The Diocese of Baton Rouge announced today a new partnership with Ƶ to support seminary formation beginning in Fall 2025. Through this collaboration, FranU will offer its academic expertise to aid in seminarians’ intellectual and spiritual development, vocational discernment, growth in self-knowledge, and deepening relationship with Christ.
As part of this initiative, the Diocese of Baton Rouge also announced the establishment of the Blessed Stanley Rother House of Formation, located at Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Baton Rouge. Blessed Stanley Rother, a priest of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, served in Guatemala during a time of civil unrest. He was martyred in 1981 for his dedication to educating and catechizing the poor and was beatified in 2016—the first U.S.-born priest to be declared a martyr. His life of humble service and ultimate sacrifice offers a powerful model of priesthood for future generations.
FranU has long been a trusted educational partner of the diocese, providing theological education and spiritual formation for deacon candidates, lay leaders and new spiritual directors.
“We are excited to have another chance to serve the Diocese of Baton Rouge. For over a decade we have been providing high-quality theological formation, always faithful to the teachings of the Church, for deacon candidates and lay people. We look forward to welcoming these young men to our campus as part of their priestly discernment and intellectual formation. Our partnership with the diocese continues to be one of the great fruits of our mission to educate and form Franciscan servant leaders, including, now, men that we hope will become servant leaders as future priests of our diocese,” stated Tina Holland, President and CEO of FranU.
The new House of Formation will help prepare seminarians for this life of service through engagement in parish ministry and outreach to the community. Father Joshua Johnson, pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, will serve as Director of the Formation House.
“Father Johnson’s charism, his experience in vocations ministry, and his pastoral leadership at Sacred Heart will be invaluable as he undertakes the formation of men after the heart of Christ,” said Bishop Michael G. Duca.
Men accepted into the seminary who do not yet hold a bachelor’s degree will participate in a propaedeutic program at the Blessed Stanley Rother House of Formation. Those who already possess a degree or are entering as “second-career” seminarians will continue with the established formation program at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans.
As outlined in the Program for Priestly Formation in the United States, intellectual formation is a key element of seminary life. During the propaedeutic stage, academic coursework is encouraged but must remain limited, focusing on Scripture, catechesis, and spirituality, with no more than nine general education credits per semester.
"FranU's Theology Program is a place where leaders in theology and ministry are being formed for our diocese and beyond. We're honored and excited to further this mission by becoming a trusted place of seminarian formation to help bring well-formed and holy priests to our land,” concluded Brian Pedraza, FranU’s Program Director for the Theology Program.
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