Fr. Eusèbe M. Ménard, O.F.M., was gifted with a visionary perspective regarding God's call to adults for ministry in the Catholic Church, specifically, priestly vocations. In the mid-1940s, Ménard proposed an innovative idea for training men called to serve God through the priesthood: college seminaries for "belated vocations." As he defined it, a man with a belated vocation had not heard God's call in his early years or, having heard it, did not or could not act upon it at that time. The events leading to the formation and development of Holy Apostles College & Seminary proved challenging and, at times, painful for those people who joined Ménard in this enterprise. Still, it appeared from the start that the "Hand of God" was truly at work in the concept, acquisition, and development of Holy Apostles. This study documents the founding and initial development of Holy Apostles and highlights several significant events from the first forty years of its service to the Catholic Church.

In this statement, the bishops present a pastoral plan to help Catholics advance in their role as disciples, by awakening a renewal in the ministry of adult faith formation and helping all to grow to the full maturity of Christ.

John Paul II on the mission and the formation of the priests of the future

See Pamphlet 5-383 for duplicate copy.

The formation of priests means following a singular 'journey of discipleship', which begins at Baptism, is perfected through the other sacraments of Christian Initiation, comes to be appreciated as the centre of one's life at the beginning of seminary formation, and continues through the whole of life.This Ratio Fundamentalis emphasises that formation - both initial and ongoing - must be seen through a unifying lens, which takes account of the four dimensions of formation proposed by Pastores Dabo Vobis. Together, these dimensions give shape and structure to the identity of the seminarian and the priest, and make him capable of that 'gift of self to the Church', which is the essence of pastoral charity.

Includes all the rites for the catechumeante and Christian initiation.