Formation needs transformation

By M L Satyan

Coimbatore, Oct 30, 2024: I was intrigued by the revelations Bishop James Thoppil of Kohima, chairman of the northeast bishops’ formation commission, made during the meeting of the formators of northeastern region held from October 21-23 at Mount Tabor Retreat Centre in Dimapur.

He placed the priests under four categories:

a) 10 percent priests who excel in their service
b) 20 percent priests who perform adequately
c) 20 percent priests who are just average
d) 50 percent priests who are irrelevant in their roles

These observations raise a serious question on the quality of priestly formation today. Based on my experiences of visiting formation houses and conducting sessions, I wish to suggest certain changes in formation which could make positive impact on the priests.

I begin with a true incidence. Once I was conducting sessions for the final year theology students (all of them Deacons). As I began the post-lunch session, I wished them, “Good afternoon! Hope you all had good lunch and rest.” One student said, “No Sir!” I went close to him, touched his shoulder and asked, “Are you not keeping well?” He replied, “Sir, we will rest only after the ordination.”

Please look at his answer! In Tamil there is a proverb: “Testing one rice is enough to know whether the potful of rice is cooked.” This one statement of one priestly candidate speaks volumes about the present mindset among the seminarians. I am not making a generalization. There could be some students with right motive. However, this student’s mindset is quite prevalent among the majority. This mindset cannot be waived off.

Today the trend among the seminarians is to pass the exams by hook or crook. During the formation their only aim is “ordination to priesthood.” In this process certain politics among the professors, favoring some unfit students for their selfish agenda, cannot be ignored.

Once they are ordained priests, they aim for ‘wealthy parishes’ and ‘powerful positions’ like director, treasurer, secretary, vicar forane, rector, and dean. During formation they “struggle” (!?) and do “hard work” (!?) for 8 to 10 years and “take rest” and “relax” the rest of the time. This is the sad state of affairs today.

Suggested changes:

a) Recruit a candidate after a strict screening procedure.
b) After the philosophy course, they could have a two-year break. One year they could do regency (as done presently). The second year they could go back to their homes, stay there, find a job and earn their living.
c) After the theology course, before they are ordained as deacons, they could do another year of regency. Only those candidates who are found fit could be ordained as deacons.
d) After they are ordained deacons, the candidates could work as Public Relations Officer of their respective dioceses for a year. After the successful completion of this work, they could be ordained as priests.
e) During the formation, special focus must be given to subjects such as psychology, sex education, personality development, inter-personal relationship, public relations, counselling and peer support.
f) “Peer Support System” could be created for seminarians and priests and monitored systematically. This is essential for both diocesan and religious priests.

The main drawback in the present-day formation is the “alienation from one’s family.” As soon as a student is recruited and joins the seminary, the “mindset” and the “lifestyle” of the student change. Examples: the student who slept on the floor and ate with his hands at home is made to sleep on the bed and eat with spoon and fork in the seminary. He gets used to other comforts of life – timely food, spacious accommodation with fans and ACs, transportation, pocket money or allowance.

In the past, Christian missionaries sacrificed their comforts and came to India and lived like Indians. Whereas, the Indian priests today live like foreigners. This is the irony. In some areas of the tribal region, many seminarians are not quite enthusiastic to go to their native villages (usually located in the interior jungle) and live with their families during their annual or home holidays. Most of them prefer to stay with the parish priest in the parish house.

I had met one seminarian who was spending his home holidays in a parish house. The reason: He had to walk 3 km into the jungle to reach his home. So, his parents came to the parish house to meet him. The same seminarian walked this distance daily to study in the parish school. Being a seminarian, he was “reluctant to walk.” What a change!

Such incidences are witnessed in southern parts too. Seminarians, from the rural areas belonging to lower middle-class families, rarely go home and stay. Probably they think that the home visit is “below their status!” The sad story is that the ‘gap’ between the seminarians and their families widens as years pass-by.

When he becomes a priest, he goes home as a “special guest” and that too for a short period, provided the required comforts are given to him. The old “bond with family” that existed in the past is no more! Many priests get cut off from their families for personal reasons. To a great extent, this also contributes to their ‘loneliness.’

The present practice is that students are free to join any diocese or province. This practice has a grey side. Many southern priests work in northern or northeastern dioceses. Some have become bishops and provincials. It is noted that many southerners hold important portfolios in their dioceses or provinces. The negative consequence is that the “sons of the soil” get sidelined quite often. Empowering the local priests remains a distant dream. This needs to be addressed seriously.

Among the non-Catholic Churches we find married pastors. Such pastors are found to be “more mature in their pastoral work” than the Catholic priests. This is the reality whether one accepts it or not. It is also to be noted that the pastors’ wives play crucial and supportive role in the pastoral activities. The people fondly call the pastor-couple as “Pastor Aiya” and “Pastor Amma” in the southern states.

That reveals the close bond that exists among them. Clerical sexual abuse seems to be absent among them. When will the Catholic Church learn this lesson from them?

Last but not the least. The suggested changes need to be studied, debated and scrutinised with an “open-mind.” The need of the hour is a paradigm shift and a change of clericalism.