The spiritual and personal formation of priests is a vital responsibility of the school. Led by Sacred Heart's formation department, the seminary community shares in an integral program of spiritual development appropriate to the priestly life. Intellectual formation imbues the candidate with the richness of the Catholic tradition and with the wide range of experiences and insights of the believing community today. Thus the candidate's personal understanding of the Christian message is challenged and deepened. The student is guided to form and communicate an authentic Christian message in order to respond genuinely and appropriately to the needs of the modern world.
Pastoral formation aids the student in becoming a priest with a well-rounded pastoral outlook.
It prepares the student to fully assume the pastoral duties which the service of God's people demands. Toward this end, a variety of supervised and evaluated pastoral experiences is required of each student. Using a small-group structured format, faculty members assist the student in developing the habit of theological reflection upon those pastoral issues experienced in the field education program. In this way, academic work and fieldwork reinforce one another, and the theological disciplines are seen to be relevant to the mission of Christ and the Church. This acknowledges the growing reality that more and more candidates for priesthood are coming by paths other than traditional seminary high school or college programs.