Bishop Duca Establishes New House of Formation

04 May 2025
The Third Sunday of Easter
 
To the Clergy and Lay Faithful of the Diocese of Baton Rouge:
 
Promulgated in 2023, the sixth edition of the Program for Priestly Formation in the United States of America serves as the principal guide for the formation of seminarians as compassionate spiritual fathers in service of our local church communities.  New in this sixth iteration of the document is the implementation of a Propaedeutic Stage of formation.  As implied by the name, this initial stage of formation is introductory in nature and is aimed to focus on development of the man in terms of prayer, trust, and fraternity.  It should last at least twelve consecutive months or longer based upon the unique circumstances of each candidate.  While all stages of formation focus on the traditional dimensions of growth – namely human, intellectual, pastoral and spiritual – the propaedeutic phase emphasizes human and spiritual formation particularly.  This stage envisions a distinct community with its own living space, formators, horarium, scope and sequence so that new seminarians can build a firm foundation for a Christ centered life.  
 
To prepare seminarians in the Diocese of Baton Rouge for this new way of life through involvement in parish ministry and in social and charitable outreach, and all in communion with the bishop and presbyterate of Baton Rouge, I am pleased to establish the new Blessed Stanley Rother House of Formation at Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Baton Rouge.  Ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, Stanley Rother served as parochial vicar in their diocese before being assigned to the diocese's mission in Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala.  During civil war that broke out in Guatemala, Father Rother was executed in his rectory for his insistence in educating and catechizing the poor that he served.  He was recognized as a martyr for the faith in 2016 and is the first martyr from the United States and the first US born priest to be beatified.   His emphasis on commitment to his parishioners and his willingness to sacrifice his life for them provides a model of priesthood for men to follow.  
 
Generally, as a rule, men accepted into the seminary who do not possess an undergraduate degree will participate in the propaedeutic program at the Blessed Stanley Rother House of Formation; men who possess an undergraduate degree or who enter seminary as a “second career” will participate in the program currently in place at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans.
 
Intellectual formation is an important element of all the movements of seminary formation.  According to the PPF, however, in this stage of formation, coursework is permitted but should not be full time and should focus on scripture, catechesis, and spirituality in addition to a maximum of nine general education credits per semester.  Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University (FranU) in Baton Rouge has long been a partner to provide formation and education to deacon candidates, lay leaders, and new spiritual directors.  It is only natural, then, that the Diocese of Baton Rouge would once again partner with FranU so that the University can offer its academic expertise while aiding in vocation discernment, the seminarian’s growth in self-knowledge, and his development of a relationship with Christ. 
 
As soon as clergy announcements are made, you will notice several changes to personnel in the Diocesan Vocations Office so that our diocese can intentionally assist young men in responding to God’s call to serve the Church as priests.  One of these personnel changes will be the appointment of Father Joshua Johnson as director of the Formation House.  Father Johnson’s charism, his experience in vocations ministry, and his pastoral work at Sacred Heart of Jesus will assist him in this great endeavor to form men after the heart of Christ.
 
As our late Holy Father Pope Francis once wrote, “A vocation is a precious gift that God sows in the heart.  It is a call to go out of ourselves and begin a journey of love and service.”  May this new plan for seminary formation in our local church of Baton Rouge help venerate and nourish this precious gift that lay in the hearts of many of the faithful!
 
Hope in the Lord,
 
  
Most Reverend Michael G. Duca
Bishop of Baton Rouge

Bishop Duca's Announcement

​FRANU Press Release ​​​