By Carlos Luis
MYSURU, November 9, 2026: Catholic seminaries must move beyond routine ritualism and institutional conformity to form authentic, emotionally mature pastors, speakers urged at a symposium on priestly formation.
The conference, which opened Nov. 8, focused on aligning seminary curriculums with daily human reality, challenging candidates to embody their faith rather than rely on rote academics.
Father Thomas Vijay opened the discussions by highlighting a widespread disconnect between formal theology and pastoral practice. He observed that clergy often discard lecture notes after ordination and settle into mechanical administration.
Citing how Basic Ecclesial Communities revived a neglected multi-village parish, Vijay argued that pastors must act as Spirit-led enablers who empower lay charisms to transform societal peripheries, rather than functioning as solitary administrators.
Addressing candidate formation from within, Father Henry Angel, SAC, a professor at Prabodhana in Mysuru, emphasized that theological studies only reach fulfillment when truth transforms character.
Angel cautioned against formation regimes that merely demand external obedience, warning that such approaches produce superficial performers preoccupied with public image, clerical status, and digital popularity.
He called for grounding self-worth in God and living celibacy as an outward-reaching charism of self-giving love rather than passive renunciation.
Representing the perspective of lay Catholics across India, Jeniffer Fernandes of the Teresian Association noted that while the faithful value the sacramental ministry of priests, they frequently encounter newly ordained clergy unprepared for parish administration, isolation, and acute human grief.
Framing priestly identity through orthodoxy, orthopathy, and orthopraxy—head, heart, and hands—Fernandes proposed enriching formation through public theology, positive psychology, and active lay partnership.
“A priest serves the community, but the community also helps form the priest,” Fernandes said, urging seminaries to involve laypeople, particularly women, as mentors and formation partners.