The Church outlines two phases of formation: initial and ongoing. Initial formation happens prior to ordination to the priesthood and ongoing formation continues for the rest of the priest’s life as Jesus continues to mold his heart to His own Sacred Heart.
Initial formation is broken into four stages, and these stages of formation are experienced at seminary houses in the Diocese of Phoenix. At each house— St. Agnes House, Our Lady of Perpetual Help House, Mary House, and St. Gregory House- formators guide men through a specific stage of formation.
St. Agnes House
St. Agnes House is a house for the newest seminarians in the introductory phase of formation called the propaedeutic phase.
This is a time for establishing “a solid basis for the spiritual life and to nurture a greater self-awareness for personal growth. In order to launch and develop their spiritual life, it will be necessary to lead seminarians to prayer by way of the sacramental life; the Liturgy of the Hours; familiarity with the Word of God, which is to be considered the soul and guide of the journey; silence; mental prayer; and spiritual reading. Moreover, this time is an ideal opportunity to acquire an initial and overall familiarity with Christian doctrine by studying the Catechism of the Catholic Church and by developing the dynamic of self-giving through experiences in the parish setting and charitable works (Ratio 59).
Seminarians at St. Agnes House learn to live a rhythm of prayer, study and service. The men have weekly formation nights, guest nights and fraternity nights. They volunteer at St. Agnes Parish and work with Catholic Charities on Saturdays. As a household they go on mission to Honduras over spring break to work with the poor and immerse themselves in Spanish.
House Fathers:
- Fr. Paul Sullivan
- Fr. Joseph Nguyen
Our Lady of Perpetual Help House
The seminarians spend their final year of the propaedeutic phase at Our Lady of Perpetual Help House, where the focus is on intense spiritual and human formation. This year is referred to as the Spirituality Year. Seminarians have a light class load so they can dive deeper into prayer, scripture and growing in their personal relationship with the Lord.
This stage is marked by several unique opportunities. The men take on a technology fast, which means the men only use their phones and computers on Saturdays. They spend time working in local Catholic Schools. At the end of the semester, the men do the California Camino, when they walk the Mission Trail from Mission San Diego to Mission Santa Barbara over the course of three weeks. The Spirituality Year ends with a 30-day poverty immersion experience.
House Father:
- Fr. Clement Attah
St. Mary House
The seminarians at St. Mary House are in the Discipleship Stage.
This stage of formation focuses on the seminarian as a disciple of the Lord who invites him to “stay with Him” (cf. Mk 3:14), to follow Him, and to become a missionary of the Gospel. This is a time of deepening of his relationship with Jesus so as to allow him to begin to bear witness to His love in the world. At this time, special attention is given to growth in the human virtues. This maturity, in harmony with spiritual growth so as to allow his free definitive decision to follow the Lord in ministerial priesthood (Ratio 61-62).
Seminarians study philosophy and continue to grow in their relationship with the Lord. They spend time in parishes, diocesan departments and apostolic service across the diocese. Seminarians in the first year of discipleship go on mission and those in their second year end the year with a 30-day silent retreat.
House Fathers
- Fr. Kurt Perera
- Fr. Jesus Martinez
St. Gregory House
Formerly home to the propaedeutic phase, St. Gregory is the new home for the configuration phase. This phase of formation is focused on configuration to Christ, Shepherd and Servant, the seminarian seeks “intimate and unceasing union” with Christ so that as he can make his life a gift of himself to others, it is Christ who is encountered (Gal. 2:20). This time entails entering profoundly into the contemplation of the person of Jesus Christ, the beloved Son of the Father, sent as Shepherd of the People of God so as to live a true priestly identity and missionary mindset. This time also includes a particular focus on with the Bishop and brother priests, for the good of the Diocese of Phoenix. (Ratio 68-73).
During Configuration seminarians complete theology studies, and model their life after Jesus in preparation for priesthood. At completion, the seminarians will be ordained Transitional Deacons and assigned to a parish where they begin to transition to a pastoral setting.
House Fathers
- Fr. Chauncey Winkler
- Fr. Bonaventure Ugwu