensure 

that their affects are nurtured while also embarking on the formation 

of the other aspects of their lives? I do not think the Church is capable 

of bringing about this transformative move on its own. This leads me 

to offer a third intervention that may be helpful to the Church as it 

addresses the lacunae present in its vision of the human person. 

 Human collective wisdom has given us many angles from 

viewing and understanding our world. Groundbreaking research 

continues to be carried out in different fields. Disciplines such as 

sociology, anthropology, psychology, and many more continue to 

enrich our collective understanding of what it means to be human in 

the totality of our embodiment. Even the pure sciences have helped us 

to understand how our affects and decision-making processes 

continue to be shaped by the chemical makeup of our bodies. All 

these discoveries are a wealth of knowledge that can help the Church 

continue to grow in its theological articulation of what it means to be 

human. May I offer a very direct critique of a strand in the theological 

tradition of our church and maybe it might help us to make the much-

needed shift to help address the current sex abuse crisis. There is a 

strong natural law tradition in the Church. Many of the Church’s 
positions on issues dealing with human sexuality, reproductive health, 

and even the recent document from the Congregation for Catholic 

Education on gender theory demonstrate a clear bias for a particular 

way of reading the natural law tradition – one that is rooted in the 

Greco-Roman philosophical, theological, and cultural heritage. But 

one has to ask the critical questions, is this particular reading of 



 Contemporary Sexual Crises in the Church and the Challenge   147 

 

natural law done in honest dialogue with these other disciplines and 

their findings or is this reading of natural law based on an insular 

approach that preferences a specific narrative even when that 

narrative has no evidential credence? Why can’t the Church 

appropriate more than one approach to understanding humans as 

ethical beings that include both the western natural law tradition and 

the African pragmatic ethical approach? How can one cultural 

knowledge exhaust the richness of human knowledge of how God 

interacts with creation? 

 It is important to note here that at the core of one’s being one 
experiences one’s own identity as genderized and sexual being. To 
simply deny the legitimacy of that self-awareness and existential 

experience may be a dangerous path to follow for the Church if it is to 

fully be a medium of hope and life for many who seek its counsel at 

moments in their lives when they need the nurturing and supporting 

guidance of its counsel. I opine strongly that the starting point for the 

Church’s position on human sexuality ought always to be an open 

dialogue with other disciplines. The marriage of reason and faith is 

not a marriage of convenience. It ought to be one of authentic 

dialogue, however difficult that dialogue may be. I am not a 

psychologist. But I have had the honour of knowing persons who 

struggle with their sexual orientations and gender identities. These are 

not experiences that come from a place of abuse of freedom as the 

recent document on gender theory from the Vatican curia seems to 

suggest. These are existential struggles that sometimes lead to 

unimaginable trauma that words cannot describe. How ought the 

Church’s vision of human sexuality speak to these realities in ways 
that holistic embrace of oneself becomes the focus? This is the current 

challenge that a robust sexual ethics must address. Again, seminaries 

cannot exempt themselves from this process. Seminary curricula 

should have a robust number of courses in the social sciences and the 

natural sciences that shed light on what it means to be fully human. 

What is a course in theological anthropology that does not speak to 

the realities of cultural, social, philosophical, scientific, linguistic 

anthropologies? What does it mean to be made in God’s image when 
the embodied human’s social location is not the starting point of any 

God-human talk? Who is Jesus Christ without his social location as a 

Jewish man living in an occupied land under strict patriarchal system? 

Of what value is Jesus Christ to an adolescent who is going through 



148   Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age   

 

 

puberty and struggling with all the hormonal changes in their body if 

the said Jesus is not presented to him/her as one who went through the 

same experience and came out of it unscathed? Our theological 

discourses in the seminaries must now be as pragmatic and concrete 

as they can be if we are to have a handle on the sex abuse crisis. Our 

current crisis lies in the strong urge to flee to the utopic state of 

abstract discourses on what it means to be human. We are not words. 

We are embodied beings living in the concreteness of the here and 

now. 

 I want to begin my fourth intervention for a new paradigm for 

priestly formation that speaks to our realities today with a question. 

Why seminary formation? This question is the key to understanding 

how and why the Church is faced today with the crises of 

inauthenticity among those ordained and tasked with the 

responsibility to be the media of God’s mercy to God’s own people. 
This question comes also from my own experiences as one who had 

the pleasure of receiving priestly formation from two very different 

models, one that is aligned to a more traditional model and another 

more progressive that seems to be taking seriously insights from 

discoveries from the social sciences. Before I proceed, let me state it 

clearly, in no way am I ranking these two models. Rather, I am 

attempting to see how one can help the other grow even though I am 

convinced that priestly formation must be contextually shaped to help 

address the unique needs of the local church. Uniqueness does not 

mean isolationism.  

 A critical observation of priestly formation both in Nigeria 

and in the United States of America validates the following 

comments: in Nigerian priestly formation programmes that I am 

conversant with, one can conclude that there is a strong focus on 

weeding-out candidates for the priesthood who are judged to be 

lacking in virtue or character needed for priestly ministry. One could 

argue that the very fact that there are so many candidates for priestly 

formation along with fewer resources to carryout holistic formation 

may be contributing to this model. But there are grave implications 

arising from this model. Rather than helping candidates open up to the 

formative process with all candidness and knowing they would not be 

judged but rather helped to become better persons who through an 

elaborate discernment process may discover later their other callings 



 Contemporary Sexual Crises in the Church and the Challenge   149 

 

away from the priesthood or even to the priesthood, a state of 

paranoia is created in their lives and they end up being inauthentic 

and secretive about who they are. Paying attention to the study cited 

earlier in this work on the state of sex crisis in the Church in the 

United States of America, one notices that the height of the crisis 

came during the time when the Church was also experiencing some 

vocation boom and operating a weed-out model of formation. On the 

other hand, a different model that is currently being practised by a 

growing number of dioceses in the United States is what I have 

labelled the full-authenticity model. It entails a formative process 

where candidates for the priesthood are invited to self-disclose who 

they are, and that includes their sexual orientation. Whatever level 

one finds oneself in the sexual orientation spectrum is received as 

gifts that can be used to help the candidate to fully live out their 

calling to voluntary celibacy that the priesthood calls for. For this goal 

to be realized, concrete steps are taken to help the candidates in 

formation to embrace their inner truths as sexual persons. There are 

series of evaluations throughout the formative process and these 

include expert opinions from the social sciences. Candidates for the 

priesthood are considered human beings who are on a life journey and 

that means they need all the professional, formal, and informal 

support at the different stages in that journey. Knowing that one is in 

formation not to be judged or weeded out but to be helped to discern 

correctly and acquire the needed skills, talents, and virtues for the 

ministry ahead allows for these candidates to open themselves up at 

their core to the process even if that opening up means embracing 

their own vulnerabilities. There is beauty in such a process when it is 

done right.  

 Lest my readers think that the American model is free from 

error, let me offer a few comments based on my time in the seminary 

in the United States and my interactions with seminary formators here 

in the country as well; American seminary formation today needs to 

create a culture and climate that appreciates the beauty of intellectual 

formation. Due to the lack of vocations, there is the temptation to 

want to water-down the intellectual formation of future priests. There 

isn’t much, if any, philosophical foundation for seminarians before 

they embark on their theological formation. Even when engaged in 

theological formation, it has become the trend to see seminarians 

embracing a cafeteria approach to theological formation. They tend to 



150   Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age   

 

 

reject theologians and their works they have judged for themselves to 

be unorthodox. Also, American seminary programmes need to take 

seriously the discoveries in the social sciences on social issues like 

racism, and systems of oppression. Throughout my time in the 

seminary, not a single course was offered on such topics dealing with 

systemic racism and xenophobia. If at all there is an original sin of 

American society, it is racism. To educate men for the ordained 

priesthood who are supposed to be sources of life and hope for God’s 
people, and not prepare them on how to address the social sins of the 

society and the Church in this part of the world, is to diminish their 

ability to be agents of positive change. 

 

Conclusion 

In this work, I have intentionally moved away from the simplistic 

conclusions that tend to define the current clergy sex abuse crisis as 

being perpetuated by a homosexual mafia in the Roman Catholic 

priesthood. There is no evidence justifying such a sensational 

conclusion. I do not want to give a myth the legitimacy it does not 

deserve. However, there is clear evidence that the Church has a sexual 

abuse crisis amongst its clergy. The crisis seems to be growing as we 

begin to see that it goes beyond just priests and deacons. The entire 

clergy has a sex abuse crisis on its hands and it needs to figure out 

how to address this issue. The recent decision of Pope Francis 

instructing how the crisis ought to be addressed by leaving it in the 

hands of the bishops and Roman curia is a good place to start the 

much-needed reform.27 To now require a metropolitan to take the lead 

in the investigation of a suffragan bishop under his jurisdiction, as 

directed by Francis in his Motu Proprio, Vos Estis Lux Mundi, calls 

for some honest discernment process.28 It might be wise for the 

Church to move completely the investigative process of episcopal 

sexual abuse and priestly sexual abuse to a more neutral body that is 

comprised of laypeople. This approach will allow for complete 

transparency that may not always be the case when a bishop is tasked 

with the responsibility of leading an investigation into the 

moral/immoral actions of a fellow bishop.  

 It is worth noting that no institution can reform itself 

internally. It has never happened even in the history of the Church. 

One wonders why and how Pope Francis thinks this time around it is 



 Contemporary Sexual Crises in the Church and the Challenge   151 

 

going to be different. Yes, I know that the pontiff is canonically 

bound to act within the juridical tradition of the Church where the 

local church has its own autonomy. However, a greater good is now at 

stake, the integrity of the Church. This greater good calls for a new 

approach to Canon Law and its inherent tradition. Without reducing 

other bishops to mere secretaries of the Bishop of Rome, it might be 

useful for the Church to articulate new canonical regulations that offer 

to the laity deliberative powers in helping the clergy to be faithful to 

its commitment to the people of God, especially in matters dealing 

with monitoring the unfolding sexual abuse crisis among the ranks of 

the ordained. Each diocese ought to have its own deliberative process 

with each member having equal deliberative powers to arrive at 

decisions that should include the reduction of the ordained to the lay 

state. The fact that the baptism of the laity is what decides their rights 

and duties in the Church, the members of such a commission should 

be able to apply disciplines to those found guilty that are currently 

reserved to the Holy See. This is not going to slip into the ancient 

struggles between the ordained and the laity. Such fears come from a 

place of power.  

 It is time for the Church to abandon narratives and the 

psychology of power and embrace the psychology of service and 

humility. The current sex abuse scandal has injured the Church at its 

very core. How it heals from this self-imposed injury will be 

determined by its ability to embrace its own vulnerabilities. A church 

that speaks of vulnerability as the gateway of experiencing the divine 

must now demonstrate to the world and to itself that it does not only 

speak the words, it also knows how to live them out. 

 

 

Endnotes 

                                                      
1 A longer version of this work will be published under the title “Priestly 

Formation and Sexual Abuse in The Roman Catholic Church: In Dialogue with 

The Nigerian Church,” Journal of Black Catholic Theological Symposium 

(2019). 
2 Judith Lorber, “BELIEVING IS SEEING: Biology as ideology,” Gender and 

Society 7, no. 4 (1993), 568 
3 Ibid., 569 – 570. 



152   Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age   

 

 

                                                                                                                       
4 See I. A. Hughes, “Intersex,” BJU International 90, no. 8 (November 2002): 

769 – 776. See also, U. S. National Library of Medicine, “Intersex,” Medical 

Encyclopedia, accessed June 17, 2019, 

 https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/001669.htm  
5 Christine E. Gudorf, Body, Sex, and Pleasure. Reconstructing Christian Sexual 

Ethics (Cleveland, Ohio: The Pilgrim Press, 1994), 4. 
6 Lorber, “BELIEVING IS SEEING: Biology as ideology,” 571. 
7 See Congregation for Education, “Male and Female He Created Them” 
Towards A Path of Dialogue on The Question of Gender Theory in Education, 

June 10, 2019, 

https://www.lifesitenews.com/images/local/CONGREGATION_FOR_CATHO

LIC_EDUCATION_EN.pdf. 
8 Ibid., 1. 
9 Ibid., 8. 
10 World Health Organization, “Gender and Genetics,” Genomic Resource 

Centre, accessed August 27, 2019, 

 https://www.who.int/genomics/gender/en/index1.html  
11 As cited by Philip Pullella, “Vatican Condemns Gender Theory as Bid to 
Destroy Nature,” Reuters, June 10, 2019, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-

vatican-gender-idUSKCN1TB20E  
12 Judith Butler, Bodies That Matter (London and New York: Routledge 

Classics, 2011), 182.  
13 Gudorf, Body, Sex, and Pleasure, 5. 
14 For a detailed review of the report, see, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, 

The City University of New York, The Nature and Scope of Sexual Abuse of 

Minor by Catholic Priests and Deacons in the United States 1950 – 2002 

(Washington D.C.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2004). 
15 John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation: Pastores Dabo Vobis, 

March 25, 1992, 44, http://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-

ii/en/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_jp-ii_exh_25031992_pastores-dabo-

vobis.html. 
16 Ibid. 
17 Kevin T. Kelly, New Directions in Sexual Ethics. Moral Theology and the 

Challenge of Aids (London and Washington: Geoffrey Chapman, 1998), 25. 
18 H. J. Schroeder, Canons and Decree of the Council of Trent. Original Text 

with English Translation (St. Loui, MO/London, 1941), 175 – 179. 
19 Ibid., 175. 
20 Ibid. 
21 Happiness Nleweoha, “Watch: A Recent Statistics On LGBT Community in 
Nigeria,” The Guardian, August 11, 2018, https://guardian.ng/life/watch-a-

recent-statistics-on-lgbt-community-in-nigeria/  
22 Kelly, New Directions in Sexual Ethics, 28. 

https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/001669.htm
https://www.lifesitenews.com/images/local/CONGREGATION_FOR_CATHOLIC_EDUCATION_EN.pdf
https://www.lifesitenews.com/images/local/CONGREGATION_FOR_CATHOLIC_EDUCATION_EN.pdf
https://www.who.int/genomics/gender/en/index1.html
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-vatican-gender-idUSKCN1TB20E
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-vatican-gender-idUSKCN1TB20E
http://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_jp-ii_exh_25031992_pastores-dabo-vobis.html
http://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_jp-ii_exh_25031992_pastores-dabo-vobis.html
http://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_jp-ii_exh_25031992_pastores-dabo-vobis.html
https://guardian.ng/life/watch-a-recent-statistics-on-lgbt-community-in-nigeria/
https://guardian.ng/life/watch-a-recent-statistics-on-lgbt-community-in-nigeria/


 Contemporary Sexual Crises in the Church and the Challenge   153 

 

                                                                                                                       
23 Kwame Gyekye, An Essay on African Philosophical Thought. The Akan 

Conceptual Scheme. Revised Edition (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 

1995), 132. 
24 For a detailed treatment of this topic, see SimonMary A. Aihiokhai, 

“Embracing the Pragmatic In African Indigenous Religions: New Perspective 

for Interfaith Dialogue,” Christianity and Culture Collision: Particularities and 

Trends from a Global South. Eds. Cyril Orji and Joseph Ogbonnaya 

(Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2016): 151 – 

163. 
25 The Penny Catechism: A Catechism of Christian Doctrine (Charlotte, North 

Carolina: TAN Books, 2012), 1. 
26 Gudorf, Body, Sex, and Pleasure, 12. 
27 See Francis, Apostolic Letter. On The Protection of Minors and Vulnerable 

Persons, March 26, 2019, 

http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/motu_proprio/documents/papa-

francesco-motu-proprio-20190326_latutela-deiminori.html. See also, Law No. 

CCXCVII. On The Protection of Minor and Vulnerable Persons, March 26, 

2019,  

http://www.vatican.va/resources/resources_protezioneminori-

legge297_20190326_en.html . See also, Guidelines for The Protection of 

Children and Vulnerable Persons, March 26, 2019, 

http://www.vatican.va/resources/resources_protezioneminori-

lineeguida_20190326_en.html.  
28 See Francis, Apostolic Letter: Motu Proprio – Vos Estis, Lux Mundi, May 7, 

2019, 

https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/motu_proprio/documents/papa-

francesco-motu-proprio-20190507_vos-estis-lux-mundi.html  

http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/motu_proprio/documents/papa-francesco-motu-proprio-20190326_latutela-deiminori.html
http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/motu_proprio/documents/papa-francesco-motu-proprio-20190326_latutela-deiminori.html
http://www.vatican.va/resources/resources_protezioneminori-legge297_20190326_en.html
http://www.vatican.va/resources/resources_protezioneminori-legge297_20190326_en.html
http://www.vatican.va/resources/resources_protezioneminori-lineeguida_20190326_en.html
http://www.vatican.va/resources/resources_protezioneminori-lineeguida_20190326_en.html
https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/motu_proprio/documents/papa-francesco-motu-proprio-20190507_vos-estis-lux-mundi.html
https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/motu_proprio/documents/papa-francesco-motu-proprio-20190507_vos-estis-lux-mundi.html


154  Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

 

 

 

C H A P T E R  1 0  
 

 

 

The Seminarian and the Digital Age: 

Implications for Authentic Formation 
 

Gregory Ebalu OGBENIKA & 

Anthony Ifechukwude AKALUE 

 

 

 

Introduction 

In his message for the Jubilee year 2000, the Holy Father, Pope John 

Paul II called for ‘New Evangelization’ with new methods in the 

propagation of the Gospel. This pronouncement of the Holy Father 

ushers in a wind for the adoption of notable tools for evangelization in 

the 20th century. The 20th century is said to be a century of 

digitalization. In the modern wake of science and technology, there 

seem to be an unparallel form of civilization when compared with the 

centuries before now. This is due to the adoption of the modalities 

and methods of science and technology.  

The digital age began in 1939 with the construction of the first 

digital computer. In the sixty-five years that have followed, the 

influence of digitization on our everyday lives has grown steadily and 

today digital technology has a greater influence on our lives more 

than at any time since its development1. This is not to say the age 

before did not have a share of some level of scientific development. 

In fact, Thales, Anaxagoras, Rene Descartes and a host of others had 

a feel of this reality.  

However, it is important to note that the media has been 

bastardized. Some persons see it as an avenue for being immoral. This 

ranges from the awareness of pornography, sextex, plagiarism and so 

on. The evil about this is that it is with a click of the button. With the 



The Seminarian and the Digital Age: Implications…      155 
 

 

 

aid of digitization, scammers and criminals are on the increase. This 

is why the percentage of cybercrime has gone on the increase in 

recent years. For this reason, government has brought in different 

ways to help check and curb its use and excesses. Even non-

governmental organizations have waded into helping in savaging the 

negative effects of digitization.  

Everyone has a right to technology. Human Rights are those 

legal and/or moral rights that all persons have, simply as persons. In 

the current digital age, human rights are increasingly being either 

fulfilled or violated in the online environment2. The seminarians who 

are under formation to be Catholic Priests are also exposed to these 

right and privileges of technologies. The question now is: Will the 

dangers of the digital age affect the integrity of the Church? Will it 

undermine what the Church stands for in the formation of candidate 

for the priesthood? Will the Church in general, and the seminarians in 

particular, benefit anything from the gains of science and technology? 

Does digital media pose any threat to authentic formation? 

Our aim in this paper is to identify some of  the challenges of 

seminary formation in the digital age. The method to be employed 

will be analytic, prescriptive and systematic. 

 

The Crises of the Digital Age 

Science and technology are a twin characteristics of the 21st century. 

This is because the relevance and impact of science and technology in 

this age has marked tremendous success in the society. The 21st 

century is almost merged with the digital age. In other words, it is 

almost impossible to separate the reality of science and technology 

from the 21st century.  

Digitalization for the sake of clarification is the process of 

converting information into a digital (i.e. computer-readable) format, 

in which the information is organized into bits3. Digitization is of 

crucial importance to data processing, storage and transmission, 

because it "allows information of all kinds in all formats to be carried 

with the same efficiency and also intermingled".4 

The age of digitization seeks to move from the analogue way 

of doing things to a more sophisticated form. This in a way has 

improved economic cohesion and foster human interaction.  This 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_data
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bit


156  Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

digital transformation and translation is seen and felt in virtually 

every facet of today’s existence. Business moguls and other scientific 

expatriates excel because of the untiring success of digitization. They 

all use the potential of digitization to offer humanity smarter and 

faster services and actively shape their immediate environs with the 

help of digital transformation5. The digital media affects all sectors of 

society, in particular economies, religious, education, social, political, 

cultural sphere. At the same time, it has opened up new networking 

possibilities, and enables co-operation between different persons from 

different locations. In fact, with the aid of digitization, the world has 

now become a ‘global village’.  
The Society of Research in making a distinction between the 

centuries before and the twenty-first century development due to the 

growth of science and technology states:  

By the beginning of the (twenty-first) century, the 

notion of progress was closely linked with 

technological development, and that linkage 

intensified in the following decades. The automobile 

and the airplane changed not only travel but the nature 

of our cities and towns. Radio and then television 

brought more of the outside world into everyone’s 
home. Knowledge about the causes of diseases 

brought new treatments and preventive measures. 

Computer appeared, and soon the transistor made 

them smaller, more powerful, more accessible, and 

cheaper… organized research and development., 

which are increasingly international in character, have 

greatly increased the production of new knowledge. 

Deeper understanding of living organisms is leading 

toward cures of diseases once thought.6  

 

The point here is that the modern society has benefitted from the 

gains of science and technology. This benefits range from the 

invention and management of automobile and aircrafts down to the 

dissemination of information with the aid of television and radio 

together with other media forms of communication. Even the 

educational sector is not left out since it has benefited in the way and 

manner researches are carried out. These researches have helped in no 

small measure in detecting the causes of some diseases and sickness 



The Seminarian and the Digital Age: Implications…      157 
 

 

 

and sought ways to combat them by proffering solutions. No doubt 

that this will also be of benefit to the political sphere of the state, 

because a state where all of these are evident is said to be an ideal 

state. Religious leaders will also benefit from it, because they can 

reach out to so many persons as much as possible from all works of 

life.  

 The age is also characterized with different mode of social 

media communication as evident in the presence of the internet. The 

internet has a major impact when it comes to providing new 

opportunities that were not previously available in the past centuries. 

This internet is a channel in constant development, enjoying high 

attention and being currently used by more than a third of the global 

population7. Giving all of these benefits of modernization in this 

digital age, there exist some mismanagement of the potency of 

science and technology. This is evident in the increment of cyber-

crimes and all forms of media violence in this present age. Recent 

polls have shown by percentage, how crime has grown over time. 

Attacks against information infrastructure and internet 

services have already taken place. Online fraud and 

hacking attacks are some examples of computer-

related crimes that are committed on a large scale 

everyday. The financial damage caused by cybercrime 

is reported to be enormous. In 2003 alone, malicious 

software caused damages of up to USD 17 billion. By 

some estimates, revenues from cybercrime exceeded 

USD 100 billion in 2007, outstripping the illegal trade 

in drugs for the first time. Nearly 60 per cent of 

businesses in the United States believe that 

cybercrime is more costly to them than physical 

crime8.  

Looking at all of these crimes, the document went further to stress on 

the need to protect one’s information “These estimates clearly 

demonstrate the importance of protecting information infrastructure”9. 

The reality of cyber-crime in this modern age has brought in the need 

for cybersecurity in the society. In fact, the 2010 UN General 

Assembly’s resolution on cybersecurity addresses cybercrime as one 

major challenge. Their preoccupation is on the need to collaborate 



158  Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

with the government of each state to enhance cybersecurity so as to 

protect critical information for nation’s security and economic well-
being10. Hacking of websites established for the collation of election 

results is a common language in the conduct of elections in most 

nations of the world today. The 2016 general elections in the United 

States and the just concluded general elections in Nigeria are still 

fresh in our memories as instances, where cyber crime and 

manipulations was perceived to have been adopted in the conduct of 

the elections by the electoral bodies and even some of the political 

parties that were involved in these elections. 

Even the reality of engaging in sexually immoral act online is 

another reality with the digital age. Some engage in pornography and 

other sexual crimes online. Looking at all of these crimes, can one say 

the digital age is beneficial to the human person? Since the subject of 

study is its challenges to Seminarians, can one say it is still relevant to 

The Church and Seminary Formation? A close look at the nature of 

The Church and the urgency of digitalization will help underscore 

whether or not the digital age is a challenge to those in formation. 

 

The Church and the Digital Age 

The Church is the New Testament (Convenant) people of God united 

in one faith, one baptism and one Lord11. The Church as a New 

Testament people has the mission of proclaiming the mercies of God. 

The Church which is a community of the faithful, has a mission to 

teach and sanctify her members. In doing this, she is called to be open 

to the reality and challenges of her time. In Gaudium et Spes, the 

Concillar Fathers make bold to state that the Church must rise up to 

the challenges of the present innovations of the society and try to 

interpret them in the light of the gospel. “The Church has always had 

the duty of scrutinizing the signs of the times and of interpreting them 

in the light of the Gospel”12.  

One of the signs of this present age is the reality of science 

and technology. This is the age in which seminarians of today are 

formed. It is from this perspective that the Church calls for the proper 

education of the faithful to know how to apply some of the products 

of science and technology. The document on social communication, 

Aetatis Novae says: 

Education and training regarding the internet ought to 

be part of comprehensive programs of media 



The Seminarian and the Digital Age: Implications…      159 
 

 

 

education available to members of the Church. As 

much as possible, pastoral planning for social 

communications should make provision for this 

training in the formation of seminarians, priests, 

religious, and lay pastoral personnel as well as 

teachers, parents, and students.13  

In his message for the World Communication Sunday of 2010, Pope 

Benedict XVI  calls on the pastors of the Church to embrace the 

reality of the media in the proclamation of the Word of God. He also 

warns that they are to make responsible use of it. In other words, the 

use of the media for the proclamation of the word of God must make 

them efficient, compelling and focused. In his words:  

All priests have as their primary duty the proclamation 

of Jesus Christ, the incarnate Word of God, and the 

communication of his saving grace in the sacraments 

… the increased availability of the new technologies 

demand greater responsibility on the part of those 

called to proclaim the word, but it also requires them 

to become more focused, efficient and compelling in 

their efforts14.  

 

There is no doubt, therefore that the introduction of the media to the 

proclamation of the word of God is in obedience to the mandate of 

Christ ‘Go out make disciples of all nations’. With the aid of the 
media, the Church can reach out to as many as she can in the world; 

so it is left for the pastors of souls to embrace the missionary zeal of 

St. Paul who said “Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel(1Cor 

9:16). The Church sees the rise of science and technology as a 

product of man’s intelligence and creative skill. It is indeed a new 

stage of history that must be embraced with bravery and sense of 

mission. The Conciliar Fathers assert thus: 

Today, the human race is involved in a new stage of 

history. Profound and rapid changes are spreading by 

degrees around the whole world. Triggered by the 

intelligence and creative energies of man, these 

changes recoil upon him, upon his decisions and 

desire, both individual and collective, and upon his 



160  Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

manner of thinking and acting with respect to things 

and to people. Hence, we can already speak of a true 

cultural and social transformation, one which has 

repercussions on man’s religious life as well.15  

There is no doubt that the reality of science and technology has 

changed the face of man’s culture and social interactions, so in order 

not to allow humanity to be easily swayed by this wind of change, the 

Church has as her responsibility, to nurture the faith of her members 

in the light of this changing culture of science and technology. Any 

form of neglect in this regard will cause major harm to the flock that 

has been entrusted to her. 

 It becomes pertinent to state here that if the Church fails to 

utilize this powerful means of evangelization, they might end up 

feeling guilty in the future as Evangeli Nuntiandi asserts: The Church 

would feel guilty before the Lord if she did not utilize these powerful 

means that human skill is daily rendering more perfect. It is through 

them that she proclaims from the house tops the message of which she 

is the depository16. This is where the instruction from the Code of 

Canon Law becomes pertinent: 

While pride of place must always be given to 

preaching and catechetical instruction, all the 

available means of proclaiming Christian doctrine are 

to be used: the exposition of doctrine in schools, in 

institutes of higher learning, at conference and 

meetings of all kinds; public declarations by lawful 

authority on the occasion of certain events; the printed 

word and other means of social communication.17 

 

So in order not to feel guilty before the Lord who has endowed the 

human person with the knowledge of putting together the 

technicalities of the media, it is important that the Church employ 

every means necessary for the proclamation of the Gospel. This will 

help the pastoral ministry of the priest and the seminarians under 

formation. Now, a close examination of the different areas of priestly 

formation will be necessary here. This will help to ascertain the 

different areas in which technological advancement will affect the 

formation of the seminarian. 

 

 



The Seminarian and the Digital Age: Implications…      161 
 

 

 

The Seminarian and the Areas of Priestly Formation in the Light 

of Vatican II 

The Seminary is an institution where candidates for the priesthood are 

formed. The institution of the seminary was established by the 

sixteenth century Council of Trent. Seminaries were charged with the 

formation of men for the priesthood. The character of seminary 

education was largely unchanged until the Second Vatican Council 

(1962–1965).18  

The Second Vatican Council has on various occasions dealt 

with the subject of the life, ministry and formation of priests. The 

Church through the Vatican II document, has done this in a more 

solemn way during the synods of Bishops. Already in October 1967, 

the first General Ordinary Assembly of the Synod devoted five 

general congregations to the subject of the renewal of seminaries. 

This work as it were, gave a decisive impulse to the formulation of 

the document of the Congregation for Catholic Education entitled, 

“Fundamental Norms for Priestly Formation”. The Second Ordinary 
General Assembly held in 1971 spent half its time on the ministerial 

priesthood. The result of this synodal discourse were incorporated as 

recommendations, which were submited to Pope Paul VI. The 

recommendations were read at the opening of the 1974 Synod. And in 

their recommendations, certain areas of priestly formation were 

outlined which include the human, spiritual, intellectual and the 

pastoral. This is a further proof that the magisterium of the Church 

has always shown interest in the ministry and life of the priests.  

