But it was not legalism which led Thomas More's father to withdraw his son from Oxford, but the formation in heterodox teaching which he was likely to receive from the disciples of the Reform. The resultant freedom would eliminate the possibility of pharisaism. In the seminary-training debate it is frequently argued that because the old system was rigid and did produce some rigid priests, the solution would be to recast it in a form that "is not very different from a university residence". So often the introduction of the "legalism" theme, like that of usury in the contraception debate, is a device to support quite another line of thinking. Exactly what Christ and His Apostles tried to do away with in their dealings with the law-bound priesthood of the synagogue". 2 It is always possible-and stimulating for academics-to take an aspect of a system and maintain that "the retention of the Tridentine seminary absolutizes an historical situation which is no longer relevant, favouring inactivity and bureaucratic mediocrity. But this must not be over-exaggerated, for in such surroundings Fr William Purcell (Spiritual Director of All Hollows and later President) was able to do great work. Undoubtedly this was made inevitable by the extreme legalism of most of the seminaries whose rule of life matched their architecture in many cases. We have tolerated an enormous variety of recipes in the field of training future priests. 1 Significantly she takes up the image from the parables of Christ and the writings of St Teresa which speak of the work of construction, and the chaos which follows from building on inadequate foundations. When the big attack comes, you are swept away". Monica Baldwin (author of "I leapt over the wall") wrote in later years "I am convinced that in my case the cause of the trouble was failure to guard the citadel in the early stages. It is a sad fact that we often realise the lack of formation only when it is too late. By "radical" he means a return to the genuine "roots" of Christian Formation, neither legalistic nor open-ended, but based upon discipleship of Christ our Master. In this article Fr Tolhurst puts forward the case for a more radical approach to the spiritual training and formation of students for the priesthood.
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