Anthony Akinwale OP: "WITH SAINT THOMAS AS TEACHER":

Forty years after the completion of the Second Vatican Council, the imperative remains to read the texts of the Council in the context of today, to be more precise, in the immediate context of a crisis of fidelity to priestly commitment graphically and shockingly exemplified by cases of infidelity to priestly celibacy that is not restricted to any particular culture, nation, or region of the world. The crisis necessitates a new reading of the Council, with the hope that such reading will do justice to the Council and avoid some of the tendentious (mis)interpretations characteristic of some commentaries in the immediate post-Conciliar years, years when the Conciliar wisdom of updating the Church (aggiornamento) by way of a return to the sources (ressourcement) without betraying the sources, was unfortunately largely left out of the hermeneutics of its texts.

A second reason why it is imperative to reread the texts of Vatican II is this: while the older Churches in Europe and North America experience a dwindling number of candidates for priestly formation and ordination, the young Churches in Africa, like the Church in Nigeria where I come from, find it extremely difficult, sometimes impossible, to admit candidates into over-populated seminaries and to find the resources to train them. The need to ensure that Africa trains her priests adequately has never been so urgent. In what pertains to priestly formation, which is the primary concern of the essay, it is to be said that while the older Churches have to train priests in an environment saturated with secularism, the younger Churches in Africa have to contend with a religious landscape dominated by new religious movements like Pentecostalism which, in its classic and contemporary forms, attempts a Christianity without memory.[1] The Churches in Africa can learn from the mistakes and the wisdom of the older Churches by a reading and reception of the teachings of Vatican II within the horizon of ecclesial experience in Africa.

This essay is written with the conviction that the teachings of the Second Vatican Council remain pertinent forty years after the Council. In a Church that is communion of Churches, to use terms that Jean-Marie-Roger Tillard has brought to our attention; or, to use terms that the Synod of the Church in Africa used to deepen and express the Conciliar ecclesiology of communion, in a Church that is family of God, Churches old and new can learn from what the Spirit is teaching the Church.[2] Speaking in general terms, the teachings of the Second Vatican Council equip the Church to face new challenges as she carries out her mission in the world. Speaking in specific terms, the Decree Optatam totius on Priestly Formation equips her to train priests who will be prepared to face the challenges.

Vatican II as An Instance of Authentic Development of Christianity or Tradition in Modernity

In the history of the Church, Councils do not cancel out each other. They amplify or emphasize what was left unemphasized by previous Councils. Councils are instruments of the Holy Spirit put in the hands of the Church by the same Holy Spirit, instruments of transmission of the faith of the Church. Since the Holy Spirit is not subject to self-contradiction it can be safely assumed that Councils do not substantially contradict each other.

The relationship between Councils may be illustrated by recourse to John Cardinal Newman. Often celebrated as the absent but influential father of the Second Vatican Council, Newman postulates in his Essay on Development of Christian Doctrine that a living and vigorous idea develops when it modifies and is modified, and that this occurs in a warfare of ideas, that is, in confrontation with other ideas. But in the process of authentic development of an idea, Newman maintains, the original idea is preserved. Where there is no retention of the original idea, that is, where it is distorted, what is left is not an authentic development but a corruption of the original idea. In other words, there is authentic development where, in its interaction with other ideas, the original idea transforms and is transformed but not conformed. If it were to conform it would loose its own identity and put on the identity of another idea. Newman applies his theory of development of ideas to Christianity in order to defend Roman Catholicism against accusations that she had distorted Christianity. He explains his position by arguing that an idea is received within the universe of ideas of its recipients.

Here, I would point out that in Newman's theory can be found a certain reaffirmation of Thomas Aquinas who, in his own account of how the human intellect understands, influenced by his reading of Aristotle, stated that whatever is received is received according to the mode of its recipient. And if Newman could be said to have reaffirmed Aquinas, Yves Congar, himself a disciple of Aquinas, has pointed out in the same vein, that whatever is transmitted is received by a living, and therefore active, subject.[3]

In words that show the profundity of Newman's insight, Congar explained that the saving faith is received by minds who consider this faith, not only as an absolute, but as a deposit given once and for all "since the Apostles", as a point of reference to which nothing is to be added and from which nothing is to be subtracted.[4] Yet, the minds that receive the faith receive it actively and not passively, according to the way these minds are. Arguing that historicity is an attribute of the human mind, Congar spoke of the actively receptive human mind with its discursive structure, successive and partial perceptions of reality, in interaction with other minds existing within cosmic and biological duration. The once-and-for-all character of apostolicity is not negated by the historicity of its reception.[5]

With these thoughts on the transmission and reception that goes on between Councils, I would propose, that in order to read their teachings, Newman's eloquently articulated theory of development of ideas should be used as interpretive key. This theory of development of doctrine, anticipated by thinkers like Vincent of Lérins and Thomas Aquinas, and further explained by Congar, sheds light on how the teachings of the Second Vatican Council are to be read and received within the ongoing story that the Church is. In this specific instance, the theory should be borne in mind in reading the Council's teachings on the life, ministry, and formation of priests.[6]

At Vatican II, authentic development of Christianity took the form of tradition in modernity. It becomes difficult, if not impossible, to understand the teachings of the Council when they are not seen in these terms. Tradition is that which is handed on and received according to the mode of its recipients. The implication of espousing this Thomist stance echoed by Newman is seen in the fact that whatever is passed on wears the intellectual and spiritual garb of the era of the giver. The recipient, who is anything but passive, needs to remove the garb and put a familiar garb on it, that is, present in suitable concepts that authentically convey what is passed on. That which is passed on must never be distorted. The garb may change, but the identity of the wearer may not. Tradition is a process whereby a changing Church, living in changing times, receives the unchanging message of the Gospel in apostolicity, and transmits it in and through ways that change without changing the message.

The original idea of Christianity is found in Christ himself. In fact, Newman identifies this original idea in the Johannine affirmation of the incarnation: "The Word became flesh." But when he became truly human, the incarnate Word did not conform to human standards. Even as he manifested his human traits, those who saw him still wondered: "What manner of man is this?" (Mk 4:41) Derived from Newman's theory, this Christological principle of incarnation without conformation can also be applied to the Church and to the priesthood.

