• Men who love the Church, her people, and want to be a part of the Church and serve her people. This is counter cultural as we increasingly do not wish to be part of something bigger than ourselves.

• Men who wish to give their life as a gift to God and the Church. This is what the sign of celibacy is saying, namely, that I wish to totally make a gift of my life for the Kingdom of God. Again, counter cultural.

• Men who will teach the truth of Jesus Christ with courage and conviction in our ever secular world in which relativism is so pervasive. Again, counter cultural.

• Men who will help the people of the Church use their God given talents to build up the Kingdom of God. The Second Vatican Council taught that all the baptized are commissioned by the Lord to do His work and the priest needs to invite and challenge all to be involved in God’s work.

• Men who deeply love the Lord and want to grow in their relationship with Him.

Men who attend seminary receive the best education the Church has to offer. The official Priestly Plan of Formation focuses on four major areas of development to help the seminarian become a well-rounded man capable of leading the Church to a deeper relationship with God.

• Human formation: forming the future priests’ personality to be a bridge to Christ; ensuring healthy psycho-sexual development and a mature integrity.

• Spiritual formation: developing a deep and mature relationship with Christ through prayer and virtuous living.

• Intellectual formation: understanding the truths of the Faith and cultivating the skills to teach the Faith to others.

• Pastoral formation: learning how to be a “shepherd of souls,” helping parishioners through the joys and trials of life.