The first year of our model clerical training program has no frills. Its aim is to present, over a period of four nine-week quarters, the fundamental knowledge a sede priest needs to serve the faithful. The teaching methodology is unpretentiously vocational and practical. The program is admittedly a series of "crash courses," but the chapel that hires our priests will never have to suffer the undeserved arrogance of ignorant Pesthouse completers who prove by their actions that they haven't the foggiest about acting like a priest. Furthermore, our requirement that entrants be employed will assure that these priests know the value of a dollar and won't be tempted to feather their nests with the laity's nest-eggs. The bottom line is that they'll be honest. In addition, with our priests, there'll be no luxury Southwestern spa vacations at chapel expense.
Our program will never pretend its products are scholars; we will simply certify that our clergy have the basic wherewithal to serve competently as priests under a lay board that controls all assets. That means these men will never have been brainwashed to believe that the clergy (or their front corporations) have a God-given right to all funds and properties. Another important feature to keep in mind is that the program's enrollees will have university degrees earned from accredited institutions, which means they'll have been trained to learn efficiently and will retain more because they possess cultural literacy, so two years is just about right. (As an added bonus, these priests will exit our program with an ordination certificate written in correct Latin-- a miniscule benefit, for certain, but one that at least a couple Traddie seminaries can't seem to pull off.)
Before we outline the course of studies, we'd like to say a word about the faculty. The teachers will be both priests and laymen, with more laymen than priests. In fact, as any reader of the Traddie blogosphere knows, there are many lay folks out there who are much better informed on theological matters than a number of the sede bishops and priests we know. Think, for example, of the brilliant John Lane, who has deftly deflated the rector's and Tony's una-cum nonsense. The Traddie world is filled with many such laymen who have made an in-depth study of one or more areas of ecclesiastical learning and who would willingly teach. Having such men and women on the faculty--yes, women: there'll be no mamma's-boy misogynists coming out of our program!--will generate in two years far better priests than the Pesthouse goof-ups who spend five years or so years grinding out clerical meatballs.
But, now, without further comment, here's the first year's curriculum for your review:
FIRST QUARTER
Basics of Church Latin (3 hrs./wk.): Word endings. Tense indicators. 250 Most Frequently Used Words. Pronunciation and Oral Reading Fluency.
Scholastic Concepts and Terminology (4 hrs./wk.): A summary of the language of the scholastic system in preparation for the study of moral and dogmatic theology.
Memory Lab (1 hr./wk.): Memorizing the memoriter scienda, the prayers and formulæ a priest needs to have learned by heart for the competent administration of the sacraments.
Survey of the Old Testament A (2 hrs./wk.) Pentateuch and Historical Books.
Daily Recitation of the Divine Office (in English): no instruction needed since everything is online in immediately usable format.
Conferral of Tonsure at quarter's end.
SECOND QUARTER
Moral Theology for the Confessional I (4 hrs./wk.) Nature of Moral Theology: The End of Man and the Norms and Rules to this End. Human Acts. Conscience. Probabilism. Sin. Virtue.
Dogmatic Theology I (3 hrs./wk.): Religion in General: The Basis of Christian Faith. The Church, her Nature, Marks.
Memory Lab (1 hr./wk.) Memorizing the memoriter scienda, the prayers and formulae a priest needs to have learned by heart for the competent administration of the sacraments.
Latin Oral Reading Fluency Lab (1 hr./wk.) Guided practice in reading aloud the texts of the Missal and the Roman Ritual.
Survey of the Old Testament B (2 hrs./wk.) The Psalms and Prophetical Books.
Recitation of the Divine Office (in English)
Conferral of Ostiariate at quarter's end.
THIRD QUARTER
Moral Theology for the Confessional II (4 hrs./wk.): The Decalogue: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 8th commandments. Matrimony.
Dogmatic Theology II (3 hrs./wk.) The Sources of Theology: Divine Faith. The One God. The Trinity.
Memory Lab (1 hr./wk.) Memorizing the memoriter scienda, the prayers and formulæ a priest needs to have learned by heart for the competent administration of the sacraments.
Latin Oral Reading Fluency Lab (1 hr./wk.) Guided practice in reading aloud the texts of the Missal and the Roman Ritual. N.B. We expect this module will be skipped by most since our trainees will be college graduates who won't be impeded by the academic skill deficits so common among the underprepared inmates of other sede "seminaries."
Survey of the New Testament A (2 hrs./wk.): The Gospels.
Daily Recitation of the Divine Office (in English)
Conferral of Lectorate at quarter's end.
FOURTH QUARTER
Moral Theology for the Confessional III (4 hrs./wk.): The Seventh Commandment: Justice and Rights. The Precepts of the Church. Vocational Obligations.
Dogmatic Theology III (3 hrs./wk.) The Incarnation: Hypostatic Union. Redemption. Grace. The Mother of God.
Memory Lab (1 hr./wk.) Memorizing the memoriter scienda, the prayers and formulæ a priest needs to have learned by heart for the competent administration of the sacraments.
Survey of the New Testament B (2 hrs./wk.): The Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles
Survey of the New Testament B (2 hrs./wk.): The Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles
Daily Recitation of the Divine Office (in English)
Conferral of Exorcistate at quarter's end.
SUMMER TERM
Between the first and second year, there will be a supervised summer independent study program to teach candidates how to look up answers to theological questions. (Even in the "good old days," competent priests looked up answers to questions and didn't make up an answer like many sede clergy do nowadays; then even the best seminary education didn't presume the priest remembered or had learned everything: he had to know where to find the answer.) A full bibliography will be provided with extensive practice in researching specific questions. Throughout the summer, trainees will recite the Divine Office daily in English, and at the end of the term there will be a spiritual retreat. Following the retreat will be the Conferral of Acolythate.