The Seminarian who is a candidate for the priesthood is 

expected to pass through these four areas of priestly formation. Here, 

an excursus will be made on the four areas of priestly formation. The 

human formation is seen as the basis of all other areas of priestly 

formation. This is because it is the human person who will be formed 

to act in the person of Christ. One becomes a priest by first becoming 

a human being, and if one must become a responsible priest he must 

first become a responsible human being. This further underscores that 

the essence of human formation is to make a person acquire and 

develop certain human qualities in order to relate well with his fellow 

human beings, so that together they all make out of their relationship 

one human family.19  



162  Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

The spiritual formation has as its target communion with God 

and the search for Christ. It is a response to the call to holiness of the 

priest. This demand for personal holiness and other spiritual 

requirements in the life of priests is obvious. The call to priestly 

holiness implies the need to constantly look into ourselves so as to be 

able to discover, the abiding presence of God.20 The priest is called to 

a life of faith, hope and charity. The essential aspect to be looked into 

in this quest for holiness include prayer, meditation on the word of 

God, the love for the Eucharist and the Blessed Virgin Mary.  

The Intellectual Formation seeks above all man’s intelligent, 
by which he participates in the light of God’s mind and seeks to 
acquire a wisdom which in turn opens to and is directed towards 

knowing and adhering to God. This is because if we want every 

Christian to be prepared in order to make a defence of the faith and to 

account for the hope that is in us, then all the more should the 

candidates for the priesthood and priest have diligent care of the 

quality of their intellectual formation in their education and pastoral 

activity.21  

All the elements of Human, Spiritual and intellectual 

formation, have their cumulative point in Pastoral formation. Every 

priest is a priest not only for his own sake but for the sake of God’s 
people. The formation of the priest must lead him to follow in the 

footstep of the Good Shepherd.22 It is to this end that Pope John Paul 

II speaks of pastoral charity which is the summation of the way of 

thinking and acting proper to Jesus Christ, head and shepherd of the 

church.23 This pastoral charity has as its component, the need to be 

selfless in the service of God’s people as Christ did when he laid 
down his life for his sheep. 

This task of formation by the church is considered as a 

continuation of the work of Christ as evident in the gospels where he 

went up a high mountain to call those whom he desired to be with him 

(Mk 3:13-15). This means that the goal of priestly formation is: ‘Until 
Christ is formed in you’ (Gal 4:19).   

Looking at the above areas of priestly formation, does the 

reality of the digital age have a challenge to authentic formation? 

 

 

 



The Seminarian and the Digital Age: Implications…      163 
 

 

 

The Digital Age and Seminary Formation: Implications for 

Authentic Formation 

The candidate for the priesthood whose duty is to fulfil the obligation 

of the pastoral ministry of the Church, must rise up to the present 

challenge of his time. It is the challenge of the reality of digitalization. 

He must strive to see this tool of the age as a veritable means to fulfil 

his God given mandate. 

 The use of the media has several implications in the life of the 

seminarians. Junko Yamamoto and Simeon Ananou noted four 

implications of technology to the life of the human person. These 

implications are: Cognitive, social, ethical and emotional 

implications24. On our part we will add the spiritual implication since 

spiritual formation is one of the four areas of priestly formation. 

However, it should be noted that these implications will be situated on 

the seminarians in formation 

 

1. The Seminarian and his Mental State: Cognitive Implication 

The use of technology has a way of facilitating our mental state. It 

makes the mind alert at sending and responding to a message and 

reacting to issues at large. This is because it is expected that one must 

think and reflect in order to send or respond to a message. However, it 

becomes disastrous when one responds to issues via social media 

when such an individual is absent-minded. This is common when the 

seminarian is trying to multitask; that is, doing many things at the 

same time and at that same time typing or sending a message via 

email, WhatsApp, or Facebook. Multitasking has become a 

predominant behaviour among technology users. Watching TV and 

listening to music on a portable device while drafting an email and 

trying to respond to occasional text messages from friends is 

becoming a common practice. The question one might ask is, “How 
well the human brain is able to process and assimilate multiple 

unrelated information and tasks?” After all, the brain can only process 

approximately seven spans of information in working memory25. This 

simply means that doing so many things (more than seven spans of 

information for the brain) while trying to disseminate information via 

the media can be dangerous. The candidate for the priesthood must 

guide against this danger. 



164  Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

The danger becomes more when it is a hurting messages to 

another person that may affect the person’s psyche. Such an atrocious 

act has a negative impact on the recipient of such a message; and the 

retraction more often than not makes no difference. Junko and 

Simeon says “ (In) electronic communication, it is impossible to take 
back a comment and have it erased from the person’s memory when 
the electronic user has not employed the ability to think before 

sending, posting or sharing content”26. 

 For the seminarian to give a healthy post or message, the 

mental faculty must be a reflective one knowing fully well that it will 

be received by someone who may not have the mental strength to 

understand the intention at which a message is sent to them.  

 

2. The Seminarian and Socio-Pastoral Interaction: The Social 

Implication 

There is no doubt that the influence of the media has a way of making 

one to reach out to numerous persons no matter the distance. Through 

the aid of cell phones, video chats, e-mails and so on, the seminarian 

on formation is able to reach out to so many persons within a short 

space of time. This eventually will be a boost to his pastoral aspect of 

his life. This social cum pastoral interaction in the digital age is not 

hindered by location, this is because with the click of a button, one 

can reach out to those who are miles away. However, it becomes 

worrisome when one prefers this form of interaction to a face-to-face 

interaction. It becomes bad when the candidate for the priesthood 

does not feel the need to give that physical touch to people which 

Christ, his model, gave to all those who encountered him.  Face-to-

face interaction is necessary at times because it is not every hurt that 

can be healed online.  

The point here is that it will be difficult to ascertain or 

identify the cause of a conflict if one does not engage in a one-on-one 

conversation with the person or persons involved. This is why Junko 

and Simeon say “it is hard to identify the source of conflict when tone 

of voice, body language, and facial expression are missing”27. One 

can be easily misunderstood when there is no physical contact with 

one another. This is why the seminarian must not lose sight of 

personal physical touch on the people he is called to socially interact 

with, no matter how enticing the fastness of scientific gadgets are. He 

must see that his interaction with people is not hindered in anyway. 



The Seminarian and the Digital Age: Implications…      165 
 

 

 

On his part, he must guide against individualism. This is because the 

unhealthy use of social media has made people more lonely than ever.  

 

3. The Seminarian and his Emotional Disposition 

Social interaction has a way of influencing the emotional disposition 

of the individual and the Seminarian is not an exemption. The 

Seminarian must be careful of his integrity and reputation because the 

media can upload stuffs about him that will leave an indelible mark 

on his integrity; this no doubt will affect his emotional disposition 

towards the society. “Technology allows us to upload embarrassing 

videos and pictures of others (and yourself) on a public platform such 

as YouTube, Instagram and Facebook and it can be sent to hundreds 

of people with a mobile device. Moreover, such insults can remain 

permanent. Emotional scars from such humiliation can be extremely 

severe”28. This point is necessary because the Seminarian must note 

that integrity is like a glass once shattered, can hardly regain its 

original look. This is so because science and technology has made the 

world a global village. An offence done in the east coast of the world, 

for instance, can spread very fast to other part of the world such that it 

becomes difficult for the Seminarian to easily get off such scandal. 

 Even sexually inclined messages has a way of influencing the 

emotional disposition of  seminarians. It is important to state that 

most of the technological gadgets house pornographic sites such that, 

if one is not careful one begins to act what is seen in that platform. 

 

4. The Seminarian and the Ethical Implication of Research 

Works 

Of the four areas of priestly formation, the emphasis on the 

intellectual formation is very much encouraged. This is because the 

intellectual formation of the seminarian, will help him see the need to 

discern the mind of God. It will help him give answers to the 

prevailing confusion that has rocked the cohesion of the Church’s 
magisterium. The media here will be of utmost assistance because it 

affords the seminarians the opportunity to visit numerous libraries of 

high repute online for proper research.  

It becomes very sad, when the candidate for the priesthood 

does not see reason to work hard to develop himself academically. It 



166  Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

becomes very pathetic when the seminarian sees the innovation of 

science and technology as a means for making hazardous researches. 

One must guide against the unhealthy use of Facebook, Answer.com, 

medlibrary.org, nih.gov, appers.com, encyclopedia and wikipedia as 

avenue to cheat academically. In other words, it is against the ethics 

of research for one to use the social media to plagiarize. Commenting 

on this, Junko and Simeon say “abundant information from the 
internet makes plagiarism easy. While a small portion of students 

admit giving into the temptation to copy others’ work and submit it as 
their own, a large majority of students perceive cyber-plagiarism as a 

practice that is prevalent among their peers. The degree of separation 

between perception and reality in cyber-plagiarism exposes the ethical 

gap that exists in the academic honesty in the digital age”29.   

Plagiarism is an academic fraud that is frowned at all times in 

the academic arena. Since cyber- plagiarism is a crime punishable by 

law, the seminarian must guide against his actions; this is because, it 

will be scandalous for a candidate for the priesthood to be jailed for 

plagiarism. 

 

5. The Media and the Spiritual Implication of Formation 

Spiritual formation is an important aspect of the formation of the 

candidate for the priesthood. This is where they are called to be in 

close union with God who has called them; for cut off from Him, they 

can do nothing (Cf. John 15:5). This simply means that the 

seminarians must constantly seek God’s face; they must constantly 

seek His will and do it without hesitation. It is in obeying their maker 

without hesitation, that their soul is guaranteed a place of rest and 

happiness for their heart is restless until it rests in God.  

There is no doubt that science and technology can also help in 

fostering worship and close union with God. This is because the 

social media gadget has the space for the downloading of bibles 

verses, the psalms, the liturgy of the hours, prayers of the Church, 

hymns and so on. All of these help to uplift the soul of the seminarian 

Be that as it may, care must be taken so that one does not 

spend time adopting the spirituality of the media rather than the 

spirituality of the Church. In other words, one must be careful not to 

be distracted with other capacities of the gadget while one is praying 

for instance. It will be wrong to see seminarians praying the Divine 

Office with an electronic device and at the same time chatting on 



The Seminarian and the Digital Age: Implications…      167 
 

 

 

WhatsApp, Facebook or Yahoo messenger. This no doubt will hinder 

the real nature of effective prayer. 

On the other hand, some persons are so engrossed with the 

workings of technologies that they sacrifice the time for spiritual 

activities. This is evident when one might have succeeded in 

downloading or installing somewhat ‘interesting’ applications on their 
phones, computers or iPad for instance. These applications might 

have ripple effects as the attention of the seminarians may be drawn 

to it so much so as to forget that time for prayers and other useful 

spiritual activities have long passed. Benedict XVI warns the priest 

and the candidate for the priesthood thus. “Priests present in the world 

of digital communications should be less notable for their media 

savvy than for their priestly heart, their closeness to Christ. This will 

not only enliven their pastoral outreach, but also, will give a “soul” to 
the fabric of communications that makes up the ‘web’”30. 

Looking at all of these implications, can one readily say that 

technological training of seminarians in this digital age is necessary? 

The immediate response to this will be positive. This is because the 

seminarian is formed for the 21st century and as such must be ready to 

apply himself to every resources at his disposal for the proclamation 

of the gospel.  

This is where educating the candidate for the priesthood on 

the use of social gadget becomes indispensable. Education is intended 

to make them more human by stimulating their creativity, cognitive 

abilities and ethical value31. Benedict XVI stresses the important of 

educating those in formation on how to use the gadgets when he 

asserts “using new communication technologies, priests can introduce 

people to the life of the Church and help our contemporaries to 

discover the face of Christ. They will best achieve this aim if they 

learn, from the time of their formation, how to use these technologies 

in a competent and appropriate way, shaped by sound theological 

insights and reflecting a strong priestly spirituality grounded in 

constant dialogue with the Lord”32. 

As the Holy Father noted, a proper education on the use of the 

media is very important this is because when technology is not well 

co-ordinated, it can distract the process of strengthening humanity. 

Knowledge of a thing will help one know how to use it and how to 



168  Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

teach others to use it. How can the seminarian teach those of the 21st 

century the ethics of the use of technologies if he himself is not 

grounded in it? This is where it is necessary to incorporate the ethics 

of science and technology in the formation of the candidate for the 

priesthood so that they may make useful impact to this age. The 

seminarians can only teach people how to use the media when they 

know its workability. 

To be able to meet up with the responsibility of the media in 

this digital age, there must be proper formation of the “will” in the use 
of digital gadgets. This will enable the seminarian know how to make 

good decisions on the use of the media and teach others same. The 

seminarian must know the ideal place and situation where the use of 

internet electronic devices are necessary. Those in charge of forming 

candidates for the priesthood must see to it that the norms of cyber 

ethics are taught so that the seminarian will be more cautious of their 

use. 

 

Conclusion 

Accordingly, from the above, let us embrace the use of the media with 

the right disposition. This is because the media which is a product of 

the digital age has its deep influence on the Church where it will help 

both her leaders and her members to grasp the reality of life.  

The Church has a lot to benefit from the proper use of modern 

media as Boniface Asuzu citing Harry Skornia says “A non-

communicating Church is unthinkable. And to communicate we must 

use the communication tools of our age not in an half-heated way … 
but as a primary (tool)”33. So there is no gain demonizing the use of 

the media on the ground of its negative influence alone; a thorough 

investigation on its positive aspects must be explored so that the 

richness of the Church will be savoured by everyone most especially 

the seminarians in formation, who will be the future leaders of the 

Church. This will help him overcome and meet up with the 

contemporary challenges of the digital age. 

 



The Seminarian and the Digital Age: Implications…      169 
 

 

 

Endnotes 
                                                           
1 Andrew D. Murray & Mathais Klang. Human Right in the Digital Age 

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/30527170_Human_rights_in_the_digit

al_age last accessed 28th July,2019. 
2  Kay Mathisen “Human Right for the Digital Age” Journal of Mass Media 

Ethics: Exploring Questions of Media Morality. Vol 29 2014 p.2 

3 Digitization/digitisation" in Collins English Dictionary, 

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/search, accessed 15th of 

October 2019, 
4 Cf. McQuail , D  McQuail’s Mass Communication Theory (4th edition), Sage 

:London Sage,  2000,  pp. 16-34 

5 Daniel Schallmo et al “ Digital Transformation of Business Models- Best 

Practice, Enabler and RoadMap” International Journal of Innovation 

Management Vol. 21 No. 2017 1-17 p.1 

6 Science, Technology, and the Federal Government: National 

Goals for a Near Era. Washington 

https://www.nap.edu/catalog/9481/science-technology-and-the-

federal-government-national-goals-for-aNational Academy 

Press 1993 p 9, accessed 28th July 2019 

7 Alexandra Talpau. “Social Media- A New way of Communication”. Buletin of 

the Transvania University of Brasov Vol. 7 (56) No. 2 2014 p. 45 

8  Understanding Cybercrime: Phenomena, Challenges and Legal Response. 

http://www.itu.int/ITU-

D/cyb/cybersecurity/docs/Cybercrime%20legislation%20EV6.pdf September 

2012, accessed 28th July, 2019. 
9 ibid 

10 ibid p. 2 

11 Emmanuel Akalue, The True Church of Christ: A Theological Discernment of 

God’s Will for His Church. Onitsha: Blue Prints Ltd. 2006  p.4 

12 Paul VI. Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World Gaudium 

et Spes December 7, 1965 n.4 

13 Pohn Paul II, Pastoral Instruction on Social Communications Aetatis Novae, 

on the Twentieth Anniversary of Communion et Progression. Vatican City 1992 

n.28 

14  Benedict XVI. 44th World Communication Day Message: The Priest and the 

Pastoral Ministry in a Digital World: New Media at the Service of the Word. 

16th May, 2010 

15 Vatican Council II, Gaudium et spes, n.4 

16 Paul VI, Apostolic Exhortation Evangeli Nuntiandi  December 8, 1975 n .45 

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/digitize
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/search


170  Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

                                                                                                                                  
17 The Code of the Canon law. New Revised English Translation. Theological 

Publications, India. 2010  n, 761. 
18 David Oakley. “Seminary Education and Formation: The Challenges and 
some ideas about Future Developments” International Studies in Catholic 

Education. Vol. 9 2017 p. 1 

19 Oredipe, Paul. Saint Paul and Priestly Formation: Impetus for Today. Benin-

City: Floreat Systems 2018, p. 25 

20 Ibid p. 35 

21 John Paul II Post- Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis Lagos: 

Ambassador Publications 1992, n. 51 

22 Oredipe, Saint Paul and Priestly Formation: Impetus for Today p. 54-55 

23 John Paul II, Pastores Dabo Vobis, n. 21 

24 Junko Yamamoto & Simeon Ananou “Humanity in the Digital Age: 
Cognitive, Social, Emotional, and Ethical Implications” in Contemporary 

Educational Technology, 2015, 6(1), 1-18 p.1 

25 Ibid pp 3-4 

26 Ibid p. 3 

27 Ibid p. 5 

28 Ibid p 5 

29 Ibid p. 7 

30 Benedict XVI. 44th World Communication Day Message. The Priest and the 

Pastoral Ministry in a Digital World: New Media at the Service of the Word. 
 

31 Junko and Simeon, “Humanity in the Digital Age: Cognitive, Social, 
Emotional, and Ethical Implications”, p.7 

32 Benedict XVI. 44th World Communication Day Message. The Priest and the 

Pastoral Ministry in a Digital World: New Media at the Service of the Word. 
33 Boniface Asuzu, Communications Media in the Nigerian Church Today. 

Rome: Tipografia Ugo Detti 1987 p 112 



 The Challenges of Priestly Formation in the Contemporary….      171 

 

 

 

C H A P T E R  1 1  
 

 
 

The Challenges of Priestly Formation in 

the Contemporary Changing Society 
 

Michael Bunmi OLOFINLADE 

 

 

 

Introduction 

To respond to the expectations of modern society and co-operate in 

the vast evangelizing action that involves all Christians, we need 

well-trained and courageous priests who are free from ambition and 

fear but convinced of the Gospel Truth, whose chief concern is to 

proclaim Christ and who are prepared to stoop down to suffering 

humanity in his Name, enabling everyone, particularly the poor and 

all who are in difficulty, to experience the comfort of God’s love and 
warmth of the ecclesial family1 

This thought of Benedict XVI is adequate to describe the 

thrust of my reflection which could be understood in line with the 

formation of candidates for the priesthood in the contemporary world, 

particularly, in Nigeria. The words, ‘proper’ and ‘adequate’ training 

of the catholic priest are key concerns that are dear to the Fathers of 

the Church ‘ab initio’ till today. This concern is premised on the 

understanding that the world is a changing place and each era and 

time has its challenges, and so, formation at any point in time must be 

'proper' and 'adequate'. Against this backdrop, diverse formative 

processes are being employed in the training of priests. The 

formation, therefore, must be dynamic and never static or stereotype. 

Priests, therefore, must adapt themselves in a positive way to the 

society and preserve an integrity corresponding to their call and 

vocation. Thus, the priest of our contemporary society has a lot of 



172     Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

moral demands, granted the fast-changing society that we live in. The 

stakes of formation invariably, therefore, can only become higher.  

The thrust of this essay is to reflect on the challenges of the 

formation of priests in order to contribute to the sustainability of 

priest in addressing issues of this changing society. This is relevant 

because of the adage that says, (nemo dat quod non habet) "you 

cannot give what you do not possess".  Invariably, the question is how 

would priests be adequately relevant in a world of constant change? It 

is crystal clear that society is undergoing changes through science and 

technological developments. This development has continued to 

revolutionalize life in its entirety including pastoral and spiritual life 

of the faithful. The socio-cultural and ethical issues are taking a new 

trend,  more and more, traditional values are being contested in the 

light of new developments and some long-established pastoral 

principles are gradually being seen as out-modelled. The priest in the 

face of this is meant to evolve new pathways to resolving the 

challenges to the signs of modern times. The inability for priests to 

live above the moral bar and demands of society poses some 

questions on the quality of formation he has received.  

 

The Priest, Dilemma of a Contemporary Age and Change 

The priest of today is a product of his age. The contemporary world 

has become more critical of religious values and principles. There is a 

rise in secularism and relativism. These twin ideologies have posed 

more threats to the continued relevance of priest in society. Hitherto, 

the priest enjoyed high-level clericalism and elitism in society. This 

can be argued to be the spin-off of the ecclesiastical hegemony and 

religious dominance from the middle ages. While its effects had 

whittled down in some parts of the world particularly in Europe and 

America, in Africa and in Nigeria, the Priest still enjoys a pride of 

place. Nevertheless, the whirlwind of secularism and relativism is fast 

thickening that, the priest's moral authority no longer rests on the 

institution of the Church alone, but, that he needs to justify the 

institution and call he professes by his way of life and pastoral roles. 

The society is fast changing with the signs of modern times, the priest 

also is expected to advance new, positive and viable methods in 

dealing with issues within his ambience. The basic concern is how the 

priest can know, evaluate understand and manage pastoral challenges 

evolving as a result of the change in the society. In fact, the long-



 The Challenges of Priestly Formation in the Contemporary….      173 

standing docile and loyal attitudes of the faithful are increasingly 

dissolving by the day. It is a truism that the priestly life demands 

honesty, integrity and heroic self-sacrifice but without proper 

discernment in the world of change, this might turn out to be a 

platonic adventure. Friedrick Nietzsche’s popular phrase that ‘religion 
makes people docile and timid in the face of suffering and 

oppression’ is no fast becoming untenable. 

 It is amazing that these challenges extend to the places where 

vocations to the priesthood are nurtured; the seminary and our 

parishes. Based on this reality, the Church is struggling to deal with 

the increasing rate of change and expectation of the priestly ministry. 

In the words of Benedict XV1, “how much filth there is in the 

Church, and even among those who, in the priesthood, ought to 

belong entirely to him!”2 The situation of paradox raises the question 

of the authenticity of priestly formation in the light of today's 

changing society. This becomes paramount because a most important 

and increasingly difficult role is being assigned to priests in the 

renewal of Christ’s church in this temporary changing society.3 This 

concern for renewal is an age-long desire clearly enounced by the 

Second Vatican Council Fathers. It states: 

The holy council is fully aware that the desired 

renewal of the whole church depends to a great extent 

on a priestly ministry animated by the spirit of Christ. 

It proclaims the supreme importance of priestly 

formation and affirms some of its primary principles 

whereby laws tested by the experience of centuries are 

confirmed and new elements are introduced to 

correspond with the constitutions and decrees of this 

council and with the changed conditions of our time.4 

 

We shall try to expound what constitutes the Catholic priestly 

formation as a background to know whether it is proper, adequate and 

sustainable for the priests to face the challenges of this modern 

society. The ideological thought of, Joseph Komonchak, come into a 

play in this context.  

The Church is a social and historical reality, so it is 

essential to a systematic understanding of the Church 

to employ tools developed for a systematic 

understanding of social and historical realities. How 



174     Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

can one work out a systematic ecclesiology without 

working out first such terms as ‘individual’ 
‘community’ society,’ meaning,’ ‘change,’ structure,’ 
‘institution,’ ‘relationship,’ and so on, and the various 
relationships, that can obtain among these terms?5 

 

To further understand the concerns of this paper, it suffices to 

examine the concept of change in contemporary society in relation to 

the Catholic Church. 

Change as a concept is discussed at different levels in various 

fields of study due to the fact that nearly everything in existence 

passes through a process of change. It is on this note that this concept 

of change is interpreted in different ways but we shall limit the usage 

in this essay to its description as per its verb which is understood as, 

‘to make’ or ‘become different’ or ‘alter’. This change might affect 
either external features or internal features of a being, or it could 

affect both the internal and the external of a being concurrently. 

Heraclitus6 describes the cosmos as being in a state of constant flux 

(state of becoming).7 Everything is constantly changing and becoming 

other things to what it was prior to that state. This is objective 

philosophical knowledge of the world, which is in consonance with 

the scientific description of the physical and human realities. The 

priest being part of nature, reacts and responds to its natural changing 

environment.  

Mirroring this from the context of incredibly challenging 

issues in the Church, there is a need for skilled and well-formed and 

informed priests to carry out the mission of the Church. Perhaps, this 

was the vision of the Fathers of the Church who searched for an 

ecclesiology that would explain issues affecting human existence. So, 

the impulse to work out a systematic ecclesiology demands an 

understanding of the social and historical realities within and around 

the Church. This is where the formation of priests must involve a 

curriculum in ecclesiology that takes to mind these demands and 

contexts. Therefore, if priests must be people who are properly and 

adequately equipped and formed to minister in a changing society, his 

formative discipline must be accommodating of these demands. The 

Fathers of the Church aver in this light, that formative discipline 

should include psychology, sociology and pedagogy.8 This 

understanding opens us to look at priestly formation succinctly. 



 The Challenges of Priestly Formation in the Contemporary….      175 

Priestly Formation and Ecclesiastical Studies 

The Second Vatican Council decree on the training of priests gives 

insight into the nature of formation put in place for every Catholic 

priest to function adequately in every given circumstance. He is 

prepared by the seminary to act and take proper steps and decision in 

whatever contexts he finds himself.9 The document, Optatam Totius 

explains that a comprehensive priestly formation concerns human, 

intellectual, spiritual, pastoral formations which revolve around the 

character, moral, physical and psychological formations.10 This 

formation begins in an embryonic state in the minor seminary with 

the focus on educational, religious and spiritual formations which 

should methodically and consistently co-ordinate all pastoral action 

for fostering vocations, and promote it with both discretion and zeal, 

not neglecting whatever suitable help may be found in the insights of 

modern psychology and sociology.11 Inculcating inter-disciplinary 

values are taken seriously in the formation of priests because he lives 

and functions in human society. “Priestly formation, by reason of the 

very unity of the Catholic priesthood, is necessary for all priests, 

diocesan and religious of whatever rite.”12 It is instructive to know 

that programme of priestly formation shall be established by the 

Episcopal Conference, to be reviewed at suitable intervals and 

approved by the Holy See, so that the general rules may be adapted to 

the special circumstances of time and place, and the formation of 

priests will always be in keeping with the pastoral needs of the areas 

in which they minister.13  

The fundamental formation begins in the major seminary after 

completion of the studies in courses in science and humanities which 

prepare every student of each country for a higher study. In the 

ecclesiastical studies, philosophy and theology are primary because 

they open and mould the minds of the students more and more to the 

mystery of Christ, which touches the whole of human history and 

continuously influences the Church, and is at work particularly in 

priestly ministry.14 The courses of formation make life in the parish in 

conjunction with evolving challenges less cumbersome in the light of 

the formation given to priests through these courses. Philosophy 

transforms the whole process of intellectual discernment of every 

priest as he embarks on his daily activities.  

Philosophy leads students to a solid and coherent knowledge 

of human nature, the world and God.15 Modern philosophical 



176     Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

developments and sciences help them to dialogue with people of their 

time and to equip them to grasp the basic principles of the various 

systems, hold fast to elements proved to be true and recognize and 

refute the roots of error.16 The decree continues that the actual 

teaching should arouse in the students a love of rigorous 

investigation, observation and demonstration of truth, together with 

an honest awareness of the limits of human knowledge. Careful 

attention should be paid to the close connection between philosophy 

and the real problems of life as well as to the questions which engage 

the minds of the students/priests.17  

In the same context, theology helps students to draw Catholic 

teaching from divine revelation, enter deeply into its meaning, use it 

to nourish their spiritual lives and be able to proclaim, explain and 

defend it in their priestly ministry.18 Basically, philosophical and 

theological formations provide candidates for the priesthood with the 

nourishments to translate challenges of life to progress. Aside, prolific 

scientific training in sacred sciences and other appropriate subjects 

are necessary to enhance their apostolate in the changing and current 

society are recommended in the formative years and even after 

ordination. The exercise of this formation becomes mandatorily as 

each priest is required to go through practical experiences in the 

parishes and ecclesiastical institutes under thorough supervision 

without neglecting the use of their personal initiative in carrying out 

their assigned tasks. Thus, they should be initiated into pastoral 

practice by appropriate experiences.19 Finally, ongoing formation is 

emphasized because of the daily demands of priestly life that continue 

to evolve in the trends in society. 

It is evidently clear that sustainable formation, personal self-

organizing and learning systems are provided for candidates for the 

priesthood. However, certain elements come into play in this 

provision in order to bring about positive management of parish daily 

changing realities. The consideration of nature and nurture is of 

utmost relevance because personal organization and development 

play prominence in the handling of the realities of pastoral life. The 

degree of an interactive dialogue between a person and its 

environment determines the richness of the responses given to the 

challenges of life in the priestly ministry. The predisposition of the 

brain to his environment determines the level of development of 

human society. Be it as it may, environmental influences are keys to 



 The Challenges of Priestly Formation in the Contemporary….      177 

human living and development but human development and maturity 

over-rides all factors.  

 

Challenges of Authenticity for Priestly Formation 

The 21st century can be regarded as the dawn of the new age which 

has witnessed new descriptions and definitions of life in many ways 

different from traditional and orthodoxy understandings. These are 

expressed in the forms of new doctrines, morality, ethics and values. 

Precisely, we are experiencing new psychology, sociology and 

pedagogy and these are rooted in the new visions of secularity, an 

intricate ideology of human origin, existence and meaning, new 

crusades on freedom from religion, not freedom of religion.20 As it 

were, these new convoluted ways of seeing the world anew are being 

propagated by influential and wealthy personalities and institutions 

that allow a warm appeal to these doctrines and understandings. With 

such high-profile accent on these new doctrines, there is a towering 

attack on orthodoxy and traditional teachings of the Church. Such 

challenges have had a penetrating influence on priestly ministry. This 

leaves a major challenge to the vocation. Arguably, there is the 

conflict of seeing the priestly ministry as a profession or occupation 

rather than a vocation. In the exercise of the priestly ministry today, 

some trends leave a lot of people to question the authenticity of their 

vocation, or at least, the authenticity of their priestly formation. Some 

of these trends are highly opposed to what constitute the tenets, the 

doctrines and the teachings of the Church, especially, in the areas of 

worship, ethics and morality concerning life, marriage, sex and 

gender. The new trends which raise the questions of authenticity of 

priestly vocation and formation are enormous that we cannot touch on 

all of them. Nevertheless, major concerns of these oscillate around the 

celebration of the Church's liturgy, preaching the word of God, living 

priestly life and the practice of true charity and love. 