The irreversible match of history ensures that the Church always finds herself in new times and places. Finding that the Gospel message must be addressed to every new situation she has to obey the imperatives of effective communication. She struggles to adapt the message to her audience, but she must not distort the message. Not even the risk of loosing the affection of the audience must make her sacrifice the radicality of the message. It would be a caricature of the Gospel to set up apostolic tradition and modernity as antitheses. This tradition must be passed on to modernity in modernity without alteration.

Contrary to Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, the Council was no deviation from but continuity in and with tradition. The fathers of the Patristic era were largely present not only in the footnotes but also in the letter and the spirit of the Council. The marvelous harmonization of theology, spirituality and pastoral concerns in their writings needs to be rediscovered and retrieved if one were to arrive at a fruitful interpretation of Vatican II, in this specific instance, if one were to understand the Council's idea of the life, ministry and formation of priests.

When Vatican II is seen as a Council in continuity with tradition, then one can come to understand that while the Council represents an openness to modernity-the Church in the modern world-it is by no means an invitation to commit ecclesial suicide in an undifferentiated acceptance of modern culture (western, Asian or African). At Vatican II, the Church was acting like the wise scribe who brings out of his storeroom things both old and new (Mt 13:52). The Church may be in the modern world, but she is not of the modern world. And even as she seeks to collaborate with all men and women of good will-many of whom are found outside the Church thanks to elements of sanctification dispersed throughout the world by the Spirit who blows where he wills-she cannot be dispensed from guarding a prudent relationship and critical friendship with culture. It is a risky but necessary relationship. The Church, transformed by the ideas and challenges of the modern world must continue to prophetically challenge the modern world, that is, speak for God in the modern world by consistently calling its attention to the ignorance and absence of the transcendental dimension which tragically impoverishes the well-intentioned discourse of modernity in favor of human promotion.[7]

But before commenting on priestly formation according to the mind of Vatican II, it is also important to keep in mind the ecclesiology of the Council. The ecclesiology of communion of the second Vatican Council is not an innovation but a retrieval of New Testament and Patristic self-understanding of the Church within the intellectual horizon of the modern world.[8] The Church is sacrament of reconciliation and communion brought about by the prophetic message of the Gospel of Christ, his kingly service of his brothers and sisters, and the priestly sacrifice of his own body and blood on the Cross. Christ showed himself to be servant of communion and reconciliation. "The Son of man came, not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." He demonstrated this at the washing of feet as the hour approached when he who always loved his own loved them to the fullest. It was the hour when he gave the supreme demonstration of his service of his brothers and sister.

The body of Christ, the Church, in imitation of her head, Christ, is to be at the service of communion. The priest, for his part, is to be formed to imitate Christ's service of communion through his imitation of Christ. He is to be formed to be servant of communion through a life and ministry sacramentally configured to represent the munus triplex Christi. He represents Christ in a community which the author of the First Letter of Peter described as "the chosen race, the royal priesthood, the holy nation, a people set apart to sing the praises of God" (1 Pet 2:9-10). Far from describing the Church as an aggregate of priests, these words refer to the collective sacerdotal vocation of the entire Church.[9] The ministerial priesthood exists in and for the service of this collective vocation of the entire people of God. As Tillard pointed out:

The fact that it is the entire people of God that is sacerdotal in character does not remove the priestly character that comes with ordination. It only situates it within the communion of charisms and services that flow from the unique baptismal grace. Hence, Tillard would add:

To examine the formation of priests according to Optatam totius is to examine how Vatican II proposes to form priests at the service of communion.

Optatam totius or Formation for the Munus Triplex at the Service of Communion

The Decree Optatam totius of the Second Vatican Council was not written ex nihilo. Josef Neuner helps to locate its starting point.

The Tridentine decree, as Neuner observes, was written with the intention of inculcating ecclesiastical discipline in candidates for the priesthood by shielding the same candidates from "the infectious spirit" of the age of the Reformation. Optatam totius, however, was written at a time when the Church adopted an attitude of openness to the world. This raises the question of the relationship between the Tridentine decree and Optatam totius. Neuner raises the problem in these terms:

The question being raised here can be put across by way of a simple formulation: can a document inspired by an attitude of openness be said to be in continuity with a preceding document inspired by a defensive attitude?

I am of the opinion that, while the change of orientation from defensiveness to openness may be undeniable, the Second Vatican Council did not abolish the substance of the theology of the priesthood put across by the Council of Trent. I owe a confirmation of my position to Denis Hurley's comments:

I find the seed of continuity between the two Councils in the Tridentine portrayal of the priest as sacramental representation of Christ in his munus triplex of priest, prophet and king. But this portrayal of the priest has a history which did not begin at Trent.[15]

Already, in the New Testament, the Synoptic Gospels contained the idea of the apostles representing Christ in that munus triplex. First, the Eucharistic injunction, "do this in my memory", and the mission to make disciples and to baptize, represent an authorization from Christ to lead the worship of the new Covenant. Here one can say Christ conferred the power to represent him in his priestly office. Secondly, the Markan account of the call of the Twelve makes it clear that he called them to be with him in order to be sent with authority to proclaim the Gospel (Mk 3:13-15). Two of the three Synoptic Gospels end with the evangelical injunction to the Apostles go and preach to the whole world (Mt 28:16-20; Mk 16:15-17). In John's Gospel, he promised to send them the Paraclete who will teach them all things and witness in them (Jn 16:7-15). And when, at his first appearance to them, he breathed the Holy Spirit on them, it was to equip them for their mission to preach (Jn 20:19-23). One can see here the granting of the power to exercise the teaching office. Thirdly, he gave them the power to govern the new Israel (Mt 19:28; Lk 22:28-30). But this power to govern is the conferment of the office of servant-leader (Mt 24:24-28//). The modality of exercising the power is taught by the example of the washing of feet narrated in the Fourth Gospel (Jn 13:1-15).

As Nichols rightly observed, the fact that this portrayal of the apostles as representing Christ in his munus triplex is not limited to the Synoptic Gospels can be discerned from Andre Feuillet's analytical study of John 17 alongside the Songs of the Suffering Servant in the Book of Isaiah (42:1-4; 49:1-6; 50:4-9; 52:13-12).[16] The Servant prefigures Christ in his three-fold office by bearing the marks of a prophet, a king, and a priest. Christ, like the Servant, shows himself as priest by his death on the cross on behalf of the people. In the Old Testament, the priest was teacher of the Torah. And Christ showed himself as king in the role of the servant he assumed at the washing of feet. In the High Priestly Prayer of John 17, Jesus prays for the Twelve to be consecrated in the truth so as to continue his mission.

