While a petitioner has received formation in seminary and through pastoral experience, it is necessary, for the good of the Church, that his formation and readiness for ordination as a Catholic priest stringently be evaluated in ways similar to the evaluation of Catholic seminarians before ordination to the Priesthood.

In particular, attention must be given to the petitioner's readiness in the areas of spiritual, intellectual, human, and pastoral formation.

The sponsoring bishop must appoint a qualified and experienced priest as the "formation mentor" to meet regularly with the petitioner. This priest will oversee the spiritual, intellectual, human, and pastoral formation of the petitioner and serve as a source of support for the petitioner. The sponsoring bishop may appoint additional priests to assist the formation mentor in the oversight of the different areas of priestly formation in which they have particular expertise. At the direction of the sponsoring bishop, the formation mentor also may serve as a contact person with the Pastoral Provision.

The sponsoring bishop must appoint a spiritual director for the petitioner. The spiritual director must be a priest who has experience in spiritual direction of priests and/or seminarians. This priest also may be the formation mentor or may be another priest designated by the sponsoring bishop. If possible, the spiritual director should have training in spiritual direction or spirituality.

If the petitioner is not already in full communion with the Catholic Church, it is expected that plans would be made for his reception during the process. This should be done as soon as possible and practicable Confirmation is part of this reception. Once in full communion with the Catholic Church, the petitioner is expected to participate daily in the Eucharist.

As part of his spiritual formation, the petitioner is to be introduced to the liturgy of the Hours, which will be part of his daily spiritual life as a priest.

The Holy See expects that a petitioner should normally experience full communion for two years before ordination to the priesthood. If the sponsoring bishop has sufficient pastoral reasons, he may petition the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith through the office of the Ecclesiastical Delegate for a reduction of this time, after the certification examination has been successfully completed.

When a rescript is received from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and other requirements imposed by the sponsoring bishop are met, the petitioner may be ordained deacon and then priest by his sponsoring bishop. He is incardinated in the usual manner.

The sponsoring bishop must appoint a priest to oversee the intellectual formation of the petitioner in accord with the recommendations of the Theological Faculty. This priest should be learned in the sacred sciences. The sponsoring bishop may appoint the formation mentor to this role or may appoint another priest.

The goal of the process of intellectual formation is to ensure that the petitioner possesses the scientia debita for ordination as a Catholic priest. The process has three parts: assessment, studies, and certification. The Office of the Ecclesiastical Delegate arranges for the assessment and certification and advises the sponsoring bishop.

The assessment is not an examination. It is an evaluation of the petitioner's education and knowledge in the areas of dogmatic theology, moral theology, sacred scripture, liturgy and sacramental theology, spirituality, canon law, and church history.

The scheduling of assessments is made by the Secretary of the Pastoral Provision in collaboration with the chair of the Theological Faculty.

At the beginning of the assessment process the petitioner receives a syllabus of theological topics, of which each petitioner is expected to have sufficient knowledge. The petitioner meets with the members of the Theological Faculty. The members of the Theological Faculty review the petitioner's academic record and each member conducts an oral interview with the petitioner in the faculty member's area of expertise.

As part of the assessment process, the petitioner is given a bibliography compiled by the Theological Faculty. During the assessment interview, the assessors review the bibliography with the petitioner. It is not presumed that anyone will master the entire bibliography. After assessment, the Theological Faculty provides a written report to the petitioner's sponsoring bishop pointing out areas in which further study is indicated. The program of studies normally includes a guided reading program. Where indicated, the Theological Faculty may recommend further formal study at a seminary or appropriate theological faculty in addition to private study.

After assessment, the Ecclesiastical Delegate submits the dossier to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. When the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith notifies the Ecclesiastical Delegate of the positive result of its initial review of the candidate's dossier, the Ecclesiastical Delegate will communicate this to the sponsoring bishop. He, in turn, will inform the formation mentor and the candidate so that they may proceed assiduously with the program of theological formation.

The time required for study will vary depending upon the petitioner's needs and available time.

