PROCESS OF DIACONATE FORMATION
XI. Overview of Spiritual Formation
The four-year spiritual formation program within the Archdiocese of Denver addresses the norms, following a careful progression of themes based on a Trinitarian model during twice-monthly meetings and annual retreats. The summer retreats are designed to initiate the focus and themes of the coming year’s formation. Bi-monthly sessions occur on Sundays and follow a plan that includes the recitation of Liturgy of the Hours and the celebration of the Mass in community. In keeping with the commandment to keep the Lord’s Day holy, the remainder of the day is spent in fellowship that offers rest and rejuvenation through brief large group guided instruction; small group interaction intended to encourage the sharing of each person’s spiritual journey and the formation of strong, fraternal Christian relationships; and time for personal prayer, reflection and interior quiet. Wives of the men in formation are invited to attend each spiritual formation Sunday, but wives are only obliged to attend on the monthly mandatory days. On the mandatory couple’s days, which occur once a month, the focus and themes of the year are given a couples dimension so as to promote the spiritual life of the couple and the family. Special attention is given to improving the couple’s communication skills and life of prayer and service together. Also, wives meet apart from their husbands 4 to 5 times during which wives meet together with the wives of deacons to help address the need to share their own unique feminine spirituality.
The Aspirancy Year of the spiritual formation process focuses on Our Blessed Mother as the model of perfect, loving surrender to the Father’s love. In this year, the aspirant and his wife are called to a deeper self-knowledge as a beginning of discernment. A review of the personality inventory is conducted and companioned with a presentation of the work of Fr. Benedict Groeshel, “Psychological Growth and Spiritual Development”. Meditation on the Joyful Mysteries and an introduction to the practice of lectio divina, especially discursive meditation, and interior prayer form the prayer practice focus of this year. Couples’ days introduce the skill of the “Speaker, Listener Technique” and how it can be used to improve couple communication, awareness of filters that impede good communication, of triggering events, issues and hidden issues within a couple’s relationship. A spiritual dimension is presented using the language of the S/L technique to promote each person’s awareness of his or her own communication and relational practices in prayer.
Upon entrance into Candidacy, during the second year of formation, the focus is on God the Father. Has he chosen me for his special purpose in ordained ministry? The themes of this year involve resting in the Father’s love and in real faith. Using a process of journaling and small group sharing of our faith journeys, candidates and their wives are given an opportunity to examine their own spiritual journey as the next phase in discernment. Spiritual exercises involve meditation on the “Our Father,” a continuation of the practice of interior prayer in conjunction with lectio on selected passages from Holy Scripture, meditation on the Luminous Mysteries of the Holy Rosary as they pertain to the Father’s love for us in Christ, and a review of our personal practice in keeping the Lord’s Day holy. Couples are invited to take the “Refocus Inventory” as part of their ongoing discernment and commitment to diaconal ministry.
The third year of spiritual formation focuses on God the Son, on the Incarnation, and the Lord’s Passion. Jesus is our savior. He is our brother and our teacher. The themes of the years are our transformation in Christ, the Gospel of Hope, and the Virtuous Christian Life. Through a series of brief presentations by classmates on the ways humanity has compromised with the world, the flesh and the devil in living the commandments and a virtuous Christian life, through small group sharing, journaling and prayer, the candidate and his wife are called to an examination of their own lives as Christians. Continuing the practice of interior prayer each person is led in the discovery of emotional programs for happiness that have hindered our spiritual walk with God and each other. We examine the charisms of the various religious orders and the unique spiritual paths that each order has embraced. We work on building a deeper intimacy with the Lord. Meditation on the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary remind us the great love the Lord, Our Brother, has for us in offering himself in sacrifice for our sake. Couples continue their examination of issues in their relationship but with a growing sense of the part each will play in ministry.
The final year of formation focuses on God, the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, and the empowering Source of Light and Life. The themes of this year examine the ministries to which the deacon is called, our empowerment through the gifts of the Holy Spirit, charity, and the principles of Christian apostolate. By examining the Beatitudes and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, the candidate and his wife acquire spiritual tools for the compassionate caring for our brothers and sisters. Emphasis continues in the development of the practice of centering prayer, in praying with and for the community as the one whose privilege it is to create the prayers of the faithful, in review documents of Vatican II as they relate to the apostolate. Meditation on the Glorious Mysteries of the Holy Rosary reminds the candidate of the prize of union with God in heaven. Couples will review the sacramentality of married life and the incorporation of the family into the life of the parish.
