The priest, who is called to be a “living image” of Jesus Christ, Head and Shepherd of the Church, should seek to reflect in himself, as far as possible, the human perfection which shines forth in the Incarnate Son of God and which is reflected with particular liveliness in his attitudes towards other as we see narrated in the Gospels (PDV 43).

Human formation provides opportunities for personal growth and character development according to the “full truth regarding man” for candidates to the priesthood, so that they can become virtuous men of the Church who demonstrate affective maturity, and reflect as far as possible the human perfection of Jesus Christ.

The goals of human formation include assisting the seminarian to grow in virtue and affective maturity; to allow divine grace to help the seminarian to identify and transform areas of personal weakness; to develop an ecclesial sense in his own individual life; to develop facility in relating with a wide variety of personalities; and to grow in self-knowledge, self-possession, and self-discipline in order to better prepare himself to become a true spiritual father and shepherd after Jesus’ own heart.

Human formation, when it is carried out in the context of an anthropology, which is open to the full truth regarding the human person, leads to and finds its completion in spiritual formation. Every human being, as God’s creature who has been redeemed by Christ’s blood, is called to be reborn “of water and the Spirit” (John 3:5) and to become a “son in the Son” (PDV 45).

Spiritual formation administers certain aspects of spiritual development for seminarians so that they develop continuously and progressively in their personal relationship with Christ, in their commitment to the Church, and in living with integrity their priestly vocation through prayer, simplicity of life, obedience, pastoral service and celibate chastity.

The spiritual life of Mount Angel seminarians centers on the celebration of the Eucharist and the Liturgy of the Hours. While this Seminary primarily forms candidates for diocesan priesthood, it is uniquely enriched by Benedictine life and spirituality. This rich monastic tradition is characterized by devotion to the Eucharist, meditation on the Word of God, devotion to Our Lady, scholarship and hospitality.

Intellectual formation has its own characteristics but it is also deeply connected with, and indeed can be seen as a necessary expression of, both human and spiritual formation: it is a fundamental demand of man’s intelligence by which he “participates in the light of God’s mind” and seeks to acquire a wisdom which in turn opens to and is directed towards knowing and adhering to God (PDV 51).

Intellectual formation is an essential element in the preparation of candidates for the priestly mission of proclaiming and teaching the Word of God. “The first task of intellectual formation is to acquire a personal knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the fullness and completion of God’s revelation and the one Teacher” (PPF6 263). Mount Angel Seminary is committed to teaching the Catholic faith according to the mind of the Church as expressed through her tradition and the magisterium.

Mount Angel Seminary has developed an integrated theological curriculum. The unifying core of the theological program is Communion Ecclesiology. This approach draws on the 1500-year-old Benedictine tradition that roots the entire formation of the person in the liturgical experience of the Mystery of Christ.

The academic formation program of the College has Christian Humanism as its focus. Benedictines have been credited with giving life and nurture to western culture through the ages. Mount Angel Seminary continues to emphasize the liberal arts, not only as a foundation to the study of theology but also as a necessary means of the incarnational embodiment of Christian culture. It is expected that priests are conversant not only in theology, but also in a wide range of topics and interests.

The whole formation imparted to candidates for the priesthood aims at preparing them to enter into communion with the charity of Christ the good shepherd. Hence their formation in its different aspects must have a fundamentally pastoral character…. This pastoral aim ensures that the human, spiritual and intellectual formation has certain precise content and characteristics; it also unifies and gives specificity to the whole formation of future priests (PDV 57).

While at Mount Angel Seminary, a seminarian is always in pastoral formation. That formation, however, is not simply a matter of teaching some techniques or of being an apprentice. Pastoral formation, rather, is a matter of leading the student into the sensitivity of being a shepherd of souls, a man of pastoral charity, one who is prepared to assume the responsibilities of the priestly office. Accordingly, on-site pastoral formation is designed to give students an experience of the varied ministries that belong to the parish priest. Students have the opportunity to take responsibility, with appropriate supervision, for learning practical and relational skills for ordained ministry. Even outside the context of a ministry placement, seminarians participate in pastoral formation. They build relational and decision-making skills through leadership positions and regular associations within the Seminary community.

All four dimensions of formation are interwoven and go forward concurrently. Still, in a certain sense, pastoral formation is the culmination of the entire formation process (PPF6 366).

Mission and Institutional Goals

Mount Angel Seminary, an apostolate of the Benedictine monks of Mount Angel Abbey, is a school whose primary purpose is the human, spiritual, intellectual and pastoral formation of men for the Roman Catholic priesthood. The Seminary is comprised of a College of Liberal Arts and a Graduate School of Theology, which also offers theological education to qualified laymen and women. The Seminary’s programs adhere to the norms established by the Holy See and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops as stated in the Program of Priestly Formation.

Human Formation Assessment Plan

Institutional Goal:
Human formation, through a process of accompaniment, develops men of communion who relate well with others and demonstrate maturity, integrity, respect for the human person, self-knowledge, commitment to the Gospel values of simplicity of life, obedience, and life-long celibate chastity, and growth in virtue.

Formation Outcomes:

1. Students will demonstrate self-knowledge, affective maturity, and human virtue that promote a life of communion and service as a public person.
2. Students will exhibit self-possession/internal locus of control and a commitment to a chaste, celibate, obedient, and simple lifestyle.
3. Students will show respect for the dignity of the human person, including for the diversity of human culture and experience.

Rota of Assessment:
Every year, human formation faculty evaluate student achievement in each of these outcomes. Every four years, human formation faculty aggregate data from the previous four years and assess how to enhance and strengthen the plan of formation.

Assessment schedule:
May 2026 – full, four-year assessment
May 2030 – full, four-year assessment
Etc.

Spiritual Formation Assessment Plan

Institutional Goal:

Spiritual formation accompanies students in their spiritual growth in communion with God, the Church, and one another so that they develop continuously and progressively in their personal relationship with Jesus Christ the Good Shepherd and docility to the Holy Spirit, in conversion and holiness of life, in their commitment to the Church as shepherd, head, servant, and spouse, and in living their priestly vocation with virtue and integrity.

Formation Outcomes:

1. Students will demonstrate a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and the Church in, for example, dedication to daily prayer and Liturgy of the Hours, the sacramental life, devotion to the Eucharist, meditation on the Word of God, formation of conscience, and devotion to Our Lady and the saints.
2. Students will demonstrate ongoing discipleship and configuration to Christ as shepherd, head, servant, and spouse of the Church through dedication to Word, sacrament, service, and community.
3. Students will manifest a prayerful discernment and commitment to the priestly life of virtue, simplicity, celibate chastity, and obedience.

Rota of Assessment:
Every year, spiritual formation faculty evaluate student achievement in each of these outcomes. Every four years, spiritual formation faculty aggregate data from the previous four years and assess how to enhance and strengthen the plan of formation.

Assessment schedule:
May 2027 – full, four-year assessment
May 2031 – full, four-year assessment
Etc.

Intellectual Formation Assessment Plan

Institutional Goal:

Intellectual formation offers a “school of the Lord’s service” promoting an ever-deeper knowledge of the divine mysteries where students’ study of liberal arts, philosophy, theology, and related areas, including their historical and cultural context, takes the form of “faith seeking understanding” that is theologically informed, solidly grounded in Sacred Scripture and Catholic Tradition, faithful to the Magisterium, and oriented toward effective pastoral ministry as formation for missionary discipleship and configuration to Christ.

Propaedeutic and Discipleship Stage Formation Outcomes:

1. Students will articulate the broad contours of the Western intellectual tradition from the perspective of Christian humanism, discerning its theological orientation and using critical reasoning and situationally appropriate communication skills.
2. In preparation for the graduate study of theology for the Catholic priesthood, students will demonstrate a sound grasp of philosophy and the fundamental beliefs and practices of the Catholic faith, integrating faith and reason.
3. Students will demonstrate an ability to integrate and direct classroom learning towards their formation as Christian disciples, in their personal knowledge and faith in Jesus Christ, their growth in virtue, and the ordering of their learning towards self-giving service.

Configuration Stage Formation Outcomes:

1. Students will be able to think theologically in a way that is faithful to Sacred Scripture, the Catholic Tradition, and the teaching of the Church, using critical reasoning and appropriate methodologies, and to articulate the Catholic faith from the perspective of communion ecclesiology, demonstrating the connections and coherences of faith’s mysteries by discerning their Trinitarian, Incarnational, and Eucharistic foundations.
2. Students will manifest integration of theological learning with focus on the liturgy, deepening and broadening intellectual insights through prayer and the spiritual life and manifest an ever more profound grasp of their own human condition and respect for the dignity of each person.
3. Students will demonstrate the ability to orient and integrate their learning towards effective pastoral ministry, especially preaching and teaching.

Degree Program Outcomes
As the preponderance of students in the propaedeutic/discipleship stages are in the Bachelor of Arts [BA] program, the propaedeutic/discipleship stage outcomes are equivalent to the BA program learning outcomes. Likewise, since the preponderance of students in the configuration stage are in the Master of Divinity [M.Div.] degree program, the configuration stage outcomes are equivalent to the M.Div. program learning outcomes.

In addition to the BA and the M.Div., Mount Angel Seminary offers several other graduate degree opportunities: a Master of Arts (Philosophy), a Master of Arts (Theology), and a Doctor of Ministry. The following are degree program outcomes for each of these degrees, which are closely integrated with the institutional outcomes.

Master of Arts (Philosophy) Program Learning Outcomes:

1. Student shows a solid grasp of the field of philosophy: different eras in the history of philosophy; the different sub-divisions of philosophy; philosophical methodology and philosophical content.
2. Student will demonstrate a capacity for graduate-level research: how to use library/information resources, how to formulate a thesis, and produce a thesis-project outline with bibliography.

Master of Arts (Theology) Program Learning Outcomes:

1. Students will be able to think theologically in a way that is faithful to Sacred Scripture, the Catholic Tradition, and the teaching of the Church, using critical reasoning and appropriate methodologies, and to articulate the Catholic faith from the perspective of communion ecclesiology, demonstrating the connections and coherences of faith’s mysteries by discerning their Trinitarian, Incarnational, and Eucharistic foundations.
2. Students will demonstrate a capacity for theological research, including the ability to identify a manageable and pertinent research question, to identify and accurately utilize sound theological sources, and to develop and complete a thesis on the basis of that research.

Doctor of Ministry Program Learning Outcomes:

1. Students will be able to think theologically in a way that is faithful to Sacred Scripture, the Catholic Tradition, and the teaching of the Church, using critical reasoning and appropriate methodologies, and to articulate the Catholic faith from the perspective of communion ecclesiology, demonstrating the connections and coherences of the faith’s mysteries by discerning their Trinitarian, Incarnational, and Eucharistic foundations.
2. Students will manifest integration of theological learning with personal and spiritual growth and a deepening and reinvigoration of their vocational calling, by, e.g., starting or restarting initiatives to foster spiritual growth in their local church, exercising new or expanded leadership roles, and/or expressing a deeper appreciation of and more frequent participation in the liturgy and other spiritual practices like deep reading, Liturgy of the Hours, lectio divina and the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.
3. Students will demonstrate the ability to orient and integrate their learning towards effective ministry.

Rota of Assessment:
Every year, intellectual formation faculty evaluate student achievement in each of these outcomes. Every four years, intellectual formation faculty aggregate data from the previous four years and assess how to enhance and strengthen the plan of formation institutionally and for each degree.

Assessment schedule:
May 2024 – full, four-year assessment of Propaedeutic/Discipleship and Configuration Stage Outcomes
May 2025 – full, four-year assessment of Doctor of Ministry Program Outcomes
May 2026 – full, four-year assessment of Master of Arts (Theology) Program Outcomes
May 2027 – full, four-year assessment of Master of Arts (Philosophy) Program Outcomes
May 2028 – full, four-year assessment of Propaedeutic/Discipleship and Configuration Stage Outcomes
Etc.

Pastoral Formation Assessment Plan

Institutional Goal:

In pastoral formation, students are provided with support, training, and opportunities to develop a priestly identity as shepherds with the mind and heart of Jesus Christ, Teacher, Priest, and Shepherd, and the pastoral knowledge, pastoral skills, and pastoral charity essential to effective pastoral ministry in the Church, especially preaching and teaching the Gospel in Word, sacrament and service.

Formation Outcomes:

1. Students will be able to articulate an understanding of their vocation as sharing in the pastoral ministry of Christ through generous, humble, and self-giving service.
2. Students will model and live servant leadership and accompaniment, manifesting pastoral charity, generosity, and humility.
3. Students will demonstrate the skills essential to effective pastoral ministry, such as preaching, teaching, presiding, pastoral presence, sensitivity, and collaboration with others in the service of the Church’s evangelizing mission.

Rota of Assessment:
Every year, pastoral formation faculty evaluate student achievement in each of these outcomes. Every four years, pastoral formation faculty aggregate data from the previous four years and assess how to enhance and strengthen the plan of formation.

Assessment schedule:
May 2025 – full, four-year assessment
May 2029 – full, four-year assessment.

Please click this link for the U.S. Department of Education institutional requirements for participating in the Section 18004(a)(1) CARES Act grant program.