 The Church in Africa, particularly, in Nigeria as a growing 

Church, is witnessing an increase in the number of vocations to the 

priesthood. This trend is termed ‘vocation boom’.21 Vocation boom 

poses a serious challenge to the formation of priests in many ways. 

This includes a shortage of infrastructure, personnel and pedagogical 

materials. The fear of this challenge was expressed in the year 1995 

by the then Archbishop of Ibadan Metropolis, Archbishop Felix A. 

Job, as Ubi multitudo, ibi peccati (there is danger in number). There 



178     Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

would indeed be a danger if, for instance, there are well over five 

hundred seminarians with only 15 formators. Apart from other 

infrastructural and provisional constraints, there would be a lack of a 

personal touch in formation with the seminarians. There is a likely 

risk of having some people moving through the system anonymously.  

 This problem can be compounded by a situation of 

godfatherism. This expresses a situation where a seminarian is not 

fully disposed to the authentic, proper and adequate formation, 

knowing fully well that a priest/Bishop will advertently or 

inadvertently support him, no matter the case.22 Consequently, the 

student’s formation becomes distorted because he lives in deception 
both to the formation and his supporter. The students who suffer from 

such pitiable indisposition to formation and growth in their training, 

more often than not, end up becoming problems in the priesthood and 

the Church later.  

 We cannot but briefly express some worries on the seeds of 

relativism and materialism that are well seeded in our society. 

Relativism is a subjective way of approaching, viewing, analyzing, 

expressing, evaluating and judging things, including the human 

person. Socio-cultural relativism promotes evil personalizing or 

subjectivizing diverse cases of life because it proposes that each has 

its unique morality. Thus, each culture and person have texts which 

determine codes of moral behaviour for them. The case of objectivity 

or general acceptability of moral responsibility is squashed. This 

deceptive trend tends to promote materialism as the doctrine because 

of its subjective tendencies. These phenomena again raise questions 

and query the authenticity of priestly formation in contemporary 

society.      

 

Management of Challenges of Authenticity 

It is not possible to live without challenges affecting human existence 

and essence, but the mode of handling and managing them are 

prominently significant in life. The American Philosopher, Thomas 

Kuhn expresses similar thoughts, that, “Though history is unlikely to 

record their names, some men have undoubtedly been driven to desert 

science because of their inability to tolerate crisis. Like artists, 

creative scientists must occasionally be able to live in a world out of 

joint”.23 In this context, priests must learn to be positively creative in 

the face of a crisis in order to remain faithful to their life and ministry. 



 The Challenges of Priestly Formation in the Contemporary….      179 

Crises should not destroy them, rather should strengthen them. It is on 

this basis that adequate formation is expedient to prepare them for 

situations of such. To achieve this objective, the wisdom of the 

Fathers of the Church should unreservedly be implemented. 

Taking into account the candidate’s age and 
development, each candidate’s motivation should be 
tested, as should his freedom to choose. His spiritual, 

moral and intellectual stability should be examined, as 

should his physical and psychological health and any 

possible hereditary traits. The same goes for his ability 

to carry the burden of the priesthood and perform his 

pastoral duties.24  

  

It is in the light of this strict measure and precaution that the 

challenges in the priestly formation could be addressed in a positive 

line. Since formation becomes indispensable in the life of a priest, I 

would suggest what psychologists refer to as self-organization and 

learning, which is an early learning process in animals is to be 

imbibed. Whatever is learnt at this point becomes a reference point 

for the animal. Thus, a priest should continuously refer to what was 

learnt at the formative stage of his priestly formation. The best-

explored examples of this type of learning have been studied in birds. 

“Young birds learn the songs of their parents, memorize the patterns 
of their plumage, and later select their mating partner accordingly.”25 

This is experience-dependent learning which could be of assistance in 

the formation of candidates for the priesthood. It is at this juncture, 

we would delve briefly into the subject of auto-formation.  

Auto-formation speaks volume on the personal responses of 

the candidate to the formation recommended and given by the 

ecclesiastical authority. The basic concerns would be: how is the 

candidate responding to formation? What is the level of the 

candidate’s response? These responses would determine the degree of 

development and maturity of each priest to be. Taking a leap from the 

learning-pattern of birds referred to in our earlier discussion, a 

candidate should be matured enough to learn and navigate his priestly 

life and ministry from the formation tools provided by the seminary.   

A constant review of learning could serve as a leverage for 

ameliorating the challenges to the authenticity of priestly formation. 



180     Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

This becomes essential because of the wind of change and 

development in the world.    

 

 Conclusion  

It is not an exaggerated claim that the Church provides ample and 

adequate materials for priestly formation but then, the situation in the 

Church in Nigeria leaves a lot for concern. It is on this note that those 

concerned with formation should pay adequate attention to those 

areas of challenges. Perhaps, a quota system should be applied to 

address the issue of over-population in seminary or for the 

recruitment of formators to enrich the system. In like manner, 

adequate material provisions should be provided for the training of 

seminarians. Furthermore, care must be taken in the selection of 

candidates to be sent to the seminaries as Formators. It should not just 

be on the basis of intellectual capability but also of personal 

disposition, having the grace to mentor, teach and being exemplary 

should be considered. It is essential to mention that instructive and 

deliberative statues must be created to review some of the present 

conditions of formation in the country today to meet with current 

challenges in society. This can only be a sustainable mechanism to 

address the challenges to the authenticity of priestly formation today. 

The positive resultant consequence is that it will create an avenue to 

preserve and sustain sensus ecclesiae in the area of priestly formation. 

Finally, a proper discernment is required for these steps to be 

accomplished in the Church.   

 

 

Endnotes 
                                                           
1 Benedict XV1, Priests of Jesus Christ, (Oxford: Family Publication, 2009) 
2 Benedict XV1, Light of the World, the Pope, the Church, and signs of the 

Times (A Conversation with Peter Seewald), San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 

2010, 34. 
3 Presbyterorum Ordinis, (Decree on the ministry and life of priests), 1. 
4 Flannery, A. the Basic Documents, Vatican Council II, Constitutions,Decrees, 

Declarations, Optatam Totius (Decree on the Training of Priests),  
5 Ormerod, N. J, (Schultenover, G. D.) Vatican 11, Did Anything Happen? 

(New-York: Continuum, 2008), 155. 
6 Heraclitus is of the Pythagorean or Italian School of Philosophy, 546. 



 The Challenges of Priestly Formation in the Contemporary….      181 

                                                                                                                                  
7 Composta, D. History of Ancient Philosophy.  Bangalore: Theological 

Publications in India, 1990., 33-44 
8 Optatam Totius, 1. 
9 Optatam Totius, 1 
10 The details of these formation are found in the booklet entitled, the Gift of the 

Priestly Vocation (Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis) published by 

the Congregation for the Clergy, 2016. 
11 Optatam Totius, 2. 
12 Optatam Totius, 2 
13 Optatam Totius, 1 
14 Optatam Totius, 13. 
15 Optatam Totius, 13. 
16 Optatam Totius, 13. 
17 Optatam Totius, 13. 
18 Optatam Totius, 13. 
19 Optatam Totius, 21. 
20 Kresta, A. Dangers to the Faith, Recognizing Catholicism’s 21st-Century 

opponents. Huntingon: Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division, 2013, 13.   
21 Vocation boom is an unprecedented increase in the incoming number of 

applicant/candidates to the priesthood. It is opined by some individual that this 

stream of candidate is anchored on economic and developmental woes of the 

nations in Africa, which suggests a future slim in the flow of number.  
22 This becomes a major challenge as some candidates hid under the guidance of 

individual person to disguise as good candidates to the priesthood. Occasionally, 

things turn around to expose the deceptive traits of such characters.   
2323 Kuhn, T. S. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, 3rd ed. (Chicago: The 

University of Chicago Press, 1996, 78-79.  
24 Optatam Totius, 6. 
25 Klivington, K. The Science of Mind. London: The MIT Press, 1989, 177. 



182  Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

 

 

 

C H A P T E R  1 2  
 

 

 

Seminaries and Priestly Formation: 

New Options in the Light of Modern 

Challenges 
 

Kenneth Adewole  ADESINA 

 

 

 

Introduction 

Every organization or community of human beings that have an 

objective or goal to achieve must as a matter of necessity eschew a 

programme of formation that will empower its protagonists in the 

task of attaining the overall goal. This plan must take cognizance 

of the peculiarities and intricacies that define the identities, 

collective and individuals, of all the human, material and 

procedural elements involved in the quest to attain the set goal. 

It is within this general purview of orientation for goal 

achievement that we want to look into seminaries and priestly 

formation, examining their status vis-à-vis the goal and focus of 

the Church as regards the Catholic priesthood. How can we situate 

the Catholic priesthood within the mission of Christ and his 

Church? What is the relevance of the seminary to this mission and 

how does it help in ensuring adequate preparation for the 

challenges and demands of the priesthood. 

In doing justice to the above puzzles, we shall be 

highlighting the various aspects of formation in the seminary, 

paying greater attention to the practical presentation of the 

contemporary situation in the seminary. Similarly, we shall be 

dwelling on the modern challenges facing priestly formation in the 

seminaries, with a view to proffering new opportunities for 



Seminaries and Priestly Formation: New Options in the Light...    183 

 

enrichment to a system that is poised to maintain efficacy and 

relevance of its core values in every age and situation. 

 

Seminaries: Relevance to Priestly Vocation 

When Jesus called his apostles, he already had the plan to entrust 

his mission to them. At the moment of their call, the apostles were 

not ready for that mission, so, they spent time with Jesus, they 

listened to him; they were with him on his journeys and witnessed 

his miracles. All these prepared them for the mission that would be 

entrusted to them later. Similarly, “the priestly vocation is a 
continuation of the call to the disciples; the Lord continues to call 

out to young men to participate in his salvific mission as priests”1.   

The seminary becomes a place of encounter between Jesus 

and the disciple he calls. The relationship between them is 

expressed by the word: “vocation”, a word that is derived from the 

Latin verb vocare, which signifies: “to call”.2 Within the context 

of priestly formation in the seminary, the word “vocation” can be 
considered from three different perspectives: the calling authority, 

the person called and the manifestation of that call.3 At the first 

instance, it is an invitation given by Jesus himself; the second 

instance shows it to be both a positive response and willingness to 

participate in the life of the one who calls; then the last connotes 

peculiar and active participation in the mission for which one is 

called. 

Thus, as a nursery for vocation, the seminary prepares 

young people to become protagonists of the salvation that Christ 

makes available to the world. Achieving this goal will require a 

formative programme that is cognizant of the intricacies that 

surround the people, institutions and the peculiarities of the 

situations involved in the process of bringing the salvation of God 

to all nations. 

In the realization that the priestly vocation is “a treasure 
that God always puts in the heart of some men, whom he has 

chosen and called to follow Him in this special state of life.”4 The 

seminary becomes not just a place, but also an opportunity, 

process and means of accompaniment that understands the various 

elements involved in the mission of the Church. It seeks to 

understand the peculiarities of each individual invited by God to 

work in his vineyard as priests, and subsequently through 



184  Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

appropriate means, assists the invited young people not only to 

realize the values inherent in the priestly vocation, but more 

importantly, help them to discover and develop the necessary 

attitude that facilitate the attainment of the goal for which Christ 

instituted the priesthood in the Church. 

In the words of Pope Francis, seminary formation "is not a 

unilateral act by which one transmits theological or spiritual 

notions. Jesus did not say to those He called: 'Come, I will explain' 

or 'follow me, I will teach you'; Instead the formation Christ 

offered to his disciples was 'come and follow me', 'do as I do', and 

this is the method that even today the Church wants to adopt for 

her ministers. The formation of which we speak is a 'disciplining’ 
experience, which draws men close to Christ and to conform more 

and more to Him"5 

 

Seminaries And Contemporary Challenges 

In meeting up with their responsibilities for the formation of 

priests, seminaries have structures and formative curriculum that 

facilitate the attainment of the priestly goal. While we shall be 

adducing more facts in the evaluative treatment of the present 

situation of seminary formation, it is pertinent to state that our 

seminaries have always been very loud in the profession of their 

faithfulness to the four cardinal dimensions of priestly formation – 

spiritual, intellectual, pastoral and human. The various stages of 

formation are aided by an array of effective agents, who ensure 

that candidates for the priesthood are aided in the acquisition of the 

values inherent in these four dimensions of formation as eschewed 

by Pastores Dabo Vobis and corroborated by other Church 

documents. 

However, instead of giving a deeper treatment to these 

already known aspects of formation, this write-up shall be 

dwelling more on the evaluation of the present situation in our 

seminaries in order to accentuate necessary points that should be 

reviewed or reconsidered, abrogated or reinforced. 

 Without any particular order of importance, I want to start by 

examining the style of formation adopted in our seminaries.  

 

 

 



Seminaries and Priestly Formation: New Options in the Light...    185 

 

Pedagogy 

In adopting the classic freestanding model of formation where all 

aspects of formation are conducted in-house, 6  our seminaries 

attempt to make the seminarians realize that even though they are 

in the world, they are not of this world. So, spending more time in 

‘isolation’ from the world, seminarians are equipped with 

sufficient spiritual, intellectual and moral strength that will enable 

them to function well in their mission to bring God’s salvation to 
all men. 

While there is no denying the fact that seminarians have 

enough opportunities for theoretical knowledge of what to do and 

opportunities to learn on the field during pastoral works; it is 

pertinent to note that seminaries need to do more in the area of 

training and workshop that would equip the student with practical 

skills on how to effectively transform their theoretical knowledge 

into practical situations of life for pastoral efficacy. In order to 

avoid the identity crisis that may come from this, the seminary 

formators and the various agents of formation must ensure that the 

adopted model of formation does not shy away from the reality of 

the ‘field’ where the seminarians will later work as priests. It must 

start inculcating in them, right from the seminary, the reality of the 

people among whom they are called to minister, and the urgency 

of getting ready to so mix with the ‘sheep’ they will pastor, so that 
they themselves may have the odour of the sheep.7 

Following this, there is a need for a review of the 

pedagogical approach in most of our seminaries. While there is 

actually no need to do away with or reduce the seminary’s 
emphasis on order, structure and discipline, seminary formators 

must realize, not only that their task actually goes beyond ensuring 

that candidates are vast and well-grounded in theological truth and 

priestly spirituality, but also that doctrinal orthodoxy, liturgical 

celebration, pastoral ministry and priestly spirituality do not 

sufficiently define optimum formation. 

Consequently, it becomes expedient that seminaries get 

their pedagogical approach right and realize that the project 

entrusted to them goes beyond ‘training of priest’, and that their 
real duty is actually the ‘formation of the priest’. More than a mere 

exercise in semantics, understanding the task ahead of the 

seminaries as formation of priests, over and above mere training of 



186  Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

priests, will help seminary formators evaluate their pedagogical 

approach to see if their students eventually are transformed into 

‘disciples’ and not just career pastors. 
This is a major paradigm change that the new Ratio 

emphasizes and calls for. Notwithstanding the models of priestly 

formation that is chosen in a seminary, the focus must change from 

‘training of seminarians’ to ‘formation of seminarians in 
discipleship’. This is well captured by Archbishop Eamon Martin 

when he adduces that “it has to be fundamental then, to every 
model of seminary, that we all – Seminarians, Rectors and 

Formators, theologians – on the lifelong journey of discipleship, 

called to follow Jesus Christ. Consequently, the distinctions 

between the steps (propaedeutic, initial, permanent), between the 

roles (of Bishop, Rector, Formator, Spiritual Director), between 

the dimensions (human, spiritual, pastoral and academic) and 

between the stages (discipleship, configuration, pastoral) are all 

somewhat secondary and instrumental to the overall integral 

formation of each of us as pilgrims along the Sequela Christi – 

under the action of the Holy Spirit and sustained by the grace of 

God”.8  
This emphasis on pedagogical approach carries with it a 

reappraisal of our general understanding of the priestly vocation as 

a gift – a treasure – gifted by God. In the words of Pope Francis, 

“this treasure, which needs to be discovered and brought to light, is 

not meant to “enrich” just someone. The one called to the ministry 

is not the “master” of his vocation, but the administrator of a gift 
that God has entrusted to him for the good of all people, rather, of 

all men and women, including those who have distanced 

themselves from religious practice or do not profess faith in Christ. 

At the same time, the whole of the Christian community is the 

guardian of the treasure of these vocations, destined for his 

service, and it must be ever more conscious of the duty to promote 

them, welcome them and accompany them with affection”.9 
Consequent upon the fact that the priestly vocation is a 

treasured gift to the entire human race, and that people gifted with 

such treasure must be assisted to appreciate, value and use it well 

through a whole process of discipleship, seminary Formators must 

keep in mind that formation does not end in the seminary. As the 

Ratio puts it, “the experience of discipleship of those called to the 



Seminaries and Priestly Formation: New Options in the Light...    187 

 

priesthood is never interrupted… the priest not only learns to know 
Christ, but under the action of the Holy Spirit, he finds himself 

within a process of gradual and continuous configuration to Him, 

in his being, and his acting, which constantly challenges the person 

to inner growth”.10 

So, while the seminary formator has a lot of roles to play 

in the discernment of the vocation of others, he must himself 

realize that his own discipleship is not ended; he must remain open 

to further guidance from the Master; and his own attitude becomes 

an inspiration to the seminarian to allow themselves to be 

influenced and nourished by the Holy Spirit. Not only from books, 

but the seminarians will also learn from the humility of their 

formators that “the priest can never consider himself to be 
definitively formed… [he] is certainly not the man who arrives at a 
parish perfectly packaged, with all the answers. There will often be 

people who are more qualified than him in facing particular 

problems, and the new challenges that emerge may well be beyond 

his seminary formation”.11 The priest, who is a formator, can also 

learn from the students he forms in various ways. In fact, instead 

of putting up a show of pseudo perfection because of its 

undermining effects on discipleship that characterizes seminary 

formation, formators must take to heart, the admonition of Pope 

Benedict XVI that “the faithful expect only one thing from priests: 

that they be specialists in promoting the encounter between man 

and God”12 

The indispensable role of the formators in ‘mentoring’ 
seminarians is well stated by Pope Francis in an address to the 

Congregation for the Clergy: “Formation is… not a unilateral act 
by which someone transmits theological or spiritual notions. Jesus 

did not say to those he called: ‘Come, let me explain,’ ‘Follow me, 
I will teach you’; no! The formation offered by Christ to his 
disciples came rather as a ‘come, and follow me,’ ‘do as I do,’ and 
this is the method today too, the Church wants to adopt for her 

ministers.”13 

Discipleship, both from the side of the seminarians and the 

formators means a proper understanding that formation is “not 

about mastering techniques or functional roles, but about following 

the path of discipleship: internalizing in co-operation with divine 

grace, the core virtues and ideals of disciples. Put simply, one 



188  Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

cannot be a credible witness, shepherd, healer or proclaimer of the 

Good News to contemporary culture unless one is rooted in a 

profound relationship with Jesus with the zeal and attitude of a 

disciple that will last a lifetime”.14  So, the seminary, both as a 

school and process of formation in discipleship for both the 

formators and the seminarians must ensure a steady form of 

growth in church leadership; inculcating the leadership values that 

are Christian, opening up to the guiding influence of the Holy 

Spirit, and understanding the view expressed by St. John 

Chrysostom that “the most basic task of a church leader is to 
discern the spiritual gifts of all those under his authority, and to 

encourage those gifts to be used to the full benefit of all. Only a 

person who can discern the gifts of others and can humbly rejoice 

at the flourishing of these gifts is fit to lead the Church”.15  

 

The Challenge of Discernment and Personality Formation 

While the spiritual, intellectual, pastoral and human dimensions of 

priestly formation are well spelt out; there is an aspect that the 

present reality of formation demands that we pay closer attention. 

This aspect has to do with discernment, but I will like to put it as 

emotional formation. It has to be given greater attention in 

seminary formation, either as a new dimension of formation on its 

own or as a well-accentuated and integral part of the human 

formation. This view is coming, not just because contemporary 

studies have revealed the importance and significance of 

Emotional Quotient and the influence of the management of 

emotion in personality formation and overall performance of man 

(which is not within the scope of this write-up), but more 

importantly because of its centrality in discernment and pastoral 

efficacy. 

First and foremost, making choices is really not as easy as 

it looks, but at various stages of life, we have to make choices. 

What is the basis of the choices we make? Important choices, such 

as demanded by priestly vocation, are so often accompanied by 

risks or laden with fear, that one cannot really make them right 

without courage and sincerity (at the natural level), and without 

divine assistance (at the supernatural level).  Thus, considering the 

whole complexity that revolves around senses, sensibility, 

emotion, action and sentiment in the whole process of personality 



Seminaries and Priestly Formation: New Options in the Light...    189 

 

formation and decision-making, one cannot but ask the important 

question: how much of attention do we pay to all these in priestly 

formation? 

Not to talk of the post-seminary experiences of priests and 

the frequent occurrence of depression (or desolation, to use a less 

stereotyped expression), the seminary formation needs to do more 

in assisting seminarians to really ‘understand’ themselves and the 
intricacies surrounding the decisions they make. Like any sound 

human being, it is necessary that seminarians and priests 

understand the art of managing emotions (and avoid being 

managed by emotions), so that when such emotions are seeking 

transformation into action through sentiments, they are not only in 

good stead to make right choices that are in accordance to their 

priestly aspiration and identity, but more importantly, the adequate 

formation of their emotion will grant them an openness to 

sincerely engage every element of formation with openness. 

The seminary formation, even if it cannot pay great 

attention to it, must put seminarians through the basic steps of 

emotional formation, which include among other things: being 

sincere in giving a name to one’s feeling (feel your feeling); 
discovering the source of one’s feeling (be sincere and intelligent); 
discerning immediately whether the feeling is good or bad (be 

attentive and timely); comporting oneself in a coherent mode (be 

courageous in taking a good decision); paying constant attention to 

mastering one’s feeling (be vigilant and responsible).16 When this 

is done, the requirement of the Ratio that accompaniment, 

engagement and discernment should be ensured to put the 

seminary formative programme into perspective that integrates 

well into the personality of the seminarian.17 

Considering the place of fear and hazardous effects of 

being controlled by one’s emotion and inordinate feelings, we 
shall appreciate the effect that emotional formation will have on 

overall priestly formation, especially in the areas of relationship, of 

trust between seminarians and the various agents of formation; 

honest assessment of strength and weakness, and disclosure of 

these to formators; willingness to receive and accept direction, 

guidance and correction; and building the capacity to live 

discipleship ad priesthood consistently. 

 



190  Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

Recommendations and Areas of Further Development 

In addition to giving adequate considerations to issues already 

raised above, priestly formation in the contemporary Church will 

be enhanced for greater efficacy if the following points will be 

treated not only with great attention that they deserved but also 

given the urgency that will stem the rot that they are creating: 

i. Call for a Ratio Nationalis for Nigeria: as requested by 

the Ratio Fundamentalis, the Episcopal Conference should 

put up the necessary machinery that must include a deep 

and collegial co-operation of all our bishops with the lay 

faithful and experienced men and women in the area of 

formation, to formulate a Ratio Nationalis The deep import 

of this lies in “not only implementing the new Ratio in a 

way that takes account of local traditions, customs and 

needs, but also courageously moving the whole formation 

experience beyond past and present methods, so that 

priests will be suitably prepared to engage and evangelize 

the secularized contemporary culture”.18 

ii. Evaluation of current admission standard and 

procedures: While the practice of lowering the standard of 

admission in areas of low vocation is not the best, we 

should also be wearied of raising the standard of those to 

be admitted so high that authentic vocations are destroyed. 

However, this is expressed without any prejudice to the 

fact that every aspirant should have the merit of his 

application considered by competent people, and the fact 

that greater attention should be paid to the prevalent falling 

standard of academic (and lack of interest in studies) into 

our various houses of formation.  

iii. How to help seminarians acquire a balanced view of the 

Church: It should never be taken for granted that aspirants 

to the priesthood have the right view and image of the 

Church. It is then pertinent that, even if it will be in a form 

of a workshop during their orientation programme, 

seminaries should ensure that seminarians have a good 

knowledge of basic ecclesiology – the mission of the 

Church, their place and role in the entire missionary 

enterprise of the Church. This will enable them to build 



Seminaries and Priestly Formation: New Options in the Light...    191 

 

their entire formation into the mission of the Church right 

from the beginning.   

iv. How to discern and understand the impact of secular 

society, culture and values on seminarians: Since the 

Church is called to show the Light of salvation to the 

world, seminaries must not just resign to fate in the 

acceptance of deficiencies evident in the formation of 

young people aspiring to the priesthood. The formation 

team in the seminary must stay ahead of their society to 

identify values that are inimical to the priestly formation 

and device a way of helping seminarians shed the toga of 

evil or immoral values. However, while a compromise of 

value is no option, understanding is required to help 

aspirants understand the need to move beyond such 

ungodly values – even if the society sees nothing wrong in 

them. 

v. An understanding of the characteristics of the age from 

which seminarians come: every age has its peculiarities, 

which can be identified both in strength and weaknesses. It 

is pertinent that our agents of formation, especially, the 

formation team of the seminaries, develop a means of 

proper understanding the young seminarians with the 

intricacies that define their age and values. Our approach 

to priestly formation must devise a means of channelling 

the winning mentality and readiness for challenge of the 

present-day youth into primary evangelization, and correct 

their disinterestedness in anything institutional; we must 

annex their hyper-connectedness in the social media for 

religious orientation and evangelization, without failing in 

correcting their weak human relations; and while 

formation takes cognizance of their naïve view of faith and 

gifts as personal belongings. It must never fail to teach 

them in charity, the true meaning of ‘communion’ and help 
them to strip themselves of self-sufficiency mentality 

through proper discernment. 

vi. The notion of human formation: In addition to issues 

already raised under emotional formation, seminary 

formation must pay attention to, and consider formation as 

a progressive achievement, a lifelong journey of 



192  Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

integration and discipleship, which must take note of the 

specificity of the individual seminarian. Learning from the 

experience of the once buoyant and vibrant churches in the 

western world, the formation must pay attention to the 

rising tendencies of extreme clericalism and pride. The 

image of the priest as a servant leader must be underlined 

and defined to stem the cancerous tendency of viewing the 

priest as a ‘deputy God’ or a clerical chief.  
vii. Integration of Formation: Consequent upon the 

insistence of the Ratio on the centrality of integration and 

personality, “the process of formation must educate the 
person in the truth of his being, in freedom and in self-

control.”19  This must not just be assumed, but practical 

lessons in form of seminars and workshops must be 

organized to help the integration of the various elements of 

formation into the personality of the seminarian. It is not 

enough to evaluate the readiness or otherwise in this 

regard, seminaries must concretely prepare them for this 

integration and authenticity that the priesthood requires. 20 

viii. Research and Teaching: Considering the nature of many 

seminaries in Nigeria and opportunities of researches and 

discoveries inherent there, the seminary should form the 

bedrock of the Church’s response to many challenges. As 
charity begins at home, our seminary communities should 

be able to and create time for concrete researches and 

teaching modules on how to address specific challenges 

like the transition from seminary to parish experience, 

dealing with extreme clericalism, careerism, 

commercialism, healing ministry etc. 

ix. Seminary Formators: The importance of the issues 

already raised will require that our seminaries are properly 

staffed and that the ratio of seminarians to formator is kept 

as low as possible. Most of our seminaries do not have 

enough formators to adequately guarantee the requirement 

of the Ratio Fundamentalis. It becomes expedient then, 

that more formators are sent to the seminaries; that more 

priests are sent for further studies to prepare them for 

seminaries; that the priests in the seminaries do not 

overstay their relevance to avoid burnout and redundancy; 



Seminaries and Priestly Formation: New Options in the Light...    193 

 

and that where there are cases of lack of interest to go into 

formation by priests, their genuine reasons should be 

considered and addressed.  

x. Special Needs in Formation: Among the special needs of 

the seminaries that must be looked into, I will strongly 

recommend that each seminary should have a formator that 

is capable of addressing the issues that pertain to the 

emotional formation. While this is without prejudice to the 

presence and need of both Spiritual Directors and 

Psychologist, I will show a greater preference for a 

pastoral approach to it. 

 

Conclusion 

Over the centuries, the Church has been providing effective 

leadership to the world, this has been possible so far, because, in 

addition to the divine grace bestowed on the Church, she has been 

able to so positioned herself to see things before the world sees, to 

see farther than the world sees, and to see more things than the 

world sees. By so doing, she has been able to stay above the 

destructive and manipulative schemes of the world. This 

experience has been incorporated into the formation of priests and 

it has proven beyond doubt to be effective. With the issues already 

raised, it is my candid opinion that the Church in the contemporary 

world cannot afford to be disinterested or treat with levity, the 

formation of priests, and that all aspects and needs of formation 

must be prioritized not only because this will ensure the relevance 

of the Church in our time, but more importantly because effective 

formation remains the only sure path we have towards the 

achievement of the Church’s missionary goal of making disciples 

of all nations. 

 

 

Endnotes 

                                                        

 
1 Franc Rode, Il Cristo della Formazione: Manuale biblico e teologico di 

formazione alla vita religiosa, (Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 

2010), 190.   



