The Intellectual and Cultural Formation Program (ICFP) pursues the nine goals of the Ordination and Master of Divinity Credential Programs as follows.

1. With respect to the goal of abiding priestly identity, the ICFP seeks to impart a sure knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of the words, deeds, and person of the Lord Jesus Christ, the revelation of God to all the human race; an understanding of the priesthood as a sacramental configuration to Christ the High Priest, in his roles as Head, Shepherd, and Spouse of the Church; an appreciation of the organic link between the priesthood and the offering of sacrifice; and an understanding of the ordained priesthood as an ontologically-distinct ministry in the Church, as something that the priest simply is, both prior to and within the activities of his ministry.

2. With respect to the ecclesial dimension of priestly identity, the ICFP seeks to impart an understanding of the distinction and relation of the baptismal priesthood and the ordained priesthood, and of their being ordered to one another as embodiments of the one priesthood of Christ; and an understanding of the ordained priesthood as an important instance of incarnate meaning, both within the Church and within human society. (By such incarnate meaning, the priest, his words and deeds, and his whole way of life come to embody and symbolize for others, in a focused way, the mysteries, the aspirations, the understandings, and the values that give significance to their life in common.)

3. With respect to the ministry of teaching, the ICFP seeks to impart an ability to mediate the meaning and value of Christian faith to the set of meanings and values that constitutes contemporary culture, including an ability to interpret biblical, doctrinal, and theological texts, an ability to distinguish between theological opinion and the deposit of faith, an ability to assess the relative weight of authoritative statements, an ability to deal with pluralism and divergent opinions, an ability to communicate the Gospel message in a variety of media and cultural settings, an ability to foster in others a critical but faithful appropriation of doctrine; a culturally- and theologically-informed habit of pastoral judgment, including an intellectual rigor in the formation of judgment itself, a literacy and fluency in diverse forms of contemporary culture and the arts, a grasp of the living tradition of the Church in its varying historical and cultural contexts, an awareness of the interdependence of the sacred sciences, a proficiency in the use of appropriate cultural, theological, and pastoral resources; an ability to make methodological transitions from the realm of the practical, popular, and devotional to the realm of the theoretical, technical, and scholarly, and vice versa, to the mutual enrichment of both realms; the art and skills of an effective preacher of the Word of God, applicable in a variety of pastoral settings; an appreciation of the faith as an integral whole, incorporating religious belief, moral practice, and effective concern for social justice; an appreciation of the ecumenical, global, multicultural, and interreligious context of contemporary life in the Church and in the priesthood; and a sense of the Church as sacrament and servant to the world.

4. With respect to the ministry of sanctifying, the ICFP seeks to impart an acceptance of the Church’s unfailing holiness, in Christ and in his Spirit; an understanding and appreciation of the Paschal Mystery as the central event in the Church’s life and redemption; an appreciation of the Catholic tradition of sacramental realism and efficacy, drawn from the Paschal Mystery; and an understanding of the meaning and value of corporate public worship, especially in the Church’s liturgy and sacraments.

5. With respect to the ministry of leading, the ICFP seeks to impart an understanding and appreciation of the nature of the Church, as divinely-instituted, apostolic, historical, hierarchical, universal, global, and inculturated; an understanding of the role, responsibilities, and function of leadership and ordinary authority in the Church, especially as a service to unity; and an understanding of the role of law and structure in the Church.

6. With respect to priestly celibacy, the ICFP seeks to impart an understanding and appreciation of the meaning of celibacy, including its history, its symbolisms, its healthy psychology, and its value as a countercultural, eschatological sign; and a positive appreciation of marriage and family life, and of the interdependence of the vocations of marriage and celibacy.

7. With respect to simplicity of life, the ICFP seeks to impart an understanding and appreciation of the traditions of the scriptural anawim, of evangelical poverty, and of poverty of spirit; and an understanding of Catholic teaching on social justice.

8. With respect to ecclesiastical obedience, the ICFP seeks to impart an understanding of the New Testament doctrine of kenosis, of the self-emptying of Christ, and of its link to spirituality and the priesthood; and an understanding of obedience to the hierarchical ministry as a service to the unity of the Church.

9. With respect to prayer, the ICFP seeks to impart an understanding of the varying forms and dynamics of prayer, the ongoing conscious contact with God, made possible by his grace; an understanding of the variety of the traditions of spirituality in the Church; and a sense of the mutually-interactive link between learning and holiness.

Structures and Procedures of the Intellectual and Cultural Formation Program

The Intellectual and Cultural Formation Program achieves these outcomes under the administration of the Academic Dean, the Programs and Policies Committee of the Faculty, and any other associates they may have. The Faculty itself is a primary resource. The program consists of a comprehensive set of academic core course offerings, at the basic and advanced level, in the following areas:  Scripture, Church history, dogmatic theology, liturgical-sacramental theology, moral theology, and pastoral studies. For the Ordination Program, this set of core courses totals 92 hours; for the Master of Divinity Program, this set excludes the advanced core courses of the Ordination Program (applicable instead to the Master of Arts Degree Program), and totals 77 hours. Additionally, the Ordination Program requires 20 hours of electives, to allow the student to expand, elaborate, or study in greater detail various aspects of theology (PPF 355). All of this is described in greater detail in the curriculum description.

The two programs differ in their hour-totals inasmuch as they are designed to conform to differing standards. The Ordination Program is derived from the NCCB Program of Priestly Formation (4th edition, 1992), which requires eight full semesters of theology-level preparation for the priesthood (PPF 353), as well as the offering of elective courses (PPF 354-55). The Master of Divinity Program (suggested by the PPF, which recommends certification by appropriate accrediting agencies, see 393) is derived from the Standards of Accreditation of the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada, of which Kenrick School of Theology is a member. For the M.Div. Degree, these standards require three years of full-time academic work or its equivalent. Kenrick thus requires the equivalent of three years’ work for this degree, from all three of its formation programs, spread over four years.

Students are evaluated on an annual basis for their understanding and appreciation of theology and the pastoral ministry. This evaluation forms part of their evaluation in the Human and Spiritual Formation Program.