When you come to Saint Francis de Sales Seminary, you don’t need to have all the answers about whether to become a priest. Let us help you discern your call.

Our priestly formation model has four pillars:

Human Formation: Gain self-knowledge. Priests need social and leadership skills to be a bridge between the people they serve and God. Through human formation, we help you model yourself on Jesus.

Spiritual Formation: Grow in your faith. Spiritual formation includes daily celebration of the Eucharist and Liturgy of the Hours, communal devotions, spiritual direction, and retreats and conferences. And the seminary grounds offer inspiring locations for daily personal prayer.

Intellectual Formation: Deepen your understanding of Catholic theology. Four days a week you attend class at Sacred Heart School of Theology in Hales Corners to study prayer and worship, spirituality, counseling, Scripture, morality, doctrine and Church history.
A few sample courses:
-  Synoptic Gospels and Acts of Apostles
-  American Catholic Church
-  Liturgy and Sacramentology
-  Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation
-  Medical – Moral Ethics
-  Social Ethics
-  Basic Pastoral Counseling
-  Fundamental Preaching
-  Sacred Heart: Devotion and Doctrine

Pastoral Formation: Build essential skills. We emphasize real-world, hands-on preparation through pastoral education, supervised ministry in a hospital, prison or social service agency, and ongoing involvement in a teaching parish.

Picture your daily life
Life at Saint Francis de Sales Seminary is a creative, exciting, challenging mix of prayer, study, formation, socializing and recreation.

Getting Started
To be accepted into the formation program, candidates complete an eight-step screening process. We’re looking for attributes including personal and spiritual maturity, leadership in prayer and worship, theology competence, communications skills, and commitment to the Church.

The screening process includes:
-  Initial contacts and tours with the seminary Vocation Director
-  At least three formal interviews with priests
-  Psychological and physical examinations
-  Five required letters of recommendation

Learn more about getting started and discerning your call at www.thinkpriest.org.