For Seminarians
Since 1995 the Institute for Priestly Formation has offered an intensive spiritual formation program for seminarians on the campus of Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. This program emerged from the desire to set aside time in seminary formation solely for development of a more intimate personal relationship with Jesus Christ and for an immersion in the identity of diocesan priesthood, in some ways a kind of “novitiate” experience for diocesan seminarians. Because the seminary environment involves many components and tasks that occur simultaneously throughout the academic semester, the IPF summer program for seminarians responds to the Church’s recommendation, “The development of sound and lasting habits and attitudes in the spiritual life is a challenging process. Intensive spiritual formation experiences, for example, a Spirituality Year Program, a thirty-day retreat, a summer program, etc., are valuable means for facilitating this process and should be considered for possible inclusion and integration into the seminary program.” (Program for Priestly Formation, no. 111)
IPF serves seminarians by providing the setting in which they can fall more deeply in love with God. A man’s priestly life is more joyful and more fruitful when he engages in priestly ministry while at the same time living in intimate and unceasing union with God. IPF programs and resources aim to assist seminarians with tools that will help them to safeguard their relationship with the Trinity during their seminary years and beyond into active priestly ministry.