194  Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

                                                                                                                       
2  Cf. Charton Lewis, A Latin Dictionary: Founded on Andrews’ Edition of 

Freund’s Latin Dictionary, (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1879). 
3 Cf. William Addis – Thomas Arnold (eds.), A Catholic Dictionary, 

(London: Kessinger Pub. 2004), 840- 843.  
4 Pope Francis, Address to the Plenary of the Congregation for the 

Clergy, 3 October 2014, 

http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2014/october/documents/

papa-francesco_20141003_plenaria-congregazione-clero.html  (Accessed 

20/08/2019) 
5 Ibid. 
6 Declan Marmion et al. (eds.), Models of Priestly Formation, p. xxx 
7 Pope Francis, Homily at the Chrism Mass on Holy Thursday March 28, 

2013, 

 http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/homilies/2013/documents/papa-

francesco_20130328_messa-crismale.html  (Accessed 20/08/2019) 
8 Declan Marmion et al. (eds.), Models of Priestly Formation: Assessing the 

Past, Reflecting on the Present and Imagining the Future, Minnesota: 

Liturgical Press, 2019, p. xix 
9http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2014/october/documents

/papa-francesco_20141003_plenaria-congregazione-clero.html 
10 Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis 80 
11 Declan Marmion et al. (eds.), Models of Priestly Formation, p. xviii 
12 Benedict XVI,  http://w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-

xvi/en/speeches/2006/may/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20060525_poland-

clergy.html  (Accessed 20/08/2019) 
13 Pope Francis, 

http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2014/october/documents/

papa-francesco_20141003_plenaria-congregazione-clero.html  (Accessed 

20/08/2019) 
14 Declan Marmion et al. (eds.), Models of Priestly Formation, p. 20 
15 John Chrysostom, Six Books on the Priesthood, trans. G.W. Butterworth, 

Crestwood: St. Vladimir Seminary Press, 1964, p. 44. 
16 Cf. Amedeo Cencini, Dall’Aurora io ti Cerco: Evangelizzare la sensibilita 
per imparare a discernere, Milano: San Paolo, 2018.  
17 Cf. Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis 43-53 
18 Declan Marmion et al. (eds.), Models of Priestly Formation, p. xvi 
19 Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis 63 
20 Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis 131 

http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2014/october/documents/papa-francesco_20141003_plenaria-congregazione-clero.html
http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2014/october/documents/papa-francesco_20141003_plenaria-congregazione-clero.html
http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/homilies/2013/documents/papa-francesco_20130328_messa-crismale.html
http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/homilies/2013/documents/papa-francesco_20130328_messa-crismale.html
http://w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/speeches/2006/may/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20060525_poland-clergy.html
http://w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/speeches/2006/may/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20060525_poland-clergy.html
http://w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/speeches/2006/may/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20060525_poland-clergy.html
http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2014/october/documents/papa-francesco_20141003_plenaria-congregazione-clero.html
http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2014/october/documents/papa-francesco_20141003_plenaria-congregazione-clero.html


The Parish Priest as a Formator: Bridging the Gap…     195 
 

 

 

 

 

 

C H A P T E R  1 3  
 

 

 

The Parish Priest as a Formator: 

Bridging the Gap Between the Diocese 

and the Seminary  
 

Peter Abumhenre EGBE 

 

 

 

Preamble 

This project is in honour of Very Rev, Fr. Anselm Jimoh, PhD. A man 

of honour who has given most of his twenty-five years in the priestly 

ministry to the work of forming candidates for the priesthood. He is 

also a priest who has had the opportunity to be involved in parochial 

work. In addition, he was once a Vocations’ Director. It will not be an 

exaggeration to say that his priestly ministry has been one of bridging 

the gap between the life of the parish ministry and the seminary 

formation. It is, therefore, appropriate to salute this hero of faith in the 

catholic church and propose him to all who are in and those who desire 

to aspire to this ministry to learn from him through these materials 

presented in his honour.  

 

Introduction 

The difference between the life within the Seminary walls and the 

parish setting can be taken for granted and has in fact in many cases 

been taken for granted. But the reality of the gap between the two is 

more existential than imagined. Many seminarians and even priests 

believe that there is no relationship between the life of the seminary 

and parish ministry. It is not novel to hear seminarians openly 



196   Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

criticizing the regiment of the seminary formation system and the 

seemingly unpredictable nature of practical life in parish ministry. It is 

the opinion of this article that there is a problem in this position that 

holds or argues that it is natural to view life in the seminary and life in 

the parish as distinct places for pastoral engagement. If the life in the 

seminary is like a nurturing ground to live the life in the parish, there 

should be a connection of semblance between the ‘two institutions.’  
The problem that one might observe to be responsible for the 

seeming lacuna between life in the seminary and practical ministry for 

instance in the parish is the lack of integration. This lack of integration 

is not just only the difficulty in synchronizing the two separate realities 

of the seminary system and the parish setting, but also often due to the 

fact that many seminarians do not allow the life of the seminary exact 

the right impact on them while in formation. Many see the seminary 

training in most part as theoretical and sometimes cumbersome, as 

compared to the practical and day-to-day simple parish life. One of the 

major issues that could be raised is sometimes the sacrifice inherent in 

the seminary formation and the enormous freedom and independence 

of life in the parish. But there is something missing in the whole system. 

Fulton Sheen once opined that – 

We who have received the Sacrament of Orders call 

ourselves “priest”. The author does not recall any priest 
ever having said, “I was ordained a ‘victim’’, nor did 
he ever say, ‘I am studying to be a victim.’ That seemed 
almost alien to being a priest. The seminary always told 

us to be ‘good’ priests; never were we told to be a 

willing victim. And yet was not Christ, the priest, a 

victim? Did He not come to die? He did not offer a 

lamb, a bullock or doves; He never offered anything 

except himself (see Eph.5:2)1 

 

Here we can already understand that the risk of not integrating the life 

of the seminary and that of the parish potent a great problem for the 

Church and it is time to address it. 

Today, between the seminary and practical parish ministry, for 

instance, is the belief that – while the seminary is ‘a place of torment 
and suffering’, the ministry in general including the parish is ‘a place 
of arrival’. One can make a link between this conception and the civil 
educational system in our country. One is educated so that he can earn 



The Parish Priest as a Formator: Bridging the Gap…     197 
 

 

 

a living for himself. The seminarian or the candidate for ordination has 

earned his qualification, so he can think more of how to take care of 

himself and even make personal investments side-by-side the 

assignment by the bishop and the two are different. Here no one feels 

there is a problem; at least by what is obtainable in our time, even 

authorities seem to be complacent or at best helpless about this 

monstrous cancer of pastoral decay. What can be done to address this 

among many problems? There are places where people can now go to 

school and after training, they seek ‘job’ in the priesthood. In the name 

of doing that personal interest in ministries or programmes are often 

more important than ‘official’ church assignment. What will be your 

interpretation of this scenario? There is a need for a true auto-reflection 

as we get more and more challenged by the realities of our present 

world order. The true priesthood continues to be a sacrificial offering 

to God for the transformation of the world.2 

In the tradition of the Catholic Church, “… all the faithful are 

made a holy and kingly priesthood, they offer spiritual sacrifices to God 

through Jesus Christ, and they proclaim the mighty acts of him who has 

called them out of darkness into his admirable light…”3 However, 

some are uniquely called and consecrated through the Sacrament of 

Holy Order to particularly share in the ministerial duties of Christ 

through the instrumentality of the Church.4 It is the preparation for this 

particular function of the ordained faithful that is the duty of this paper. 

It will consider this function and its relevance by way of introduction 

and look at preparation for such an office of service to God and 

humanity. The paper will focus on the role of the parish priest as an 

agent of formation. It is important to state from the onset that vocation 

to the sacred ministerial priesthood is not a human initiative, but divine 

election and entrusted to the Church by Jesus Christ through the power 

of the Holy Spirit.5 Nevertheless, he is like the rest of humanity in 

everything. “Priests, while being chosen from the midst of humanity 

and appointed to act on its behalf in what pertains to God, to offer gifts 

and sacrifices for sins (see Heb 5:1), live with the rest of humanity as 

with brothers and sisters.”6 

Not even angels can one claim to be capable of fulfilling the 

function(s) of the priest. It is in fact far removed from the ordinary 

duties of the human agent. It is the work of God established on earth to 



198   Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

mediate between the Divine and mortals. In his reflection about the 

importance of the work of the priest, Alphonsus de Liguori states thus: 

“The dignity of the priest is estimated from the exalted nature of his 
offices. Priests are chosen by God to manage on earth all his concerns 

and interests.”7 Therefore, to talk about priestly formation and ministry 

means to talk about such duty that is completely outside the human 

agent, society and function, but for all of them. “The priests of the New 
Testament are, it is true, by their vocation and ordination, set apart in 

some way within the people of God, but this is not in order that they 

should be separated from that people or from any person, but that they 

should be completely consecrated to the task for which God chooses 

them….”8 

Nevertheless, the ministry of the priest is a service to humanity. 

It is the work of God among human beings in the sanctification of the 

earthly kingdom (the world). Divine as this task is, the human agent is 

still relevant in the dispensing of the work of the mysteries of God at 

the human and on a daily basis. These demands require candidates to 

be properly formed before they are ordained priests. The parish priest 

has a serious role to play here. To the extent that God himself became 

man, man has become very important in the economy of salvation. The 

role of a man here requires rigorous education and such education can 

only be well grounded if it is rooted in the family the cradle of life and 

nucleus of society. 

The parish priest is just one among many other agents entrusted 

with discerning and helping candidates for the priesthood. Let us 

examine some of the agents of vocation to the priesthood and their 

respective roles in the formation period. The first place the human 

person encounters formation is in the context of the family. The family 

here in its purest form will include a couple (male and female), their 

children eventually. This paper does not nurse any bias against persons 

or agencies who have their own understanding about the concept of the 

family, but at the same time, the author is of the opinion that the 

reference to the family is as defined above. 

 

1. The Family 

The family is the domestic church and the seed-bed of vocation to the 

priesthood. It is impossible to have a healthy church and suitable 

candidates for the priesthood without a ‘worthy’ family. The priest is 
at the centre of this experience in the life of the parish community. “A 



The Parish Priest as a Formator: Bridging the Gap…     199 
 

 

 

good laity is scarcely possible without truly holy priests. … – just as it 

is impossible to have a blossoming of vocations without Christian 

families which are the domestic churches9. The obligation of education 

of children is crucial to priestly formation and rests squarely on the 

family. Education begins in the family. Consequently, formation 

begins with the family. It is incumbent on every family to bring up 

children in positive values that form the basis of a good and virtuous 

life of the human person. “Since it is the parents who have given life to 

their children, on them lies the greatest obligation of educating their 

family. … The role of parents in education is of such importance that 

it is almost impossible to provide an adequate substitute.”10  Since the 

family is also a product of society, it required that the social order rises 

to its responsibility of providing the enabling atmosphere for the right 

form of education to its citizens. 

The task of imparting education belongs primarily to 

the family, but it requires the help of society as a whole. 

As well as the rights of parents, and those others to 

whom the parents entrust some share in their duty to 

educate, there are certain duties and rights vested in 

civil society inasmuch as it is its function to provide for 

the common good in temporal matters.11 

 

The function of the priest is the work of the salvation of souls and in 

fact the salvation of the world at large. It is the mission of Christ 

through the working of the Holy Spirit to win back creation to God who 

has made all things good and beautiful. It is a function of the 

redemption of the world. In the Gospel of St. John, God declared the 

reason why he sent his son into the world; this was love (cf. Jn.3:16). 

Just so that the world might be saved, God sent his Son born of a 

woman (cf. Gal.4:4). It is this work of love that the priest is meant to 

perpetuate until the Kingdom of God is consummated on earth. “And 
all these activities, since they flow from the paschal mystery of Christ, 

will find their consummation in the glorious coming of the same Lord, 

when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God his Father.…”12 

From the foregoing, the presence and role of the priest are 

crucial in the affairs of the world. It is flowing from here that anything 

that has to do with preparation for this august role must be nothing 



200   Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

below the best of human effort. The formation of a priest in the Catholic 

tradition occupies a very high echelon in the priority list of the church’s 
activities.  

“The formation of future priests, both diocesan and 

religious, and lifelong assiduous care for their personal 

sanctification in the ministry and for the constant 

updating of their pastoral commitment is considered by 

the Church one of the most demanding and important 

tasks for the future of the evangelization of humanity 

The Church's work of formation is a continuation in 

time of Christ's own work.”13 
 

To address such a theme as we have is certainly a task long overdue. 

The role of the parish priest is critical in the formation of individuals 

for the priesthood. It is in the same vein, that one needs to consider the 

parish as an entity is an institution. 

 

2. The Parish 

The parish is a community of people under the care of at least a pastor. 

In the law of the Church, the parish is not just a spiritual community, it 

is also a legal institution. “A parish is a certain community of the 

Christian faithful stably constituted in a particular church, whose 

pastoral care is entrusted to a pastor (parochus) as its proper pastor 

(pastor) under the authority of the diocesan bishop.”14 Such a 

community usually has its own territory. “As a general rule a parish is 

to be territorial, that is, one which includes all the Christian faithful of 

a certain territory”15. It also requires a pastor or a priest to administer 

such portion of the Christian faithful. It is the obligation of those who 

are responsible to make sure that it is only suitable priests that are given 

the task of the parish priest who is the pastor of the souls of the people 

within his territory. It is the function of the diocesan bishop to appoint 

a priest to pastor the souls of the people within the parish territory. This 

is very important because of the grave role the parish plays in the 

nurturing of vocation to the priesthood. Optatam Totius expresses this 

important point in a categorical manner. 

The duty of fostering vocations pertains to the whole 

Christian community, which should exercise it above 

all by a fully Christian life. The principal contributors 

to this are the families which, animated by the spirit of 



The Parish Priest as a Formator: Bridging the Gap…     201 
 

 

 

faith and love and by the sense of duty, become a kind 

of initial seminary, and the parishes in whose rich life 

the young people take part.16 
 

It is important, therefore, to pay particular attention to the good of the 

family and the parish respectively to guarantee that the vocations that 

emanate from these institutions truly represent the ideal of the demands 

of the Gospel. 

 

3. The Role of the Parish Priest in the formation of candidates to 

the priesthood 

The life of the parish is built around the priest. “It is therefore of 
fundamental importance for the parish to have a priest as its pastor and 

the title of pastor is specifically reserved to the priest.”17 The parish 

priest very often acts as a bridge between the diocese and the seminary 

in the process of discernment of a vocation to the priesthood. The 

evaluation of the parish priest as it relates to the pastoral activities of 

the seminarians do have great importance on the process of the 

discernment of the candidates to the priesthood. The function of the 

parish priest is to act as a bridge between the somewhat activism in the 

parish and the seminary.  The position of this paper about this is that 

the relevance of the parish priest is before, during and after the 

seminary formation of the candidate to the priesthood. He prepares the 

candidate to choose the vocation to the priesthood. He guides him by 

mentoring through his training with practical experiences. He tutors 

him to take on pastoral assignment while in the seminary and as a 

young priest. He continues to provide him with practical life 

experiences as he even prepares to assume the role of the pastor 

himself. In the process of monitoring the seminarian, the parish priest 

should be careful to ensure that the seminarian does not become 

hesitant. 

Having laid a background of relevance; the next thing is to 

address the practical importance of the role of the parish priest as a 

bridge between the Parish and the Seminary in the formation of 

candidates to the priesthood. Without any doubt, the role of the parish 

priest cuts across all that the seminary does. In fact, it can be argued 

that the parish provides a platform first of all for the harvesting of 



202   Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

candidates for formation in the seminary. Secondly, the parish provides 

the opportunity of practicum to the seminarian while he is still in 

training for the priesthood. Finally, he ends up most of the time in the 

parish or any other institution primarily as a pastor of souls. Hence, the 

parish is critical for the concrete realization in practice of all the 

theoretical principles and guidelines which the seminarian would have 

learnt in the process of his wholistic formation. “Formation involves an 
educational process that is both gradual and progressive, one that is not 

carried out ‘in fragments’ or in isolated segments.”18 These include 

human, spiritual, intellectual and pastoral formation. “Inasmuch as it is 

an educating community, the seminary and its entire life - in all its 

different expressions - is committed to the formation, the human, the 

spiritual, intellectual and pastoral formation of future priests.”19Care 

should, however, be taken not to divorce training in the seminary from 

practical discipleship which pastoral experience provides and this is 

most auspicious in the parish setting. 

It is the duty of a parish priest who is also called a pastor to take 

care of the parish community. Such a task, however, demands a lot of 

care and practical commitment. It is important, therefore, to make sure 

that whoever takes this role understands and faithfully carries out his 

duty according to the required decorum by learning and morals. 

The pastor (parochus) is the proper pastor (pastor) of 

the parish entrusted to him, exercising the pastoral care 

of the community committed to him under the authority 

of the diocesan bishop in whose ministry of Christ he 

has been called to share, so that for that same 

community he carries out the functions of teaching, 

sanctifying, and governing, also with the co-operation 

of other presbyters or deacons and with the assistance 

of lay members of the Christian faithful, according to 

the norm of law.20 

 

As a result of the gravity of the matter stated in the reference above, 

apart from the fact that he has to be an ordained21 minister a pastor “is 
to be outstanding in sound doctrine and integrity of morals and 

endowed with zeal for souls and other virtues; he is also to possess 

those qualities which are required by universal or particular law to care 

for the parish in question.…”22 



The Parish Priest as a Formator: Bridging the Gap…     203 
 

 

 

This is because of the gravity of the work of the priest; the 

pastor ought to be exemplary in the requisite virtues of the priesthood 

so as to be able to positively influence young parishioners and attract 

them to the Seminary for training as priests. Consequently, local 

ordinaries are to make sure those who are responsible for the souls of 

the faithful are carefully selected for such assignment to guaranty the 

welfare of the formation of the parish from where candidates are 

selected for training to be priests. “Consequently, it is recommended 

that the Pastor (parochus), or whichever person is responsible for the 

pastoral setting that receives the seminarian, should be aware of the 

formative task entrusted to him and should accompany him in his 

gradual entry into pastoral ministry.”23 This citation according to the 

ratio makes specific reference to the diaconal period, but our setting 

already engages in this task even before the diaconate ordination. It is, 

therefore, the function of the priest to discern, recommend and get 

involved in the formation of the candidate to the priesthood. 

 

4. The Seminarian 
The Seminarian is usually a male member of the faithful (who ought to 

be baptized and confirmed), who feels called and presents himself or is 

presented for training as a priest to be a priest. It is important to indicate 

some are presented and by parents or guardians. In the case of minors, 

as they are not matured to make such a decision, they depend on others 

to be presented. This applies in the case of minors who wish or are 

made to begin early in life their journey in the training to the priesthood 

in the minor seminary. This underscores the role of the pastor in the 

whole process of discerning vocation and eventual training for the 

priesthood that can occur at any time in life. “This vocation arises in 
various circumstances and at different stages of human life: in 

adolescence, in adulthood, and, as the constant experience of the church 

never fails to show, also in childhood.”24 In the process of formation, 

the seminarian is a ‘mystery to himself’25. “Seminarians need to be 
accompanied in a personal way in the various stages of their journey 

by those entrusted with the work of formation, each according to his 

proper role and competence. The purpose of accompaniment is to carry 

out vocational discernment and form the missionary disciple.”26 



204   Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

Accompaniment helps to make the journey of formation to be a shared 

responsibility. 

Furthermore, one needs to point out more about the personal 

responsibility of the seminarian himself. Receiving or perceiving the 

call of God to ministry, the seminarian has a responsibility to present 

himself free and sincere to the church for formation. It is the mind of 

the church that those to be trained as priests take responsibility for their 

choice and thus submit themselves for formation.  

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 account of 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 Gospels27 

 

It will be impossible to have a fruitful training process without the free 

self-giving of the seminarian to the formation in response to God who 

calls. 

The history of every priestly vocation, as indeed of 

every Christian vocation, is the history of an 

inexpressible dialogue between God and human 

beings, between the love of God who calls and the 

freedom of individuals who respond lovingly to him. 

These two indivisible aspects of vocation, God's 

gratuitous gift and the responsible freedom of human 

beings, are reflected in a splendid and very effective 

way in the brief words with which the evangelist Mark 

presents the calling of the Twelve: Jesus "went up into 

the hills, and called to him those whom he desired, and 

they came to him" (Mk. 3:13). On the one hand, we 

have the completely free decision of Jesus; on the other, 

the "coming" of the Twelve, their "following" Jesus.28 
 

Freedom makes the work of formation easy both on the part of the 

seminarian and on the part of the formators. But of more importance 

here is the freedom of the one to be formed. The success of formation 

depends on the openness of the formed and his willingness to follow 

the master. “Freedom, therefore, is essential to vocation - freedom 



The Parish Priest as a Formator: Bridging the Gap…     205 
 

 

 

which, when it gives a positive response, appears as a deep personal 

adherence, as a loving gift - or rather as a gift given back to the giver 

who is God who calls, an oblation…”29 

Very often the problems that arise can be numerous: in 

common experience, we have candidates who seem to respond and 

present themselves for formation who do not really wholeheartedly 

submit to the formation. Some also come into the seminary with a 

disposition that makes it impossible for the process of the formation to 

be authentic and fruitful. Cases abound in parishes and dioceses where 

seminarians who were highly esteemed in the seminary for discipline 

and maturity turn to have pretended all through their formation process 

only to reveal their true colours after ordination. Some seminarians are 

also caught in the web of the confusion between the principles of their 

life in the seminary and the remarkable difference the come to 

experience in the parish setting. What could be done to bridge the gap 

between the authentic life that the call of the gospel demands on the 

individual and the reality of the personal experience and his 

environmental influences? The answer is a structural one. All 

stakeholders are to be diligent in the discharge of their duties from the 

family to the parish priest and the individual seminarian who should be 

honest in the search for God and the direction of such a hunger for God 

in the right direction. 

But since it is necessary for the students to learn the art 

of exercising the apostolate not only theoretically but 

also practically, and to be able to act both on their own 

responsibility and in harmonious conjunction with 

others, they should be initiated into pastoral work, both 

during their course of studies and also during the time 

of vacations, by opportune practical projects.30 
 

If there is a true and sincere commitment on the part of the seminarian 

and the formators, the gap between the seminary experience and the 

reality in the parish will reduce if not completely eliminated. What is 

the seminary?  

 

 

 



206   Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

5. The Seminary 

The word “seminary” is from the Latin word Seminarium, which means 

plots where plants are raised from seeds. It means breeding ground, 

nursery. When is used for in reference to the priesthood, it means a 

breeding ground for priests. The history of training for service in the 

house of God dates back to the Old Testament experience when God 

called different people to serve in his house. Aaron, Samuel, prophets, 

and the disciples in the early formation of the church. It serves the use 

of this project to make the above reference to some of the ways in which 

candidates were formed for service at the altar of God. As we have it 

today, the role of the seminary is more systematic and theoretical. 

 

6. The Moment of Transition 
Once a seminarian has completed his formation in the seminary, he 

returns to his diocese. Most dioceses do have policies that require 

pastoral formation while formation in the seminary is going on. 

Seminarians that are assigned to parochial ministries, that is, pastoral 

work, function under the supervision of the parish priest. He determines 

the nature of the work of the seminarian, and ensure that the theoretical 

intellectual formation is brought to bear in the pastoral field. The Post 

Synodal Exhortation on Priestly formation reads: 

And so pastoral formation certainly cannot be reduced 

to a mere apprenticeship, aiming to make the candidate 

familiar with some pastoral techniques. The seminary 

which educates must 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. Thanks to an initial and gradual 

experience of ministry, future priests will be able to be 

inserted into the living pastoral tradition of their 

particular church. They will learn to open the horizon 

of their mind and heart to the missionary dimension of 

the Church's life. They will get practice in some initial 

forms of co-operation with one another and with the 

priests alongside whom they will be sent to work. 



The Parish Priest as a Formator: Bridging the Gap…     207 
 

 

 

These priests have a considerably important role, in 

union with the seminary programme, in showing the 

candidates how they should go about pastoral work.31 
 

One can say that this is the point where the work of the parish 

priest and that of the seminary meet. It continues from here and 

strongly demands that the parish becomes a priority of place 

when it comes to getting really involved in the work of service 

as priests and consequently priests to be. 

When it comes to choosing places and services in 

which candidates can obtain their pastoral experience, 

the parish should be given particular importance … for 
it is a living cell of local and specialized pastoral work 

in which they will find themselves faced with the kind 

of problems they will meet in their future 

ministry….These and other pastoral activities will 
teach the future priest to live out as a "service" his own 

mission of "authority" in the community, setting aside 

all attitudes of superiority or of exercising a power if it 

is not simply that which is justified by a pastoral 

charity.32 

 

7. The Dimensions of the Work of the Parish Priests as a Bridge 

between the Seminary and Parish. 

It is clear from the analysis above that the most important role of the 

parish priest is providing the seminarian with an opportunity to 

experience first-hand a practical application of the various aspects of 

theoretical formation he received from the seminary – The human, 

spiritual, intellectual and pastoral formation. The proper integration of 

these aspects of formation both by the individual who aspires to 

ministry and the system that receives and trains him become the 

hallmark of a fruitful ministry. 

 

7.1 Human 

The priest is expected to have the natural human virtues that should 

dispose of him to function properly as a pastor. Human virtues such as 

honesty, dedication, fear of God, love of human being, etc. It is the 



208   Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

view of the new Ratio and other church documents that the basis and 

purpose of formation is priestly identity.33 Priestly identity is being 

another Christ.  

The priest, who is called to be a "living image" of Jesus 

Christ, head and shepherd of the Church, should seek 

to reflect in himself, as far as possible, the human 

perfection which shines forth in the incarnate Son of 

God and which is reflected with particular liveliness in 

his attitudes toward others as we see narrated in the 

Gospels.34 
 

In addition to this – “Future priests should, therefore, cultivate a series 

of human qualities, not only out of proper and due growth and 

realization of self but also with a view to the ministry. These qualities 

are needed for them to be balanced people, strong and free, capable of 

bearing the weight of pastoral responsibilities.”35This is what the priest 

is called to be. It is expected that the parish priest having lived such an 

experience as pastor will be in the best position to guide the seminarian 

to begin to mirror his life to it through an apprenticeship in the parish 

with the pastor. All of this will come to its proper expectation if the one 

who is aspiring is rightly motivated and truly available to be guided in 

the way of Christ. In order for the human formation to complete and 

become available for the task of leading others, there is a need for 

spiritual formation. 

 

7.2 Spiritual 
In the words of Thomas Aquinas, “Since therefore grace does not 
destroy but perfects it, natural reason should minister to faith as the 

bent of will minsters to charity.”36 It is in this richness of expectation 

that the life of the church minister to her members. Every Christian is 

called to holiness37. But there is a peculiarity in priestly spirituality.  

The spiritual training should be closely connected with 

the doctrinal and pastoral, and, with the special help of 

the spiritual director, should be imparted in such a way 

that the students might learn to live in an intimate and 

unceasing union with the Father through His Son Jesus 

Christ in the Holy Spirit. Conformed to Christ the Priest 

through their sacred ordination they should be 

accustomed to adhere to Him as friends, in an intimate 



The Parish Priest as a Formator: Bridging the Gap…     209 
 

 

 

companionship, their whole life through. They should 

so live His paschal mystery themselves that they can 

initiate into it the flock committed to them.38 
 

The parish and the parish priest provide the seminarian with the 

required atmosphere and living example to carrying out his spiritual 

exercises. Having been taught in the seminary the practice of 

meditation and Lectio Divina as a routine, the parish now presents the 

seminarian the opportunity to live out the spirituality developed in the 

formation ground. It is through the interaction of the seminarian with 

the parish priest and generally with the parish life that will make the 

expected accompaniment possible.39 He sees the challenges in the 

ministry and learns to channel his energy to the required disposition of 

pastoral integration of the spiritual principles he has acquired in the 

seminary. With the intellectual and practical applications that he lives 

in the seminary, the seminarian begins to realize in a concrete way the 

various aspects of the spirituality of the life of the priest. He also begins 

to recognize his own personal strengths and weakness so as to be able 

to equip himself to develop a personal relationship with Christ through 

an authentic practical spiritual life. This can have a tremendous effect 

on the seminarian while in training to constantly and in a profound 

manner improve on his own response to the formation. Pastores Dabo 

Vobis points this out: 

It introduces him to deep communion with Jesus Christ, 

the good shepherd, and leads to the total submission of 

one's 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.40 
 

7.3  Pastoral 

Pastoral dimension speaks to the willingness of the seminarian to take 

up assignments such as the teaching of catechism, preparation for the 

liturgical celebration, solicitude for the poor and organization of lay 

apostolate groups in such a way for them to function properly. Here the 

parish priest is to work assiduously to channel the energy of the 



210   Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

seminarian to the vast pastoral need of the parish while guiding against 

excesses. Just as it is the duty of the parish priest to take care of the 

pastoral need of the parish he presides over, it is his duty to gradually 

introduce the seminarian to the dynamics of this task.  

The pastor is obliged to see to it that the word of God 

in its entirety is announced to those living in the parish; 

for this reason, he is to see to it that the lay Christian 

faithful are instructed in the truths of the faith, 

especially through the homily which is to be given on 

Sundays and holy days of obligation and through the 

catechetical formation which he is to give; he is to 

foster works by which the spirit of the gospel is 

promoted, including issues involving social justice, is 

promoted; he is to take special care for the Catholic 

education of children and of young adults; he is to make 

every effort with the aid of the Christian faithful, to 

bring the gospel message also to those who have ceased 

practising their religion or who do not profess the true 

faith.41 
 

In the first paragraph of the can. 528 above, one can claim that a lot of 

the pastoral work in which the seminarian is to be involved under the 

supervision of the parish priest is expressed. Practical activities to this 

effect could be the teaching of catechism to the parishioners of different 

ages and professions. The seminarian can also be given charge of lay 

apostolate groups in the parish and in fact, the seminarian is a-priest-

in-making and should be very intimate with the pastoral life of the 

priest.42 

The seminarian is one who is training to mirror the life of Christ 

in his own life and conducts among the people of God. So, he must be 

made to take a serious part in liturgical celebrations. He is not only to 

participate actively but must also help other parishioners to understand 

the importance of liturgical celebrations. Principal among these 

mysteries of the Liturgy is the Sacrifice of the Holy Mass. “The pastor 
is to see to it that the Most Holy Eucharist is the centre of the parish 

assembly of the faithful.”43 The earlier those training for the priesthood 

understand and appreciate the role of the liturgy in their training and 

eventual ministry as priests the better for the Church and for the 

proclamation of the gospel message. 



