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Moved by the Holy Spirit

One summer at the Institute for Priestly Formation provides much-needed spiritual formation for future diocesan priests

by William E. Ramsey, USA Council President

 
The Institute for Priestly Formation’s history may be brief, but it has enjoyed a dynamic, leading role in shaping our future priests. Headquartered on Creighton University campus in Omaha, Neb., the institute’s reach now extends throughout the United States and into several other countries.

Since its doors opened in 1995, the institute’s initial focus has remained the core of its existence—a much-needed and intense curriculum of spirituality for seminarians and priests. Like the Rosetta Stone uncovered in Egypt which became “the one thing necessary” to unlock the secrets of ancient hieroglyphics, the institute’s call to lead seminarians and priests to the living God helps unlock the hearts of men desiring to serve God in a way that allows all the other elements of seminary formation to come to their fullest expression.

In 1990, the World Synod of Bishops’ meeting in Rome called for a more extensive period of formation, especially a period dedicated more completely to growing in the spiritual life. Among other responses to this call, the Institute for Priestly Formation (IPF) was founded for precisely this reason, as stated in their mission statement:

The Institute for Priestly Formation has been founded to assist in the spiritual formation of diocesan priests in the Roman Catholic Church. Working as a complement to already existing programs of seminary formation, the Institute responds to the need for a more concentrated and integrated spiritual formation. Inspired by the biblical-evangelical spirituality of Ignatius Loyola, the Institute’s programs present a spirituality that can inspire, motivate and thus sustain the busy lives of contemporary diocesan priests.

The IPF’s inaugural session was conducted in the summer of 1995 on the campus of Creighton University near downtown Omaha. The first class of six seminarians experienced the 10-week, tightly structured program. In addition, a three-week seminar was held for seminary spiritual directors. The following year, 29 seminarians attended the second summer program. A national advisory board was formed to offer direction to the staff.

In 2000, IPF leaders and advisers established a 35-day retreat experience of the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius Loyola open to diocesan seminarians and priests. IPF staff also conducted various programs for the North American College (American seminary) in Rome.

By 2001, word was spreading of the impressive work of the IPF in the nation’s heartland. Sixty-one seminarians traveled to Omaha to participate in the summer program. That same year, IPF coordinated a symposium with Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, Mich. Focusing on diocesan priesthood, the topic chosen was “Chaste Celibacy: Living Christ’s Own Spousal Love.” A second symposium, “Spiritual Physician: Living Christ’s Own Mission of Healing Love,” was held in cooperation with Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans.

IPF continues to grow at an exponential rate. This year, 105 students from 50 arch/dioceses around the nation have enrolled for the program, and 18 are on the waiting list.

The IPF’s mission to augment already-existing seminary formation programs with a curriculum of concentrated and integrated spirituality is what makes the institute so valuable to contemporary diocesan priests. As IPF Director Father Richard Gabuzda explains, these priests might not otherwise have the opportunity to pursue such a crucial component of their education and formation.

“Many religious groups such as Jesuits, Benedictines, etc., have a special time during their regular studies which they call the ‘novitiate;’ it is a time to focus on learning to pray and learning about the founder of the group,” Gabuzda says. “Our diocesan seminary system has not traditionally had such a time. We see our work as complementing the work of seminaries by offering a time and place to focus more on learning to pray in a way that makes sense for their busy future lives as diocesan priests. It is a time to ‘fall in love with God’ more deeply.”

The IPF combines a variety of formats during its summer program to bring its students closer to God. According to Gabuzda, the most important component of the program is the silent, directed eight-day retreat. Other than meeting once a day with a spiritual director and meeting as a group for daily Mass, these eight days of personal prayer are conducted entirely in silence – “so important for learning to listen to God,” Gabuzda adds. Classes emphasizing the integration of classroom learning with personal prayer are as follows: “Prayer and Virtue”; “Christian Spirituality and Sexuality”; “The Spirituality of Diocesan Priesthood”; and “Liturgical Spirituality.” Finally, the seminarians serve in hospitals and nursing homes several days a week for six weeks out of the 10-week session.

“Through daily prayer, retreat and weekly one-on-one spiritual direction, the heart is exercised and expanded to be able to receive God’s love by relating with the Trinity as real persons,” Gabuzda says. "Seminarians also experience this love from Father, Son and Holy Spirit through their interactions with those in the community formed during the summer, in their apostolic service experiences, as well as through other relationships."

Guided by a curriculum, the experience of this love is deepened by systematic theological reflection which exposes the seminarian to the spiritual tradition of the Church and helps him to receive it anew in our own day. A special integrating element in this reflection is the course “Christian Spirituality and Sexuality.” In this holistic human formation, the seminarian deepens his appreciation for the gift of celibacy.

“One of our principal emphases stressed the importance of receiving the call to celibate life as a call not simply to ‘give up something,’ but to see it as a call to a life of generativity, of ‘fruitfulness,’” Gabuzda explains. “Celibacy received in this way helps the priest to enliven parishes and individuals with whom he is called to work.”

Finally, the IPF seeks to develop the specific charisms that constitute the diocesan priesthood as a unique identity and spirituality. As a means to this end, it makes use of Ignatian spirituality with its emphasis on active, apostolic spirituality, so central to the life of diocesan priests. The IPF hopes that this spiritual formation will prepare diocesan priests to play their appropriate role of leadership in the Church of the 21st century.

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“My experience with the IPF Seminarian Program has given many new insights into prayer, and now I know more clearly how to develop my prayer life. This program has been very helpful. It is enabling me to see what the basic elements are that define diocesan priestly identity. It has also given me a much better understanding and appreciation of the call to a celibate life.”

--Jim Oberembt, Diocese of Sioux Falls, SD

“My prayer life is forever changed for the better. Not only did I not know how to pray prior to IPF, I did not even know that I was unaware of how to pray. I cannot imagine succeeding in the seminary or priesthood without the information and skills taught here. During the retreat I asked God, in the words of St. Paul, to make me a new man and it is happening. The benefits reach far beyond myself. The people of God I one day hope to serve will ultimately benefit from a spiritually grounded and healthy servant.”

--Patrick Besel, Archdiocese of Baltimore, MD

“IPF is a place where the love of God can be experienced personally, where there are people who are motivated by that same love, and where the celibate can find the truth and meaning of who he must become. This is a program that helps create the place in my heart for God to dwell within. For me, it has been a life-changing summer experience tasting the radicality of the Gospel’s love.”

--Charnel Jeanty, Archdiocese of Miami, Fla.

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