Formation (Catholic Church)

Formation is the personal preparation that the Catholic Church offers to people with a defined mission, such as the priesthood or membership of a religious order such as the Society of Jesus. Such formation involves a program of spiritual and academic training. In the case of priestly formation, the typical location concerned is the seminary either operated by a Diocese for the purposes of training Diocesan or Secular clergy or operated by a religious order for the purpose of preparing its members for priestly ordination.