Thomas Aquinas: Master of Priestly Human Formation

Abstract: This paper claims that Aquinas is a master of priestly human formation because he excels in fulfilling the Magisterium's requirements of a human formation that is pedagogical, integral, theological, and Christocentric. The reality signified by the expression "priestly human formation" can be found in the Magisterium from Pius IX to the present. The Church implicitly characterizes this dimension of formation as pedagogical, integral, theological, and Christocentric. The Angelic Doctor is a master who offers the theological and philosophical tools to develop a priestly human formation with these same characteristics.