New Seminarians Embrace Propaedeutic Stage

Men in the Propaedeutic Stage at MTSM take part in the Cincinnati Men’s Eucharistic Procession on October 19, 2024

The story below was originally published in The Athenaeum, MTSM’s bi-annual magazine. The Athenaeum is published twice a year for alumni, patrons and friends of Mount St. Mary’s Seminary & School of Theology. To be added to the mailing list, contact: Heidi Walsh at 513.233.6159 or hwalsh@athenaeum.edu.

When the propaedeutic stage was introduced in the Program for Priestly Formation (6th Edition) and implemented within the Mount St. Mary’s Seminary formation program, it presented the Formation Team at MTSM the opportunity to approach formation from a different direction, and also creates the path to utilize ways of better preparing the men beginning their discernment before entering the next stage of formation.

“The number one thing I learned from last year is that this is a truly privileged time,” Rev. Daniel K. Hess, S.T.L., J.D., MTSM’s Director of the Propaedeutic Stage said. “It is radically counter-cultural to offer this amount of time to pray, quietly reflect and reject the noise of our always-connected world.”

At the time of publication, there are 15 men who are enrolled in the Propaedeutic Stage. Eight are from the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, with four from the Diocese of Toledo and three from the Diocese of Columbus. One of those men is Peter Hoffman, who after graduating from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, spent nearly a decade working in public relations in Indianapolis and Washington, D.C., before discerning a call to the priesthood.

“When I came here, I arrived knowing it would be a change of pace, but probably more for me than my classmates,” Hoffman noted. “The last eight years, I had two phones with me at all times, and when things happened, you had to react.”

Hoffman, a born and raised Cincinnatian whose family are parishioners of St. Margaret of York in Loveland, has enjoyed the new time offered by the technology fast.

“I have loved it,” he noted. “It can seem like a burden at first, but it is an opportunity not many people get. Here at the Seminary, that gives us the opportunity to grow our relationship with God and focus on why we are here.”

“As good as the opportunity is, it can prove to be quite difficult,” Fr. Hess noted about the technology fast and other adjustments to the propaedeutic year. “There is an internal challenge as much as the external challenge of not having screens in front of you all the time. They are not accustomed to practicing these habits when they enter here, and that can lead to internal strife, boredom or angst. The Formation Team has worked better to prepare the men for these dynamics.”

Hoffman credits Fr. Hess with the understanding of the challenge and adjustment that this requires for the men in the Propaedeutic Stage and his openness in working with him and his classmates.

“He knows that this is quite the change for us as well,” Hoffman noted. “Whether you are coming out of college or out of a career like myself, not having the ability to lean on the habits you have had for years is a challenge.”

Part of the evolution of the Propaedeutic Stage at MTSM is offering more open formation conferences that focus on discussion as a group.

“There is more discussion than presentation this year,” Fr. Hess noted. “Because this year is more outside the academic structure, it allows for a more conversational approach to discernment.”

Building community within the class continues to be important to both those in formation and their formators.

“This year’s group is very engaged and hungry for engaging the wisdom of the Church,” Fr. Hess observed. “I have been thoroughly impressed with their generosity towards each other, and as men striving to make a generous response to God’s call and to the needs of the Church.”

“It is amazing to be around a group of guys that are all here wanting to do the same thing, and all wanting to lift each other up,” Hoffman noted. “When you are out in the ‘real world’, it can feel isolating hearing the call because it is such a specific experience with God.”

One of the points of emphasis in the Program for Priestly Formation is that the Propaedeutic Stage is to be a 12-month process. At the time of publication, the men currently in formation are only three months into this discernment and process, but there is still energy and motivation for the months ahead.

“I am looking forward to continuing to be intentional about this year, and to see where God is leading me,” Hoffman noted. “In a few months, I’ll hopefully be able to make some progress and improvements in my life that will help my relationship with Christ.”

“The routines of life here will likely become more challenging, and I think that is important,” Fr. Hess stated. “Learning how to navigate various challenges and struggles is important and good, and they do this with the benefit of their intensive community and the support of formators and their spiritual director.”

Fr. Hess points out three areas that the men will continue to focus on growing in: self-knowledge, self-possession and self-gift.

“One of the guiding texts we are using is Transformation in Christ by Dietrich von Hildebrand (1948). The work is rooted in the principles of self-knowledge and then surrendering to the work that God intends for our ongoing conversation. With the many ways we engage as a group, I am excited to see how the Lord continues to guide our men.”