School of Ministry
School of Ministry
Formation for ordained and continuing ministry
The School of Ministry exists to help form men and women for serious service in the Church through theological study, spiritual growth, and practical preparation for ministry. It reflects the work of the Old Catholic Institute, an ecumenical distance-learning school that prepares candidates for ordination and supports continuing Christian education.
This is not formation for its own sake. It is formation for real ministry in the real world: ministry grounded in the gospel, shaped by catholic tradition, and carried out in service to the people of God.
Whether you are discerning a vocation, seeking structured study, or looking to deepen your preparation for ministry, this page is intended to help you understand how formation is approached within Old Catholic Churches International.
Ecumenical and accessible
The Old Catholic Institute is designed as an ecumenical distance-learning school and welcomes those seeking serious Christian formation within a progressive catholic framework.
Practical and parish-grounded
Academic study is paired with practical training delivered at the parish level so that formation is joined to lived ministry.
Competency-based
Studies are offered as Oxford-style tutorials on a trimester basis, with competency-based assessment and recognition of prior learning.
The Old Catholic Institute
The educational work behind the School of Ministry is carried through the Old Catholic Institute. The Institute offers online distance learning for candidates preparing for ordination as well as for those pursuing continuing Christian education. Its purpose is not to imitate a conventional academic marketplace, but to equip qualified people to serve the Church to the glory of Christ.
The Institute does not claim academic accreditation, nor imply it. Instead, it offers structured church formation and Certificates of Competency in areas of study intended to correspond to the work ordinarily associated with seminary-level preparation.
Areas of study
The Institute describes its program as providing an equivalent to seminary degrees through Certificates of Competency in a range of disciplines important to ministry, theological reflection, and church life.
Core doctrinal and theological formation for preaching, sacramental ministry, and ecclesial understanding.
Formation shaped by major catholic spiritual and intellectual traditions within the life of the Church.
Serious reflection on faith, reason, and the intellectual life of ministry.
Study focused especially on Byzantine and medieval traditions, together with iconography as a living form of sacred expression.
Formation in worship, ceremonial life, and the practical disciplines necessary for clergy and church leadership.
How formation works
Formation in OCCI is not purely classroom-based. Academic work is joined to parish and diocesan life. The Institute provides online study, while practical formation is delivered at the parish level so that students grow in pastoral judgment, worship, discipline, and real ministry experience.
The model is intentionally flexible but not casual. It begins with an assessment of prior learning, proceeds through structured tutorial-based study, and expects actual growth in competence rather than mere completion of courses.
The goal is simple: not only informed students, but formed ministers.
Formation and discernment for ordination
For those pursuing Holy Orders, academic formation belongs within a wider process of discernment and ecclesial review. OCCI’s published process includes consultation with a bishop or director of vocations, application materials, sacramental and civil documentation where applicable, background and psychological review, child protection training, and a six-month discernment period.
Candidates are then evaluated by a clerical review panel and considered by the diocesan bishop. The broader process includes reception of minor orders at appropriate stages, certification of academic studies, ordination to the diaconate prior to internship, completion of internship and education, and eventual ordination to the presbyterate.
In other words, the School of Ministry serves formation, but formation itself is part of the Church’s larger vocational and sacramental life.
Who this is for
Those discerning the diaconate or priesthood and seeking serious theological and ministerial preparation.
Ministers who wish to deepen their knowledge, improve pastoral practice, or continue formal formation after ordination.
Those drawn to catholic theology, liturgy, spirituality, and formation within an ecumenical and progressive setting.
Why this matters in OCCI
Old Catholic Churches International presents itself as a catholic, welcoming, sacramental communion committed to the gospel and the needs of the present age. That kind of ministry requires formation that is intellectually serious, pastorally grounded, and spiritually mature.
The Church’s mission includes service to the unchurched, the alienated, and the disenfranchised. It includes ministry to those on the margins and formation for men and women without regard to marital status, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, or physical disability. The School of Ministry stands within that wider mission.
Next Steps
Begin your inquiry
If you are exploring formation, ordination, or continuing study, the best next step is to review the Institute and then speak with the Church about your path forward.
Questions
Contact us directly
If you have questions about discernment, study, ministry preparation, or the right point of contact, we invite you to get in touch.
A final word
The School of Ministry should be a place of genuine formation: theological without being abstract, practical without being shallow, and faithful without being rigid. Its task is to prepare people for service in the Church with seriousness, humility, and competence.
We hope this page helps clarify both the educational work of the Old Catholic Institute and the larger vocational path it serves within Old Catholic Churches International.