The Catholic Current LTACL: I Have PTTSD (Fr. Robert McTeigue, S.J.) 3/23/26
5 snips
Mar 23, 2026 A witty reflection on trauma caused by tired theology and recycled slogans. Recollections of seminary life in the 1980s highlight paradoxes between rhetoric and practice. Examples show how formation phrases hollowed out meanings. A call to discern lasting truths from stale trends and to pray for those still affected.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Seminary Days That Shaped A Generation
- Robert McTeigue recounts attending Mass with seminary friends in the early 1980s and hearing formators teach a paradoxical theology.
- He describes seminarians taught both that priesthood was everything and simultaneously irrelevant, with lots of talk, papers, and meetings.
PTTSD Explains Lingering Formation Damage
- McTeigue labels this phenomenon Poor Theology Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTTSD) to capture lasting damage from weak formation.
- He connects repetitive, talk-heavy formation and slogans like "ministry of co-responsibility" to long-term confusion about priesthood.
Inclusive Rhetoric Masked Clericalism
- The 1980s formation emphasized inclusive baptismal language and 'everyone's giftedness' which disguised a crypto-clericalism.
- That rhetoric erased clear distinctions between ordained and laity while elevating priesthood rhetorically then denying its uniqueness.