Aidan Nichols sums up his findings with regard to the Synoptic Gospels and the munus triplex:

The representation of the munus triplex of Christ by the apostles passes from the New Testament through the Patristic era, the Reformation and Trent, before finding its way into the Presbyterorum Ordinis and the framework for the formation of priests in Optatam totius. In the ante-Nicene Patristic period, for example, close to 180 AD, Irenaeus reacted to the Gnostic claim of being in possession of a secret apostolic tradition by asking for adherence only to the teaching of those presbyters who have their succession from the apostles. Others are to be treated with suspicion. As people who have inherited their ministry from the apostles, these presbyters inherited the munus triplex which the apostles derived from Christ.[19] This threefold office is reflected in the ordination prayers of Hippolytus of Rome's Apostolic Tradition. The intention of the prayers reveal an intention that the ordinandi exercise the ministry of the Word, ministry of the sacraments, and ministry of governance. The treatise of John Chrysostom On the Priesthood would equally spell out the liturgical, pastoral and teaching role of the presbyter. Nichols remarks that "Although the ministry of the Word is often conspicuous by its absence in medieval definitions of Order, ministerial preaching was understood as preparing people for a share in the Eucharistic banquet and sacrifice."[20] Order as a sacrament, in medieval theology, confers power to be at the service of others. Hence, one can still find traces of the threefold office in this era. Nichols further explains how this theology of the munus triplex found its way into the documents of Vatican II on the life, ministry and formation of the priest. First,

In speaking of the priest as one who represents Christ, some, such as Cardinal Charles Journet, spoke of a munus duplex-the priestly and the pastoral. But by virtue of a later development, the munus triplex would become predominant. Nichols explains:

The history that has just been traced is the history of fundamental understanding of the priest as representation of Christ. With what has been seen so far, while one may agree with Neuner that the Tridentine decree serves as the starting point of Optatam totius, such statement of agreement is in need of nuance. The decree Optatam totius was written within the on-going conversation that the Christian tradition is. While the Tridentine decree may be the proximate starting point, a theology of the priesthood, which can be traced back to Scripture itself, crystallizing in the understanding of the priest in terms of the three-fold office of Christ, constitutes the ultimate starting point. Vatican II modified Trent in the light of the new landscape in which the Church found herself. For Vatican II, therefore, placing the priest in the modern world does not amount to changing the identity of the priest. He will continue to be a priest-representative of Christ in his threefold office in the world-without conforming to the standard of this world. Christ himself left the priest in the world to challenge the world, even as the priest is challenged by the world, but not to conform to the world. That is why, unlike Trent, Vatican II did not quarantine the priest. Yet, the program of priestly formation it proposes is designed to equip the priest to engage the world without conforming to the world. Continuity between Trent and Vatican II in the area of priestly formation can be found in the fact that the Tridentine objective of forming priests who are in the world but not of this world is continued at Vatican II. Trent hoped to accomplish this objective by isolating the priest from the world. Vatican II hoped to accomplish the same objective, not by isolating the priest from the world, but by putting in place a program that prepared the priest to be challenged by the world and to challenge the world in prophetic non-conformism. There is therefore a continuity of objective where there is discontinuity in strategy. In other words, the change of strategy does not justify any change of objective. The alternative will compromise the identity of the priest, something Vatican II never intended. Like the idea in Newman's theory, the priest is inserted into the world not to loose but to affirm his priestly identity.

If what has been said thus far is meant to argue that Optatam totius was not written out of nothing, if, by consequence, it is to be read with the immediate past represented by Trent in mind, it remains to be affirmed that Optatam totius is also to be read alongside other documents of Vatican II. In concrete terms, although the Decree on the Formation of Priests, Optatam totius, was published before the Decree on the Life and Ministry of Priests, Presbyterorum Ordinis, one should not be read without the other. Optatam totius provides a means for forming the priest as described in Presbyterorum Ordinis which is itself a description of the life and ministry of priests in the light of the ecclesiology of communion and the understanding of the mission of the Church in the modern world at the Second Vatican Council. At the Council, the Church desired to renew herself by returning to the ecclesiology of communion rooted in Scripture and in the writing of the Church fathers. This recourse to a Scriptural and Patristic ecclesiology is a pointer to the fact that the Conciliar notion of renewal, rather than be a rupture with the past, was a return to the sources, a dynamic retrieval and re-appropriation of the wisdom of the past. The vital role of the priestly ministry in implementing this desired renewal was accorded its due recognition in the opening sentence of Optatam totius:

Consistent with the desire for a renewal that is connected to continuity, the Decree Optatam totius, in laying down fundamental principles of priestly formation, reaffirms regulations whose utility has been confirmed by experiences and introduces new regulations demanded by the same experience "in harmony with the constitutions and decrees" of the Council. Furthermore, in a way that is consistent with an ecclesiology of communion, the directives concern immediately, but not solely, diocesan priests. Yet, there is room for adaptation to legitimate diversity.[24]

The Council's clear and unambiguous affirmation of the necessity and objective of major seminaries ought to be given utmost attention. Seminaries are loci for the formation of "true shepherd of souls after the example of our Lord Jesus, teacher, priest and shepherd".[25] This, as Hurley observes, is another statement underlying the continuity between Trent and Vatican II. It is in reply to the opinion expressed in certain quarters that seminaries are no longer desirable.

The importance of the affirmation about the need for seminaries is to be seen, not only in its relations to Trent, but is also to be seen when read in view of historical development of the theology of munus triplex contained in the portrait of the priest in Vatican II's Presbyterorum Ordinis.