The Parish Priest as a Formator: Bridging the Gap…     211 
 

 

 

Another important aspect of the priest’s role in the guidance of 
the practical application of the seminarian’s knowledge in the pastoral 
fields is the ability to visit the parishioners. This is an important part of 

the formation. Sometimes priests are not aware of the material situation 

of parishioners. The ability to visit parishioners can help the seminarian 

to appreciate them and their faith-journey. This is within the 

requirement of the priest to know his parishioners and introducing the 

seminarian to this pastoral obligation becomes an opportunity 

integration of theory into the practical existential situation.44 

 

8. Remarks 

The topic that has been addressed here is one that has a lot of practical 

undertones and it is pertinent to give some remarks. Formation for the 

priesthood has been prime in the church’s evangelical mission. The 
agents of evangelization must be properly formed to respond to the 

needs of the human race in all ages. It is also true in our time that the 

world has known a lot of progress and experienced fragmentations. The 

church has not been exempted from the present human condition. In 

Nigeria, the effects of globalization also impact on the life of people. 

The church has tried over time to respond adequately to the imbalances 

in the world and address their implications on faith expression.45 The 

most recent of such an effort as it concerns the formation for the 

priesthood is the New Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionalis. One of the 

admirable points raised in the document is the capacity of Local 

Churches to fashion out their particular programmes based on their own 

experiences.  

It is the opinion of this paper that the Nigerian church needs to 

use the opportunity of this document to re-evaluate the priestly training 

process in the country and create more practical synergy between the 

seminaries and other institutions like the parish through the dioceses. 

Priests need to be more involved in the work of formation, helping 

candidates through practical means to integrate their formation in the 

seminary in the existential life of the parish. The practice of keeping 

seminarians far away from the priest should be discouraged as there is 

the most auspicious opportunity that the seminarian has to see closely 

the realities of the priestly ministry even before ordination. 

 



212   Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

9. Conclusion 

The danger every priest must avoid is the temptation to view the value 

taught in the seminary as mere transitory in the life of a person. The 

values are to become intimate habits in the life of the candidate for the 

priesthood. These habits create the ground upon which the grace of the 

sacrament of the Holy Orders will build upon. The principle of St. 

Thomas Aquinas is very helpful in underscoring the fact that it is the 

mode of the seminarians that the grace builds on: Quidquid recipitur 

ad modum recipientis recipitur. Whatever is received into something is 

received according to the condition of the receiver.”46 

The role of the parish priest in the formation of candidates for 

the priesthood is to help the seminarian gradually integrate and 

appropriate the principles he has learnt in the seminary. Therefore, the 

seminarian should be very close to the priest in the parish when on 

official and even unofficial pastoral experience. The motivation of the 

parish priest to do this work should come from his love for the church. 

Failure to ensure that the taught doctrine and spiritual exercises in the 

seminary are lived out in the parish can cause a crisis of vocation and 

identity in the individual to be ordained a priest. Unfortunately, in many 

instances that is what obtains today. But the onus is on the parish and 

the seminary as great institutions of interdependence opportunity to 

help individuals aspiring to the priesthood to take their vocation 

seriously. 
 
 

 

Endnotes 

1 Fulton Sheen, The Priest Is Not His Own; Ignatius Press, San Francisco, 2005. 

10 
2 Second Vatican Council, Church in the Modern World, Gaudium et Spes, 

1965. 
3Presbyterorum Ordinis no. 2. 
4 Cf. ibid 
5 Cf. Heb. 5:4; Ex. 28:1; Jn. 15:16. 
6 Ibid. nos. 3. & 7 
7 Alphonsus De Liguori, Dignity and Duties of the Priest, Redemptorist Fathers, 

Brooklyn, N. Y., 1927. 24. 
8Presbyterorum Ordinis no. 3 
9 Congregation for the Clergy, The Priest, Pastor and Leader of the Parish 

Community, Libreria Editrice Vaticana Vatican City, 2002. No. 27. 
10 Vat. II., Gravissimum Educationis, 28th Oct. 1965. No. 3. 
11 ibid 

                                                           



The Parish Priest as a Formator: Bridging the Gap…     213 
 

 

 

                                                                                                                                  
12Presbyterorum Ordinis no. 
13Pastores Dabo Vobis; no. 2. 
14Can. 515 §1. 
15 Code of Canon Law 518. from the Vatican archive cited on the 31st of 

September, 2019. 
16 Decree on priestly training, OPTATAM TOTIUS OCTOBER 28, 1965, no. 2. 
17 Congregation for the Clergy, The Priest, Pastor and Leader of the Parish 

Community, Libreria Editrice Vaticana Vatican City, 2002. No. 2 
18 Jorge Carlos Patron Wong, The Stages of Priestly Formation, in The Gift of 

Priestly Vocation in A Symposium For Formation Teams, English-Speaking 

Seminaries of Canada, April 4-7, 2019. 
19 Pastores Dabo Vobis, no. 61. 
20 Ibid 519. 
21Can. 521 §1 
22 Ibid 521 §2.  
23 Congregation for the Clergy, The Gift of the Priestly Vocation, Ratio 

Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis, L’ Osservatore Romano, Vatican City, 
2016. No. 75. 
24 Ibid no. 12 
25 Cf. Ratio 28 
26 Ratio 44. 
27 New Ratio Fungamentalis, no. 130 
28 Pastores no. 36. 
29 Ibid. 
30 Decree on priestly training, no. 20. 
31 Pastores Dabo Vobis. 58 
32 Ibid. 
33 Cf. New Ration 30 
34Pastores Dabo Vobis 43 
35 Ibid. 
36 Aquinas, Summa Theological, Part 1, Question 1, Article 8, Response to 

objection 2. 
37 Ibid no. 45 
38 Decree on priestly training, OPTATAM TOTIUS, no. 8 
39 Cf. New Ratio no. 44 
40Pastores Dabo Vobis, no. 45 
41 CCL, Can. 528 §1. 
42 Cf. Can. 530. 
43Can. 528 §2 
44Cf. 529 §1. 
45 Church in the Modern World, nos. 5, 8, 9 & 10.  
46 Cf. Summa Theologiae, 1a, q. 75, a. 5; 3a, q. 5. 



214  Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

 

 

 

C H A P T E R  1 4  
 

 
 

On-Going Formation of Priests: 

New Approaches To Post-Seminary 

Formation 
 

Hilary Oseabulu ODENORE 
 

 

 

Introduction 

I recall an interesting conversation I once had with a very 

knowledgeable layperson towards the end of my seminary formation. 

This man was trying to make an argument for the similarity between 

the calling and work of a Catholic Priest and the work of a Medical 

Doctor. For him, when one considers the length of training and 

sophistication of the training received, alongside the ethical 

requirements, and the demands of the job, the Priesthood and the 

medical profession are very similar. He made bold to say that in the 

light of the regular updating and stress on specialization, the medical 

doctor eventually becomes more refined than the Priest. It was at this 

point that I mentioned the on-going formation of priests, to which he 

replied; “What is that? Am just hearing of that? What does it mean? 
But not all Priests have post-graduate studies, do they? 

The on-going formation1 of priests is a reality that is often 

misunderstood, unknown and under-appreciated. And this cuts across 

the board, as not only are laypersons largely unaware of what it 

entails, even those that should know better, namely the Clerics 

themselves seem to underappreciate it. This is despite the fact that it 

is a concept that is crucial to successful priestly ministry, as we read 

in the words of Pope Benedict XVI’s Motu Proprio Ministrorum 

Institutio  



On-Going Formation of Priests: New Approaches ...     215 
 

 

 

The ongoing formation of priests... is the natural and 

absolutely necessary continuation of the process of building priestly 

personality which began and developed in the seminary... with the 

training programme which aimed at ordination. It is particularly 

important to be aware of and to respect the intrinsic link between 

formation before ordination to the priesthood and formation after 

ordination. Should there be a break in continuity, or worse, a 

complete difference between these two phases of formation, there 

would be serious and immediate repercussions on pastoral work and 

fraternal communion among priests, especially those in different age 

groups. Ongoing formation is not a repetition of the formation 

acquired in the seminary, simply reviewed or expanded with new and 

practical suggestions. Ongoing formation involves relatively new 

content and especially methods; it develops as a harmonious and vital 

process which — rooted in the formation received in the seminary — 

calls for adaptations, updating and modifications, but without sharp 

breaks in continuity.2 

In this paper, we will consider Post-Seminary formation, from 

the point of view of new approaches to the on-going formation of 

priests. We will attempt to articulate the mind of the Church as 

regards on-going formation of priests, according to the four major 

levels of formation spelt out in Pastores Dabo Vobis, namely 

Spiritual formation; Human formation; Intellectual formation and 

Pastoral formation, vis-à-vis an overview of what currently obtains in 

Dioceses in the Benin City Ecclesiastical Province (which we will use 

as a case study of sorts). From this standpoint, we will consider the 

possibilities for ‘new’ approaches to on-going formation, albeit it will 

be our argument that we can only consider ‘new’ approaches when 
we have better understood what should be obtainable.  

 

Definition of On-Going Priestly Formation 
When the Church talks about the on-going formation of Priests, she 

refers to a distinct phenomenon. “The term ‘ongoing formation’ is a 
reminder that one’s experience of discipleship of those called to the 

priesthood is never interrupted. The priest not only learns to know 

Christ but under the action of the Holy Spirit, he finds himself within 

a process of gradual and continuous configuration to Him, in his 



216  Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

being and his acting, which constantly challenges the person to inner 

growth”.3  
The Directory on the Ministry and Life of Priests uses similar 

categorization for the concept. Here we read; 

The activity of formation is based on a dynamic 

demand intrinsic to the ministerial charisma, which is 

permanent and irreversible in itself. Therefore this can 

never be considered finished, neither on the part of 

the Church which imparts it nor on the part of the 

minister who receives it. It is, therefore, necessary that 

this is thought of and developed in such a way that all 

priests may receive it always, keeping in mind the 

characteristics and possibilities that vary with age, 

condition of life, and assignments. Such a formation 

must cover and harmonise all the dimensions of the 

formation of priests. Thus, it must tend to help each 

priest achieve the development of a full human 

personality matured in the spirit of service to others, 

in whatever task he may receive; it will permit him to 

be intellectually prepared in the theological sciences 

as well as in the human sciences, insofar as they are 

linked with his ministry, in order to pursue his 

function as witness to the faith with a greater 

effectiveness; that he has a deep spiritual life, 

nourished by intimacy with Jesus Christ and by love 

for the Church; and so that he may pursue his pastoral 

ministry with zeal and dedication. In practice, such 

formation must be complete: spiritual, pastoral, 

human, intellectual, systematic and personalised.4 
 

The watershed Post Synodal Apostolic Exhortation that was the fruit 

of the Synod of Bishops that considered the formation of priests in 

present-day circumstances also treated the question of on-going 

formation. According to the Synod Fathers, “The ongoing formation 

of priests, whether diocesan or religious, is the natural and absolutely 

necessary continuation of the process of building priestly personality 

which began and developed in the seminary or the religious house 

with the training programme which aimed at ordination”5 Without 

prejudice to the best efforts of Bishops and Churches who are 



On-Going Formation of Priests: New Approaches ...     217 
 

 

 

working hard at it, it would appear that in Nigeria, the on-going 

formation of priests is yet to receive the kind of attention that would 

help to underline its importance. And can be attributed to two factors.  

Culturally, there is the inability to adequately inculcate in 

both formators and formandees (sic), the fact that Seminary formation 

is preparation for Priestly life, and not just for Priestly ordination. If 

the emphasis during Seminary formation is for the Seminary 

Formators to weed out those who are not suitable for the priestly 

ministry, it stands to reason that the modus operandi would be fault-

finding, in place of journeying along with the candidate, to help him 

answer his call. And when the Seminarians discern that his formators 

are very interested in seeking out his faults, he will continually seek 

out creative ways to make sure that these faults are not found out, 

following the principle of the proverbial Eneke the bird6. This would 

lead to pretence and other related vices, just to ensure that one crosses 

the line. In this manner, priestly ordination, the end-point of Seminary 

formation, is made to be a terminus ad quem, rather than the starting 

point of another life-long journey that is meant to build upon what 

was learnt in the Seminary.  

On the other hand, and this applies to those situations where 

there are attempts to accentuate on-going formation, the stress seems 

to be on the intellectual formation, rather than a holistic approach. 

On-going formation in such instances, is reduced to further studies 

after ordination, and in certain cases, even this is not regarded as a 

right of the individual priest, but a privilege. What is clear is that in 

such situations, the academic degrees that a priest acquires after 

ordination, tend to overshadow the need to focus on other aspects of 

his priestly, resulting in arrested development of the other aspects.  

When the Church talks about the on-going formation of her 

priests, we must be clear that “Programmes, resources, and practices 

do not constitute ongoing formation. They are necessary instruments 

but always in service to the larger purpose and direction of 

formation”7. On the contrary, “it is the continuing integration of 
priestly identity and functions or service for the sake of mission and 

communion with Christ and the Church”8. 

 



218  Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

A Brief Overview of On-going Formation as it Obtains in our 

Circumstances 

We have seen from the foregoing, that on-going formation of priests 

is a multi-faceted reality. Before we can consider the possibility of 

new approaches to it, we have to attempt an x-ray of what currently 

obtains in our immediate environment9. We will do this using the 

following four questions; 

 Who is responsible for the on-going formation of priests? 

 When is the on-going formation of priests supposed to take 

place?  

 What constitutes the content of the on-going formation of 

priests? 

 How is the on-going formation of priests carried out?10 

 

Who Is Responsible For The On-Going Formation Of Priests? 

When we talk about the on-going formation of priests, and who 

should be responsible for it, the casual observer will immediately 

point to the Individual Priest and his Bishop. This will be a correct 

answer, although not an exhaustive one.  

Pastores Dabo Vobis gives a deeper approach to the question of 

who is responsible for the on-going formation of priests, by 

specifying the following agents; 

1. The Church itself as a Communion, under its head, the 

Bishop. 

2. The Individual Priest. 

3. The Bishop and the Presbyterate.  

4. Experts involved in the formation of Priests.  

5. The Family of the Priest.11 

 

As stated above, the Priest and his Bishop are two agents that quickly 

come to mind in this regard, and rightly so. In the words of the United 

States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the priest’s responsibility, 
“…is linked to their commitment at ordination to serve well the 

people of God through their ministry and through their own personal 

faith commitment. Priests in dialogue with their bishop, his 

representative, or other members of the presbyterate need to map out 

their plan of ongoing formation”12.   

As for the Bishop, it goes without saying that part of his 

function as a Shepherd, is to see to the welfare of his closest 



On-Going Formation of Priests: New Approaches ...     219 
 

 

 

collaborators, the Priests. And the ongoing formation of these his sons 

falls squarely under the title of welfare. By extension too, since the 

individual priest belongs to a fraternity of priests, it stands to reason 

that his brothers should be solicitous for the on-going formation of 

one another. The ‘novelty’ however, especially given our culture here, 
lies in the other two agents; the Church as a Communion and the 

Family of the priest. 

We belong to a culture that still has great reverence for the 

‘man of God’. Catholics generally love and respect their priests, and 
they understand that they have an obligation to care for the priest 

since he is the one that represents them in their relations with God (cf 

James 5:1-4). Often, this care for the priest gets restricted to praying 

for them and providing for their material needs. It is noteworthy, 

therefore, for us to remind ourselves that there are other obligations 

beyond these two activities, one of which is to ensure their on-going 

formation.  

Priests are not there to serve themselves but the 

People of God. So, ongoing formation, in ensuring the 

human, spiritual, intellectual and pastoral maturity of 

priests, is doing good to the People of God itself. 

Besides, the very exercise of the pastoral ministry 

leads to a constant and fruitful mutual exchange 

between the priest's life of faith and that of the laity. 

Indeed the very relationship and sharing of life 

between the priest and the community, if it is wisely 

conducted and made use of, will be a fundamental 

contribution to the permanent formation, which cannot 

be reduced to isolated episodes or initiatives, but 

covers the whole ministry and life of the priest. …And 
so the entire People of God, in each and every one of 

its members, can and should offer precious assistance 

to the ongoing formation of its priests. In this sense, 

people should see that priests are allowed time for 

study and prayer. They should ask of them that for 

which Christ has sent them and not require anything 

else. They should offer to help in the various aspects 

of the pastoral mission, especially in those related to 



220  Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

human development and works of charity. They 

should establish cordial and brotherly relations with 

them, helping priests to remember that they are not "to 

lord it over" the faithful, but rather "work with them 

for their joy" (cf. 2 Cor. 1:24).13 
 

The Socio-Economic realities in Nigeria have created an emerging 

attitude of distrust towards Clergymen in recent times. Social media is 

quick to make viral the mistakes, offences and crimes of self-

acclaimed men of God, and in this manner, festering a wave of anti-

clericalism that is alien to our cultural heritage. While it has always 

been a pastime of sorts for parishioners to discuss their priests, the 

present social conditions mean that such discussions are tending more 

towards looking for reasons to criticize and condemn them.  

But a true Catholic that wants to condemn his/her priest, has 

to realize that to the extent that the failings being highlighted are 

rooted in an incomplete formation of the related aspect of the priest’s 
life, then he/she has some responsibility for making sure that such 

errors are corrected and lacunae filled up. This is because we all have 

a role to play in the on-going formation of the priest.  

The family of the priest has its own part to play in the matter. 

The joy and festivities that colour the priestly ordination of a person, 

is to some extent the family’s way of showing gratitude to God for 
choosing one of them to serve Him in a particular manner. Beyond 

the ordination day, however, and without wanting to go into certain 

negative influences that the priest’s family could have on him, the 

family is to help him fully realize his identity as a true disciple of 

Jesus, and a minister of God’s mysteries in the Church.  
By being one with their son in his aims, the family can 

offer him its own important contribution to his 

mission. The plan of providence chose the priest's 

family to be the place in which his vocation was 

planted and nourished, an indispensable help for the 

growth and development of his vocation. Now the 

family, with the greatest respect for their son who has 

chosen to give himself to God and neighbour, should 

always remain as a faithful and encouraging witness 

of his mission, supporting that mission and sharing in 

it with devotion and respect. In this way, the family 



On-Going Formation of Priests: New Approaches ...     221 
 

 

 

will help bring God's providential plan to 

completion.14 
 

It is a truism that these two Agents of on-going formation, have 

generally not been factored into the efforts in our circumstances. It is 

one area where improvement can be made, and immediately too, to 

ensure that priests are given the best possible assistance to fully 

realize their identity and carry out their obligations.  

 

When is the On-going Formation of Priests to take place? By its 

nature, the on-going formation of priests is a life-long matter. The 

ideal is to have a structure that caters for the different phases of life of 

a priest, and in this regard, there is still a lot yet undone in our 

circumstances.  

The present-day emphasis leans towards the formation of 

newly-ordained priests or what is commonly referred to as ‘junior 
clergy’ (priests of 10 years of priestly ordination and below). It is 

commonplace in Dioceses in Nigeria, to have programmes and 

activities designed to help them live up to the responsibilities of the 

priestly state that they assume after ordination, and subsequently, to 

acquire skills that will help them to handle greater pastoral offices, as 

they grow in the priestly life.  

Usually, after a priest crosses the threshold of 10 years of 

ordination, there is rarely any specific programmes aimed at 

addressing challenges that he might be experiencing, such as burn out, 

mid-life crises, health challenges that vitiate their ability to fulfil their 

responsibilities, thereby leading to feelings of inadequacy and 

frustration. In addition, there is an absence of a strategic plan at the 

level of the Dioceses to see to their intellectual renewal, and the 

acquisition of new skills and getting acquainted with contemporary 

Church modalities for resolving modern-day challenges. Yes, priests 

are sent to go for studies, and yes, there are workshops, seminars and 

other activities to impart skills to the priests. The problem is that there 

is often no strategic plan behind these efforts, hence we tend not to 

get the desired results.  

 



222  Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

What Constitutes On-going Formation? Here, we are talking about 

the content of on-going formation or better still, its aspects of 

Spiritual, Human, Intellectual and Pastoral formation.  

This dimension of On-going Priestly formation is one of the 

strengths of the Dioceses that are in Edo State. The present-day 

practice stresses on Intellectual formation and Pastoral formation. 

Indeed, the intellectual formation is largely aimed at providing priests 

with the skills to better function pastorally. It is against this backdrop 

that Dioceses plan for further studies for priests, in order to meet three 

categories of need;  

a. Ensuring that the Diocese has relevant experts for its 

proper functioning;  

b. Satisfy the requests of Institutions like Seminaries and 

other Catholic Institutions of Higher Learning, for 

experts in ecclesiastical and other sciences;  

c. See to the personal development of priests who may 

not fall under categories a) & b) above.  

These three criteria are usually what informs the choice of persons 

going for further studies, even though many would argue that what 

obtains could be better organized and made to operate under a defined 

system. In this way, the on-going pastoral formation of priests is 

guaranteed, as the intellectual formation is geared towards better 

pastoral practices.  

As regards the Spiritual formation, this arguably is the 

strongest of the four aspects in terms of what Dioceses are doing for 

the priests. Practically all Dioceses in Nigeria have annual retreats for 

the priests and regular monthly recollections, either at Diocesan or 

Deanery levels, following the relevant canonical prescriptions15. 

However, there is a need for due diligence in this area, lest what has 

always been an area of strength becomes one of weakness. This is 

because of the twin evils of absenteeism (especially in the case of 

Recollections) and the inability of priests to stay in situ at the Retreat 

grounds for the entire period of the Annual Retreat for diverse 

reasons, disrupting the rhythm that the exercise needs, and losing 

focus therein.  

On the whole, Dioceses have some arrangements for the 

different aspects of on-going Priestly Formation. While the Spiritual 

aspect seems to be the most stable in terms of the programmes, to 

some extent, the Intellectual and Pastoral formation also enjoy 



On-Going Formation of Priests: New Approaches ...     223 
 

 

 

reasonable consideration, while it would appear that Human 

formation does not enjoy the same level of planning and 

programming.  

 

How is On-going Formation Carried out? Generally, on-going 

formation is carried out through courses, programmes and similar 

activities. This is why we often hear of priests attending seminars, 

participating in workshops and talks, as well as taking courses that 

equip them for the priestly ministry. Usually, these activities are 

carried out by groups of priests.  

However, Human and Spiritual formation needs more than 

such activities, and our Dioceses need to explore other more 

personalized options, such as mentoring, so as to get the best out of 

her priests. This is because after all considered, it is the individual 

priest that needs this permanent formation, and he has to be open to 

the promptings of the Spirit through these programmes and activities. 

“For this reason, there should be awareness, especially on the part of 

those responsible, that all priests must be reached personally, taking 

care of each one, and not simply having all the diverse opportunities 

available to them”.16 

 

New Approaches to On-going Formation 

Having attempted an overview of On-going Formation, we 

recommend the following possibilities as new approaches to on-going 

formation for priests.  

 Increased Episcopal Solicitude.  

 Systematization of Processes 

 Accountability (through the involvement of other Agents of 

Formation) 

 Flipping the pyramid of emphasis.  

 

Increased Episcopal Solicitude: The role of the Bishop in the on-

going formation of priests is very important. According to 

Apostolorum Successores,  

The Bishop is the father of the priestly family and 

through him, the Lord Jesus Christ is present among 

believers. For this reason, just as Jesus manifested his 



224  Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

love for the Apostles, so too the Bishop knows that it 

is his duty to show particular love and solicitude for 

priests and candidates for the sacred ministry. Guided 

by sincere and unwavering charity, the Bishop should 

take care to assist his priests in every way, so that 

they come to appreciate the sublime priestly 

vocation, live it with serenity and defend it with 

vigour, radiant with joy as they faithfully carry out 
their duties.17 

 

All the documents that refer to the Agents of Formation underline the 

importance of the Bishop in this matter. If we wish to pay attention to 

the chronology, Pastores Dabo Vobis  lists the Church and the Bishop 

as first among the agents of on-going formation18, and while The 

Directory on the Life and Ministry of Priests places the Priest himself 

and Brotherly Assistance as the first two Agents, in talking about the 

Bishop, it acknowledges that he has a very clear responsibility as per 

the permanent formation of his priests. Hence we read that the 

Bishop’s responsibility;  
is expressed both in that which concerns the 

individual priest, for whom the formation must be as 

personalized as possible and in that which concerns 

the formation of all the priests who make up the 

diocesan presbyterium. In this sense, the Bishop will 

never fail to foster communication and communion 

among priests, taking particular care, to guard and 

promote the true nature of their ongoing formation, to 

educate their consciences regarding its necessity and 

importance, and finally, to plan the necessary structure 

and appropriate persons to carry it out.19 
 

Bishops have always given their best in the area of ensuring the 

utmost in terms of the permanent formation of the priests. 

Nevertheless, the need for increased episcopal solicitude cannot be 

over-emphasized. This solicitude will make the priest understand that 

the question of on-going formation is neither optional for them, 

whereby they may or may not apply themselves to it, nor an 

imposition from ‘without’. The Bishop has to utilize a virile pastoral 
approach to make the priests better appreciate programmes of on-

going formation that are available to them. To this end, we would 



On-Going Formation of Priests: New Approaches ...     225 
 

 

 

borrow from the document of the United States Conference of 

Catholic Bishops (USCCB), which spells out the duty of the Bishop 

in this regard as including the following;  

1. Bishop's Direct Responsibility: 

 The receipt of a regular report from those charged with the 

ongoing formation of priests on the "state of soul" of the 

presbyterate and any particular concerns 

 At least three contact points with the presbyterate at large, 

e.g., Chrism Mass, a study day, or a diocesan retreat (as 

well as the presbyteral convocation when it is held) 

 A periodic conversation held either directly or through the 

bishop's delegate with each priest concerning his ongoing 

formation to provide for accountability and encouragement 

2. Bishop's Provision for Ongoing Formation: 

 Provides for the adequate staffing of an office for the 

ongoing formation of priests (bishop functions as the 

guarantor of encouragement, time, and resources) 

 Appoints a director to organize, ensure funding for, and 

communicate the resources of human, intellectual, pastoral, 

and spiritual formation (whether diocesan based or drawn 

from other institutions) 

 Appoints and oversees a committee of priests (perhaps 

drawn from the presbyteral council) and others to regularly 

examine the process of ongoing formation in its various 

dimensions 

 Supervises the director to establish linkage between the 

ongoing formation of priests and other diocesan efforts, 

e.g., evangelization, catechesis, worship, justice and peace, 

and lay formation 

 Through the mechanisms of diocesan communication, 

communicates the values, purposes, and activities of the 

ongoing formation of priests to the people of God20 

 

A cursory juxtaposition of the recommendations of the USCCB above 

and what obtains in dioceses around us would reveal that while there 

are some elements already present, there is still much room for 



226  Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

improvement. The Bishop may want to better utilize such offices as 

the Vicar for Priests, and such organs as the Priests’ Welfare 
Committee/Commission, and expand their responsibilities to include 

the on-going formation of priests, such that they can better assist him 

to carry out his role in this regard.  

 

Systematization Of Processes: Following from the above, it is 

necessary to ensure that the ‘Director (Directorate) of On-going 

Priestly Formation’ sees to the systematization of the processes and 
activities of on-going formation. As we have already seen, there 

already exists different initiatives as regards permanent formation, but 

they tend to be unco-ordinated and scattered. It will be the 

responsibility of the said Director, under the supervision of the 

Bishop, to see to the planning, execution and evaluation of the 

different formation programmes in the diocese.  

This is particularly important when one considers that the 

mind of the Church is for such formation to span through the life of 

the priest. Consequently, it is expected that; 

there is a formation that is specific to newly ordained 

priests, recently ordained priests, priests preparing for 

the first pastorate, middle-aged priests, priests 

preparing for retirement, and retired priests. Each 

group has its specific programme needs. Still, there 

are core pieces of identity and service that are constant 

across priests' lifetimes no matter their age or the 

particular circumstances of their ministry. A part of 

formation truly does remain ongoing, permanent, or 

constant.21 
 

The volume of work that this will entail for the typical Catholic 

Diocese in Southern Nigeria, with its attendant high numbers of 

ordained priests for instance, already points to the need for an office 

and staff, with files and other hardware that will cater for the 

organization of information. And before we get fixated on the office 

space and the equipment needed, it is more important to ensure that 

the Director himself is trained before undertaking such office. Such 

training does not necessarily mean frequenting a course in a 

University. It would suffice to spend time in two or three Dioceses 

(preferably overseas) that have a defined and functioning programme 



On-Going Formation of Priests: New Approaches ...     227 
 

 

 

for on-going formation and to carefully study their modus operandi, 

with particular emphasis on the content and general orientation of 

their programmes.  

It is this knowledge that will guide the Director in setting out the 

office and determining the responsibilities of the staff in the office. It 

is through this office also that the Bishop will be able to monitor the 

progress of his priests along with set parameters. For instance, the 

USCCB prescribes the following minimum for the priest as regards 

his on-going formation;  

 Fifty-two contact hours of education per year (in other words, 

one hour per week) 

 One week of retreat 

 Daily prayer (especially the celebration of the Eucharist and 

the Liturgy of the Hours) 

 Monthly celebration of the sacrament of reconciliation, 

perhaps in conjunction with spiritual direction 

 Monthly contact with a priest group or its equivalent. 22 

 

In a diocese of about 50 priests for example, it will be very difficult to 

firstly organize, execute and then evaluate each priest from the point 

of view of the minimum for formation for the year, without such an 

office. Similarly, one can easily imagine the incremental 

improvements in the lives of priests if the office is well set up and 

running efficiently, hence its urgency.  

