Programs
Programs and Formation Pathways
The Old Catholic Institute offers clergy formation that is warm, serious, sacramental, and ordered toward real service in the Church.
Our programs are designed for those discerning a call to ordained ministry, as well as for those seeking deeper theological preparation for service in the life of the Church. We aim to form ministers who can preach the Gospel, serve reverently, care for souls wisely, and lead with humility and faith.
Formation here is not only about coursework. It is about prayer, discernment, study, practical ministry, and growth in the presence of God and the life of the Church.
How Formation Works
The Old Catholic Institute provides church-rooted formation through distance learning, guided study, and practical ministerial training. Students engage theological coursework online while also growing through supervised ministry, liturgical practice, parish life, and ongoing discernment.
This means formation is not detached from the Church. It is carried out within the Church. Academic study, spiritual formation, and practical service belong together. The purpose is not simply to complete lessons. The purpose is to form ministers who are prepared for the real demands of ordained life.
Our public educational model emphasizes competency-based learning, practical clergy training, and guided study that can be adapted to the needs of the student and the Church. We believe this approach serves future clergy far better than abstract study disconnected from ministry.
Formation at the Institute joins theology and prayer, study and service, liturgy and pastoral care, so that those preparing for ministry are formed as whole servants of the Church.
What Students Study
Students in our clergy formation pathways undertake substantial theological and pastoral study. Course work is designed to build biblical grounding, doctrinal clarity, liturgical confidence, pastoral wisdom, and practical readiness for ministry.
- Holy Scripture and ministry application
- Church history and the Old Catholic tradition
- Sacramental theology and liturgics
- Homiletics and proclamation of the Gospel
- Systematic theology and moral theology
- Pastoral care and chaplaincy
- Canon law and church governance
- Ecumenism and interfaith engagement
- Spiritual formation and the interior life
- Supervised ministry practicum and integrative work
Students are formed not only through reading and writing, but through prayer, liturgical practice, ministry reflection, and supervised service in real settings. In this way, coursework remains connected to the life of the Church and the responsibilities of ordained ministry.
Course Pathways
The Institute’s clergy formation is structured around clear pathways for ordained ministry. These pathways are meant to help candidates grow in theological depth, spiritual maturity, pastoral strength, and readiness for ecclesial service.
Subdiaconal Preparation
For those beginning structured clergy formation, subdiaconal preparation helps establish habits of liturgical service, discipline, study, and ecclesial responsibility. It is an important point of formation for those preparing to serve the Church with reverence and stability.
This pathway is well-suited for those entering deeper discernment and formation under the oversight of the Church.
Diaconal Formation
The diaconate is an order in its own right. It is not merely a step toward priesthood. The diaconal pathway is designed for both those preparing for transitional diaconal service and those called to the permanent diaconate as a lifelong vocation of service.
This program is shaped around the deacon’s ministry of liturgy, word, and charity. Candidates are formed for service at the altar, proclamation of the Gospel, pastoral care, chaplaincy, social witness, and ministry among the poor, the vulnerable, and the forgotten.
Diaconal formation is structured as a three-year program of study with supervised practicum, integrative theological work, and preparation for ordained ministry.
Priestly Formation
The priestly pathway is designed for those called to serve as ministers of the Word and the Table, exercising sacramental, pastoral, and teaching ministry in collegial dependence upon the bishop and in service to the people of God.
Priestly formation is rooted in Scripture, sacramental theology, liturgy, preaching, pastoral care, and spiritual maturity. It is intended to form clergy who can lead communities in worship, administer the sacraments faithfully, preach clearly, and embody the servant Christ in the midst of the Church.
This pathway unfolds across four years of formation and culminates in preparation for diaconal ordination and then priestly ordination according to the discernment and oversight of the Church.
Formation with Structure and Purpose
Each pathway is shaped with a clear internal structure. Students move through stages of foundational learning, deeper theological formation, practical ministerial development, and supervised integration. This makes formation both serious and pastoral.
In the diaconal pathway, candidates move from foundational work in Scripture, theology, and liturgy into pastoral care, homiletics, ethics, canon law, social ministry, spiritual formation, and supervised ministry. In the priestly pathway, students undertake a broader and longer formation that prepares them for sacramental leadership, preaching, pastoral care, and priestly service in the life of the Church.
We want candidates to know from the beginning that formation is not random. It has shape. It has purpose. It is meant to prepare clergy who are trustworthy, prayerful, capable, and ready to serve.
Who This Training Is For
The Old Catholic Institute’s programs are for those who sense a genuine call to serve the Church and who are ready to undertake serious formation in that calling.
Our training is especially suited for:
- Those discerning a call to the diaconate
- Those discerning a call to the priesthood
- Permanent deacons and transitional candidates
- Men and women seeking church-rooted formation for ordained ministry
It is also well-suited for:
- Clergy seeking stronger theological grounding
- Church workers preparing for deeper responsibility
- Students who want practical and pastoral ministry training
- Those who desire serious formation shaped by the Old Catholic tradition
Not everyone comes with complete certainty. Many begin with questions, a growing conviction, or a sense that God may be calling them into deeper service. That is why discernment is part of formation from the beginning. The Institute seeks to be a welcoming place where vocation can be tested honestly and nurtured faithfully.
What We Hope to Form
We are not merely trying to produce students who finish assignments. We are trying to help form clergy who can actually serve the Church well.
- Clergy who pray with depth and steadiness
- Clergy who know the faith and can teach it clearly
- Clergy who serve reverently at the altar
- Clergy who care for people with compassion and wisdom
- Clergy who can lead without pride and serve without pretension
That kind of formation takes time, grace, study, and honest discernment. It also takes a community willing to help shape and test a vocation. That is the work these programs are designed to support.
A Clear Invitation to Prospective Clergy
If you are discerning a call to the diaconate or priesthood, we invite you to begin the conversation. You do not need to have every answer already in hand. You do need openness, humility, teachability, and a willingness to grow in the life of the Church.
The next step may be simple. Reach out. Ask your questions. Learn more about the pathway that fits your calling. Let the process of discernment and formation begin with prayer, honesty, and hope.