Pregătirea pentru Preoție – școală a virtuților – în scrierile Părintelui Profesor Dumitru Stăniloae
From the young theologian of today to the priest of tomorrow. Preparing for the priesthood in the thought of Father Dumitru Stăniloae

Author(s): Cristian-Alexandru BARNEA
Subject(s): Christian Theology and Religion, Theology and Religion
Published by: Editura Doxologia
Keywords: vocation; Theology student; Theology; priest; eucharistic communion; holiness;
Summary/Abstract: Although he was not a parish priest, through his teaching activity, theological writings, and entire life, Rev. Professor Dumitru Stăniloae contributed to the formation of several generations of ministers of the Church. The timeliness of his thought still inspires theological education today, constituting a genuine treasury of spirituality and spiritual life for the future. His writings, rooted in the patristic tradition of the Church, formulate answers, open up perspectives and convince readers that true theology is not limited to reading, but must spring from and rest in communion with Christ. Thus, young men who wish to become priests must be prepared to convert the souls of the faithful by a theological training that is appropriate for their time, but also by a pure life, appropriate for this ministry. Theological culture implies and requires spiritual experience in the liturgical and sacramental space of the Church, the university chapel and the library being the sites where students learn about theology and how it can be experienced. ‘Being a man of prayer’ is the first quality of the priest. He must learn how to be attentive and aware that Christ is working through him and that he is sent to draw people to His life. The priest will be happy when, fulfilling his duty with all love, he feels Christ in himself and, above all, when each of those entrusted to him for perfection has discovered the overwhelming beauty of the light-filled life pulsating in the body of the Church.

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