With these words, it can be asserted that implicit in the renewal which the Church desired at the Council is a theology which portrays the priest as sacramental configuration of Christ. The priest has no identity apart from Christ and the Church. He is to be formed to be at the service of Christ and at the service of the Church. He is neither a pop star nor public relations officer of any ideology, ancient or modern, but the sacramental presence of Christ who is prophet, priest and king in the Church, and through the Church, to the world. In the same way that the renewal envisioned by the Church at the Council was not meant to be a compromise of the Church's identity, the identity of the priest is not to be compromised by his insertion in the world. And in order not to compromise this identity, he lives in the world without conforming to the world.[28] It is from his identity as sacrament of Christ's redemptive presence to the Church and to the world that his functions flow, functions which are beautifully described by Presbyterorum Ordinis: it is as Christ's redemptive presence that he is minister of God's word, of the sacraments and the Eucharist, and ruler of God's people.[29] The objective of priestly formation is to form candidates who put on Christ in his munus triplex and, for that reason, do what Christ would do. This corresponds to the directive of Optatam totius:

I have used italics to highlight the munus triplex in the quotation, to point out that each of the elements of priestly formation mentioned here corresponds with the being of the priest. The spiritual element would correspond to the sanctifying or priestly office and would require holiness, the intellectual element would correspond to the teaching or prophetic office and would require intelligence, while the disciplinary element would correspond to governing or kingly office and would require competence. In this respect, to be a priest, holiness is necessary but not sufficient, intelligence is necessary but not sufficient, and competence is necessary but not sufficient. Consequently, the priest is to be formed to be holy, intelligent and competent. Each is necessary, but none is sufficient without the other two. To be quickly added is the fact that the required competence is not just professional. The priest must equally a man of moral competence, a man of good judgment and good character.

One should go further to point out that these elements-holiness, intelligence and competence-come out in the lives and writings of the Church fathers, and that for this reason, importance of familiarity with Church fathers on the part of the candidate for the priesthood cannot be overlooked. Despite what authors rightly describe as their eccentricities and excesses, the combined characteristics of profound spirituality, orthodox theology, and pastoral solicitude in patristic thought make of the Fathers good guides in the formation of holy, intelligent and competent priests.[31]

It is evident that attention to these three elements of priestly formation constitutes the core of the Decree Optatam totius. Divided into seven sections, without counting the Introduction and Conclusion, these elements receive the greatest attention in sections IV-VI. While the first section contains brief remarks on priestly training in different countries, the second highlights the need for a more intense fostering of priestly vocation, the third looks at major seminaries, and the seventh gives guidelines on studies after the years of seminary training.

The elements of priestly formation identified in Optatam totius find an echo in the Post-Synodal Exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis where Pope John Paul II speaks of four aspects of priestly formation: intellectual, spiritual, moral and human. It would seem these do not correspond to what is itemized by Vatican II. After all, there is a difference between three and four. While Optatam totius speaks of a "spiritual element", Pastores Dabo Vobis speaks of a "spiritual aspect", and while the former speaks of an "intellectual element", the latter speaks of an "intellectual aspect". Pastores Dabo Vobis' "moral and human aspect" could be seen as belonging to what Optatam totius calls the disciplinary aspect".

Formation for Holiness[32]

The goal of spiritual formation, which the Council sees as inseparable from but closely associated with doctrinal and moral formation, is to have priests who cultivate deep friendship with the Trinity. It is to lead the student to "learn to live in intimate and unceasing union with God the Father through his Son Jesus Christ, in the Holy Spirit." The life of the priest is to be lived with the Paschal Mystery as reference point so that he can initiate people into the Paschal Mystery. The spiritual formation of the priest as envisioned at the Council is to enable the priest to seek and find Christ. The list of where and in whom this is to take place is impressive:

For Vatican II, priestly spirituality is not without its Marian component. Hence,

This spirituality is meant to inculcate a sense of piety that does not reduce the priestly life to mere religious sentiment, a sense of the Mystery of the Church expressed in "a humble and filial attachment to the Vicar of Christ", loyal cooperation with the bishop, harmony with fellow-priests, devoted service to the people of God, and a life that conforms with the crucified Christ by "giving up willingly those things which are lawful, but not expedient".[34]

It has to be said that conformity with Christ provides an intrinsic motivation towards the willingness to renounce lawful but non-expedient things. This, no doubt, touches on training in priestly obedience, poverty, self-denial and celibacy. The instinct of instant self-gratification is tempered by a life lived in constant reference to the Paschal Mystery. Without a deep appreciation and internalization of the mystery of the crucified Christ, it becomes difficult, if not impossible, even when the latest theories of the social sciences are deployed, to strive for the self-control that is required for holiness, priestly obedience is perceived as unbearable bondage and unacceptable violation of conscience, celibacy is seen as nothing but an outdated, dispensable and disposable ecclesiastical precept. The extent to which the evacuation of the Paschal Mystery from the lives of contemporary Christians contributed to the crisis of fidelity, not just to celibacy, but to virtually every aspect of ecclesial life is yet to be measured. But a diminished appreciation of Gospel values begins with a diminished sense of the Paschal Mystery. A diminished sense of the Paschal mystery diminishes motivation for the cultivation of virtues and the appreciation of asceticism. It would amount to a mistaken interpretation of Vatican II to see these as part of a Tridentine past that is to be discarded.[35] When the achievement of the past goes unrecognized it becomes impossible to achieve anything in the present. That is why the archives of a people should not be thrown into the trash can of history, especially when one is dealing with the people of God.

Formation for Intelligence in Holiness With Saint Thomas as Teacher

Formation of priests in holiness in the climate of renewal at Vatican II takes seriously the achievements of the biblical, patristic and liturgical movements of the era. While the emergence of these movements helped to check the temptation to reduce intellectual formation to scholastic philosophy, it did not amount to any rejection of philosophy. Yet, today, years after the Council, many are schools that seek to do theology by ignoring philosophy. It is said that the "scholastic mode" of thinking was abandoned by the Second Vatican Council. With this as premise, the conclusion is drawn that Vatican II is another way of saying farewell to Thomas Aquinas. But one should not draw a hasty conclusion. The Decree Optatam totius counseled that candidates for the priesthood be introduced to theology "with St Thomas as teacher" (S. Thoma magistro).[36] Josef Neuner points out that the redaction of this article was preceded by a vigorous debate between "two sharply opposed views".

Here again, one finds that Vatican II's openness to the present does not represent a step out of tradition. Neuner's commentary provides a useful guide into the history and intention of the Conciliar position.

It is not merely a case of recommending the method of Aquinas, it is also a case of asking those who provide theological formation as well as those they are forming to take the content of Aquinas' theology seriously. The competing modus submitted by 116 Council Fathers, to which Neuner refers, as well as the fact that the Council did not accept it, buttress the point that both the method and content of Aquinas' theology are being recommended. Yet, there is nothing to suggest that what has been adopted amounts to a canonization of every particular doctrinal position espoused by Aquinas.[39] The old is not discarded, neither is the new rejected. There is, instead, a prudentially differentiated acceptance of the old and the new. Innovation is within tradition, a breakthrough within tradition, not a break away from tradition.

