Pastoral Formation

Goal of Pastoral Formation

The Pastoral Formation Program at Notre Dame Seminary is designed to equip seminarians with the necessary skills, knowledge, and dispositions to become effective shepherds of God’s people. The program aims to form future priests who embody the charity of Christ, demonstrate a missionary spirit, and are competent in their pastoral duties.

The program integrates pastoral experience with academic and spiritual formation, ensuring seminarians are equipped to minister to diverse communities and address the needs of those they serve with charity, competence, and a deep sense of mission.

Below is a detailed breakdown of the components of the Pastoral Formation and how they contribute to the overall development of seminarians:

Pastoral Field Experiences

The Pastoral Field Experience program is a central part of the seminarians’ formation. These experiences are designed to expose seminarians to different pastoral settings, helping them develop practical skills in various ministry contexts.

Discipleship 1: Homeless Ministry
Seminarians, organized in teams and mentored by C4 seminarians, engage in weekly street ministry in New Orleans, building relationships with the homeless. Initial training is provided by Christ in the City (based in Denver, CO), which equips seminarians with the proper pastoral spirit and practical tools for effective ministry.

Discipleship 2: Ministry of Accompaniment and Evangelization

In the fall semester, seminarians serve alongside the Sister Servants of Mary, who minister to the sick and dying in our community. Each seminarian is paired with a sister, joining her in prayer, accompaniment, and in helping prepare the sick to receive the sacraments at the end of life.

In the spring semester, seminarians participate in Street Evangelization. Through training provided by St. Paul Street Evangelization (based in St. Paul, Minnesota), they learn how to engage strangers in conversation and share the Gospel, cultivating a missionary spirit.

These experiences intentionally balance each other—one inviting seminarians into a more contemplative ministry of presence, the other into active engagement and outreach—so that they may grow in the integration of pastoral ministry as a self-gift, expressed in different ways according to the needs of the Church.

Configuration 1: Parish Catechesis
Seminarians engage in teaching weekly catechesis to elementary-aged children, working alongside pastors, staff, and volunteers. Formation in educational methods and evangelization is provided through Pastoral Theology classes and formation conferences.

Configuration 2: Ministry to the Marginalized
This year allows seminarians to experience a variety of pastoral ministries focused on marginalized populations, such as:

Bible studies with juveniles at the Juvenile Detention Home.
Catholic services at Jefferson Parish Jail.
Nursing Homes
Hospice Care.
St. Michael’s Special School for children with intellectual disabilities.
Co-facilitation of My House Men’s Group for men struggling with habitual pornography use.
Bible study at the Bridge House residential program for substance-dependent men.

Configuration 3: OCIA or High School Teaching
Seminarians are involved in either OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) or high school theology classes. They first observe the teaching environment and then transition into teaching, leading one or two classes each week for the remainder of the year.

Configuration 4: Mentorship of Discipleship 1 Seminarians in Homeless Ministry
C4 seminarians mentor the D1 seminarians in their homeless ministry providing them leadership and feedback for their pastoral ministry. C4 seminarians are supervised by the Coordinator of Pastoral Formation on their mentoring and leadership skill development.

Hispanic Ministry
Ministry with the Catholic Latino community is available based on each seminarian’s level of Spanish fluency. Seminarians can engage in activities ranging from cultural immersion to teaching in OCIA or providing reflections for small groups. These opportunities help seminarians improve their Spanish language skills and deepen their familiarity with the Latino culture. Ministry opportunities are available upon request from the Vocation Director or the seminarian.

Evaluation Tools

Seminarians receive regular feedback on their pastoral experiences:

Supervisor Evaluations: Twice a year, seminarians are evaluated by their supervisors in each of their Pastoral Field Experiences. These evaluations are tailored to each specific ministry setting and assess the seminarians’ pastoral competencies.

Self-Evaluations: Seminarians also complete self-evaluations, reflecting on their strengths and areas for improvement.

Use of Evaluations: These evaluations guide the Coordinator of Pastoral Formation in working with seminarians to enhance their development and provide tailored formation during their advising sessions.

Formation Conferences

Throughout the year, seminarians participate in Formation Conferences that are central to their ongoing development. These conferences provide spiritual, theological, and practical formation to support seminarians’ growth in pastoral ministry and include presentations by Notre Dame Seminary faculty and guest speakers with expertise in various areas of pastoral ministry.

Acompaño Mission

Configuration 1 seminarians are required to attend the Acompaño Mission. The mission experience at Notre Dame Seminary has been a vital part of the formation program since 1989. Currently, Notre Dame Seminary collaborates with the Diocese of Limón, Costa Rica, working closely with Bishop Javier Gerardo Román Arias, Father Pedro Escriva Romani, and the Missionaries of Charity.

Our Acompaño Mission trip offers participants a profound opportunity to embrace the call to holiness and evangelization. The term “Acompaño,” meaning “to accompany or walk with,” was chosen as the name of this mission trip because it reflects our purpose: to walk alongside others in love and service to God and one another.

During the mission, we dedicate time to service and prayer with the homeless in Limón and bring the sacraments and faith formation to the indigenous communities in the mountainous regions of the diocese.