Academic Formation

2020-2021 Annual Report

Students gather in the Corso Auditorium for a conference on preaching by Rev. Nicolas Steeves, S.J., who offered both practical tips and general principles to inform preaching.

Academic Formation:

Finding the Beauty of the Faith

Mark Hellinger ‘22, Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend

The Congregation for Clergy, in its 2016 document on priestly formation, the Ratio Fundamentalis, describes the intellectual dimension of seminarians as seeking “to enable [seminarians] to enter into fruitful dialogue with the contemporary world, and to uphold the truth of the faith by the light of reason, thereby revealing its beauty.” This year, despite the many challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic all over the world and constantly changing restrictions here in Italy, the seminarians at the College have been able to carry on the indispensable work of intellectual formation with an eye toward revealing the beauty of the faith to a world in need of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Intellectual formation can never be separated from the other dimensions of formation, but instead is enriched by a wide experience of intimate personal prayer, a committed liturgical life, a community of fellow Christians and brothers, and the guidance of trusted and committed professors who are able to demonstrate with their own lives the compelling nature of the faith they teach. Additionally, engagement with and appreciation for the surrounding culture aids the goal of learning, because it gives us the experience necessary to proclaim the Gospel, not in the abstract, but in the real concrete situations where we find ourselves today. This year provided ample opportunity to continue our intellectual formation here at the College. The first-year students began their studies in the first cycle (STB program) at one of the three universities seminarians from the College attend: the Pontifical Gregorian University, the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (the Angelicum), and the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross (Santa Croce). The students in first-cycle studies made frequent use of the facilities which our generous friends and benefactors make possible, including attending lectures (normally at the universities) in the tower classrooms and other places on campus. The space provided much help to remain focused and committed to study during the parts of the year when we were unable to attend university lessons in-person. Third-year men completed their STB programs at their respective universities with the submission of their final theses or comprehensive exams. Meanwhile, the fifth-year priests completed their second-cycle licentiate (STL) programs with the submission of their theses, lectio coram, and comprehensive exams.

Additionally, seminarians took advantage of several in-house opportunities. Language courses in Latin and Greek, seminars and reading groups in Christology, sacred art, fiction, and others were taught by our priest faculty. The universities also provided lectures and events, sometimes via livestream, in which seminarians participated. While the situation in Italy remained fluid, the seminarians of the College were able to use the resources at our disposal through the generosity of so many benefactors to make sure that they will still be well-equipped to engage, understand, and uphold the beauty and riches of the Catholic faith.

Mark Hellinger '22 (Fort Wayne-South Bend) utilizes the study space provided by the Randal Riede, C.F.X. Library.