"We must be instructed to be able to instruct, become light to illuminate." 
One of the greatest challenges faced in opening any new seminary is the design of a sufficiently strong academic program. The Church, of course, supplies specific guidelines for seminary studies. These stress that intellectual formation is not a thing apart from human, spiritual, or pastoral formation. The desire to know is, after all, a central part of being human. Seminary study aims at an ever deeper understanding of the mysteries expressed in the spiritual life; and it prepares the seminarian to offer the pastoral guidance to those who need to find in those same mysteries the meaning of their joys and sorrows.
Like good stewards of the Kingdom, we intend to draw out both the old and the new to present to our seminarians. They will be exposed to the masters of intellectual history in the areas of philosophy and theology as well as practical pastoral training that will result in the "unified, internally coherent curriculum”that the Church calls for in seminaries (Program of Priestly Formation [PPF], 351). Of course, that must include an approach to theology which is “comprehensive and extensive, covering the range of Christian doctrine”(PPF, 339). And, in keeping with the declaration of the Second Vatican Council that “the ‘study of the sacred page’ should be the very soul of theology”(Dei Verbum, 24 and cf. SC, Art 67.1), we seek to make the Scriptures the very foundation of the curriculum.
The components of seminary life include classes, liturgies, service in parishes and service to the poor, as well as time set aside for personal prayer. It is vital that all these elements contribute to a unified version of the gospel message in all its beauty. By this means “a purely abstract approach to knowledge is overcome in favor of that intelligence of heart which knows how to 'look beyond', and then is in a position to communicate the mystery of God to the people”(51).
The Lateran Model and the Program of Priestly Formation
The aim of the seminary curriculum is to provide a firm academic foundation for the pastoral work of future priests. It is our belief that a rigorous content, and the intellectual skills developed in the acquisition of that content, contributes to the spiritual and pastoral formation of seminarians. (See United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Program of Priestly Formation [PPF], 337 & 347.)
Using the curriculum of the Pontifical Lateran University as a model, the faculty of St. John Vianney Theological Seminary has worked diligently to insure each seminarian receives the highest quality of instruction and training in preparation for priestly ordination. Since the academic program was approved by Rome in 1999, the faculty and administration of the seminary have engaged in a continuous process of self-improvement to assess the effectiveness of its program of priestly formation, the content of the courses, the integration of subject matter within and between courses, the sequence of courses within the curricula, and the tempo of learning required for intellectual formation. The success of this effort is evidenced by the praise and respect the program has received from academic peers at other Catholic seminaries in the United States and distinguished Catholic scholars have recognized the substance, academic rigor, and stimulating intellectual challenge we present to seminarians during their intellectual formation for the priesthood. Furthermore, the curricula offered at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary conform to the requirements of the PPF.
