Seminar Catholic
A seminar (from Latin "incubator", the "seed, vital principle") is an institution of higher education designed to train priests. It provides training liturgical , biblical , theological , philosophical and pastoral. The seminary students are called seminarians.
- Warning: The following section deals only seminars Catholic priests. For other religions, see article Seminary (Religion).
Summary |
Origin of Catholic seminaries
The institution of the seminars is one result of the Catholic Reformation prompted by the Council of Trent (1545 - 1563), which generalized the successful experience of the first secular institutes of priestly formation. The council has therefore required to improve training and education of the clergy by creating seminars, where students live in community under the direct control of educators priests. Since learning of the reading was not yet universal, it had to create small seminars to prepare young boys to follow the teaching of the seminar. The Tridentine model of seminary boarding was almost monastic, with a control mode of living, intellectual activity, and the prayer proper to forget the abuse before the Reformation. It was a stark contrast to the atmosphere of intellectual freedom of universities. Discipline and learning philosophy preparing to study theology.
The model of the Council of Trent has been adopted by other Christian churches, and modern Judaism, with more flexibility concerning the study of philosophy and obligation to live within the seminary community.
Small and large workshop seminar
In France, the seminar itself is called Big Seminar. In contrast, the seminar is a secondary school (college, high school) which is also good for future major and students who will remain secular. The term and the institution is obsolete in Europe, but the seminary had a great social importance to the middle of the twentieth century. It was often one of the only means of instruction for intellectually gifted children living in the countryside, the parish priests spotted and which the Church took over the school year, offering the best of access to the major seminary. It's also the minor seminary as the petty bourgeoisie Catholic preferably sent his boys to receive a classical education quality in an environment morally demanding. The boarding was the rule and strict discipline.
World statistics Vatican
According to the statistics world published by the Vatican (Annuarium statisticum ecclesiae of 2004), the number of seminarians in the Catholic world has increased by 77% between 1978 and 2004. This increase is mainly due to continental African , Asian and American. This compares to 45% increase in the number of Catholics in the world , parallel to the increase in world population.
During the same period the number of deacons standing has risen from 5500 to 32000. In Europe , the number of deacons has increased tenfold.
By contrast in France the number of seminarians is constantly decreasing since the end of the Second World War.
The statistics are as follows :
| Staff | Percentage increase | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 2004 | ||
| World population | 4 200 000 000 | 6 400 000 000 | 52,0 |
| Baptized Catholics | 757 000 000 | 1 098 000 000 | 45,0 |
| - Africa | 55 000 000 | 149 000 000 | 171,0 |
| - Americas | 366 000 000 | 549 000 000 | 79,6 |
| - Asia | 63 000 000 | 113 000 000 | 49,7 |
| - Europe | 268 000 000 | 280 000 000 | 4,6 |
| Priests | 420 971 | 405 891 | -3,7 |
| - Africa | 16 900 | 31 200 | 84,7 |
| - Americas | 120 200 | 121 600 | 1,0 |
| - Asia | 27 700 | 48 200 | 74,0 |
| - Europe | 250 500 | 200 000 | -20,0 |
| Seminarians | 63 800 | 113 000 | 77,0 |
| - Africa | 5.636 | 22 791 | 304,4 |
| - Americas | 22 000 | 36 600 | 66,6 |
| - Asia | 11 500 | 29 200 | 153,0 |
| - Europe | 23 900 | 23 400 | -2,1 |
| - Oceania | 1 000 | ||
On average, a seminarian in two actually become a Catholic priest.
In reading these figures, we see that it is true that the overall number of priests peaked between these two dates, the number of seminarians has increased cons much, much more than the number of baptized. This increase is very uneven. Their number remains steady in Europe, whereas we observed a significant decrease in the number of priests in this region.
In America, the number of seminarians is rising sharply, unlike the number of priests who capped 25 years.
But it is the young Christian communities of Asia and Africa stood out. The number of seminarians increased by more than one and a half times in Asia and more than 300% in Africa.
While in Europe in general and France in particular, there is a sharp drop in the number of priests is not the case in the world. This drop is compared to previous decades, but in terms of numbers of faithful priest, France is far better positioned than countries considered deeply Catholic (Argentina and Colombia for example). The following table shows some figures showing that France remains the world average (1 priest / faithful 2714).
| 1 Priest / No. of faithful | ||
|---|---|---|
| - World | 1 / 2714 | |
| - Europe | 1 / 1415 | |
| - Africa | 1 / 4741 | |
| - South America | 1 / 7129 | |
| - Asia | 1 / 2329 | |
| - Oceania | 1 / 1845 | |
| - Italy | 1 / 1100 | |
| - France | 1 / 1215 | |
| - Belgium | 1 / 1108 | |
| - Spain | 1 / 1569 | |
| - Argentina | 1 / 6058 | |
| - Colombia | 1 / 4872 | |
These last few years, the number of Catholic priests began and is currently over 407 500 against 405 891 in 2005. In France, the number of ordinations of diocesan priests dated back slightly (101 in 2007, 96 in 2006, 94 in 2005), but then went back down (about 90 in 2009) and no indication of a rise in the number of ordinations of diocesan priests in the coming years.
Some major seminaries in the world
- Grand Seminaire de Quebec , Quebec , Canada
- Carmelite seminary in Paris
- Grand Seminary of Montreal , Quebec , Canada
- Major Seminary of Krakow
- Major Seminary of Luxembourg
- Grand Seminary of Rzeszow
- St. John Seminary in Boston
- Pontifical Roman Major Seminary
- Grand Seminary of Rennes
- Grand Sminaire de Caen
- Sminaire de Sainte-Therese , Quebec , Canada
- Seminary of St. Hyacinthe , Quebec , Canada
- Former Major Seminary of Valencia
- Diocesan seminary of Paris
- House training the St. Martin community
- Diocesan Major Seminary of Guadalajara, Mexico
Current training in a seminary
The training of priests organized into three main stages of formation called cycles. The first round conducted in two years mainly comprises a basic training in philosophy and biblical. The students remain throughout the week inside the seminary and join family or parish insertion weekend. The second round done in three years combined training in fundamental theology , pastoral theology , moral theology , and Bible with a mandatory inclusion in pastoral weekend. The third cycle is almost entirely devoted to the pastoral integration. Candidates for the priesthood continue to receive training early in the week or during a training.
The Code of Canon Law establishes the guns from 232 to 264 seminars . The barrel 237 provides the existence of a major seminary in the diocese, if possible.
References
See also
- Ordination
- Catholic priest
- Jean-Jacques Olier
- Seminarian (for details on the training of seminarians)
Loading ...