Resources on the Priesthood
This web site has links in six languages to hundreds of documents on the priesthood and to resources such as Biblia Clerus , the Congregation's program offering Sacred Scripture, its interpretation in light of Sacred Tradition and the teachings of the Magisterium, with appropriate theological commentary and exegesis. The downloadable version allows you to connect Sacred Scripture to the complete works of many Doctors of the Church, Councils, Encyclicals, teachings of the Popes, Catechisms, as well as commentaries from secular literature, etc.
Church Documents on Priestly Formation
This link connects to the USCCB web site listing numerous documents of the Second Vatican Council, Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul II, and the Holy See concerning the Priesthood and Priestly formation.
Universal Documents
Catechism of the Catholic Church
No. 1536-1600, on Holy Orders
Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests, Presbyterorum Ordinis
Decree of the Second Vatican Council
Decree on Priestly Training Optatam Totius
Magisterial Documents
Address at Vespers to Priests, Religious, Deacons, and Seminarians
Pope Benedict XVI on the occasion of the 850th anniversary of the foundation of the Shrine of Mariazell, Austria, Sept. 8, 2007
Ordinatio Sacerdotalis
Directory on the Ministry and Life of Priests
The Nature of the Priesthood
Speech given by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger on October 1, 1990 at the opening of the VIII Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on priestly formation .
Articles, miscellaneous links
The Blessed Virgin Mary's Role in the Celibate Priest's Spousal and Paternal Love
Fr. John Cihak, S.T.D. is pastor of Sacred Heart-St. Louis parish in Gervais, Oregon (USA) and professor of fundamental theology at Mount Angel Seminary. He is the author of Balthasar and Anxiety ( London : T&TClark, 2008) and several articles in fundamental theology and priestly formation.
Books (not available on the web)
Reclaiming Our Priestly Character, Fr. David Toups, Institute for Priestly Formation; Paperback ISBN: 9780980045505; Hardcover ISBN: 9780980045512
Reclaiming Our Priestly Character offers a review of the present crisis surrounding priestly identity and shows a way forward toward renewal through careful theological scholarship and a wise and practical spirituality. By offering a fresh look at the ancient teaching of the graces imparted to priests during Holy Orders, Fr. Toups invites readers to examine and contemplate the relationship between those graces and the daily life of priests . . Review by Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J.: "If the priesthood is to be renewed and it surely must be the renewal must take the form described by Father Toupes. With clarity, simplicity, and a thorough mastery of the literature, he shows that the essence of the ministerial priesthood consists in the sacramental character that configures the ordained to Christ the High Priest."
T he Hidden Enemies of the Priesthood: The Contribution of St. Thomas Aquinas, (Staten Island: Alba House, 2007). http://www.dhs.edu/academics/cole2.aspx
Anger, envy, lust, pride, gluttony, sloth and covetousness are the seven capital sis. They - along with vain glory, ambition, avarice, and an over-reliance on one's own intellect to the detriment of growth in faith - are among the hidden enemies of the priesthood. Ignorance of them and the subtle ways in which they can eat away at the moral fiber of priests can prove disastrous for the individuals and for the Church they have vowed to serve. St. Thomas Aquinas along with Scripture, the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Code of Canon Law provide invaluable insights into how to recognize and confront these vices when they raise their ugly heads. This study is meant to help priests and seminarians reckon with them in a healthy and faith-filled way so that they will not be taken aback by the trials these hidden enemies bring about.
Priests for the Third Millennium, Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan
Archbishop Timothy Dolan addresses in a blunt and down-to-earth way, the direction in which a Priest should be moving in post-modernity. He has a wonderful and dynamic understanding of what is needed in the Priesthood in this day and age. Fondly building upon the late great John Paul II's encyclical " Pastores Dabo Vobis" , Dolan has created an easy to understand compilation of chapters on living the Christian life, as well living the priestly life.
His approach is vivid and to the point, with simplicity and reason - a breath of fresh air amidst classics on the priesthood.
A Priest Forever: The Life of Father Eugene Hamilton , Fr. Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R
This book tells the story of a remarkable young man, Eugene Hamilton, whose short life was a great witness to his love for the sublime gift of the priesthood. Father Eugene Hamilton was ordained on January 24, 1997, less than three months after his 24th birthday. Three hours later he was dead. He was ordained as he lay on his deathbed, short of breath and unable to speak. He is now, almost certainly, in heaven, a priest forever. Tu es sacerdos in aeternum. ...You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.
Catechism of the Catholic Church Sacrament of Holy Orders
Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests
The Nature of the Priesthood Cardinal Ratzinger
Church Documents on Priestly Formation
Decree on Priestly Training Optatam Totius
Directory on the Ministry and Life of Priests
Guide for Admitting of Candidates From Other Seminaries
