Abstract:

This project in ministry develops a formation program for graduate lay students of Catholic theology. An issue in ministry is that lay students of theology who are not in formation for Holy Orders, Consecrated Life, or Lay Ecclesial Ministry, also need spiritual formation beyond academic training. It is not enough to be informed; students need to be formed spiritually, psychologically, and in practical daily applications as they identify with the ministry of Christ. The project's relevancy is based on the words of Pope John Paul II in Christifidelis Laici , the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops giving catechetical priority to adult formation, and the exhortation of Benedict XVI, during his 2008 papal visit to the United States, asking administrators of Catholic higher education institutions to promote the Christian Message as not only "informative but performative."

The project's intent is to facilitate the participants' deepening an awareness of the ministerial roles of Christ as Priest, Prophet, and King. A second objective was to help the lay students clarify the ambiguity of the very word "ministry", and affirm their own identities as ministers empowered in their roles as priest, prophet, and king through their baptism.

Participants joined small groups and attended four 90-minute monthly formation sessions. They were given opportunities for theological reflection pondering Christ's profound question, "Who do you say I am?" Through scripture, prayer, liturgical song, communal and personal reflection, they were led to ask themselves "Who does Christ say I am?" and how Mary, Christ's Mother would answer those questions. They journeyed spiritually, walking in the work of the Trinity, the model of relational ministeial love.

Each participant completed pre and post measures of their understanding of their spiritual perceptions and how they identified with Christ. At the conclusion of the sessions, all of the participants had matured in their understanding of their identification with who Christ is and of their vocational ministry in the work of the Church. All recognized the challenge of ongoing formation in identifying with Christ and expressed reverent desires to continue in the work of personal and communal spiritual formation.