About Formation

The Formation Program at Mundelein Seminary takes its directives from the “Program of Priestly Formation,” commonly referred to as the “PPF.”  Throughout these webpages, various quotes from the PPF will be highlighted.

The fifth edition of the Program of Priestly Formation of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) builds upon the foundation of previous editions. The principal and new direction of the fifth edition stems from its reliance on the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores dabo vobis (I Will Give You Shepherds: On the Formation of Priests in the Circumstances of the Present Day, 1992) to organize and integrate the program of priestly formation. Two other papal documents also enter into the vision and shaping of priestly formation: Novo millennio ineunte (At the Close of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, 2001) and Ecclesia in America (The Church in America, 1999).  (PPF, page 1)

Together, with a dedicated team of priests, professors and staff, we work to establish a comprehensive and solid Priestly Formation Program at Mundelein Seminary.

In the current edition of the PPF, the bishops of the United States have taken the directions and vision of the Holy See and reflected on the lived experience of seminaries in the United States and then formulated this edition of the program. The PPF, then, is normative for United States seminary programs and serves as a basis for future visitations. At the same time, each seminary, with the approval of the diocesan bishop or the bishops concerned, or of the religious superior as the case may be, is to develop, articulate, and implement its own particular program in conformity with the PPF. (PPF, page 3)