Next week, we'll outline the second year course of studies, what we call the "brains of the curriculum." It focuses on the acquisition of the day-to-day skills needed to be a competent priest.
Craig, if you believe that what you are advocating is Catholic, you are a nut case.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 6:16, if you believe that the current Traddie "seminaries" are Catholic, you aren't living on the planet Earth. The Readers' proposal will provide chapels with Catholic priests superior to the malformed, money-grubbing, loutish, and ignorant losers found in so many chapels today. Nobody except the SSPX has the means to prepare priests as they used to be formed in the past. We admit that, and we cope with the deficiency by a practical training program that will at least generate minimally competent clergy who can handle the basics.
ReplyDeleteOf course, you may think it's OK for priests to skip the consecration at Mass, invent new mortal sins, laugh at traumatized seminarians receiving a blessing from a priest, foul up a burial service etc., etc. etc. If you do, you're a lost soul who hasn't the slightest idea of what is genuinely Catholic.
The trainees from our program will be college-educated men who will be prepared from Day One to take over the spiritual care of a chapel. This is more than can be said about the completers.
"Nobody except the SSPX has the means to prepare priests as they used to be formed in the past."
DeleteAnd the FSSP.
As an aside, can you recommend any specific material for the Latin and theology studies? I think laymen will benefit from it as well.
OK, Pistrina Liturgica, show me where, before Vatican II from apostolic times, women were allowed to teach, let alone enter the premises of a Catholic Seminary. I repeat, if you think that your proposing this is Catholic you are a nut case. Don't you see that you view a priest as an intellectual being when in reality a good priest is foremost a spiritual being. All the heresies, all the rebellion, all the trouble in the Church came about from intellectual giants. As poorly and inadequately prepared our seminarians are today, the trouble in our seminaries is a lack of spirituality.
ReplyDeleteCraig, I don't think what you've proposed here is, necessarily, 'crazy' (and is actually quite demanding), but this curriculum and the plan for lay-run chapels does seem to reduce priestly formation to that of a trade school. Will Pell Grants and the GI Bill be accepted, and job placement assistance be offered to the paladin priests who complete the program?
ReplyDeleteMoreover, I do sincerely question the underlying indictment of sede seminaries run by Bishop Sanborn and Bishop Pivarunas, et al. which prompted this proposal. They may not be perfect, but having the 'means' is no guarantee of perfection; afterall, the SSPX has produced their share of what you so would describe as 'duds'. My guess is that, if pressed in strict confidence, Bp. Sanborn might lament the overall lack of academic acheivement in the candidate pool, but he does try his best. Of course, sincerity alone cannot make up for educational deficiencies, but is there no middle ground? I mean, he was selected by Abp. Lefebvre to head the American seminary and was only dismissed because of his 'disobedience', so he can't be a total incompetent. Is the rhetoric and vitriol deserved?
Gentle Commenters,
ReplyDeleteThe Readers will reply to our messages herein:
John, 8/23,10:55: You are indeed correct. The FSSP is another institution of classic priestly formation, and we regret the oversight. In future obiter dicta, we'll make mention of their fine work. Re: Latin, we recommend John Collins, A PRIMER OF ECCLESIASTICAL LATIN (CUA Press). Re: theology, our choices are Prümmer's HANDBOOK OF MORAL THEOLOGY (Roman Catholic Books) and Ott's FUNDAMENTALS OF CATHOLIC DOGMA (TAN).
Anonymous, 8/23, 5:37. We are living in the worst of times, when sacred knowledge is scarce. To form priests to tread water until the Restoration, we'll invite into the classroom all who know what they're talking about. Priestly formation is too important to be left to the likes of the current "instructors," whose ignorance we've exposed. Since instruction will take place via distance learning, we are disinclined to think the chastity of our trainees will be at immediate risk. Remember, we'll only take employed adult men with college degrees. In our experience, we've found that a large majority of educated adult males are comfortable and self-controlled in the company of women in a professional environment. BTW, we wholeheartedly agree with you that (at least half of) the trouble with sede seminaries is the "lack of spirituality." If you'll recall, Pistrina documented the problem in earlier posts.
Chris (Simply Catholic): We haven't sought formal accreditation, so tuition will have to be paid by the trainee (or by a sponsoring chapel). What initiated this proposal was the simple fact that it's obvious the current crop of seminary "instructors" do not have the right stuff. Come on, a seminary "prof" ought to know the difference between a noun and an adjective, wouldn't you agree? Our proposal, is in fact your "middle way": we can't allow men to be ordained willy-nilly, yet we have seen that sedes don't have the human capital (teachers & students) to form them as in the past.
There's too much of the laity's money being squandered on mismanaged building projects, over-the-top interior decoration, and housing and feeding men who clearly aren't ready for the priesthood when they complete. Doesn't that suggest we need a new model of sacerdotal formation? OK, we're willing to give these characters a pat on the back for trying, but that's all. They haven't succeeded, so it's time to be resolutely practical and try something else, viz. clerical vocational training that works. There's nothing rational in throwing good money after bad.
As to the significance of the Abp.'s selection, we're not impressed. We have spoken to many SSPX priests, both American and continental, who have told us that the Abp. was a pragmatic churchman who practiced an "any-port-in-a-storm" policy. He was building an international corporation, and he used whatever tools he had at hand to further his ends. From what we have learned, he didn't demand "top shelf" when it wasn't available. We find nothing wrong with that. Eventually, the society did find able staff for the American seminary, and that institution now prospers while turning out minimally competent priests or better. Sure, some are duds (we know one), but at least they had a full load when they left the factory.