Guidelines for the Use of Psychology in Seminary Admissions

6 / 17

Guidelines for the
Use of Psychology in
Seminary Admissions
To support the implementation of the directives contained in the
Guidelines for the Use of Psychology in the Admission and Formation
of Candidates for the Priesthood1 (Guidelines ) that were issued by the
Congregation for Catholic Education in June 2008, and the pertinent
sections of the Program of Priestly Formation, Fifth Edition (PPF),2 the
Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations of the United
States Conference of Catholic Bishops provides the following guidelines
for bishops, major superiors, and seminary rectors, when developing poli-
cies on the use of psychological evaluations in seminary admissions.
The Purposes of a
Psychological Evaluation for Seminary Admissions
Psychological assessments help the diocesan or eparchial bishop, the
major superior, and the seminary rector gain a greater understanding
of developmental, psychological, and other personal factors at work in
1 Congregation for Catholic Education, Guidelines for the Use of Psychology in the Admission and
Formation of Candidates for the Priesthood (Guidelines ), (June 28, 2008),
curia/congregations/ccatheduc/documents/rc_con_ccatheduc_doc_20080628_orientamenti_en.html.
2 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Program of Priestly Formation, Fifth Edition
(PPF), (Washington, DC: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2006), especially nos.
42, 47, 51-57.