In 2016, the Congregation for the Clergy published a document on the formation of men for a priesthood. The US bishops then began to revise their Program of Priestly Formation (PPF) in light of the Vatican document, and approved a new edition of the PPF in 2019.

The Vatican requested changes that centered around the initial year of formation and approved the new US norms in April 2022. The new PPF entered into force on June 24 and has now been published.

“The new, sixth edition of the Program of Priestly Formation introduces a raft of changes for seminary life, with the most dramatic shifts coming at the very beginning and end of clerical training,” according to The Pillar’s analysis of the document. “These new stages present a host of practical and spiritual challenges, which could accelerate reform in some institutions, and hasten the closure of others.”