Upon the completion of the program of studies, the petitioner applies for "certification." The certification examination is the conclusion of the process and is intended to assure the Congregation and the sponsoring bishop that the petitioner possesses the scientia debita for ordination as a Catholic priest. This exam may be taken as soon as the formation mentor determines that the candidate is well prepared. The candidate should understand that he is responsible for the entire syllabus.

Certification is based on a written examination prepared by the Theological Faculty and an oral examination by the Theological Faculty. The certification examination consists of two parts: written and oral examinations. Questions for written examinations in each theological discipline will be sent to the sponsoring bishop who oversees administration of the examinations in the petitioner's place of residence. The completed examinations are returned to the chair of the Theological Faculty. The members of the Theological Faculty evaluate the completed examinations before the date arranged for the oral examination. The chair of the Theological Faculty makes all arrangements for the certification examination.

Upon successful completion of these examinations, the chair of the Theological Faculty sends the certification reports to the Secretary of the Pastoral Provision. The Secretary of the Pastoral Provision then prepares a letter for the Ecclesiastical Delegate to send to the sponsoring bishop reporting the results of the certification examination, attaching the reports from each professor.

It is presumed that the sponsoring bishop will pay the expenses incurred by the assessment and the certification examination
(i.e., travel , lodging, photocopying, etc.).

The Ecclesiastical Delegate's office will advise the sponsoring bishop of costs after such meetings.

The petitioner is expected to maintain close contact with the Secretary of the Pastoral Provision.

At every step of the process, the office of the Ecclesiastical Delegate is prepared to offer assistance and guidance to the sponsoring bishop and to the petitioner.

The sponsoring bishop must arrange for a thorough psychological evaluation of the petitioner. This evaluation should be conducted by a psychologist or psychiatrist. The petitioner must waive his rights to confidentiality in this process to allow the sponsoring bishop to receive an official evaluation from the psychologist or psychiatrist.

The evaluation should include the following standard psychological tests:
The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2)
The Michigan Alcohol Screening Test (MAST)
The Child ren of Alcoholics Screening Test (CAST)
The Derogatis Sexual Functioning Inventory (DSFI)

The evaluation should also include the following projective tests:
The Thematic Perception Test (TAT)
The Sentence Completion Test
The Rorschach Inkblot Test

The evaluation should also include a clinical interview and report to the sponsoring bishop. This evaluation should include an analysis of the stability of the petitioner's marriage and family life.

This process should be conducted under the direction of the sponsoring bishop himself or under the direction of the formation mentor.

If any difficulties or problems arise in the report, they should be resolved for the good of the Church.

In the course of the discernment of a priestly vocation, the formation mentor should endeavor to know well the wife and family of the petitioner and ensure that any questions that are raised are answered, and any issues that arise are addressed.

As noted above, it is strongly advised that the sponsoring bishop conduct a criminal background check of the petitioner and his wife.

The pastoral format ion of the petitioner should be directed by the formation mentor or another priest appointed by the sponsoring bishop.

While the great majority of petitioners have had pastoral experience, sometimes quite extensive, it is necessary that the petitioner be aware that he will not be serving in a position that involves the ordinary care of souls.

However, the petitioner should experience Catholic parish life as intimately as possible since, more than likely, he will assist in a parish on weekends.

The formation mentor should arrange for practical experiences of various pastoral situations and the integration of the petitioner's intellectual format ion with practical pastoral experience. In particular, the formation mentor should arrange for practica in which the petitioner is instructed in the rubrics and style of the celebration of the Eucharist and the other sacraments and ceremonies of the Church.

It is extremely important that these practica include discuss ion of the celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This also may be in the form of practica involving the address in g of situations that arise in the confessional. Here too, the formation mentor should endeavor to integrate the petitioner's growing understanding of Catholic moral and sacramental theology with pastoral practice.

Each mentor shall provide to the sponsoring bishop a detailed evaluation and recommendation of the candidate in the specific areas of formation. The sponsoring bishop shall, after review of these evaluations and recommendations, provide his own evaluation and recommendation of the candidate. The evaluations and recommendations of the mentors and the sponsoring bishops shall be sent to the Ecclesiastical Delegate.


From the Pastoral Provision Manual "Into Full Communion"