Classes meet two days each week: on Monday and Thursday or on Tuesday and Friday. Wednesday is reserved for formation. Each Wednesday, all classes except Fourth Theology participate in three distinct sessions: Two of these are in the morning, and will concentrate on the pillar of formation designated for that year of study. All new students in First Theology are required to attend the intellectual formation conferences on critical reading in their first semester of study. Each Wednesday afternoon, First, Second, and Third Theologians engage in a pastoral work. Pre-Theologians normally have college classes to attend at this time.

The formation goal for the reading Seminar promotes a love for learning outside the context of a graded course. By selecting texts which are both enriching and even entertaining, students come to integrate study as a means of personal enrichment, as well as a vehicle for prayer. Students are taught how to engage the text, as opposed to simply distilling data. The hope is that this intellectual exercise will inform prayer, influence homilies, and impart a desire for life-long learning. The Integration Seminar engages students on a more personal level. The third part of the day helps students apply what they are learning in the classroom to concrete pastoral work.

Pillars