To ensure that innovation does not break from tradition presupposes a holistic view of priestly life and formation. It is to ensure that the intellectual formation of the priest does not separate philosophy and theology as if the order of nature and the order of grace, the natural and the supernatural, were to be separated. Being Catholic and being a philosopher, being a person of faith and a person of intelligence, these are not contradictions. There is wisdom in the Conciliar counsel to take St. Thomas as teacher, not just because of his method, nor merely because of his content, but, most importantly, because of his life which exemplified an admirable combination of ardent pursuit of holiness and ardent pursuit of intelligence. Karol Jozef Wojtyla, Pope John Paul II, very rightly described by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger in his funeral homily as "a priest to the core", represents an imitation-a felicitous one-of this wonderful combination.

The priest is to be formed to be a man of faith. But faith, contrary to what many think, is an intelligent act. The Catholic priest must be a man of faith who never trivializes the tedious task of tidy thinking. A priest can and must be a philosopher, that is, of the mode described by Aquinas in his reflection on the office of the wise man.[40] It pertains to him to be at the service of the communion of the people of God in search of the universal cause of things, in the quest for the meaning of life. In this regard, good philosophy is presented as an indispensable instrument of doing good theology. In order not to separate faith and reason, the priest endeavors not to separate philosophy and theology. Such separation would impede the possibility of a comprehensive understanding of the human person, of the person and office of the priest himself, of the world, and of the centrality of the mystery of Christ.[41]

If I may use an autobiographical tool, I would say that the vital importance of good philosophy in the formation of a priest became, for me and for my classmates, the subject of a powerful reminder, thanks to an admonition given by Doctor Bello of the University of Ibadan, a Muslim, who taught my class Symbolic Logic. In the course of a class dominated by several frustrating attempts to figure out what Symbolic Logic is about, a student had asked Professor Bello: "What has Symbolic Logic got to do with being a Catholic priest?" Of course, if there were to be no connection between studying Symbolic Logic and being a priest, Bello would have been wasting his precious time teaching the course to a class of candidates for the Catholic priesthood. After a pause, and after a period in which everyone taught he was too angry to respond, he turned to the class. He referred to a televised three-way debate on the rightness or wrongness of government's involvement in the visit of Pope John Paul II to Nigeria in 1982. The debate was between Fr (now Archbishop) John Onaiyekan, who was Rector of the Seminary of Ss Peter and Paul, Ibadan at the time in question, and two formidable opponents-a Muslim and an atheist. Bello asked: "If your Rector had not studied logic, would he have been able to overcome his two opponents in that debate?" And before he could be given an answer, he added: "Some of us have a narrow conception of our vocation."

At Vatican II, the Church, largely western, was faced with a religious situation threatened by secularism even as the humanism of this secularism espoused values that no one who rightly understands the Gospel would fail to work for. Today, while the challenge of secularism has become greatly heightened, she has to contend with a militant Islam which highlights the ever-growing imperative of dialogue with peoples of other faith, an aggressive Pentecostalism that retards the wheel of ecumenical initiatives, and the noble ideal of inculturation in the young Churches in Africa that risks being adulterated with superstition. Good philosophy is needed to respond to these multifarious challenges, to the challenge of secularism in the north and to the challenge of sacralism and superstition in the south. The Second Vatican Council anticipated this need when it outlined the teaching method of philosophy.

The priest must be formed to be able to encounter people who, broadly speaking, pose two types of questions in matters of faith: questions that seek to debunk faith as nonsensical, and questions that seek to understand faith. Good philosophy relates with faith, not by asking the first type of questions, but by asking the second type. One who studies philosophy with the aim of placing her at the service of intelligentia fidei may subject faith to analysis, and that is, contrary to what some cynics and even well-intentioned believers think. Philosophy is understood here, not as the pursuit of fables and inventions of the zeitgeist, but as the pursuit of wisdom. Philosophy is never too much because it is never too much to desire wisdom. The priest's desire for wisdom, like any human desire for wisdom, must be relentless. Karl Rahner described Aquinas as a man whose theology was his spirituality and whose spirituality was his theology. Taking my cue from this statement, I shall say that philosophy, when understood the way Aquinas described it in Summa Contra Gentiles, in a symbiosis of theology and spirituality, enables the priest to see Christ himself as the Wisdom of God who is to be constantly desired. Captivated, or rather, captured by this desire for the Wisdom of God, the priest is able to speak about the Widsom he seeks. The priest of today must assume the office of the wise who seeks to understand the mystery of Christ, for this is where true wisdom is, and seeks to explain the same mystery to the people of God entrusted to his care through the language of his lips and the language that his priestly life is.

The life, method and doctrine of Aquinas show him as an example of a wise man who used philosophy to understand divine revelation, and who used philosophy and divine revelation to understand the human condition. The use of these two to understand the human condition enabled him to see the distinction-not a separation-between nature and grace. Grace sublates but does not suppress nature. In our days, when Aquinas' wise distinction between the natural and supernatural is collapsed, the effect of the collapse of that distinction is flight of the awareness of the nature, necessity and availability of grace. Gone with that awareness is the possibility of a positive education for celibacy-something integral to Vatican II's program of priestly formation-in which a positive appreciation of marriage and of sex in marriage go hand in hand with a positive appreciation of celibacy. But where celibacy is denigrated and where sexual pleasure is presented as indispensable and readily available, both the crisis of celibacy and the crisis of marriage express the crisis of commitment and fidelity. Where the power of grace to sublate nature is forgotten, there is no recourse to grace. Where there is no recourse to grace, it becomes a comfortable option to see fidelity as impossible, dispensable and disposable.

Aquinas' use of philosophy and divine revelation to understand the human condition is reflected in what the Council teaches on the sources, purpose and method of teaching theology. The sources of good theology listed in article 16 of Optatam totius cannot be ignored without jeopardizing priestly life and ministry: biblical themes, Fathers of the Church, both of the East and West, later history of dogma in relation to the general history of the Church, St Thomas as teacher, the liturgy, the whole life of the Church. There is a clear statement of the purpose and method of teaching theology which converge to make theology the nourishment of spiritual life and a preparation for the priest to face real life situations.

