The purpose of the Royal Scots College (Salamanca) is to help its students discern if they have a vocation to serve as a diocesan priest in Scotland and, if so, to best prepare themselves to respond to that vocation. This demands a programme of formation, whose essential elements have been stipulated by the Church in a series of documents. Vatican II laid down the foundations of this process in its decrees Presbyterorum Ordinis on the 'Life and ministry of priests' (1965) and Optatam Totius on 'Priestly Formation' (1965); the universal law of the Church gave this vision legal expression in the Code of Canon Law (1983); the Bishops of Scotland applied the conciliar vision and universal law to the three Scottish seminaries in their Norms for Priestly Formation (1992 - and currently under revision); finally, also in 1992, Pope John Paul II, after considering the conclusions of a synod of bishops which he had summoned specifically to discuss the issue, published Pastores Dabo Vobis (I will give you shepherds) the most comprehensive document yet on priestly formation in our present times.

Pastores dabo vobis attributes great importance to human formation, as underlying all other aspects of priestly formation. Anyone who wants to be a priest must know himself, must be honest with himself and be prepared to grow as a person, able and willing to relate and minister in a mature and caring way to everyone - irrespective of age, gender, level of education cultural background, colour or creed. Everything which helps us mature can be described as human formation, but in recent years the term has come to be associated more with the specific expertise offered by those trained in psychology and psychotherapy. This professional involvement is present in the pre-seminary assessment process and is available to students throughout their time in seminary. Specific workshops on issues like personality type and emotional development, living in community, life style, personal support structures, commitment, sexuality and the celibate life etc are presented at regular intervals.

Perhaps the most obvious aspect of formation, the one which takes up most of the student?s time, is intellectual formation. In our case the bulk of this is imparted in the Faculty of Theology of the Pontifical University of Salamanca: here our students attend class from Monday to Friday and, during their first five years, study of the degree of Bachelor of Sacred Theology (STB). Two years of further specialisation can lead to the licence degree in Theology (STL), Philosophy (PhL) or Canon Law (JCL). Here in the College we would offer tutorials to help students cope with the classes they receive at the Pontifical University; we would also continually remind our students that they are called to minister in Scotland and so must always by ready to apply what they learn to the Scottish context. To this end, we sometimes invite guest speakers out from Scotland. Especially in the early years, great attention is given to the Spanish language: students of first and second years spend the month of September attending intensive classes in Cursos Internacionales, while boarding with families in the city; during these early years students also receive twice weekly classes from a native Spanish speaker. The aim of all this intellectual activity is not to produce an academic

elite but rather to equip our students to know and understand the teaching of the Church so that they may preach the Word as effectively as possible in today's world.

No less important in the preparation of a future priest is spiritual formation. A priest is called to be a 'man of prayer', so the timetable of the seminary revolves round the daily community celebration of the Eucharist and of Morning and Evening Prayer; the sacrament of Penance is celebrated frequently in community, and individual confession and reconciliation is always available; we would have monthly days of recollection and an annual retreat. We would celebrate as fully and consciously as possible the Liturgical Year, strive at all times to revere and worship the presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament and cherish the memory and example of the Virgin Mary, his Mother.

The house spiritual director introduces students to the basic notions of spiritual direction, types of prayer, styles of spirituality, liturgical worship, popular devotion and private prayer etc. He is available at all times for individual direction or consultation. After their first year, students may choose another spiritual director from those approved by the Bishops' Conference for that purpose.

All the aspects referred to above have, as their aim, the holistic formation of a pastoral priest, able to shepherd the flock after the example of Christ himself, who came 'not to be served but to serve'. Within the college itself, students receive instruction in homiletics and various aspects of pastoral practice, especially sacramental celebrations; special attention is obviously given to the Scottish pastoral context in which priests ordained from this college will minister. We are aided in this task by the dioceses of Scotland themselves, which regularly send us their pastoral news and keep us abreast of developments at home. During the summers (after their first two years here) all students are supposed to get a pastoral placement in their home diocese, normally in late August-early September. There is also a course in 'pastoral skills', offered in Scotus College Bearsden, tackling subjects like communication and mass media, school chaplaincy, social issues, ministry to the terminally ill etc.

Here in Salamanca itself the college community celebrates a weekly mass in English in the convent chapel of the Sisters Oblatas de Cristo Sacerdote, which allows students to meet people, form relationships and practice the pastoral principles and virtues which are at the basis of all sound pastoral action. We are also in the process of setting up pastoral placements, especially for those students instituted as readers or acolytes, in the neighbouring city parishes so that they may exercise their ministry. We must always remember that the priest is called to serve and be a sign of communion in the Church: he does not minister in isolation but in collaboration. This means obedience to his bishop; consciousness of belonging as to a brotherhood of priests and a true respect for the gifts the Holy Spirit has given to all the baptised and a willingness to serve the People of God in whatever way may be necessary.

No programme of priestly formation can of itself achieve its end: the individual student must be open to the Holy Spirit helping him to discern his true vocation, to mature as a human being, to prepare himself spiritually and professionally for service as a priest; the student must 'take ownership' of his own pre-ordination formation and work with the seminary staff to prepare himself for ministry. Central to any programme of seminary formation is that it should be open-ended: a priest is called throughout his life to on-going formation: to keep growing as a human being, to keep abreast of current scholarship in the Church, to stay open and sensitive to new pastoral needs/methods and techniques. The seminary is a privileged place and time in which to begin this formation for life and ministry.