 

Accountability (Through The Involvement Of Other Agents) The 

word ‘accountability’ suffers from a misunderstanding in Nigeria, and 

this misunderstanding sometimes means that when it is mentioned in 

certain circles, there is a semi-automatic negative reaction towards 

who uses it. However, in so far as accountability refers to “an 

obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for 

one's actions”23 then its relevance vis-à-vis new approaches to the 

on-going formation of priests becomes clearer.  

The most important factor in on-going formation is the priest 

himself. It is critical therefore that there be a system to hold him 

accountable for his actions in this regard. Without prejudice to the 



228  Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

sense of personal responsibility of the priest (which thanks to his 

initial formation tends to be very high), and to his free will, the 

Church has to have a way to get assurance that he is taking this 

seriously, as what negatively affects an individual priest reflects 

poorly on the corporate identity of the Church in a variety of ways. 

So, the other agents of on-going formation can assist the priest in this 

regard.  

This is why the Bishop has to receive regular updates from the 

Directorate of On-going Formation and to pay close attention to those 

who may not be pulling their weight, as this could be an indicator of 

other deep-seated issues. The Bishop should not hesitate to raise this 

matter with his priests during pastoral visits and other encounters, as 

this will provide rich feedback from the priests’ point of view, which 
can, in turn, facilitate the further improvement of the existing 

programmes.  

The Presbyterium shares a special relationship with 

themselves. “In all the aspects of priestly existence, there appear 

particular bonds of apostolic charity, of ministry and of fraternity, 

which serve as the foundation of the reciprocal help that priests give 

each other. It is to be hoped that co-operation among all priests should 

grow and develop as regards their spiritual and human life, as well as 

their ministerial service. The help which must be given to priests in 

this field can find support in the different priestly associations which 

tend to form a truly diocesan spirituality”.24 Priests should encourage 

one another to apply themselves to the programmes that can help 

them make considerable progress in becoming other Christ, as it is 

often the case that they will be the first to discern when a brother 

priest is in difficulty.  

In addition, the family of the priest should be made aware of 

their responsibility to journey along with their brother priest, with the 

same prayerfulness and joy that they demonstrated during his initial 

formation25. We have already highlighted the novelty of the stress of 

the family of the priest as one of the Agents of his on-going 

formation. This has to be put in practical terms in the way they assist 

their son and brother in striving to become a good and holy priest. 

One clear way to assist him is not making undue financial demands 

on him that could distract him from his purpose.  

Furthermore, experts in Seminary formation have to be 

incorporated into Diocesan Programmes of On-going Formation. This 



On-Going Formation of Priests: New Approaches ...     229 
 

 

 

can be advantageous in two ways; firstly, through their interface with 

priests in the field, they will be able to identify areas of initial 

formation that can be improved upon, from the standpoint of the lived 

experiences of priests. Additionally, they are in a good position to 

play a mentorship role to the priests, and to use the repertoire of their 

experiences to identify the connectedness between lapses in seminary 

formation and priestly life, and proffer solutions to the priests.  

 

Flipping The Pyramid Of Emphasis: As we tried to establish much 

earlier in this work, On-going Formation tends to be identified with 

further studies. Also, extant programmes in Diocese stress more on 

the intellectual and pastoral aspects, while there are already regular 

activities that cater for the spiritual aspect of the priest’s formation. 
The Human Formation does not have these sorts of programmes in 

the Dioceses, and should we continue like this without any 

intervention, then it would remain de-emphasized. Thus, there is an 

urgent need to flip the pyramid of emphasis as far as on-going 

formation is concerned, so that the human aspect gets the needed 

attention and pride of place.  

In real sense, the Human aspect of on-going formation should 

come first in terms of emphasis. Pastores Dabo Vobis maintains that; 

Fuller development is first required in the human 

aspect of priestly formation. Through his daily contact 

with people, his sharing in their daily lives, the priest 

needs to develop and 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. In particular, 

through coming to know and share, through making 

his own the human experience or suffering in its many 

different manifestations, from poverty to illness, from 

rejection to ignorance, loneliness and material or 

moral poverty, the priest can cultivate his own 

humanity and make it all the more genuine and clearly 



230  Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

apparent by his increasingly ardent love for his fellow 

men and women. 26 
 

It is when the priest is a better person that he can be a better Christian, 

and then more fully realize his identity as a close disciple of Jesus and 

a minister of the sacraments within the Body of Christ. This is why 

his Human formation, which is a life-long affair, cannot be over-

emphasized. The goal, as the same document puts it, is that “…the 

People of God should be able to say about the priest, who has 

increasingly matured in human sensitivity, something similar to what 

we read about Jesus in the letter to the Hebrews: "For we have not a 

high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one 

who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sinning" 

(Heb. 4:15). 27 

In their Basic Plan for the On-going Formation of Priests, the 

USCCB states that a genuine Human Formation has to stress on the 

improvement of the Priest’s capacity to communicate and his capacity 
for communion; care for the physical body to maintain a healthy and 

invested life, integration of human sexuality and contact with culture. 

As regards specific ways of realizing this, it provides that; 

The specific means include events, resources, and 

programmes. For example, human formation, as we 

have described it, can sometimes occur through a one-

to-one dialogue of friendship. At times, professional 

counselling can appropriately and effectively address 

human growth issues for priests. It need not be 

reserved, as unfortunately, it is in the perceptions of 

some, for the treating of illness. Professionally 

facilitated groups that focus on interpersonal 

dynamics can be effective instruments of human 

formation. Similarly, the human formation can happen 

in the context of feedback, when individuals are 

helped to see and appreciate their impact in various 

situations so that they can learn from that knowledge 

and confirm what is good and change what is less 

opportune. Programmes of periodic review and 

assessment are useful feedback mechanisms. As we 

have described it, the human formation has a direct, 

personal, and experiential dimension. Studies can also 



On-Going Formation of Priests: New Approaches ...     231 
 

 

 

foster human formation for priests. An intellectual 

component in human formation enables priests to 

understand themselves and others better. Certain 

courses, seminars, workshops, or directed readings 

could advance the human formation of priests. 28 
 

In an ideal situation, even if there is no other programme of on-going 

formation in a Diocese, due to the importance of the human aspect, 

then the activities listed above have to be running in the typical 

Diocese. Bishops, given their position in the Church, have to make 

sure that Human formation comes first before the other aspects, to 

guarantee that the goals of on-going formation as a whole are 

realized. It is when the priest is truly human, that he can be more 

holy, an excellent pastor, and a scholar.  

 

Conclusion:  
It is often said that there is no small vulture. This is with reference to 

the fact that all vultures are bald, even the newborn among them. And 

this saying is often used in discussions involving newly 

ordained/young priests. I was a beneficiary of the saying too, and I 

choose the word ‘beneficiary’, because in the context of the 
discussion then, the saying was meant to boost my morale after some 

loving parishioners pointed out my error to me in a particular pastoral 

situation. Interestingly, they went on to say that they understood why 

I made the error, and they trust that a few years down the line, I will 

not be making such mistakes anymore.   

It is true that there is no small vulture, but there certainly are 

inexperienced vultures, who despite their baldness, unless they 

continue their training under the more experienced ones, they would 

not get the tools needed to become the best possible vultures they 

could be. The on-going formation of priests is that indispensable 

mechanism that will help a priest to fully actualize the gamut of 

potentialities that are in him after he has assumed the priestly identity 

with sacred ordination. It is our opinion that this aspect of the life of 

the Church demands closer attention, and the new approaches we 

have suggested above will go a long way in ensuring that this is the 

case.  



232  Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

Endnotes 
                                                           

1
 In this paper, we will use the terms Post-Seminary Formation, On-going 

Formation and Permanent Formation of Priests synonymously.  
2 Benedict XVI, Motu Proprio Ministrorum Institutio, 16th January, 2013.  
3 Congregation for the Clergy, Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis, 

8th December 2016, No 80 
4 Congregation for the Clergy, The Directory on the Ministry and Life of Priests, 

Vatican City, 1994, Nos 73 & 74.  
5 John Paul II, Post Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis, 25th 

March, 1992, No, 71 
6 Eneke the bird, as we read in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart said that 

‘since hunters have learnt to shoot without missing, I too have learnt to fly 

without perching”.  
7 United States Catholic Bishops, Basic Plan for the On-going Formation of 

Priests, 2001, General Description.  
8 Ibid 
9 What we will offer here is the fruit of participant observation of the Author, as 

a member of a Diocese, as well having carried out informal investigations into 

what also obtains in Benin City Archdiocese, and the Catholic Diocese of Auchi. 

These three Dioceses, which are in Edo State, Nigeria, constitute the ‘immediate 
environment’ referred to in the paper. While a more scientific study will offer 
deeper insights into the issues raised above, we do not reasonably expect it to 

have results that are completely different from the picture we will try to paint in 

this effort.  
10 In drawing up these four categories, we are drawing largely from the 

USCCB’s Basic Plan for the On-going Formation of Priests.  
11

 See Nos 78 & 79 
12 USCCB, Ibid, No N. 

 
13 John Paul II, ibid, No 78 
14 Ibid, No 79 
15 We read in Can. 276 §1. In leading their lives, clerics are bound in a special 

way to pursue holiness since, having been consecrated to God by a new title in 

the reception of orders, they are dispensers of the mysteries of God in the 

service of His people. 

§2. In order to be able to pursue this perfection: 

4/ they are equally bound to make time for spiritual retreats according to the 

prescripts of particular law; 
16 Congregation for the Clergy, Ibid, No 80 
17 Congregation for Bishops, Directory for the Pastoral Ministry of Bishops 

Apostolorum Successores, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Citta del Vaticano, No 75 

(emphasis added) 
18 John Paul II, Ibid, No 65 



On-Going Formation of Priests: New Approaches ...     233 
 

 

 

                                                                                                                                  
19 No 89 
20 USCCB, Ibid,  No N 
21 Ibid, No I  
22 USCCB, Ibid, No N 
23 https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accountability (Last visit 4th 

September, 2019) 
24 Congregation for the Clergy, Ibid,  No 88 
25 The Bishop may choose to devote a part of the Homily during priestly 

ordinations and Chrism masses to encourage the families of priests in this 

regard.  
26 John Paul II, Ibid, No 72 
27 John Paul II, Ibid, No 72 
28 USCCB, Ibid,  No J 

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accountability


234    Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age     

 

 

 

 

C H A P T E R  1 5  
 

 
 

Co-Leadership as a Management Option 

for Ecclesial Administration 
 

Emmarex Elemeiye OKHAKHU 

 
 

 

Introduction 

Traditional views of leadership as a top-down process are increasingly 

challenged by critical perspectives that acknowledge that leadership 

may involve several people. Using the seminal work of David Sally1 as 

the launchpad for this critical conceptual analysis, this research 

explored co-leadership where members share several leadership 

responsibilities. The research traces co-leadership through its 

definitional, management, and ecclesial lens. It challenged the deep-

seated traditional leadership of parish functions and Church 

administration by bringing to the fore some biblical and canonical 

precepts and considerations that should steer ecclesial thinking in co-

leadership. Beyond its contributions to the current leadership research, 

this work conceives the Church as a living organization with strategies, 

norms, and discipline; a corporate of sorts in dire need of shared 

responsibilities and accountabilities. The overview of the existing 

literature, fused into ecclesial leadership models in the Bible and Post-

Conciliar teachings should wake up fresh insights into the Church’s 
understanding of Gaudium et Spes, the Church in the modern world.  

In David Sally work: Co-Leadership: Lessons from Republican 

Rome,2 a leadership framework was created for Ancient Rome after a 

century of kingly successions. In 510 BCE, the Republic was founded 

and the first pair of Consuls was appointed. From the perspective of 

battle-as-marketplace and government as-firm-metaphor, Rome was 



Co-Leadership as a Management Option for Ecclesial ...    235 

conceived as a high-growth company with sufficient scale of leadership 

to ensure a more complex organizational structure.   “In addition to the 
pair of Consuls (CEOs), two Censors (CFOs) were added, two Praetors 

(COOs), four Aediles (SVPs of production and operations), four 

Quaestors (Comptrollers), and numerous provincial governors 

(Regional VPs)”3  

However, Sally’s analysis insufficiently explained the social 
conflicts that consumed the Patricians (Nobles) and the Plebs 

(Common People), who though were full-fledged citizens of Rome, 

were denied political opportunities. The Patricians’ monopoly on 
power “could not withstand the growing numbers, motivation, and 
wealth of the Plebs, as they organized the own bureaucracy, laws, and 

rights – a state within a state,”4 devolving into more anarchy. This 

failure and crisis of leadership continued into 367 BCE and further, 

even when a merger was effected to include the Plebs in every strata of 

governance. 

Power asymmetries in this new inclusive governance only 

widened the divide between the lame duck and the rising stars, and 

made cohesiveness and learning impossible to the extent that if a co-

leader departs unexpectedly, the others could not forge on to lead the 

organization. Such leadership lacked flexibility, learning, and 

continuity: “for when news came that a huge army of Gauls had 
encamped in [the] Latin territory, Scipio was seriously ill; and the 

conduct of the war was given by special enactment to Popilius”5 

Co-leadership, practised in Roman Republic was power shared 

between the two highest officers of state: the consuls. In this Republic, 

the consuls shared power at the apex of a power-sharing system in 

which every official had to have a colleague with equal authority but 

never trickled down to the ‘subordinates’. Such leadership at best was 

vertical devoid of parallel ownership. It dictated top-down the minds 

of the gods that were reverently obeyed. In this world order, co-leaders 

had no chance of immediately and permanently descending to the 

group. That decision would have to be made by the ex-Consuls as 

entrenched in their laws guiding their dictatorship6. This model 

leadership did not lead ‘with’ rather, it led ‘over’ others. This is where 
Sally’s discourse appeared to have missed the mark. His use of the 
descriptive term’ co-leadership’ to capture the leadership of Republic 
Rome rubs off negatively against its ideal meaning in management and 



236    Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age     

 

leadership studies, and begs us for its re-definition and re-

conceptualization in modern organizations. 

 

Co-leadership in the Literature 

Leadership can be an elusive term to describe but easily identified when 

practised. Based on its common element of relation-building “. . . a 
leader is someone who touches another’s future”7  Peter Senge, writing 

in The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook, concurs with this understanding and 

notes that it is easy to perceive both good leadership and the absence 

of good leadership. “You can always sense the presence or absence of 
leadership when you begin working in a new organization”8 The stake 

gets higher when defining co-leadership. 

Heenan and Bennis9 introduced the concept of co-leadership as 

an activity that several people can share. This makes the term 

synonymous with shared leadership. The collective nature of 

leadership focuses on it as being shared and distributed10 between 

formally appointed managers, particularly at lower and middle 

management levels. Position-sharing within pairs of managers 

demonstrates an alternative way of organizing leadership within a 

managerial position. This two-person instance is a “special case of 
shared leadership”11  

In clearer terms, Pearce & Conger  argue that: 

The key distinction between shared leadership and 

traditional models of leadership is that the influence 

process involves more than just downward influence on 

subordinates by an appointed or elected leader […]. 
Rather, leadership is broadly distributed among a set of 

individuals instead of centralized in the hands of a 

single individual who acts in the role of a superior.12 
 

The concept of ‘shared and distributed’ is defining and emerges, as it 
is needed since one leader in the traditional sense cannot be the expert 

in teams composed of people with different expert skills. Rather, the 

team becomes more effective if the leadership is distributed and all 

members are allowed to influence the direction13 . The idea of top-

down leadership weakens the concept of empowered teams since 

shared leadership occurs when the team is exerting influence. 

There is empirical evidence that managerial positions are 

successfully shared in most corporations.14 Even so, the sharing 



Co-Leadership as a Management Option for Ecclesial ...    237 

formula is fraught with problems. We still witness both ignorance of 

and resistance to the idea of shared leadership within a managerial 

position15 Even in Sweden, where shared leadership has been mostly 

demonstrated recently has a problem arising from its new Education 

Act, which forbade school principals to formally share leadership on 

an equal basis; each so-called school unit has to have only one 

principal16. This motivates a discussion about how to conceptualize the 

phenomenon and its different forms. 

 Klinga, Hanson, Hanson, and Anderson17 explored the concept 

of co-leadership as “ one approach to meet the managerial challenges 
of integrated services ---  practiced by pairs of managers – each 

manager representing one of the two principal organizations in 

integrated health and social care services”18  functional and project 

managers with either dotted or solid reporting lines of leadership. These 

researchers argue that “to deliver sustainable health and social care, 

cross-boundary collaboration is needed.19 In addition, Stein,  Barbazza, 

Tello, and Kluge, stated that collaboration between professionals from 

different sectors is likely to develop more people-centred and holistic 

care.”.20 Individuals with complex morbidities, such as those with 

mental illness, HIV, and disabilities, are vulnerable to fragmented care.  

“A higher degree of cooperation between services or integration of 
services is required to decrease the fragmentation”21 

Schools are beginning to imbibe the concept of shared 

leadership as a partnership, where teachers, staff, parents and students 

are equal partners. “Creating this balance of power is probably one of 
the hardest aspects in shared leadership” 22Even so, school boards are 

working on effective and clear parameters that can empower all 

members of the group.  Hughes and Pickeral believe in the importance 

of, 

safe, equitable, engaging and high-quality school 

climates. Shared Leadership is when teachers, staff, 

parents, students and principals collaborate to solve 

problems. Working together to create an engaging 

school climate that accelerates student learning is 

common sense. Where shared leadership exists with 

youth and adults working collaboratively, there is a 

student-focused school.23 

Co-leadership, therefore, is a departure from the formal leader to a 

shared leadership model resulting in shared power and decision-



238    Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age     

 

making. Instead of an ‘elite’ individual leading the crew, others are 
invited to share the responsibility for leadership and develop a positive 

school climate. 

In the complex world of health care, it is inconceivable that the 

traditional top-down, heroic leadership really works. In fact, it would 

be a disservice to the healing profession. Health care leadership is a 

“competency-based behaviour that has to come from everyone 

involved in health care. Doctors work in multidisciplinary teams 

focused on the needs and safety of the patient where leadership 

becomes the responsibility of the team”24 While there is a functional 

leader of the team who is accountable for the performance of the team, 

the responsibility for identifying problems, solving them and 

implementing the appropriate action is shared by the team.  The key 

distinction between shared and traditional models of leadership in this 

scenario is that the influence process involves more than just the 

downward influence of subordinates by a positional leader. Leadership 

is distributed amongst a set of individuals instead of being centralized 

in the hands of a single individual who acts in the role of leader.25  

In critical care for patients with cancer, HIV, AIDS, brain 

aneurysm, or even an automobile accident victim, a community of 

practice is deployed quickly in a multi-disciplinary fashion. This 

critical team may include different experts: surgeons, oncologists, 

anesthetists, palliative care specialists, specialist nurses, general 

nurses, therapists, radiologists, general practitioners, physiotherapists, 

nephrologists, cardiologist etc. These individual expert leaders co-

jointly make contributions in the planning and care delivery of the 

patient. “Within a shared leadership model, leadership passes from 
individual to individual along the patient’s pathway of care. This 
provides continuity of care for the patient without compromising the 

standards of care”26 No one surgeon, medical director, or clinical expert 

satisfies the professional training of the individual experts in the 

interdisciplinary team to lead them in the traditional model. This fact 

does not diminish the need for a functional leader. 

Interdisciplinary teams now characterize effective 

organizations, taking the burden off one person or discipline to have all 

the bulk knowledge and experience that solves the complexity of 

today’s problems. The breakthroughs in science, organizations, and 

people management are more likely to come from the collective 

interactions, contributions, and leadership between multiple disciplines 



Co-Leadership as a Management Option for Ecclesial ...    239 

rather than a single positional leader. So, what are the specific benefits 

and drawbacks of co-leadership? 

 

Benefits and Challenges of Co-leadership 

Successful co-leadership demands the ability to listen to team 

members’ thought processes, which can challenge your own opinions 
based on fact. This disposition on a wider scale may lead to better 

solutions. Such Partnership binds people together toward common 

goals, sharing a common vision. It elicits human creativity, mutual 

respect, and allows partnership and compromise to trickle down to the 

rest of the organization. This concept can shrink factions, silo 

mentalities, and hero worship.  

Co-leadership is a hard process that works when people commit 

to its discipline.  It invites a voluntary commitment and deep desire to 

be involved in the process. One must clearly want to improve self and 

believe sincerely that others have good ideas as well. Like in every true 

partnership, it’s imperative to start with the same vision, a desire to 
keep the conversation alive in spite of disagreements, and springing 

new compromises. O’Toole, Galbraith and Lawler captured these ideas 
more aptly: “... co-leadership is much more likely to be successful with 

clear and agreed differentiation. This isn’t a one-off conversation. 

Make co-leadership sustainable by regularly re-evaluating your roles 

and effectiveness.”27 

The concept of co-leadership shift the perspective from 

viewing leadership as a single-person activity to viewing it as collective 

constructive processes, which opens space for all participants to 

express their agency at every stage of the change process, from ideation 

to implementation. However, Conger and Pearce are eager to mention 

that they do not view shared leadership as the universal solution to any 

leadership issue or group setting. The authors argue that: 

there do exist some situations when shared leadership 

is not just non-optimal, but even harmful, e.g. when 

there is a lack of knowledge, skills and abilities 

necessary to shared leadership, when there is lack of 

goal alignment between members of the team, when 

there is lack of goal alignment between the team and 

the organization, when there is lack of time to develop 

shared leadership and finally, when there is lack of 

receptivity to shared leadership.28 



240    Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age     

 

 

Therefore, the question raised here helps to examine the 

biblical foundation and appropriateness of co-leadership for 

ecclesial management. Is co-leadership right for the Church? 

 

Co-leadership in Scriptures 

Not all leaders are equal in their giftedness, biblical knowledge, 

leadership ability, and experience or communication skill. Therefore, 

those particularly gifted leaders and/or teachers will naturally stand out 

among the others. This is what the Romans called primus inter pares, 

‘first among equals,’ or primi inter pares, ‘first ones among equals.’  
Jesus practised this principle of ‘first among equals’ in His dealings 
with the Twelve. They were all empowered to preach, heal, and cast 

out demons, even Judas. However, Jesus singled out three for special 

attention – Peter, James, and John – primi inter pares. And among the 

three, Peter stood out as the most prominent, the primus inter 

pares. Perhaps, Peter’s personality made him a more outspoken, 
confrontational, and natural-born leader in the group, and rightfully 

called the Rock.    

Christ insistence that the Church be built on Peter, the Rock 

and his triple command to ‘feed my sheep” placed Peter, however, 
above the others (John 21:15-17). The three commands, although often 

translated the same way, are subtly different. The first time Jesus says 

it, the Greek means literally “pasture (tend) the lambs” (v. 15). The 
Greek word for “pasture” is in the present tense, denoting a continual 
action of tending, feeding and caring for animals. 

The second time, the literal meaning is “tend My sheep” (v. 
16). In this exchange, Jesus was emphasizing tending the sheep in a 

supervisory capacity, not only feeding but ruling over them. This 

expresses the full scope of pastoral oversight, both in Peter’s future and 
in all those who would follow him in pastoral ministry. Peter follows 

Jesus’ example and repeats this same Greek word poimaino in his first 

pastoral letter to the elders of the Churches of Asia Minor: “Be 
shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers” 
(1 Peter 5:2). Even so, the eleven were not his subordinates. They were 

not his assistants. He was simply first among his equals, the chief 

Apostle, acknowledged so by Jesus Himself. And it was James who 

headed the Jerusalem Council, not Peter (Acts 15). 

https://biblia.com/bible/esv/John%2021.15-17
https://biblia.com/bible/esv/1%20Pet%205.2


Co-Leadership as a Management Option for Ecclesial ...    241 

In the context of the seven deacons (Acts 6), the dynamics of 

‘first among equals’ leadership relationship is observed. These deacons 
were chosen to relieve the Apostles of certain responsibilities. Philip 

and Stephen stood out as prominent figures among the five other 

brothers (Acts 6:8-7:60, 8:5-40, 21:8). Yet, as far as the account 

records, the two held no special title or status above the others. The 

concept of ‘first among equals’ is further evidenced in the relationship 

between Paul and Barnabas. They laboured as partners in the work of 

the Gospel. They were both pioneers and leaders in missions, yet 

between them, Paul was ‘first among equals’ because perhaps he was 
“the chief speaker” and a more dynamic leader (Acts 13:13, 14:12). 

Paul, the ex-rabbi, definitely more learned, did not boss over Barnabas 

who could also stand on his own ground in the matter over John Mark. 

The advantage of the principle of ‘first among equals’ is that it 
allows for functional, gift-based diversity within the leadership team 

without creating an official, superior or oppressive office over fellow 

leaders; just as the leading Apostles, Peter and John, did not lord it over 

others. These elders laboured in the Word and exercised good 

leadership. 

However, current Church leadership seems easier without the 

encumbrance of others. Some leaders would prefer to dominate rather 

than rely upon the breadth of experience resident in the Church. Others 

fight hard to maintain unchallenged authority because they have a 

deep-seated need to be needed. Still, others feel that they are the only 

ones who could get the job done. 

It’s true that this quick dash into Scriptures raises more issues 
and challenges against heroic leadership, on which the Church thrives 

especially within the power dynamics of the office of Bishops. It is 

truer, however, that it is the overall spiritual giftedness of the pastoral 

team that causes the Church to grow, not just the current leadership 

form of government. The early Church grew out of the anointing of the 

spirit and the common life, shared vision of members, not its lordship. 

Leadership anywhere works best when it is provided by teams of gifted 

leaders serving together in pursuit of a clear and compelling vision. 

Perhaps, Churches more than ever have the dire need to helm-

in some of its primus inter pares fanfare and seek shared and authentic 

leadership based on the spiritual gifts and energies that builds the 

Church. For Christ who, being in very nature God, did not consider 

equality with God something to be used to his own advantage. Rather, 



242    Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age     

 

He emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human 

likeness…(Philippians 2:6-7). 

The dialogue on co-leadership in the Church begins here. It 

revolves around the premiums we place on our positions, swayed by 

positional fanfare or whether we see them as invitations to spiritually 

build the body of Christ. The Church must decide on which of these 

values has eternity as a reward; then draw itself closer to the flock of 

Christ, fusing relationship in Christ and co-leading the affairs of the 

Church. From this height can co-leadership further cascade to the 

parish level. 

While Episcopal collegiality and parochial co-responsibility 

are both of vital importance to the life of the Church, and needs to be 

constantly fostered, it seems opportune at this point to give some 

serious attention to the question of Presbyteral collegiality in order to 

balance the various organs of governance in the Church, and to balance 

the confusion of role and isolation experienced by many priests in their 

parishes. This is not to imply that the other dimensions of co-

responsibility are of less importance; it is simply to address the issue in 

a more focused fashion. 

The very first document issued at Vatican II, The Constitution 

on the Sacred Liturgy (#4), speaks of the close bond between the bishop 

and his presbyterate as they gather around the altar for the celebration 

of the Eucharist. It speaks thus: 

The faithful must be convinced that the principle manifestation 

of the Church consists in the full, active participation of all God’s 
people in the same liturgical celebrations, especially in the same 

Eucharist, in one prayer, at one altar, at which the bishop presides, 

surrounded by his priests and ministers. 

The text is significant in that it takes us back to the writings of 

Ignatius of Antioch, indicating a desire on the part of the Council to 

retrieve an earlier understanding of the relationship between the bishop 

and his priests and to reorder ministerial relationships accordingly. It 

also indicates a desire to relocate collaboration between priests and 

bishops in the context of the bonds of communion created by the 

Eucharist.  

The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church re-echoes the 

teaching of the document on the liturgy when it speaks of the bonds of 

communion and affection that are to exist between the body of priests 

and the bishop. The priests “share in the priesthood and mission of the 



Co-Leadership as a Management Option for Ecclesial ...    243 

bishop.” They are “to see in him a true father” and the bishop is to treat 
the presbyters as “his helpers, as his sons and friends.” Among 
themselves, “priests are united together by bonds of intimate 
brotherhood … through the medium of reunions and community life, 

work and fraternal charity.” Priests are also called “to unite their efforts 
and combine their resources under the leadership of their bishops” 
(#28).  

In The Decree on the Bishops’ Pastoral Office in the Church, a 

diocese is described as “a section of the People of God entrusted to a 
bishop to be guided by him with the assistance of his clergy.” The 
priests are placed alongside the bishop in the task of preaching, 

building up the unity of the community, and celebrating the Eucharist. 

Later, priests are called “prudent co-operators with the episcopal 

order,”(#11)  and are said to “assume a part of the bishop’s duties and 
concerns” (#15). Therefore, a bishop should treat them “with particular 
affection” and “regard them as sons and friends” (#16).  In discussing 
the spirit of collaboration that is to exist between the presbyters and the 

bishop, the Decree says: “to ensure an increasingly effective apostolate, 
the bishop should be willing to engage in dialogue with his priests, 

individually and collectively, not merely occasionally, but if possible, 

regularly. Furthermore, the diocesan priests should be united among 

themselves and should be genuinely zealous for the spiritual welfare of 

the whole diocese” (#28). This is the language of collaboration, 

collegiality and co-responsibility of bishops with their priests and of 

priests among themselves. 

At the beginning of his pontificate, John Paul II stated that “a 
spirit of collaboration and shared responsibility” (Redemptor hominis, 

#5) characterizes presbyteral councils, a feature of ecclesial life and 

mirrored the collegiality that existed among the bishops. Towards the 

end of his ministry, in the post-synodal exhortation, Pastores Gregi 

(#45), he reaffirmed the same thinking,  “The presbyters, and among 

them, parish priests, in particular, are therefore the closest co-operators 

in the Bishop’s ministry….The Bishop will always strive to relate to 
his priests as a father and brother who loves them, listens to them, 

welcomes them, corrects them, supports them, seeks their co-operation 

and, as much as possible, is concerned for their human, spiritual, 

ministerial and financial well-being.” 