Our age, like every other age, seeks wisdom. Yet, the fact must not be overlooked that the Wisdom being sought by the priest is different from the wisdom of the age despite the good intention of the age. Long before Vatican II, John Newman already pointed out that the goal of priestly formation is to train the future priest to deepen his desire for the Wisdom who is Christ and to learn the truth about Christ. In a homily he gave at the opening of St Bernard's Seminary, Olton, Birmingham, on October 2, 1873, somewhat anticipating Optatam totius' description of the Seminary as locus for the formation of "true shepherd of souls after the example of our Lord Jesus, teacher, priest and shepherd", Newman had this to say:

The recently uncovered cases of clerical sex abuse, represent, in my opinion, a period of infidelity as bad as that described by Newman. He went on to speak of the underlying philosophy of his time in these words:

Newman's words provide a good summary of what priestly formation ought to be. It is formation for holiness and intelligence in competence.

Formation for Holiness and Intelligence in Competence

A priest must be a competent pastor. His competence is not just professional but also moral. This, in my opinion, responds to the moral and human aspects of formation that Pastores Dabo Vobis explicitly mentions. It includes respect for the lay faithful and recognition of their charism in collaborative ministry without abdicating sacerdotal responsibility.

While the art of dialogue, of being a good listener, and the techniques of modern pedagogy, psychology and sociology are necessary in priestly formation, to go by the content of article 19, it is to be borne in mind that, for the priest, there is hardly any competence without holiness and intelligence. Competence without holiness reduces him to a mere ecclesiastical bureaucrat without pastoral solicitude, or a social activist espousing and practicing de-transcendentalized values. Holiness without competence makes him socially irresponsible, insensitive to the needs of the least of Christ's brothers and sisters. Holiness and or competence without intelligence-an intelligence acquired when the intellect is cultivated in faith-makes him incapable of internalizing and exposing the mystery of faith. These, in my opinion, can be avoided when the Decree Optatam totius are studied and implemented by all those who are directly or indirectly responsible for the formation of priests today. The situation of the priesthood at this point in history testifies to the importance of this implementation.

The recent scandal is a brutal reminder of the vital importance of priestly holiness, not just in matters of sexuality, but in the whole of the priest's life. For in his whole life, the priest is called to conform to the image of Christ. And to require holiness, intelligence and competence of the priest is to ask of him to be an outstanding personality. The priest is to be formed to stand in the midst of the people in a way that is outstanding just as the incarnate Word became one of us and one with us in a way that makes him stand out as one who is human like us in all things but sin. The priest is to be formed to be a man who strives to be outstanding in holiness. He does not become relevant because of what he does but because of who he is. His holiness cannot be separated from solid theological formation. And that theological formation, according to Vatican II, is to be undertaken with St Thomas as teacher. Its ingredients must be the available intellectual tools of the time. For Aquinas, these were good philosophy, Scripture, and Patrology. Today, apart from philosophy, one should also speak of the social sciences-hitherto areas of philosophy, but today separated from philosophy. The importance of the Church fathers remains undeniable.[48] The priest is minister of a Church who is authentic interpreter of divine revelation, hence, custodian and teacher of tradition. On the strength of this fact, he is, as it were, a custodian of Christian tradition, he should be conversant with the same tradition. He is aided in this regard by familiarity with Scripture and the Church fathers. This familiarity with the Christian tradition must go hand in hand with familiarity of the culture of the place where he is pastor. With this, he is able to show his pastoral competence as one who sees inculturation as a two-way street-evangelization of culture and inculturation of the Gospel. What has just been said explains why, unlike Trent, Vatican II does not advocate priestly formation in isolation from the trials and challenges of today's culture.

I write from my experience of ecclesial life in North America having lived and studied in that part of the world. I also write from my experience of ecclesial life in Africa, in Nigeria, where I was born and where I now live and work. From my experience of having lived in the west and now living in Africa, I can say that the priest of today, in the older Churches in North America and Europe, must be ready to be a priest in a western world of secularism, religious indifference or religious relativism often mistaken for religious pluralism. In the young Churches in Africa, he must be ready to be a priest where a combination of superstition and poverty-induced pietism motivate an aggressive evangelism of faith without reason. Theological formation of the priest in the western world must include a positive identification and appreciation of all that is noble and pro-Christian even in the militant secularism of our time. In the same way, theological formation of the priest in Africa, in the face of a growing challenge of Pentecostalism, must include a positive identification and appreciation of noble and pro-Christian values of African culture. Yet, wherever theology is done, the saying is true: "all that glitters is not gold". Not every philosophical, cultural or religious categories can assist in the task of priestly formation. That is why inculturation is a two-way street and not a one-way street. A competent pastor is able to use the resources of the Christian tradition-and in this respect he is not to limit himself to the resources of philosophy or the social sciences-to address the existential questions that the men and women of today's culture struggle with on a day-to-day basis.

Conclusion

I have argued in this essay that there is continuity between the theology of the priesthood at Trent and the theology of the priesthood at Vatican II. Councils do not turn their backs on each other. That which was implicit, by this I mean "silently present", in the Tridentine theology of the priesthood-the three-fold office of Christ sacramentally represented in the life and ministry of the priest-is made explicit at Vatican II in Presbyterorum Ordinis and in Optatam totius. To show that such is the case, I have attempted to present Optatam totius as reflecting this three-fold office in its program of priestly formation. This explicitation or amplification of an implicit Tridentine teaching warrants the affirmation of continuity between Trent and Vatican II even as the defensive posture of the former's program of priestly formation is replaced by the new and open tendency of the latter's program. That this three-fold office is in the theology of the priesthood at Trent could be seen upon examining the bases of its theology of the priesthood. The Council of Trent bases its theology of the priesthood on the indissoluble relationship between the Eucharist and the priesthood. By so doing, it prolonged the medieval theology of the priesthood. The Eucharist is sacrifice of the New Covenant whose celebration Christ has made possible by the institution of the sacramental priesthood. This sacramental priesthood, which began with the apostles, continues in the priests of today.[49]

Yet, even as it emphasized the indissociable link between the Eucharist and the priesthood, the Council of Trent did not limit the priest to celebration of the Eucharist. The priest is not just "man of the Mass". He must also exercise the prophetic ministry in holiness through preaching. Consequently, while preaching is recognized as the principal duty of bishops, the Council did not totally exclude priests from this office.

