Intellectual Formation

Consistent with our Mission Statement, St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary offers three different degree programs:

The Propaedeutic Stage - Anima Christi Certificate for the Propaedeutic Stage lasts at least one year and offers introductory formation in all dimensions of priestly formation: human, spiritual, pastoral, and intellectual. This stage focuses on, “the life of the Church as a community in which excellence of character is nurtured” to strengthen the human and spiritual foundations of each student (PPF6 #32). Activities and experiences on and off campus offer opportunities for seminarians to grow in their knowledge of the faith and their home dioceses while deepening their discernment of God’s call to priestly ministry.”

The Master of Arts (Philosophical Studies for Missionary Discipleship) (MAPS) is a two-year academic degree that enables students to study philosophy and introductory theology so that they will be able to integrate philosophical and theological principles and thus be formed into missionary disciples who can engage today’s world with both cogency and compassion, articulating Gospel values with nuance and poise. Seminarians in the discipleship stage generally complete this degree as part of the seminary’s pre-theology program; the MAPS degree fulfills all the prerequisites for the MDiv program. The MAPS program is also open to qualified lay students. Lay students may pursue the MAPS degree as preparation for further graduate studies, to obtain foundational knowledge for use in ministry, or as an opportunity for personal development. 

The Master of Divinity (MDiv) is the first professional degree that prepares men to serve as priests in the Catholic Church. Most seminarians spend five years in the MDiv program. Its requirements cover the four dimensions of priestly formation (human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral) and fulfill the Church’s vision for the configuration and pastoral synthesis stages as described in the Congregation for Clergy’s 2016 document The Gift of a Priestly Vocation. For more on SVDP’s approach to priestly formation, please see our Priestly Formation page. 

The Master of Arts (Theological Studies) (MATS) is a graduate degree in theology that offers preparation for further theological studies, foundational content knowledge for ministries other than priesthood—the permanent diaconate, lay ecclesial ministry, religious education—or an opportunity for personal theological enrichment. The program is organized so that part-time students can complete its requirements in four years, with courses on Wednesday evening and in weekend sessions once a month from August through April. MATS students may also take some MDiv or MAPS courses, which are generally scheduled during the day Monday through Friday.