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The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has announced the release of the updated Program of Priestly Formation in the United States of America (PPF). The sixth edition of this document which was promulgated on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 24, is particular law in the Church in the United States and serves as the guide for seminaries and priestly vocations programs that form men for the ministerial priesthood. This document was released in accordance with the Holy See’s 2016 document, Ratio Fundamentalis Institutiones Sacerdotalis.

The PPF sets forth the nature and mission of the ministerial priesthood, norms for the admission of candidates, norms for the formation of candidates and norms for the governance and administration of seminaries.

Bishop James F. Checchio of Metuchen, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations said, “I am deeply grateful for the faithful and diligent efforts of so many individuals in the development of the updated PPF. This document will guide diocesan and religious formation programs for years to come in the critical work of forming men to the priesthood. May Our Lord continue to bless all involved in the important and indispensable ministry of vocations and priestly formation in the life of the Church.”

The sixth edition of the Program of Priestly Formation is available for purchase on the USCCB store: https://store.usccb.org/collections/new/products/program-of-priestly-formation-6th-edition.