I have also argued in this essay that the intention of Vatican II is to form priests who are holy, intelligent and competent. Each of these three is necessary while none is of itself sufficient. I believe they correspond, respectively, to the priestly, prophetic and kingly office of Christ whose sacramental representation the priest is called to be. The formation of the priest in holiness, intelligence and competence does not end in the seminary. It is a lifelong project of the priest and of the Church. Regular organization of retreats, seminars, lectures, and a well-articulated policy of on-going formation of the priest will be needed to continue the work began in the seminary so that the priest will be always ready to face the challenges of his life and ministry. When it comes to priestly formation, what begins in the seminary does not end in the seminary. That is why the candidate must prepare, not merely for ordination, but also for the priesthood itself.[51]

Faced with modernity, and the imperative of openness to non-western cultures, neither Catholic identity nor priestly identity must be negotiated away. The impression ought not to be created that that was ever the intention of the Second Vatican Council. The Church can and must embrace the modern world without loosing her identity. The priest derives his identity from Christ through the Church. That is why, to use the words of Newman, the goal of priestly formation as presented by Vatican II is to inculcate an ecclesiastical spirit in those who will be priests, pastors an prophets in the world of our time. That is why priests, who must not flee but must face the world, are to be holy, intelligent, and competent. The nature of their ministry flows from the being of Christ the head and of his body the Church. It flows from the being of Christ who brought all back to communion with God and with one another, and from the being of the Church as communion. Since the program of formation outlined by Optatam totius reflects the munus triplex of Christ, I draw the conclusion that consequent to this Christological referent and to the ecclesiology of communion of the Second Vatican Council, Optatam totius reflects the intention to form the priest to be servant of communion by being sacrament of the redemptive presence of Christ, who himself is primordial Minister of communion. He is to be formed to be minister and representative of the Church that is sacrament of communion in the world. Configured to Christ, the apostolic identity of the priest is not to be negotiated away. In the communion around the teaching of the Apostles and the breaking of bread that the Church is, priests are not above the Church but in the Church at the service of communion.

But all that has been said thus far about priestly formation would amount to nothing but a pious wish if certain prerequisites were to be ignored. The Council itself recognizes that the program of priestly formation it introduced requires suitable seminary formators. Such superiors and professors can "cultivate the closest harmony of spirit and action" with one another and with the students.

While the availability of suitable formators is a necessary requirement for the attainment of the objective of priestly formation, it is not a sufficient requirement. In other words, it takes more than good formators to good priests. It is also required to have suitable and docile candidates.

The Council counsels against compromising standards in the training of priests. Not even shortage of priests should be used as an excuse for admitting or ordaining unsuitable candidates.

If this admonition had been heeded, the Church would not have found herself in the current situation. But the situation can still be redressed. The texts of Vatican II are still waiting to be studied and implemented. The task of seeing to the implementation of Optatam totius is a sacred responsibility of Bishops, Major Superiors of clerical religions and Rectors, and of all those involved in priestly formation whether as teachers or candidates. It is indeed a sacred responsibility of the entire people of God. For in matters of recruiting, formation and discernment of suitability for priestly life and ministry the whole Church is called upon to live her character as communion. This is clear in the Rite of Ordination. When the Bishop asks the one who presents the candidates: "Do you judge them to be worthy?" He responds: "After inquiry among the people of God, and upon the recommendation of those in charge of their training, I testify that they have been found worthy." Those words are sacred.

[1] The challenge of secularism was addressed at the Second Vatican Council, especially in Gaudium et spes. The Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World. For an assessment of the success and or perceived imperfections of Conciliar and post-Conciliar treatment of the issue read the somewhat provocative Tracey Rowland, Culture and the Thomist Tradition After Vatican II Radical Orthodoxy Series (London/New York: Routledge, 2003). For an assessment of Rowland's assessment read the collection of essays in Nova et Vetera 3 1 (2005). On how Pentecostalism affects the Church and society in Africa read Anthony Akinwale and Joseph Kenny, Eds, Tradition and Compromises: Essays on the Challenge of Pentecostalism. Aquinas Day Series, n. 2 (Ibadan: Michael Dempsey Centre for Religious and Social Research, 2005).

[2] Cf. J.-M.-R. Tillard, Church of Churches: The Ecclesiology of Communion (Collegeville, MN: Michael Glazier/Liturgical Press, 1992); Anthony Akinwale, The Congress and the Council: Towards a Nigerian Reception of the Second Vatican Council (Ibadan: Michael Dempsey Centre for Religious and Social Research, 2003) where it is argued that the idea of Church as family of God, adapted at 1994 Synod of African Bishops, represents an African reception of Vatican II's ecclesiology of communion.

[3] Yves Congar, La Tradition et les traditions. Essai théologique vol. 2 (Paris: Le Signe. Librairie Arthème Fayard, 1963) 28-43 [28].

[4] I use the phrase "since the Apostles" and not "from the Apostles" to emphasize the uniqueness and unrepeatable character of the ministry of the Apostles. Here there is an effort to understand the vrai sens of Apostolic succession as succession in apostolic tradition. On this notion read J.-M.-R. Tillard, L'Église locale: Ecclésiologie de communion et de catholicité (Paris: Cerf, 1995) 181-182.

[5] "La foi salutaire est reue par des esprits qui doivent la considerer, non seulment comme un absolu, mais comme un dépôt donné une fois pour toutes depuis les Apôtres, et s'y référer en conséquence, 'sans y rien ajouter, sans en rien soustraire'. Mais, en même temps, ces esprits doivent le 'recevoir' de faon vivante et selon ce qu'ils sont. Or ce sont des esprits humains. Leur structure est celle d'esprits discursifs, à perceptions successives et partielles; donc, aussi, d'esprit qui s'accomplissent seulment dans le commerce d'autres esprits, en recevant et en echangeant; enfin d'esprits vivant dans une durée temporelle cosmique et biologique. L'historicité est un attribut de l'esprit humain" (Yves Congar, La Tradition et les traditions, vol. 2, 30).

[6] For a study of the history of the idea of doctrinal development read Aidan Nichols, From Newman to Congar: The Idea of Doctrinal Development from the Victorians to the Second Vatican Council (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1990).

[7] Tracey Rowland forcefully argues that the fathers of the Second Vatican Council lacked an adequate theological hermeneutic of modern culture which would have been an antidote to the absence of the transcendental dimension in the values of modernity that found their way into Conciliar documents, especially Gaudium et spes. Read her Culture and the Thomist Tradition, Part 1: "Culture as a theological problematic".

