A Roman Catholic priest is a man called by God to serve Christ and the Church through the reception of the sacrament of Holy Orders. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, the priest serves the faithful by building up and guiding the Church in the name of Christ, who is the head of the body (CCC #1547). A priest is called to serve in the Catholic Christian community and minister in the manner of Christ, who "came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45).

A priest represents the Church's teaching and tradition, sensitive to God's presence in His people and His movement in their history. A priest serves the community where he is ordained and the universal Catholic Church, one holy, catholic, and apostolic.

The mission of St. Patrick's Seminary is to prepare priests according to the teachings of Christ and the needs of the Church. This formation has many aspects: personal, social, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral. The priest must always depend on God for his life, existence, vocation, and church ministry. The Latin phrase of Father Olier, founder of the Society of Sulpice, expresses what must be an essential part of the priest's life: Vivere Summe Deo in Christo Iesu, "To live above all for God in Christ Jesus."

Seminarian Self-Evaluation

St. Patrick's encourages seminarians to be active and proactive in their years of formation; the seminary invites seminarians to take full and final responsibility for their growth – human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral growth during their priestly formation. 

The seminary provides valuable guidelines for self-evaluation. Download these guidelines below: