Spiritual Formation Workshops
These workshops are offered to assist candidates in the development of a quality spiritual life for ministry in the tradition of the Catholic Church.
Workshop: Forming a Sacramental Life for Service in the Church: The Sacraments of Initiation
The workshop focuses on the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist as they are lived out in the lives of those who minister in the Church. The enduring and deepening effects of Baptism and Confirmation on our relationship with Christ will be explored through the introductions to the sacramental rites. Pope John Paul II’s recent encyclical on the Eucharist (Ecclesia de Eucharistia) will be the point of departure for reflection on the Eucharist. Presentations will include a brief introduction to sacramental theology and the history of the sacraments of initiation. Presenters and participants will discuss and share how these sacraments have become part of their own spirituality.
Workshop: Forming a Sacramental Life for Service in the Church: The Sacraments of Healing and Vocation
This workshop will explore some of the ways that the sacraments of penance and reconciliation, anointing, marriage, and orders impact, nurture, and sustain the spiritual life of lay ministers. The sessions will examine the history, theology and the liturgical rites of these sacraments to identify the ways the sacraments influence and guide our faith. Participants will share their own experiences of these sacraments and how they are lived out in their personal spiritualities.
Workshop: Faith Sharing and Theological Reflection
An essential component of lay ministry formation is the development of the skill of theological reflection. Theological reflection not only forms an essential part of the formation of ministers in the Church at a personal level; it also equips them with an essential component of their present or future ministry. Topics covered in this workshop include: models for theological reflection, faith sharing, facilitation of ministry support and reflection groups, and the use of theological reflection as a tool for ministry and spiritual direction.
Additional Spirituality Workshops (three every four years):
Prayer and Conversion
This workshop focuses on the experiences of initial and ongoing conversion and how these experiences help us learn to deepen our prayer. Drawing upon conversion stories in the Scriptures and in the history of Christian spirituality, we will explore various dimensions of spiritual transformation. Sessions will include opportunities for prayer, lecture, and discussion of the place of prayer and conversion in our lives.
Eastern Christian Spirituality
Since the division of the Eastern and Western Christian churches in the 11th century, the Western church lost much of its contact with the earlier sources of Eastern theology and spirituality. Those treasures continue to fuel the religious life of the Orthodox and Eastern Catholic churches to this day. Since the Second Vatican Council, Catholics have been rediscovering the richness of Eastern Christian spirituality. This workshop will provide an overview of the main themes and practices of that tradition as well as look at some of its classic writings.
The Spirituality of Our Stories: Telling, Treasuring and Reshaping the Narratives that Form Our Lives
When we tell the stories of our lives, we are not passively looking back at the past; we are actively placing our faith in the hope that our stories hold the very pregnant promise that God is at work in our lives. The telling of our stories makes us present to our lives and aware that each and every moment is another manifestation of the promise in which we place all of our hope. In this workshop, we will discuss how significant stories work and the power they hold over us to shape our lives and our belief systems.
Workshops for future development:
- History of Spirituality
- Personal Piety
- The Mystics
- Prayer and Temperament
- Devotional and Spiritual Practices