These relationships are totally meant for the service of the 

Church so that the ecclesial community has an absolute need for the 



244    Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age     

 

ministerial priesthood to have Christ the Head and Shepherd present in 

her. From these relationships emerges the role of the priest. The parish 

priest is the cura animarum of the people of God, the parish, the 

powerhouse of our faith. 

 

The Priest, Pastor, and Leader of the Parish Community 

The ministerial priesthood is the fruit of an election, of a specific 

vocation: "he called his disciples, and chose from them twelve" (Lk 6, 

13-16). Thanks to the ministerial priesthood, the faithful are made 

aware of their common priesthood and they live it (cf. Eph 4, 11-12); 

the priest reminds them that they are the People of God and makes them 

able to "offer spiritual sacrifices" (cf. 1 Pt. 2,5), through which Christ 

himself makes us an eternal gift to the Father (cf. 1 Pt. 3,18). Without 

the presence of Christ represented by the priest; the sacramental guide 

of the community, this would not be an ecclesial community in its 

fullness. So the priest is an alter christus, devoid of all authoritarian 

powers, politics, and lordship; he nurtures the faithful. He nurtures the 

common priesthood of the people of God, chosen by God. His role, 

therefore, is central to the growth of our faith and Church. 

Canon 532 stipulates that, despite the requirement for 

ecclesiastical communion, the parochus “personam gerit” –moves the 

juridic person of the parish in all its juridic affairs. In contrast, Canon 

393 ties the “personam gerit” of the Bishop to the juridic person of the 

diocese, in all the juridic affairs. This is to say that the parochus directs 

the parish within the broad oversight of the Bishop. In essence, the 

priest is the daily, on-ground CEO of the parish. 

It is important to emphasize that the parochus does not exercise 

his role of CEO, of office-holder, of a householder, on his own.  He 

needs assistance. Moreover, as a member of Christ’s faithful himself, 
he needs to co-opt other members of Christ’s faithful to make the parish 
household a vibrant actuation of Christian communion.  And who are 

the others that he needs to enlist in the life and work of the parish?  

Canon 519 puts it this way:  he is to work for the “co-operation” of 
other presbyters or deacons and the “assistance” of lay members of the 
Christian faithful, according to the norm of law.  

The co-operation of other presbyters or deacons (transitional or 

married) has its uneven dynamics that need new learning, healing, and 

acceptance. The co-operation and assistance of lay members of the 

Christian faithful needs focused nurturing as well. We submit here the 



Co-Leadership as a Management Option for Ecclesial ...    245 

following: first, that the co-operation of the lay members of the 

Christian faithful is what makes parishes work. Second that this co-

operation is found in the day-to-day functioning of the parish –with 

parish secretaries, parish catechetical directors, parish business 

managers, and pastoral associates.   

The priest needs seasoned shared leadership to elicit the needed 

‘co-operation’ of all in the parish(es) entrusted to his jurisdiction, 
especially in (a) the parish finance council and (b) the parish pastoral 

council, where Church laws are explicit. 

 

The Finance Council 

Canon 537 states:  

In each parish there is to be a finance council, which is 

governed, in addition to universal law, by norms issued 

by the diocesan bishop and in which the Christian 

faithful, selected according to these same norms, are to 

assist the pastor in the administration of the goods of 

the parish, without prejudice to the prescript of  can. 

532 [i.e., that the parochus is the one who moves the 

person of the parish].  

 

 A point to be made is that the role of the council is consultative.  There 

is nothing in the universal law that requires a parochus to consult with 

the finance council for the validity of his action.  But there is no reason 

why a diocesan bishop cannot issue particular law, requiring 

consultation with the finance committee for the validity of the action 

of the parochus in certain financial affairs (canon 127). And given the 

volume of conflicts from Finance Councils, some co-responsibility and 

joint working are needed. 

The parish pastoral council, unlike the finance council, is not 

an unconditional requirement of law. It is to be made up of the Christian 

faithful – baptized Christians who are in ecclesiastical communion with 

the Catholic Church.  These persons need not be members of the Latin 

Church:  they can be members of any Church sui iuris. Also included 

in its membership are “those who share in the pastoral care by virtue of 
their office in the parish: i.e., parochial vicars, deacons, pastoral 

associates, catechetical and liturgical directors. This membership 

gateway and that of the financial council opens multiple avenues for 

the priest to exercise and practice shared leadership, particularly as the 



246    Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age     

 

council and the parochus are distinct; the parochus presides at the 

meetings. He has leadership responsibilities to be shared with others. 

His collaboration, on the flip side, may elicit the rich 

contributions, the experience of other leaders that can help the pastor 

grow in leadership. The priest needs his co-responsible team to help 

develop a vision. Sofield, Loughlan, and Kuhn29 stressed the 

importance of crafting a guiding vision. The co-responsible team must 

conceive powerful goals, communicate amongst themselves, and gain 

enthusiastic acceptance. Champlin30 advocated a three-pronged 

approach. 1. Gather grass-roots input. Unless people buy into the dream 

it will not significantly motivate them. 2. Keep repeating the dream. 

Keep the people focused on the vision by repeating it again and again. 

3. Express the vision in some captivating way. Use symbols and appeal 

to the senses.  

The co-joint parish team must thrive on Strategic Thinking. 

Peter Senge stated that strategic thinking helps grow strong leadership. 

The leader must articulate and differentiate what is truly essential from 

what is secondary. Good strategic thinking addresses dilemmas arising 

from conflict among competing goals and norms. Senge instructs that 

we must distribute power and authority, but we also want to improve 

control and coordination, for effective strategic thinking. These factors 

help organizations (Churches) become more responsive to changes, 

and helps grow the individual’s stable and coherent sense of identity, 
purpose, and vision.  These create a sense of ownership with corollaries 

to high productivity and creativity. 

A pastor who is not using the parish pastoral council to help 

create a parish vision is probably carrying too much of a burden. Dennis 

O’Leary reminds us that “the primary responsibility of the parish 
pastoral council is to assist the pastor in directional and strategic 

planning. If planning in these two areas is done well, administrative 

and programme planning by the pastor, staff and programme leaders 

will naturally follow, and the result will be a more focused and 

integrated approach to ministry” 31 

 

Co-Leadership and the Future of Ecclesial Administration: Some 

Interrogatives 

1. Do the tenets of co-leadership threaten the Church? 

2. Is the Church more persuaded by power, authority, and prestige 

than by a sublime desire to grow? 



Co-Leadership as a Management Option for Ecclesial ...    247 

3. Will priests and bishops lose power via co-leadership? 

4. Will the people of God feel more empowered to participate in 

the Church through co-leadership? 

5. Can communication and common sense-making of conflicts 

ensure that the process is democratic, honest and ethical, with 

a common goal in mind? 

6. Can parish council meetings be co-led in ways where 

individuals’ specific experience, knowledge, skills, and 
competencies complement the decision process?  

7. Are priests prepared enough to lead parishes in this light? 

8. Are the disciplines of deep listening to other viewpoints, 

transparency, trust, and co-thinking for the richer good of all, 

anti-Christian? 

 

Conclusion and Future Research 

This conceptual analysis and exploration extend our knowledge of co-

leadership as a way of addressing managerial challenges in cross-

boundary service cultures, especially in ecclesial settings. Sharing 

leadership between managers may be of specific interest for future 

leadership development in the post-heroic bent that we have tried to 

construct here. Co-leadership enabled environments to provide robust 

management, broader competence, continuous learning and joint 

responsibility for services. Therefore, co-leadership contributes to the 

provision of sustainable integration of faith and practice, the 

enrichment of the Church. On the individual Christian and 

interpersonal level, the prerequisites for successful co-leadership are 

the perception of the management role as a collective activity, 

continuous communication, trusting environment devoid of personal 

glories and prestige.   

  Defining leadership as a collective construction process makes 

a difference to managers’ and co-workers’ interaction and learning, 
which explains why the issue of how to organize leadership is 

important. Joint leadership, in its far-reaching togetherness, deserves 

special interest. Future research has several questions left to answer in 

order to further understand the relatively widespread32 but under-

researched issue of shared leadership between managers, especially in 

the Church. 

 

 



248    Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age     

 

Endnotes 

1 Sally David, Co-leadership: Lessons from the Republican Rome, California 

Management School Climate Center. 2002. 
2 Sally David, Co-leadership: Lessons from the Republican Rome, Ibid. 
3 Sally David, Co-leadership: Lessons from the Republican Rome 3. 

4 Sally David, Co-leadership: Lessons from the Republican Rome 4. 
5 Livvy. The Rise of Rome. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. 1998,126. 

6 Livvy. The Rise of Rome. 89 
7 J. M. Champlin, & C. D Champlin,  The Visionary Leader. New York: Crossroad 

Publishing Company. 1993. 24 
8 P. M. Senge, C. Roberts, R. B. Ross, B. J Smith, & A. Kleiner, A. The Fifth 

Discipline: Shared Leadership. London: Sage publications. 1994. 65. 
9 D. A. Heenan & W. G. Bennis, Co-leaders : The Power of Great Partnerships. 

John Wiley. 1999. 
10 R. Bolden,  “Distributed Leadership in Organizations: A Review of Theory and 

Research” in  International Journal of Management Reviews, Vol. 13, 251–269 

(2011) DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-2370.2011.00306.x  

11 C. L. Pearce,  & J. A Conger, All Those Years Ago: The Historical 

Underpinnings of Shared Leadership, (2003) Retrieved on August 29, 2019 from 

https://www.leadershipacademy.nhs.uk/wp-

content/uploads/2012/10/776bc9c27b6e8741d0ff42e593ba44cf.pdf Review 

44(4): 8 
12C. L. Pearce,  & J. A Conger,  All Those Years Ago: The Historical 

Underpinnings of Shared Leadership (2003) Retrieved on August 29, 2019 from 

https://www.leadershipacademy.nhs.uk/wp-

content/uploads/2012/10/776bc9c27b6e8741d0ff42e593ba44cf.pdf   Review 

44(4): 1 
13 C. S. Burke, S. M. Fiore, & E. Salas, (2003). “The Role of Shared Cognition in 

Enabling Shared      Leadership and Team Adaptability”  in  Shared leadership: 

Reframing the hows and whys of leadership, Craig L. Pearce & Jay A. Conger 
(Ed), DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781452229539.n5, 105 

14 S. Choi, I. Holmberg, J.  Löwstedt,  & M. Brommels, “Managing clinical 

integration:  A Comparative Case Study in a Merged University Hospital”. 

Journal of Health Organization and Management, 26(4), 486-507, (2012).   

http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/14777261211251544 
15M. Döös,  Together as One: Shared Leadership Between Managers. 

International  Fieldbook. New York: Doubleday. 2015. 
16 M. Döös, Ibid.  
17 C. Klinga, J. Hansson, C. Hasson &  M. A. Sachs, “Co-Leadership – A 

Management Solution for Integrated Health and Social Care”. International 

                                                           

https://www.leadershipacademy.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/776bc9c27b6e8741d0ff42e593ba44cf.pdf
https://www.leadershipacademy.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/776bc9c27b6e8741d0ff42e593ba44cf.pdf
https://www.leadershipacademy.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/776bc9c27b6e8741d0ff42e593ba44cf.pdf
https://www.leadershipacademy.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/776bc9c27b6e8741d0ff42e593ba44cf.pdf
http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=YG3GIEez5d4C&oi=fnd&pg=PA103&dq=info:a-dwZijmCkEJ:scholar.google.com&ots=yGm4BjWXzf&sig=t-resmFyQSOpL564zuhPsclMWP8
http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=YG3GIEez5d4C&oi=fnd&pg=PA103&dq=info:a-dwZijmCkEJ:scholar.google.com&ots=yGm4BjWXzf&sig=t-resmFyQSOpL564zuhPsclMWP8
javascript:void(0);
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Co-Leadership as a Management Option for Ecclesial ...    249 

                                                                                                                                  

Journal of Integrated Care, 16(2): 7, 1, 2016. DOI: http://dx.doi. 

org/10.5334/ijic.2236 
18 C. Klinga, J. Hansson, C. Hasson &  M. A. Sachs, “Co-Leadership – A 

Management Solution for Integrated Health and Social Care”. Ibid. 

19 C. Klinga, J. Hansson, C. Hasson &  M. A. Sachs, “Co-Leadership – A 

Management Solution for Integrated Health and Social Care”. 
20 Stein, K.V.,  Barbazza, E.S., Tello,J. & Kluge, H. “Towards people-centred 

health services delivery: a Framework for Action for the World Health 

Organisation (WHO) European Region”. Int J Integr Care. 2013 (105) 10 
21 Stein, K.V.,  Barbazza, E.S., Tello,J. & Kluge, H. “Towards people-centred 

health services delivery: a Framework for Action for the World Health 

Organisation (WHO) European Region”. Ibid. 
22 Hughes &  Pickeral. “School Climate and Shared Leadership”.  NY: National 

In Arthur X. Deegan (ed.) Developing a Vibrant Parish Pastoral Council. 

Mahwah, New Jersey: Paulist Press. 2013. 2 
23 Hughes &  Pickeral. “School Climate and Shared Leadership”.  NY: National 
In Arthur X. Deegan (ed.) Developing a Vibrant Parish Pastoral Council, 3 
24 NHS, (ND). Shared Leadership. Enhancing Engagement in Medical 

Leadership. Retrieved on  

August 29, 2019 from https://www.leadershipacademy.nhs.uk/wp-

content/uploads/2012/10/776bc9c27b6e8741d0ff42e593ba44cf.pdf 
25 C. L. Pearce,  & J. A Conger, All Those Years Ago: The Historical 

Underpinnings of Shared Leadership, 3 
26 NHS, (ND). Shared Leadership. Enhancing Engagement in Medical 

Leadership. Retrieved on August 29, 2019 from 

https://www.leadershipacademy.nhs.uk/wp-

content/uploads/2012/10/776bc9c27b6e8741d0ff42e593ba44cf.pdf 
27 O’Toole, J., Galbraith, J., & Lawler, E. E. “When Two (or More) Heads are 

Better Than 

One: The Promises and the Pitfalls of Shared Leadership”, (2002). 

California Management Review 44(4): 10. 
28 C. L. Pearce,  & J. A Conger, All Those Years Ago: The Historical 

Underpinnings of Shared Leadership, Review 44(4): 299 
29 Sofield, Loughlan, and Donald H. Kuhn. The Collaborative Leader. Notre 

Dame, Indiana: Ave Maria Press. 1995. 
30 Champlin, J.M. & Champlin, C.D. The Visionary Leader. New York: Crossroad 

Publishing Company. 1993. 
31 O’Leary, Dennis J. Parish Pastoral Councils: Instruments of Visioning and 

Planning. 1995. 32. 
32 M. Döös, Together as One: Shared Leadership Between Managers. 

International Fieldbook. New York: Doubleday. 2015. 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3886596/
https://www.leadershipacademy.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/776bc9c27b6e8741d0ff42e593ba44cf.pdf
https://www.leadershipacademy.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/776bc9c27b6e8741d0ff42e593ba44cf.pdf
https://www.leadershipacademy.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/776bc9c27b6e8741d0ff42e593ba44cf.pdf
https://www.leadershipacademy.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/776bc9c27b6e8741d0ff42e593ba44cf.pdf


250    Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

 

 

 

P O S T S C R I P T  

 

 

 

Tu es Sacerdos in Aeternum – The Priest: 

A Friend and Servant of God 
 

Leonard Oshiokhamele ANETEKHAI 
 

 

“Every high priest is chosen and appointed from 

among God’s people to act on their behalf in relation 

to God” (Cf. Hebrews. 5,1). 

 

 

Introduction 

The most exciting expression of the true nature of a priest is one that 

finds its true meaning in the phrase Servus Dei –  a Servant of God. 

This expression John E. Rotelle, in his foreword to the book, The 

True Priest: The Priesthood as Preached and Practiced by Saint 

Augustine, is summed up as ‘Service’. Herein, the Church Father, 

Augustine understood service as the “true meaning of ordination – 

service to God in transmitting the message of Jesus to humanity and 

service to the people of God in helping the power of God’s spirit to 

enter their lives.”1  

To this act of service and from a biblical understanding, 

Gerald O’ Collins, and Michael Keenan Jones express that Priests are 

chosen by God and not self-appointed. This thought finds its meaning 

in the Old Testament passages of Exodus 25–30, 39–40; Leviticus 8–

9; and Number 1–10, wherein YHWH elected priests (and Levites) to 

serve as His instruments for the benefit of the chosen people. In the 

New Testament, Jesus also received a divine mandate to serve as high 

priest of the new covenant. In the same vein, presenting Jesus as a 

role model, the letter to the Hebrews 4:1 affirms the human nature of 

a priest who is chosen from among human communities and placed at 



Tu es Sacerdos in Aeternum – The Priest: A Friend and….    251 

their service, and also seen as one representing Jesus Christ ‘who in 

every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin’. In both 

instances, the divine purpose of a priest, as a ‘friend and servant’ is to 

bring about the sanctification through divine worship and the 

proclamation of God’s word to His people.2  

To fulfil these above objectives, God calls and chooses priests 

from specific human and ecclesial contexts, and it is to this end that 

Pope John Paul II believes that a priest is chosen for the service of the 

Gospel message.3 It is to this act of service that this write-up 

discusses the priest as a friend and servant of God’s people. 

 

The Priest: Who is He? 

As expressed by Karl Rahner, a priest, as the name suggests – is an 

elder, a presbyter, in the community, for the community and from the 

community (cf. Acts 11, Rom 12, 8; Phil 1, 1; 2 Tim 1, 6ff). By and 

large, however, a priest in today’s world is not of the older generation 

in the sense of biological age and length of life; but his relationship of 

service to the community is of importance and essence to the 

priesthood, to which he is called.4  

His vocation in the thoughts of John Paul II is a mystery. A 

mystery, he termed ‘admirabile commercium’; a mystery of a 

wondrous exchange between God and man. So beautiful a mystery 

that, a man offers himself to Christ to be used as an instrument of 

salvation, offering himself as it were as another Christ. Without 

comprehending this mystery of ‘exchange,’ the human mind cannot 

appreciate how conceivably the word ‘Follow me’ can motivate a 

young man, to abandon earthly satisfaction for Christ sake, in the 

certitude that if he pursues this pathway, he will find utter personal 

happiness.5  

Consequently, to be a priest according to the teachings of 

Saint Paul, Matthew Levering writes that it demands above all to be a 

custodian of the mysteries of God. Saint Paul admonishes that God’s 

people should regard their priest, as servants of Christ and stewards of 

the mysteries of God through their words and deeds. It necessitates 

that as servants and stewards, priests are found trustworthy (cf. 1 Cor. 

4, l – 2). The concept of steward he holds, cannot be replaced by any 

other. It is deeply rooted in the Gospel, and it recalls the parable of 

the faithful and unfaithful steward, as explained in Luke 12, 41 – 48). 

Just like a steward, a priest is not the owner of the ‘field’, but the one 



252    Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

to whom the owner entrusts his goods so that he will manage them 

justly and responsibly.6 

It is to this end that Yves Congar in affirming the mission and 

functionality of a priest believes in the word of Saint Vincent de Paul, 

that “the Priest is a man called by God to share in the priesthood of 

Jesus Christ in order to extend the redemptive mission of Jesus Christ 

in doing what Jesus Christ did, in the way in which he did it.”7   

Indeed, in the same way,  

“the priest receives from Christ the treasures of 

salvation, in order duly to distribute them among the 

people to whom he is sent. These treasures are those 

of faith. A priest is thus a man of the word of God, a 

man of the sacrament, a man of the ‘mystery of faith.’ 

Through faith, he draws near to the invisible treasures 

which constitute the inheritance of the world’s 

Redemption by the Son of God. No one may consider 

himself the ‘owner’ of these treasures; they are meant 

for us all. However, by reason of what Christ laid 

down, the priest has the task of administering them.”8  

 

He has the sole task of administering to God’s people the sacraments 

and the word, despite the many contradictions’ he faces in today’s 

world. These contradictions Pope John Paul II expresses as the: 

“increasingly witnessing a powerful thirst for justice 

and peace; a more lively sense that humanity must 

care for creation and respect nature; a more open 

search for truth; a greater effort to safeguard human 

dignity; a growing commitment in many sectors of the 

world population to a more specific international 

solidarity and a new ordering of the world in freedom 

and justice. Parallel to the continued development of 

the potential offered by science and technology and 

the exchange of information and interaction of 

cultures, there is a new call for ethics, that is, a quest 

for meaning - and therefore for an objective standard 

of values which will delineate the possibilities and 

limits of progress.”9  

Within these contradictions, the yearning for God and a productive, 

meaningful bond with the priest is so intense and essential in today’s 



Tu es Sacerdos in Aeternum – The Priest: A Friend and….    253 

world that, where there is a lack of a sincere and resonant 

proclamation of the Gospel message, there is a growing spread of 

forms of religiosity without God and the proliferation of churches 

with few or no real disciples of Christ. For the priest and all God’s 

people, the upswing of these spectacles within given societies and 

nation is not only a ceaseless motive to scrutinise our consciences as 

to the sincerity of our witness to the Gospel message but concurrently 

as a sign of how deep and widespread is our Christian faith and search 

for God.10  

In all, though, the priest holds various meaning to different 

people, he is understood to be one who has no holiness of himself, but 

just a servant of God’s people who acts as a mediator between God 

and men. Through the gospel message and faithful lifestyle, he 

dialogues and brings succour to God’s people. He is a servant who 

brings the love and strength of God to those around him and those 

whom the gospel message brings closer to him. He is also a friend 

who warms the hearts of those in need, gives consolation to the 

broken-hearted, comforts the sick, walks even when it means 

sacrificing his comfort through the dark with those distressed and in 

difficult situations.  

 

The Priest As A Friend And Servant Of God’s People 

A priest is and can be called a friend because of his unique 

relationship with all God’s people. Without misplacing his priestly 

identity, he is called to be a friend not just of the rich alone, but also 

of the poor. His duty is that of service, and as expressed by Karl 

Rahner regarding Hebrews 5, 1, “he is ‘appointed on behalf of men’, 

and his whole being is pledged to the service of others. He does not 

exist for himself: he has a function which orientates him with his 

whole life, his talk, his action, his example, his sacrifice and 

suffering, to other human beings. He is an apostle - just that, sent to 

serve.”11  

As a friend, a priest must be a fellow bearer of suffering, Karl 

Rahner believes: 

“Though, it is difficult if as individual, we are 

vigorous, healthy, successful, enjoying life, and be 

patient with those who are suffering, whose lot is very 

different from ours, but it is difficult to avoid getting 

rid of these people quickly, regarding them simply as 



254    Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

hysterical, stupid, naive or sentimental. Really to 

share the burden here, to listen, to get interested, to let 

people say the same things a thousand times, to put up 

with their whining, this is a great natural gift and at 

the same time a gift of grace. There must be someone 

in the world who takes all this on himself, patiently, 

while being hard with himself, at least in certain 

particular cases.”12  
 

This task belongs to the priest who is a friend and being a friend does 

not eliminate from the priest adversaries who look for at all cost to 

find fault in him. As conceived by St. John Chrysostom, “the priest 

must be armed with weapons of steel-intense earnestness and 

continuous sobriety of life-and he must keep watch in every direction, 

in case anyone should find a naked and unguarded spot and strike him 

a mortal blow. For everyone stands around him ready to wound him 

and strike him down, not only his enemies and foes but many of those 

who pretend to love him.”13 

As a servant of God’s people, everyone wants to judge the 

priest, not as human clothed in flesh, not as a human having same 

nature as everyone does, but as an angel, free from shortcoming and 

defects like others. However, if a priest fails to notice his 

imperfections, and works towards eliminating them as is likely for 

every human person on his journey through this earthly life, even the 

best of his homilies and his good deeds would be of no avail to enable 

him to escape the words of his faultfinders.14 

The strength of being a friend to all God’s people for a priest, 

even in demanding situations, is sustained by a Christ-like and a 

common love of neighbour. It is in a true and genuine sense a 

fulfilment of this Christian love of neighbour that a priest gets 

fulfilment, not just in his core priestly functions, but also in living out 

as an exemplary human person. For as human by nature, all God’s 

people are always essentially related to one another, and this nature 

develops and is communicated in unique ways according to the 

diverse strata of our human nature. All humans living within the same 

social environment through mutual understanding are related to one 

another via the exchange of objective intellectual goods and values, 

truth and goodness. Together with the priest, God’s people are 

ultimately related to each other as person to person and united with 



Tu es Sacerdos in Aeternum – The Priest: A Friend and….    255 

one another by the same Holy Spirit, who elevates, sanctifies and 

nurtures all humans into the life of one God’s people.15  

The above-mentioned demands of being a friend, that is, of 

relating with God’s people, sums up the church’s teaching on pastoral 

charity, which is a priest’s total gift of self to the Church in the 

footsteps of Christ. Christ who ‘loved the Church and gave himself up 

for her’ (Ephesians 5, 25). Relating to God’s people through pastoral 

charity is a virtue by which the priest imitates Christ in his self - 

giving and service. It is not just what he does, but his gift of self, 

which manifests Christ’s love for His people and determines his way 

of thinking and acting.16  

The Church Father, St. Augustine of Hippo in his Iohannis 

Evangelium Tractatus 123,5 understands this priestly pastoral charity 

which characterises the exercise of the priestly ministry as an ‘amoris 

officium’, and Pope John Paul II in elaborating this expressed that: 

“the priest, who welcomes the call to ministry, is in a position to 

make this a loving choice, as a result of which the Church and souls 

become his first interest, and with this concrete spirituality he 

becomes capable of loving the universal Church, and that part of it 

entrusted to him with the deep love of a husband for his wife.” The 

gift of self has no limits and is evidenced in the same apostolic and 

missionary zeal of Christ, the good shepherd.17  

It is in this apostolic and missionary zeal of Christ that 

Christian communities are created and in the words of Karl Rahner 

such communities are: 

“based on mutual exchange of saving, redeeming and 

deifying truth and on· mutual benevolence which can 

touch the salvation - that is, the deepest core - of the 

other person; and a community of in exchangeable 

individual persons. This is and remains obviously the 

supernatural foundation sustaining the priestly 

relationship to the other person. If it is true that the 

priest genuinely possesses and fulfils his priestly 

nature only when he believes, hopes, loves, is justified 

and holy, then his relationship to the other person 

must as such be sustained by that infused, divine 

virtue of supernatural love in the Holy Spirit which 

justifies man and places him in an intimate 

relationship to God himself and his neighbour. This 



256    Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

neighbour is really and truly loved in and with God, 

for God’s sake and in the light of God, and can be 

loved deeply and intimately only through the 

supernatural deifying power of the Holy Spirit whom 

God has given to us in the supernatural life of 

grace.”18 
 

Within the people of God and the presbyterate, the priestly pastoral 

charity requires and demands in a particular and specific way that a 

priest relates with his fellow priests, united in and with his particular 

bishop, for it necessitates that a priest continuously work in the bond 

of communion with his bishop and with his brother priests, lest, his 

efforts of self-denial for the sake of the gospel be in vain.19  

This implies that “whenever a priest becomes unconscious 

through the vice of pride; that is failing to appreciate humility in his 

priestly vocation, this most radical relationship with Church authority, 

and  to his fellow-men which exists in God Himself […], he will also 

fail to come up to the requirements of his work as a priest. It follows 

likewise that all inner vitality, closeness, personal esteem for the other 

person must be included in the ‘heart to heart’ of Christian love of 

neighbour.”20  

To this love of neighbour which should emanate from that of 

loving Christ and His Church as a trademark of the priestly pastoral 

charity and true friendship with God’s people, Karl Rahner believes:  

“should be sustained by supernatural love and, up to a 

point, represents a quite specific fulfilment of this 

love. The priest in his mission formally and explicitly 

wills his neighbour’s salvation, his supernatural union 

with God, and thus expresses and makes official the 

inner core of love of neighbour, which is to love him 

in as much as God loves him. From this standpoint too 

we see how the merely authoritative, official, 

institutional factor not only does not define and cannot 

constitute by itself the relationship of the priest to 

men, but that this real, warm, vital, selfless, genuine 

love for the other person as such belongs to the 

priestly relationship to men.”21  
 

In his dealings, a priest must see things without prejudice and must 

love God’s people with a priestly spirit, and in labour and sacrifice 



Tu es Sacerdos in Aeternum – The Priest: A Friend and….    257 

fulfil his function within the totality of human life and human history 

as God’s sent. By so doing, he fulfils his priestly vocation of service 

and his proper destiny. For in loving others and showing such love in 

service, he finds Him, who has called him to embrace the priestly 

vocation.22  

A priest is not a mini-god and should not pretend to know all. 

