Candidate Assessment
Providing critical insight for formation for ministry in today’s Church
Saint Luke Institute evaluates candidates for the priesthood, permanent diaconate, and religious life through an in-depth, multidisciplinary spiritual and psychological assessment over several days. SLI’s assessment provides a practical roadmap for leadership to help guide and deepen the candidate’s vocational journey. A comparable assessment is also available for ordained priests or deacons seeking incardination into a diocese or institute for consecrated life.
Our multidisciplinary team approach to psychological assessment brings together two clinicians and one trained spiritual director from the SLI team to evaluate the candidate. This collaborative perspective provides the candidate, as well as the sponsoring diocese or religious order, with a more comprehensive and positive experience.
The SLI Candidate Assessment Protocol (SLI-CAP) is based on best practices in psychological and spiritual assessment and is aligned with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Guidelines for the Use of Psychology in Seminary Admissions.
Assessment Process
During our comprehensive assessment process, candidates participate in:
- Pre-assessment questionnaires focused on the candidate's personal history and spiritual life
- A series of clinical and psychosocial interviews with two mental health professionals to explore and understand the candidate’s psychological and psychosocial profile
- An in-depth interview with a spiritual formator to identify current religious beliefs and practices, and to understanding the candidate’s vocational discernment process
- Cognitive and psychological testing to obtain a current measure of intellectual functioning and to better understand the candidate’s personality profile and general mental health
- A feedback session with the assessment team, candidate, and formation or vocation director
All parties receive a comprehensive written report within two weeks of concrete recommendations in the four dimensions of formation – human , spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral.
Candidate Assessment Protocol Overview & Training Series
For licensed psychologists and trained spiritual directors
Saint Luke Institute is an acknowledged leader and provider in candidate assessment, having provided such services for over 30 years. Through our online learning platform, SLIconnect.org, our leading experts are able to share in more detail about our Candidate Assessment Protocol.
This 4.5-hour online training series, designed for licensed psychologists and trained spiritual directors, explores the key elements of the SLI-CAP. Participants can obtain the essential background and skills necessary to oversee a thorough and responsible screening of candidates for priesthood and religious life.
In the series, presenters identify evaluation benchmarks for assessing a candidate’s core competencies and vulnerabilities and discuss how to formulate effective recommendations based on those findings.
FREE Webinar: Best Practices in Psychological Screening of Candidates for Priesthood & Religious Life
Rev. David Songy, O.F.M.Cap., S.T.D., Psy.D., a member of the Saint Luke Institute team explores best practices in evaluation of candidates for priesthood and religious life in a one-hour presentation.
Access requires creating or logging in with an existing account on our learning platform SLIconnect.org