[8] On this assertion read the very important works of Yves Congar, L'Eglise. De saint Augustine a l'epoque moderne (Paris: Cerf, 1970); Jean-Marie-Roger Tillard, Chair de l'Eglise, chair du Christ. Aux sources de l'ecclesiologie de communion (Paris: Cerf, 1992).

[9] Interpreting these words as describing the Church as an aggregate of priests can be used to elaborate a theology of the priesthood that ignores the Conciliar distinction between the common priesthood and the ministerial priesthood. According to Vatican II, the two "differ essentially and not only in degree" (Lumen Gentium, 10. Understanding and explaining this assertion is a double task for the theologian.

[10]Read J.-M.-R. Tillard, Church of Churches, 169-174 [171].

[11] Read J.-M.-R. Tillard, Church of Churches, 211-223 [212].

[12] Josef Neuner, "Decree on Priestly Formation", 371. Read Concilium Tridentinum, sessio XXIII, De Reformatione, ch. 18. For an account of the history of the final text of the document, apart from Neuner's and many others, one may also consult Denis Hurley, "The Training of Priests" in Denis Hurley and Joseph Cunnane, eds. Vatican II on Priests and Seminaries (Dublin and Chicago: Scepter Books, 1967) 169-211.

[13] Josef Neuner, "Decree on Priestly Formation", 371-372.

[14] Denis Hurley, "The training of priests" in Vatican II on Priests and Seminaries, 182.

[15] To trace the history of the theology of the priest as representing the munus triplex of Christ, I have relied principally on Aidan Nichols, Holy Order: Apostolic Priesthood From the New Testament to the Second Vatican Council (Dublin: Veritas, 1990). See also J. Colson, Ministère de Jesus et le sacerdoce de l'évangile (Paris:Cerf, 1966); P. Grelot, Le ministère de la nouvelle alliance (Paris: Cerf, 1967); Ludwig Ott, Le sacrement de l'ordre Histoire des Dogmes (Paris: Cerf, 1971).

[16] Read Andre Feuillet, The Priesthood of Christ and His Ministers (New York, 1975).

[23] Vatican II, Optatam totius, Introduction.

[26] Denis Hurley, "The Training of Priests", 186-187.

[28] Vatican II, Presbyterorum Ordinis, n. 3. There is an echo here of the prayer of Jesus in the Gospel according to John

[29] Read Vatican II, Presbyterorum Ordinis, nn. 4-6.

[31] Cf. Aidan Nichols, The Shape of Catholic Theology: An Introduction to Its Sources, Principles, and History (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1991) 200-206. Read also Ibadan Archdiocesan Preparatory Committee, "Go, make disciples of all nations: Instrumentum Laboris of the First Archdiocesan Synod (Ibadan: Claverianum Press, 2004) ch. 3 which describes the bishop and priests as "leaders and learners in holiness and competence".

[32] Read Vatican II, Optatam totius, nn. 8-12.

[35] "With these attitudes firmly embedded in the tradition of priestly formation, due mainly to the Tridentine achievement, Vatican II was able to move on and consolidate more recent acquisitions of Catholic thought and experience-theological depth and human concern" (Denis Hurley, "The Training of Priests", 191).

[37] Josef Neuner, "Decree on Priestly Formation" 395.

[38] Josef Neuner, "Decree on Priestly Formation" in Commentary on the Documents of Vatican II. Vol. 2. Ed. Herbert Vogrimler (New York: Crossroad, 1989) 398-399.

[39] Read Josef Neuner, "Decree on Priestly Formation", 398 39n. The 116 Fathers proposed the words: "Ecclesia Catholica proponit S. Thomam ut magistratum et exemplar omnium eorum, qui scientias theologicas colunt."

[40] Read Thomas Aquinas, Summa contra gentiles, Bk. I, chs 1-9.

[43] Vatican II, Optatam totius, 16. Hurley captures the incisive character of article 16: "Everything is here: faith, magisterium, penetration of revealed truth, personal and apostolic dimensions, the supremacy of scripture, respect for tradition both Eastern and Western, the historical development of doctrine, the scholastic achievement, the recognition of the divine mysteries in the liturgy and life of the Church, concern for human problems and the search for solutions in the light of revelation and finally communication. It is doubtful if in all the history of education so much was ever said in so few words. The intellectual is here, the spiritual and the pastoral. This is the magna carta of the Catholic priesthood of the future" ("The Training of Priests", 202).

[44] John Newman, "The Infidelity of the Future" in Reason for Faith: Nine Sermons from the Cardinal's Autograph Manuscripts (Trabuco, CA/Wheathampstead Herts.:Source Books/Anthony Clarke, 1995) 118.

[45] John Newman, "The Infidelity of the Future" 121.

[46] John Newman, "The Infidelity of the Future" 122.

[47] John Newman, "The Infidelity of the Future" 132-133.

[48] For an appreciation of the importance of the Church fathers read Johannes Quasten, Patrology. Vol. 1: The Beginnings of Patristic Literature: From Apostles' Creed to Irenaeus (Allen, TX: Christian Classics, 1995) 1-22. Read also Aidan Nichols, The Shape of Catholic Theology: An Introduction to Its Sources, Principles, and History (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1991) 200-220.

[50] J. Waterworth, The Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent (London, 1848) 27; quoted in Aidan Nichols, Holy Order, 101.

"WITH SAINT THOMAS AS TEACHER":
PRIESTLY FORMATION
IN THE LIGHT OF THE SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL

Vatican II as An Instance of Authentic Development of Christianity or Tradition in Modernity

Optatam totius or Formation for the Munus Triplex at the Service of Communion

Formation for Holiness[32]

Formation for Intelligence in Holiness With Saint Thomas as Teacher

Formation for Holiness and Intelligence in Competence

Conclusion

"WITH SAINT THOMAS AS TEACHER":PRIESTLY FORMATIONIN THE LIGHT OF THE SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL

Vatican II as An Instance of Authentic Development of Christianity or Tradition in Modernity

Optatam totius or Formation for the Munus Triplex at the Service of Communion

Formation for Holiness[32]

Formation for Intelligence in Holiness With Saint Thomas as Teacher

Formation for Holiness and Intelligence in Competence

Conclusion

"WITH SAINT THOMAS AS TEACHER":
PRIESTLY FORMATION
IN THE LIGHT OF THE SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL