Renewing priests of the present to renew priests of the future:

AIR for Seminary Formators Batch Four

Presence. This word summarizes the reason why Christ called his disciples, that is, that they may be
with him. This same word summarizes the means by which a seminary formator can be effective in his
ministry to candidates to the priesthood. Thus is the gist of the homily of His Eminence Gaudencio
Cardinal Rosales, DD, Archbishop of Manila and former head of the Commission on Clergy, during the
closing mass and graduation he presided for the fourth batch participating in the annual Assisted
Intensive Renewal (AIR) for Seminary Formators sponsored by the CBCP Commission on Seminaries
last 25 April to 29 May, 2011 held at the St. John Mary Vianney Galilee Development and Renewal
Center, Tagaytay City.

The fourth batch of AIR for Seminary Formators was composed of thirty priests coming from eight
seminaries in Luzon and nine seminaries in Mindanao. Although predominantly diocesan priests, two
were from separate religious communities. They have named their batch Air4orce.

The five-week long renewal program began with the opening mass presided by Most Rev. Mylo Hubert
Vergara, DD, bishop-elect of Pasig and chair of the Commission on Seminaries. In his homily, he
reiterated on the need for openness and honesty as entry doors for any experience of renewal. In order
to dispose the participants to this openness and honesty, Msgr. Chito Bernardo facilitated a three-day
disposition retreat on the spirituality of the earthen vessel. Msgr. Chito reminded the participants of the
unique grace of the fourth batch, that the renewal program this year started during the Easter octave. As
such, awareness of our own woundedness signified by the wounds of the crucified Jesus should never
be divorced from the joyful message of Easter renewal foreshadowed in transfigured image of the
resurrected Christ. As Christ has invited Thomas to touch his wounds in order to be in touch with his
own wounded and doubting self, so also are we invited to be in touch with our selves, to dig constantly
into our own histories. Msgr. Prescilo P. Iral carried this theme forward in the Intensive Journal
Writing workshop he conducted at the end of the first week. Through journaling, one explores into the
experiences and feelings one has had in order to gain a deeper awareness of one’s identity. As Fr. Pedro
Dumpayan, Jr. of the Immaculate Conception School of Theology, Vigan testified later on, his “most
memorable experience is knowing myself and our sacramental brotherhood” as priests.

If the first week is focused on laying the foundation for renewal in the interiority of the self, the second
week focused on laying the foundation of renewal exterior to the self, namely, others and one’s
psychosocial environment. The subject of personal identity, which concludes the first week, is
complemented during the second week by various group activities for community building organized
by LUBID, Inc. This two-day event aimed at facilitating insights into core values that make a high
performing team. Following the image of a flying “V” each bird in a group has to collaborate towards a
shared leadership in order to achieve the intended goals. The bulk of the second week is devoted to an
extensive treatment on human development as the foundation for vocational growth. Through the
morning lectures of Fr. Jaime Noel Deslate, PsyD, program director of AIR, one gains not only a
deeper understanding of who we are now because of the history that constitutes the self, but more
importantly the freedom that one possesses in order to achieve “an affective and relational maturity.”
As Scholastics have insisted that grace builds on nature, so does God’s call, which is a grace works in
the context of human nature. John Paul II has insisted that “the work of priestly formation would be
deprived of its necessary foundation if it lacked a suitable human formation” (Pastores dabo vobis, no.
43). The most senior among the participants, Msgr. Pepe Lagdameo of St. Alphonsus Regional
Seminary, Lucena and the elected coordinator of Air4orce, commented later on that one of his
realizations is “one should know oneself better if one should be of help to future priests.” Utilizing the
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eight stages of psychosocial development of the psychologist Erik Erikson, Fr. Deslate outlined the
trajectory of human maturity in the context of vocational growth and the possible “back subjects” that
one may have to address due to certain drawbacks in each stage of psychosocial development.

In order not to give the participants an overload of lectures, sessions were held only in the morning.
Afternoons were devoted to spiritual directions, individual counseling, group sharing both supervised
and unsupervised. On this regard, particularly in view of acquiring the necessary skills and proficiency,
the third week was devoted to the principles and practice of counseling given by Fr. Deslate and
spiritual direction in the seminary by Fr. Augusto Jesus B. Angeles, Executive Secretary of the
Commission on Seminaries. Fr. Deslate and Fr. Angeles underlined that both counseling and spiritual
directions are helping relationships and are immensely advantageous in seminary formation. As a priest
formator, one needs to be adept about the basic principles and skills in counseling and spiritual
direction, without however confusing the two. If counseling is focused on the mental and emotional
dimensions of human development, spiritual direction is focused but not limited to prayer life, religious
experience and one’s conscious relationship with God. If in counseling one gets in touch with thoughts,
feelings and moods, in spiritual direction, one needs to acquire a gentle attentiveness to the leadings of
the spirit. Although both deal with human experience, spiritual direction sees experience in the light of
spiritual concern.

The sessions on the fourth and last week deal with specific issues among priests nowadays and hence
they need to be addressed squarely by any seminary formator in view of preparing candidates for the
priesthood. Fr. Renato Naca, house director of Galilee Center, gave a two-day lecture on human
sexuality and the celibate life of priests. After lecturing on psychosexual development, Fr. Naca
reminded that the goal of psychosexual maturity will always be the capacity to love and it is in this
context that one acquires a positive and healthy attitude towards chaste celibacy, not as a denial of
sexuality, but as a form of apostolic loving characterized by renunciation of marriage and consecration
of self for total service to others. After the lectures on the psycho-developmental view of sexuality, Fr.
Deslate and Fr. Philip Lazatin, SDB, gave a series of lectures on homosexuality, various forms of
addiction, particularly sex addiction, and a predominant addiction among priests today, cyber sex
addiction. Fr. Deslate discussed intervention in the external forum of the seminary emphasizing that
seminary discipline aims at formation on moral development, following Laurence Kohlberg’s theory.

To cut the intense lectures of the fourth week, a batch weekend outing was scheduled sponsored by the
formators of St. Alphonsus Regional Seminary. The three-day outing started on Friday afternoon with
an itinerary that brought the participants in and around the four provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas
and Quezon. Highlighting the outing were a visit to Rizal’s House in Calamba, night swimming at the
warm pools of Pansol, visit to various historic churches and religious places within the surrounding
area, culminating in a Sunday concelebrated mass with Most Rev. Emilio Z. Marquez, DD, bishop of
Lucena, presiding and preaching at the San Fernando Cathedral.

The fifth week continues the themes covered during the week before. Fr. Peter Lechner, SP, an
American licensed clinical psychologist with a broad experience of ministering to priests struggling
with forms of addictions, lectured for three days on spotting and dealing with more serious problems in
the seminary, the healing of victims and victimizers and a review of the pastoral guidelines on sexual
abuses and misconduct by the clergy and how these guidelines find application in the context of
seminary formation. Although the last two weeks of AIR were focused on problematic issues besetting
priests of today, the goal was not to conclude the renewal program with a sad tone of negativity. One
has to address wounds, both of persons and institutions, and find God’s touches of healing in these. As

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Fr. Angeles commented on his final message, “I have so much hope in this group. I hope and I pray
that they will really become the hope of seminaries in the Philippine church of today.”

The last day was highlighted with the planning and implementation of AIR in the participants’
respective seminaries. Cardinal Rosales graced the closing mass and graduation distributing the
certificates of participation with the assistance of Bishop Vergara at the conclusion of the mass. A
closing party held at the entrance of Galilee Center capped the whole renewal program. Some
participants belted their voice in the tune of their favorite songs; some tried their chances to win in a
game of pusoy dos. Watching a video presentation projected on screen highlighted by unforgettable
snapshots taken during the program, with beer on one hand, and a handful of chichiria, all reminisced
how each entered the program with a mixture of excitement and trepidation at the thought of personal
discovery but now leaving the gates of Galilee renewed but with a heavy feeling at the thought of
leave-taking. Remembering the words of Christ giving instructions for his disciples to go to Galilee
where he will meet them (Mt. 28:10), the participants went to Galilee to meet Christ but only found
themselves. These priests formators discovered their wounded past; they rediscovered God’s healing
call. And in the process they had a glimpse of Christ who dwells in their shared sacramental
brotherhood.

Fr. Kenneth C. Masong

Mother of Good Counsel Seminary