Propaedeutic Stage Formation

“The first stage of initial formation is the propaedeutic stage. During this stage, the man is introduced to the life of the Church as a community in which excellence of character is nurtured, to the practice of daily participation in the Holy Mass, to love for Sacred Scripture, to the prayer of the Church (the Divine Office, or the Divine Praises in the Eastern Catholic Churches), and to the basic elements of the Christian faith as he discerns attentively and purposefully his potential vocation to priesthood in the presence of a supportive community of fellow seminarians and formators.”

Program of Priestly Formation, 6th ed., no. 32