Intellectual Formation Underlying the need for what it calls “an extremely rigorous intellectual formation” for candidates to priesthood, Pastores Dabo Vobis states, “If we expect every Christian…to be prepared to make a defense of the faith and to account for the hope that is in us, then all the more should candidates for the priesthood and priests have diligent care for the quality of their intellectual formation in their education and pastoral activity”. The present situation of the world “strongly demands a high level of intellectual formation, such as will enable the priests to proclaim… the challenges of the Gospel of Christ and to make it credible to the legitimate demands of human reason” (PDV, 51).
Emphasizing the relevance of intellectual formation, the students are exhorted to have a good command of English and Hindi, and a good grounding in philosophy so that they have a right appreciation and correct understanding of theology. Moreover, to be able to spot intellectual errors in whatever garb they appear, the seminarians are required to strike a right balance between faith and reason.
In order to plunge into the task of evangelization, it is necessary that the seminarians are equipped with study of Theology and Scripture so that they are able to impart religious and spiritual instruction to people. It means the ability to articulate one’s faith derived from the Word of God, tradition and the teaching office of the Church in the context of the realities in which one works and witnesses. The intellectual formation is based on the study of the sacred doctrine of theology. A special emphasis is given to the study of Holy Scripture; a special note is taken of the challenges Moral Theology faces, and, also the study of Canon Law which will enable the students to deal with the ordinary ecclesiastic legal issues in the course of their priestly ministry.
Positively responding to the present day issues, besides courses on modern-day concerns like feminist theology, contextualized socio-political theology, ecumenism & dialogue, theology of religions, Dalit issues, social analysis, the seminarians are introduced to various disciplines and experiences like ashram life to complement the stress on the need of inculturation which springs from a respect for the cultural heritage of our people and from Church’s insistent call for the need for evangelizing cultures.