AMERICA/COLOMBIA – As vocations decline, the Church in Colombia renews its commitment to priestly formation

Bogotá – How can priests be formed today to respond effectively to the needs of the Church in Colombia through listening and discernment? This is the question that guides the CXXI Plenary Assembly of the Colombian Bishops’ Conference, taking place in Bogotá from July 6 to 10.
Centered on the theme “Initial formation for the priesthood in a synodal and missionary perspective,” the 121st Plenary Assembly brings together 90 Colombian bishops for a process of discernment on the life and mission of the Church. Seminary rectors and formators, seminarians, men and women religious, and lay faithful of the Organization of Seminaries of Colombia are also participating.
Their presence reflects the desire to welcome the different voices involved in priestly formation, with the aim of strengthening the preparation of future priests.
For the Colombian episcopate, “it is essential to strengthen priestly formation in a way that fosters the human, spiritual, intellectual and pastoral maturity of future priests,” according to a statement from the Bishops’ Conference sent to Fides.
The bishops emphasize that “formation begins before ordination and is an integral process directed toward the service of the People of God.” In this perspective, today’s social, cultural and digital transformations, together with new pastoral challenges, call the Church to renew the way it accompanies those preparing for priestly ministry.
During the Assembly, participants are working on updating the Ratio Nationalis, the document that guides initial priestly formation in the country, in harmony with the synodal journey of the universal Church. The program includes prayer, Eucharistic celebrations, conferences and group work, following a methodology that gives priority to listening and communal discernment.
The Assembly also reaffirms that priestly formation is not the exclusive responsibility of seminaries but a shared task of the entire ecclesial community, in which bishops, priests, consecrated men and women, and lay faithful all contribute—each according to his or her own vocation and charism—to the growth of the Church’s mission. The quality of this formation has a direct impact on the life of local communities, on the Church’s ability to proclaim the Gospel, and on its capacity to accompany families, young people and those living in situations of vulnerability.
Data from the Statistical Yearbook of the Church place this renewed focus on priestly formation within a broader context. Worldwide, the number of priests continues to decline. In the Americas, this trend affects both diocesan and religious clergy, resulting in an increased pastoral workload and a growing number of faithful entrusted to each ordained minister .
In Colombia, with a population of approximately 52 million, including around 48 million baptized Catholics, this reality is reflected in a vast ecclesial structure comprising more than 78 circumscriptions and around 4,600 parishes, served by approximately 9,700 priests. This represents roughly one priest for every 5,000 inhabitants, in a context where evangelization is also sustained by an extensive network of collaboration involving more than 11,000 women religious, 51,000 catechists and nearly 73,000 lay missionaries.
Against this backdrop, the Church emphasizes the shared responsibility of the entire community in accompanying vocations and promoting an ever more missionary Church “that goes forth,” in which the ordained ministry is lived as a service to the ecclesial community.

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