|
Student Handbook
Introduction | Human Formation | Spiritual Formation | Intellectual Formation | Pastoral Formation | Weekly Schedule
Introduction
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the High Priest of our faith. Thus the priests of the Church, as branches stemming from this Vine, draw their priestly power, their ministry, and the meaning of their lives from him, and he, the one Good Shepherd who asked Peter to feed his lambs, is the one who himself forms the priests of the Church in his Image by his grace.
The Mission, therefore, of the Seminary of Mar Abba the Great, is to provide the training, tools and environment by which the grace of Christ can best form men into priests. As the Lord always works by means of his instruments in the Church, the officers of the Seminary – the Rector, Spiritual Director, and Professors – will follow the guidance of the Magisterium as they help the seminarians be transformed by the grace of Christ humanly, spiritually, intellectually and pastorally.
Top
Human Formation
By living in community with each other and in obedience to the Bishop and the Rector, seminarians will be given opportunity to grow in the human virtues – temperance, fortitude, justice and prudence – as well as in the Christian virtues of humility and charity.
Following the rules of the house in regards to dress, curfew and conduct will open an environment in which striving for human excellence is the norm, and their brotherly support in this endeavor, as well as the guidance of the Rector, should sustain and nourish their progress to this goal.
Weekly meetings with the Bishop, Rector or Spiritual Director will attend to this progress, answer queries, and aid in struggles. This will be done more personally during individual meetings at least twice a month with the Spiritual Director, once a month with the Rector, and bi-monthly with the Bishop.
Special attention will be given to the question of priestly celibacy. There will be absolutely no dating, and the seminarians will be taught modesty and respect toward all women as images of Our Lady.
The dress code will be the cassock during all Sunday services at the Cathedral (Ramsha, Sapra and Mass), during the recitation of the Divine Office at the seminary chapel, and during any special seminary event. Outside of these events, ordinary, respectful dress is expected of them in public. Casual dress is allowed in appropriate situations. The curfew is 11 PM on weekdays and midnight on weekends unless special permission is given, and any visitors to the seminary are expected to leave before 10 PM.
The upkeep of the house is the responsibility of the seminarians. The Rector will develop a schedule of duties which the seminarians are expected to follow.
Top
Spiritual Formation
While imitation of the virtues of Christ and his saints is the goal of human formation, friendship with Christ is the goal of spiritual formation, and one does not occur without the other. Such friendship is made possible through the Holy Spirit in manifold ways:
- The Liturgical Prayer of the Chaldean Church, including daily Morning and Evening Prayer as a seminary community, and Sunday Evening Prayer, Morning Prayer and Mass at the Cathedral, are of the highest importance, and daily Mass is provided.
- Meditation upon Sacred Scripture, both as a community and individually, is essential to any true spirituality.
- Visits to the Blessed Sacrament, whether by adoration or other means, greatly aids the intimacy of the prayer of the heart.
- Devotion to Our Lady, which is already manifest in the praying of the Chaldean liturgy, is irreplaceable in the spiritual life of a priest or seminarian.
- Bi-weekly meetings with a spiritual director will be required, and confession is strongly encouraged. Retreats for the seminarians will be held twice a year.
Top
Intellectual Formation
Christ the Logos, the Word of God, is himself the Truth, and as such wishes to dwell in the minds of all believers. The intellectual formation of the pre-theology seminarians will therefore be a preparation of their minds to receive the fullness of God’s revelation more deeply.
Sacred Scripture will, before all else, hold pride of place and be studied both systematically and through spiritual meditation.
Intensive courses in Scholastic and Modern Aramaic will open the doorway for the men to interact with their own liturgy and patristic tradition.
Introductory courses in Church Liturgy, Theology and History will give context to the men’s studies and deepen the content of their faith.
There will be an extensive study of Philosophy in order to train the mind to think realistically about the world and man’s place in it, to analyze a classical text critically, and to interact with the intellectual atmosphere of their time with both an appreciation of the classical tradition and a knowledge of the shifts of modern and contemporary thought.
Top
Pastoral Formation
The human formation of the personality in imitation of the virtues of Christ, the spiritual formation of the soul in friendship and union with him, and the intellectual formation of the mind in conformity with the Truth, all have a single goal for the candidate to the priesthood: the service of the people of God.
Thus the seminarians will, by God’s grace, be formed in the image of Christ the Good Shepherd, that they may in turn be shepherds of souls.
Under the direction of the Bishop and the Rector, they will thus interact with the Church as her servants by participating in parish activities throughout the diocese. This will be done in a more intense way during summer.
Top
Weekly Schedule
Sunday
9:30 AM – Mass at the Cathedral
11:00 AM – Morning Prayer at the Cathedral
Free time
11 PM – Night Prayer
Monday-Friday
6:30 AM – Morning Prayer and Mass
6 PM – Evening Prayer
6:15 PM – Dinner
11 PM – Night Prayer
Saturday
9:30 AM – Morning Prayer
4:30 PM – Evening Prayer at Cathedral
Top
|