As God’s servant “he need not feel threatened in his self-

consciousness, self-confidence and self-respect, if there are things in 

science which he does not understand, if he is not up to date in 

matters of art,”23 he must never fail to nurture God’s people through 

exemplary lifestyle. For this reason, which is “for the nurturing and 

constant growth of the People of God, Christ the Lord instituted in his 

Church a variety of ministries, which work for the good of the whole 

body. For those ministers, who are endowed with sacred power, serve 

their brethren, so that all who are of the People of God, and therefore 

enjoy a true Christian dignity, working toward a common goal freely 

and in an orderly way, may arrive at salvation.”24  Such is the life and 

task of a priest which makes him utterly and genuinely human, and 

through this task, he must be able to win souls for God. As an 

individual, a priest must try to be convincing when he comes up 

against the critical attitude of others. Small and insignificant, he can 

effectively win over the other only by displaying in the light of his 

Christian faith that it is worthwhile to be a Christian. In this status 

quo, he must be credible also as a human person.25  

To be human in a Christian way does not only entails 

conforming to the material world (Rom 12, 2) but also implies that 

those we encounter as Christians have the chance to realise that being 

a Christian is not something contrary to human feelings. In this sense, 

the priest of today must be truly human.26 Being human entail 

embracing all aspects of the priestly formation and as expressed in the 

words of Karl Rahner: 

“The priest of today must be somehow educated in a 

broader sense without on that account, pretending to 

be expert in everything. People expect the priest to be 

an educated man. Since we took our final 

examinations, studied philosophy and theology, we 

have acquired a certain amount of education, but it is 

not this that people expect of us today. Our education 

must be more human, and more generally must be 



258    Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

linked with an interest in just those things which 

interest modern man. We do not need to know 

everything. We cannot be atomic physicists, 

psychologists, palaeontologists, sociologists, literary 

experts and politicians in our spare time. However, it 

would sometimes be more reasonable to read a 

newspaper or to settle down with a novel than to play 

cards. We must be genuine, educated human beings. 

This also means that our education must not be merely 

intellectual, but a personal formation of the whole 

man - including his emotions.”27  

 

As a friend and servant of God’s people, the priest must be a man of 

prayer and to a considerable extent, must be one who loves and is not 

self-seeking. However, without prejudice to the priestly official and 

mandatory powers, the priest of today, can exercise his calling only 

when his human nature is evident, and when he is humanly credible 

and brings his faith to bear in his daily activities of life. He must, 

therefore, been seen by others as a loving, a selfless and a good man. 

To these latter attributes and good qualities, no priest would want to 

be excluded, that is being a good man. However, the question today is 

how is the priestly life making an effect within the society? As a 

priest, one must continuously ask himself: Is my heart and love, really 

in the priestly work? If not, then even in the Sacred priesthood one 

can just be a ‘blaring gong or reverberating cymbal’ (cf. I Cor 13, 

1).28  

 

The Priest: His Relevance of Being a Friend and Servant in 

Modern Times 

In modern language, to be relevant as a friend and servant of God’s 

people, there are some principles that cannot be avoided which aid the 

priest to better understand his chosen vocation within the context of a 

changing society. This essay wishes to advance two basic principles 

which affect the fabric of our society (Nigeria) today, which arguably 

are pathways for personal growth and evangelical fidelity, not just 

those who have been in God’s service, but also as a guide for those in 

formation. 

The first principle is that the kingdom of God must be the 

focus of the gospel message – Christ who has called us centred his 



Tu es Sacerdos in Aeternum – The Priest: A Friend and….    259 

mission on the proclamation of the kingdom of God (cf. Mk 1, 14 –

15), making, therefore, the Gospel message free for all God’s people, 

by giving himself even to the poor of the poorest. This implies for the 

priest that, the focus of the universal purpose of the kingdom of God 

carries along with it a moral implication that enables not just to give 

oneself in charity to others as stated above, but to be responsive in 

attitude to the plight and situation of God’s people. This 

responsiveness demands a change of personal lifestyle, a change in 

the extravagance of material possession.  

To bring this to light, focusing on the gospel message requires 

that a priest eschew the many forms of prosperity gospel messages 

that characterise the Church today all in the name of fame and money. 

Such a prosperity message, which is a ‘brainwashing’ of God’s 

people who are supposed to be served, is spiritual enslavement for 

material gains and does not dignify the human person. 

Being a friend and servant of God’s people calls priest today 

(and priest to be) to renounce the appearance and the reality of wealth 

and to uplift the spiritual life of God’s people through the gospel 

message and not to make them more miserable in their endless effort 

to seek and find God. Hence, as Pope John Paul II puts it, “the 

kingdom which Jesus inaugurates is the kingdom of God. Jesus 

himself reveals who this God is, the One whom he addresses by the 

intimate term ‘Abba,’ Father (cf. Mk 14, 36). God, as revealed above 

all in the parables (cf. Lk 15, 3– 2; Mt 20, 1–16), is sensitive to the 

needs and sufferings of every human being: He is a Father filled with 

love and compassion, who grants forgiveness and freely bestows the 

favours asked of him.”29 To this gospel message, a priest is called to 

be faithful. 

The second perspective is the use of authority and power and 

seeking of notable titles like Jesus warns in Matthew 23: 7 of the 

scribes and Pharisees, who love to be greeted with respect in the 

marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others. This principle 

requires the radical message of equality among the people of God and 

being God’s people manifest a principle of life, solidarity, dignity and 

love for people especially parishioners who must be treasured and 

respected as made in the image and likeness of God. What this 

implies is that the Church to which a priest shares a part is a 

community of brothers and sisters, where no one can raise himself or 

herself above others, whether by sort of sacred authority, or teaching 



260    Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

or administration. It goes further to explain Jesus message in John 13, 

12–1, when he washed his disciples’ feet, telling them that no-one 

should dominate others because the only person who has and shows 

real authority is the one who serves others. 

As regards the use of authority and power Machteld Reynart 

expressing the thought of Herman Steinkamp in his book Die Sanft 

Macht der Hirten – The Soft Power of a Shepherd holds that within 

individuals and communities, “power is always present but often 

hidden. Power can take, for example, the form of loving care and 

service, of self-giving and self-sacrifice, of social support or well-

intended guidance.”30 Such power Michel Foucault calls pastoral 

power. For him, it is a “power that fully penetrates and shapes the life 

of an individual subtly. Foucault viewed it as a new form of power in 

modern society that no longer can be understood as a hierarchical 

form of power, characterised by a direct exercise of power by 

authorities, or described in terms of sovereignty. Foucault used the 

image of the ‘shepherd/pastor’ as a model for this form of power.”31  

In defining a true shepherd which a priest in nature should be 

and the pastoral powers he commands, Machteld Reynaert with 

reference to Michel Foucault writes that: 

 

“a shepherd is a person who gathers, guides and leads 

the herd and who assures the herd’s well-being, even 

if this drives him or her to extremes. The shepherd is 

responsible for and has to focus on the entire ‘herd,’ 

but this is only possible when no ‘sheep’ escape. 

Everything that the shepherd does has to be done both 

for the benefit of the herd and each sheep. The 

shepherd has to assure both the general well-being of 

the herd and the individual salvation of each sheep.”32 
 

It is to this end of being a good shepherd and pastor, that the priest 

must know the people in all their various classes, the rich and poor 

alike; he must know the world of the past and today, but, what is 

more, he must pattern his life on the new emphasis in the image of his 

vocation as a priest, a minister of service to God and the people of 

God.33 

 

 

 



Tu es Sacerdos in Aeternum – The Priest: A Friend and….    261 

Conclusion 

The priest is a gift from God’s people to God’s people and “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.”34  

Conclusively, if one takes a closer look at what modern-day 

Christian expect from their priests, all we see, in the end, is that they 

have but one high expectation: they are thirsting for Christ above 

everything else. Their economic, social, and political needs are all 

summed up in their spiritual needs. From every and in every priest, 

God’s people ask for Christ and have the right to receive Christ, 

primarily through the proclamation of God’s word.35  

In all, a priest must not try to connect others to God and be 

left out of God’s connection. He must, therefore, develop and 

continue to develop his human personality and priestly qualities to be 

a fit instrument for the tasks of today, and at the same time he must 

manifest a sense of community, and nothing on his parts must matter 

more to the people of God he is called to lead than the priest’s 

personal and living relationship with the Master who has 

commissioned him.36 

 

 

Endnotes 
                                                           
1 Michele Cardinal Pellegrino, The True Priest: The Priesthood as Preached and 

Practiced by Saint Augustine, (New York: Augustinian Press, 1988), p. 7 
2 Cf. Gerald O’ Collins, SJ and Michael Keenan Jones, Jesus Our Priest: A 

Christian Approah to the Priesthood of Christ, (New York: Oxford University 

Press, 2010), p. 7. 
3 Cf. Pastores Dabo Vobis, n, 5. 
4 Cf.  Edward Quinn (ed), Karl Rahner, The Priesthood (New York: Herder and 

Herder, 1973), p. 106. 
5 Cf. Matthew Levering (ed), On the Priesthood, Classic and Contemporary 

Texts, (USA.: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc, 2003), p. 134. 
6 Cf. ibid., p. 133. 



262    Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

                                                                                                                                  
7 Yves Congar, “Le sacerdoce du Nouveau Testament: Mission et culte” cited in 

Guy Mansini, OSB, and Lawrence J. Welch, The Decree on the Ministry and 

Life of Priests, Prebyterorum Ordinis, in Matthew L. Lamb an Matthew 

Levering (eds), Vatican II, Renewal within Tradition (New York: Oxford 

University Press, 2008), p. 208. 
8 Matthew Levering (ed), On the Priesthood, Classic and Contemporary Texts, 

pp. 133 – 134. 
9 Pastores Dabo Vobis, n, 6. 
10 Cf. ibid. 
11 Edward Quinn (ed), Karl Rahner, The Priesthood, p. 137. 
12 Ibid. 
13 Matthew Levering (ed), On the Priesthood, Classic and Contemporary Texts, 

p. 32. 
14 Cf. ibid. 
15 Cf. Edward Quinn (ed), Karl Rahner, The Priesthood, p. 137. 
16 Cf. Pastores Dabo Vobis, n, 23. 
17 Ibid. 
18 Edward Quinn (ed), Karl Rahner, The Priesthood, pp. 138 – 139.) 
19 Cf. Pastores Dabo Vobis, n, 23. 
20 Edward Quinn (ed), Karl Rahner, The Priesthood, p. 139. 
21 Ibid. 
22 Cf. ibid., p. 146. 
23 Ibid., p. 142. 
24 Lumen Gentium, n. 18. 
25 Cf. Edward Quinn (ed), Karl Rahner, The Priesthood, p. 150. 
26 Cf. ibid., p. 151. 
27 Ibid., pp. 151 – 152.  
28 Cf. ibid., pp. 156 – 157.  
29 Redemptoris Missio, n. 13. 
30 Machteld Reynaert, A Web of Power: Toward a Greater Awareness of the 

Complexity of Power, in: Annemie Dillen (ed), Soft Shepherd or Almighty 

Pastor? Power and Pastoral Care, (Eugene, Oregen: Pickwick Publications, 

2014), pp. 8 – 9. 
31 Ibid., p. 9. 
32 Ibid. 
33 Cf. Angelo Fernandes, Vatican two Revisited (India: Gujarat Sahitya Prakash, 

1997), p. 79. 
34 Pastores Dabo Vobis, n, 1. 
35 Cf. Matthew Levering (ed), On the Priesthood, Classic and Contemporary 

Texts, p. 139. 
36 Cf. Angelo Fernandes, Vatican two Revisited, p. 79. 



Index    263 

 

 

INDEX 

 

A 

Abortion, 62 

Abrogated, 184 

Abuses, 135, 138 

Accountability, 223, 225, 227, 233 

Acquisition, 15, 184, 221 

Admirable, 197, 211 

Adolescent, 145, 147 

Advancement, 53, 88, 160 

Advent, 51, 121 

Affirmative, 135 

Affirming, 43, 49, 74, 252 

Agenda, 3, 79, 80 

Agent, 1, 14, 15, 30, 31, 142, 197, 

198 

Ailments, 87 

Alignment, 141, 239 

Amorphous, 78 

Anchored, 100, 181 

Ancient, 37, 49, 91, 151, 181, 234 

Annihilation, 84 

Anointing, 60, 241 

Anthropology, 69, 82, 108, 135, 

136, 145-147 

Anti-colonialism, 71 

Anti-structure, 71 

Apostasy, 62 

Apostolate, xv, 63, 129, 176, 205, 

209, 210, 243 

Applications, 50, 167, 209 

Apprenticeship, 206, 208 

Aristotle, 29, 39, 40, 43 

Aspiration, 189 

Assembly, 62, 63, 69, 97, 115, 119, 

122, 124, 128, 130, 131, 161, 

210 

Assimilate, 163 

Astronomy, 37, 42, 51 

Attitude, 10, 24, 27, 28, 59, 62, 

110, 141, 184, 187, 188, 209, 

220, 257, 259 

Auditoriums, 72, 79 

Authentic, 58, 60, 70, 72, 89, 147, 

154, 155, 162, 163, 178, 190, 

205, 209, 241 

Axiom, 101, 104, 106 

 

B 

Baptism, 60, 103, 104, 151, 158 

Benefit, 60, 61, 64, 155, 157, 168, 

188, 260 

Bishop, 41, 54, 55, 58, 65, 150, 

151, 178, 186, 197, 200, 202, 

218, 223-228, 233, 242-245, 

256 

 

C 

Caution, 27, 135 

Celestial, 41  

Centrality,  x, 74, 110, 122, 188, 

192 

Charity, 59, 102, 162, 177, 191, 

192, 207, 208, 220, 224, 228, 

243, 255, 256, 259 

Chastity, 27, 141 

Child molester, 63 

Christianity, xi, xiii, 6, 35, 36, 44, 

49, 67-70, 73, 74, 79, 80, 82, 

88, 89, 93, 96, 98, 112, 153 

Clergy, 22, 42, 121, 128, 129, 131, 

140, 142, 150, 151, 181, 187, 

194, 212, 213, 232, 233, 243 

Clericalism, 172, 192, 220 

Combat, 91, 157 



264    Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

Commission,  xiii, 76, 129, 151, 

226 

Commitment, 58, 68, 70, 151, 200, 

202, 205, 218, 239, 252 

Complacent, 74, 197 

Concrete, 30, 122, 131, 141, 144, 

146, 148, 149, 192, 202, 209, 

255 

Conflict, 31, 36, 87, 164, 177, 246 

Constitution, 96, 107, 111, 112, 

114, 169, 242 

Contemporary, 1, 8, 16, 17, 20, 21, 

23, 31, 36, 50, 68, 75, 80, 94, 

111, 113, 118, 121, 134, 168, 

170-172, 174, 178, 182, 184, 

188, 190, 193, 221, 261, 262 

Context, 7, 14, 16, 18, 71, 103, 176, 

178 

Contrary, 5, 10, 11, 103, 109, 128, 

217, 257 

Conviction, 41, 72, 108, 110, 127 

Cosmology, 37, 38, 50 

Creator, 37, 40, 47, 50, 88 

Curriculum, 32, 77, 129, 146, 174, 

184 

Cybercrime, 155, 157, 169 

 

D 

Darkness, 4, 85, 102, 197 

Deacons, 54, 57, 137, 138, 150, 

152, 202, 240, 244, 245 

Deceit, 59, 61 

Deficiencies, 138, 191 

Demonic, 80, 88 

Dialogue, 43, 74, 79, 82, 137, 147, 

151-153, 167, 176, 204, 218, 

229, 230, 242, 243 

Dimension, 49, 60, 84, 87, 101, 

188, 206, 209, 222, 230 

Diocese,  xii-xvi, 20, 55, 64, 65, 

100, 151, 195, 201, 206, 222, 

226, 227, 229, 231, 232, 243, 

244 

Discernment, 3, 53-57, 65, 66, 148, 

150, 169, 173, 175, 180, 187-

189, 191, 201, 203 

Discipleship, 96, 143, 186-189, 

192, 202, 215 

Disciplines, 36, 50, 107, 108, 146, 

147, 151, 238, 247 

Discoveries, 135, 136, 145, 146, 

148, 150, 192 

Distinction, 31, 71, 72, 98, 156, 

236, 238 

Diversity, 68, 74, 114, 241 

Docility, 55 

Dominican, 40, 41 

Dynamic, 84, 171, 216, 241 

 

E 

Ecclesiastical, 51, 58, 74, 105-108, 

112, 172, 175, 176, 179, 215, 

222, 244, 245 

Effective, 25, 122, 126, 146, 167, 

184, 193, 204, 230, 236-238, 

243, 246 

Embodied, 143, 145, 147, 148 

Embodiment, 145, 146 

Embracing, 137, 149, 257 

Emergence, 71, 72, 101, 111 

Emotions, 55, 63, 85, 145, 189, 258 

Encouragement, 54, 119, 123, 225 

Endeavour, 39, 41, 49, 55, 130 

Endowed, 23, 160, 202, 257 

Endowments, 31, 62 

Enlightenment, 3, 4, 6, 49, 56, 105 

Enriched, 36, 123 

Epistemology, vii, xiv, xvi 

Equipped, 79, 106, 108, 129, 174, 

185 

Era, 25, 44, 60, 62, 69, 118-120, 

142, 143, 169, 171 



Index    265 

Essential, viii, 30, 33, 56, 60, 77, 

78, 99, 110, 120, 141, 162, 

173, 180, 204, 246, 252 

Eternal, 28, 29, 46, 92, 93, 105, 

111, 116, 244 

Etymology, 26, 65, 84, 114, 115 

Evaluation, 8, 26, 57, 59, 61, 63, 

64, 184, 190, 201, 226 

Evangelical, xv, 68, 72, 73, 82, 

211, 258 

Evidence, 32, 36, 40, 60, 61, 64, 

135, 150, 236 

Evil, 30, 122, 143, 145, 154, 178, 

191 

Exhortation, 34, 62, 117, 120, 124, 

125, 138, 152, 169, 170, 206, 

216, 232, 243 

Existential, 117, 124, 142, 147, 

195, 211 

Exorcism, 103, 104 

Experiments, 42, 43, 45 

Expression, 30, 32, 40, 48, 142, 

164, 189, 211, 250 

Exsufflation, 103, 104 

 

F 

Facilitate, 12, 126, 184, 228 

Faith, 22-27, 31-36, 40, 44, 47, 50, 

51, 56, 57, 60, 61, 69, 74, 75, 

78, 84, 85, 89, 93-97, 99, 101, 

102, 104-106, 108, 110, 116, 

117, 119, 121, 122, 124, 128, 

130, 132, 133, 147, 158, 160, 

162, 181, 186, 191, 195, 201, 

206, 208, 210, 211, 216, 218, 

219, 244, 247, 252, 253, 257, 

258 

Faithful, 23, 37, 38, 60, 64, 113-

116, 121, 124, 126, 128, 151, 

158, 172, 173, 178, 187, 190, 

197, 200, 202, 203, 210, 220, 

242, 244, 245, 251, 253, 259 

Fluidity, 91, 136 

Formation, i, v, vii-xii, 1-3, 7-13, 

16, 18, 20-25, 28, 32, 33, 35, 

50, 53-59, 61, 62, 64, 65, 67, 

70, 84, 85, 91, 100, 101, 106-

110, 129, 130, 134, 138-143, 

146, 148, 149, 151, 154, 155, 

158-168, 170-232, 257, 258 

Fornication, 59, 62 

 

G 

General overseers, 69, 80 

Genuine love, 55, 256 

Globalization, 78, 211 

Grace, 23, 85, 102, 103, 111, 130, 

159, 180, 186, 187, 193, 208, 

212, 254, 256 

Greed, 59, 62 

 

H 

Harmony, 35, 144 

Hazardous, 166, 189 

Healings, 69, 80, 88 

Hereditary, 45, 179 

Hierarchical, 78, 260 

Holy eucharist, 60, 210 

Holy, 23, 37, 43, 55, 56, 59, 60, 62, 

66, 70, 81, 102, 103, 105, 114, 

117, 130, 151, 154, 167, 173, 

175, 186-188, 194, 197, 199, 

208, 210, 212, 215, 228, 231, 

255, 256 

Homiletics, 77, 113, 115, 120, 127, 

129 

Homily, 113-132, 194, 210, 233 

Homosexual, 59, 61, 62, 66, 135, 

150 

Honest, 108, 134, 135, 140, 147, 

150, 176, 189, 205, 206, 247 

Humankind, 35, 36 

Humiliation, 71, 75, 165 

 



266    Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

I 

Illegal, 73, 157 

Immune, 4, 142 

Impediments, 61, 62 

Implication, 7, 9, 104, 163-166, 

259 

Impoverished, 76, 86 

Improvement, 131, 221, 226, 228, 

230 

Impulse, 82, 161, 174 

Incarnate, 159, 208 

Independent, xv, 15, 68, 69, 71, 76, 

81, 82 

Indigenous, 16, 71, 72, 76, 81, 82, 

88, 153 

Indispensable, 101, 129, 167, 179, 

187, 220, 231 

Influence, v, viii, 2, 6, 9-11, 40, 55, 

59, 60, 63, 94, 105, 127, 131, 

154, 164, 168, 177, 188, 203, 

236, 238 

Initiation, 61, 87, 112 

Innate, 30, 138 

Institutional, 191, 256 

Integration, 33, 100, 192, 196, 207, 

209, 211, 217, 230, 237, 247, 

248 

Integrity, 25, 96, 151, 155, 165, 

171, 173, 202 

Intellectual, 17, 24, 26, 29, 36, 47, 

57, 62, 79, 92, 101, 139, 140, 

149, 161, 162, 165, 175, 179, 

180, 184, 185, 188, 202, 204, 

206, 207, 209, 215-217, 219, 

221, 222, 225, 229, 231, 254, 

258 

Intelligence, 41, 63, 142, 159 

Intimate, 47, 208, 210, 212, 243, 

255, 259 

Invalid, 4, 145 

 

 

K 

Kerygmatic, 114, 116 

 

L 

Lacunae, 146, 220 

Leadership, 55, 57, 59, 60, 62, 65, 

79, 82, 138, 142, 188, 193, 

234-243, 245-249 

Linguistic, 139, 147 

Liturgical, 24, 59, 62, 63, 65, 94, 

100, 101, 103, 104, 106, 108, 

110-133, 185, 194, 209, 210, 

242, 245 

Liturgy, 63, 100-121, 123-128, 130, 

132, 133, 166, 177, 210, 227, 

242 

Lying, 59, 61, 87 

 

M 

Magisterium, 103, 120, 130, 131, 

161, 165 

Malicious, 63, 157 

Materialism, 53, 59, 62, 178 

Maxim, 101, 104-106, 110, 111 

Meditation, 121, 162, 209 

Metaphysical, 28, 92, 94, 95, 136, 

144 

Migrants, 72, 73 

Mission, 32, 57, 59, 60, 63, 64, 68, 

70-72, 81, 131, 158, 159, 174, 

182, 183, 185, 190, 191, 199, 

207, 211, 217, 219, 220, 242, 

252, 256, 259, 261, 262 

Modernity, 72, 82, 86, 89 

Modification, 104, 111 

Monastery, 44, 45 

Moral exhortation, 117, 125 

Morality, 36, 49, 50, 169, 177, 178 

Mutual, 12, 55, 76, 78, 106, 124, 

219, 239, 254, 255 



Index    267 

Mystery, 59, 74, 95, 106-109, 115-

117, 119, 121-124, 128, 131, 

133, 175, 199, 209, 251 

 

N 

Natural, 22, 30, 31, 37, 49-51, 56, 

58, 62, 70, 143, 144, 146, 147, 

174, 188, 196, 207, 208, 215, 

216, 240, 254 

Neglect, 107, 160 

Nonchalant, 59, 62 

Nurturing, 32, 59, 147, 196, 200, 

244, 257 

 

O 

Obligation, 54, 163, 199, 200, 210, 

211, 219, 227 

Observable, 45, 47, 57, 137 

Openness, 5, 9, 12, 13, 55, 61, 189, 

204 

Opine, 140, 147 

Oppression, 79, 150 

Orientation, 56, 84-86, 89, 90, 98, 

100, 108, 140, 149, 182, 190, 

191, 227 

Overarching, 30, 91 

 

P 

Paradoxical, 145 

Paramount, 73, 115, 120, 173 

Parish, 24, 58, 63, 65, 121, 125-

128, 175, 176, 187, 192, 195-

198, 200-203, 205-213, 234, 

242-247, 249 

Parishioners, 127, 203, 210, 211, 

220, 231, 259 

Patriarchal, 6, 63, 147 

Pedagogical approach, 185, 186 

Penance, 60, 123 

Pentecostal, 68-75, 78, 80-83, 88-

91, 93-95, 97, 127, 130 

Pentecostalism, 67-75, 77-83, 88, 

90, 91, 97 

Perceive, 45, 71, 139, 166, 229, 

236 

Permanent, 58, 84, 165, 186, 216, 

219, 223, 224, 226, 232 

Persuasion, 72, 80, 114, 115 

Pertinent, 25, 107, 109, 160, 184, 

185, 190, 191, 211 

Plagiarism, 154, 166 

Pleasure, 125, 148, 152, 153 

Possibility, 17, 59, 137, 218 

Potential, 35, 156, 252 

Pragmatic, 70, 141, 144, 147, 148, 

153 

Prayerfulness, 55, 228 

Preserve, 60, 171, 180 

Prevents, 124, 128 

Previously, 79, 93, 143, 157 

Priest, viii, xii-xvi 

Priesthood, i, v, vii, x, 3, 16, 17, 22, 

23, 25, 33, 35, 45, 53-65, 100, 

109, 141, 143, 146, 148-150, 

155, 161-168, 171, 173, 175-

179, 181, 182, 184, 187, 189-

192, 194, 195, 197, 198, 200-

203, 206, 210-212, 214, 215, 

242-244, 250-252, 258, 261, 

262 

Priority, 200, 207 

Probability, 44, 45 

Proclamation, 59, 62, 70, 117, 122, 

124, 159, 160, 167, 210, 251, 

253, 259, 261 

Progressive, 69, 136, 148, 191, 202 

Pronouncement, 91, 154 

Prophetic, 116, 143 

Prosper, 102, 103 

Prosperity, 88, 97, 259 

Protestant, 114 

Prudent, 57, 63 

Psychedelic, 98 



268    Formation, The Catholic Priesthood and The Modern Age 

Psychic illness, 62 

Puberty, 145, 148 

 

R 

Racism, 70, 150 

Rationality, 91, 92, 95 

Raucousness, 69 

Reappraisal, 186 

Reconciliation, 227 

Recruitment, 58, 64, 108, 180 

Redeemer, 113 

Redundancy, 192 

Reflection, 26, 32, 37, 48, 59, 69, 

74, 100, 101, 103, 106, 109, 

110, 118, 130, 142, 171, 197, 

198 

Renaissance, 3, 41, 53 

Repercussions, 160, 215 

Responsibility, 54, 55, 78, 105, 

108, 121, 129, 146, 148, 150, 

159, 160, 168, 178, 199, 204, 

205, 218, 220, 224-228, 238, 

242, 243, 245-247 

Revamping, 138, 139 

Reverberate, 79 

Revivals, 69, 71, 79 

Ripple, 167 

 

S 

Sacraments, 24, 59, 61, 62, 114, 

117, 119, 120, 124, 130, 159, 

230, 252 

Sacred, 24, 36, 54, 57, 58, 60, 62, 

98, 102, 105, 107, 108, 111, 

113, 114, 116, 117, 120, 121, 

129, 131-133, 176, 197, 208, 

224, 231, 242, 257-259 

Sacrifice, 24, 58, 167, 173, 196, 

210, 253, 256, 260, 261 

Scandal, 63, 74, 138, 151, 165 

Scandalous, 166 

Scholastic, 70, 71 

Scripture, xiv, 25, 33, 82, 102, 107, 

110, 114-116, 118-121, 126, 

128, 129 

Sectarianism, 74 

Self-sufficiency, 191 

Sensitivity, 206, 229, 230 

Service, 25, 33, 50, 58, 60, 61, 65, 

151, 162, 169, 170, 186, 197, 

198, 206, 207, 216, 217, 226, 

228, 232, 243, 247, 250, 251, 

253, 255, 257, 258, 260 

Sexuality, 135-137, 139, 141-143, 

145-147, 230 

Shame, 96, 146 

Sincerity, 1, 55, 188, 253 

Solicitude, 209, 223, 224 

Solidarity, 144, 252, 259 

Specific, 5, 23, 25, 30, 67, 114, 

129, 147, 192, 203, 221, 226, 

230, 239, 244, 247, 251, 252, 

256 

Specificity, 70, 192 

Spectrum, 36, 84, 143, 149 

Spiritual training, 208 

Spirituality, 23, 71, 77, 80, 166, 

167, 185, 208, 209, 255 

Stealing, 59, 61, 64 

Sublime, 224, 246 

Success, 20, 88, 91, 140, 155, 156, 

204 

Sufficient, 17, 59, 61, 63, 121, 185, 

235 

Suicides, 87 

Suitability, 3, 54, 56, 57, 61, 63, 65 

Supernatural, 56, 58, 62, 144, 188, 

255, 256 

Supervision, 176, 206, 210, 226 

Sympathy, 59, 64 

 

T 

Tendencies, 59, 61, 62, 66, 178, 

192 



Index    269 

Testament, 37, 38, 50, 60, 92, 97, 

104, 109, 118, 119, 158, 198, 

206, 250, 262 

Theological, 37, 39, 44, 50, 61, 70, 

71, 73-76, 78, 80, 81, 92, 95-

97, 107, 111, 115, 116, 118, 

129, 132, 135, 141, 143-149, 

151, 167, 169, 170, 176, 181, 

184, 185, 187, 206, 213, 216 

Tongues, 74, 80, 82, 88 

Traditional christianity, 68, 79 

Transcendent, 48, 92 

Transparency, 150, 247 

 

U 

Ultimate, 31, 39, 62, 70, 82, 142 

Unilateral, 184, 187 

Union, 45, 67, 82, 166, 207, 208, 

256 

Unprecedented, 75, 181 

Utilize, 160, 224, 226 

 

V 

Vatican, 42, 96, 106, 109, 111, 114, 

121, 123, 129, 136, 138, 147, 

152, 153, 161, 169, 173, 175, 

180, 193, 194, 212, 213, 232, 

242, 262 

Vibrant, 71, 192, 244, 249 

Vigour, 120, 224 

 

W 

Welfare, 83, 144, 203, 218, 219, 

226, 243 

Wholeheartedly, 108, 121, 205 

Witness, 61, 78, 108, 119, 124, 

188, 216, 220, 237, 253 

 

X 

Xenophobia, 87, 150 

 


