Moving Forward Together: Spiritual Development
Read comments given at the day at Washington then post your own responses to the questions on Spiritual Development below
(1): What does spiritual development mean for you? How could the Diocese support your development?
HEADLINES
- Broadening experience not just prayer but a different range of spiritualities experiencing each and diversity.
- Using Sacramental moments as teaching opportunities to raise awareness of what the underlying grace is and change it can make.
- Need to give space for people to be who they are and encourage to seek importance of faith accompaniment/group experience/support.
- Better communication of happenings in parishes, deaneries etc and bring other people in – welcome.
- The Holy Spirit resides within us.
- Refining our perception of God self-esteem and growth and owning faith.
- Further/deeper knowledge of prayer.
- More resources
- Finding who we are in God.
- Knowing we are loaned and gifted.
- Reciprocity and community.
- Moving from second hand faith to first hand faith (mature faith)
- Formation of Diocesan Support Teams.
- Spiritual Direction in parishes
- Involving ‘ordinary’ parishioners
- Learning to pray! Different ways of praying – children to adults
- Centre for spirituality
- Parish as centre for spirituality
- Journeying together – deepening our relationship with Jesus
- Interfaith/ecumenical sharing.
RECOMMENDATIONS
- Workshop days on prayer – offer experiences.
- Need to address what it means to live in 1st hand faith – mature Christian – qualities etc.
- Train parishes/deaneries to do on the ground.
- Linking in with Ecumenism, Sp Centres eg Priory Durham using experience.
- Parishes North and South in Diocese as Sp Centre where opportunities are happening. What new things can we learn from them?
- Directory of people in Dio who do Sp Journeying
- Young People – Holistic Formation – schools and parishes
- Areas for formation:
1) Spiritual 2) Academic 3) Human Development 4) Past Ability - Faith Development – All staff not just RE
- Sharing if Faith – staff and children
- (Opportunities for) Priests and People
- Resource them
- Empowerment coming from schools and parishes.
- Holy Spirit guidance.
- Enabling conversation – parish/deanery based courses and resources.
- Schools and parishes need faith resources especially schools/teachers.
- Movement from information to formation to transformation
(2) What do you enjoy most about the celebration of Mass?How could we bring more life to it?
HEADLINES
- The Mass itself
- The Liturgy
- Music Liturgy
- Education as to what Mass is about
- Community
- Young people – attraction to Mass
- Difference of ‘intimate’ Mass
- Intensity of experiences – silence!
- Enjoy music and instruments (if done well-liked)
- Focus on essence of Mass (not lost in ritual)
- Mass builds to ‘high point’
- Welcome important
- Variety of ‘types’ of Masses (liturgies) to meet need
- Prepare for Mass – focus on meeting God
- Proclaim word to interest and understand
- We take ourselves to Mass where ever we are
- Mass is a community which is influenced by the laity and the priests alike.
- Sometimes the focus is taken away from God, however, God knows no boundaries.
- Everybody should be welcomed.
- Mass is a moment of gathering
- Mass is not only to receive but also to give.
- We all have something to give.
- Mass is the summit of the church
- We need to follow Jesus’ example – demolish boundaries
- Emphasis on academic performance impacts on young people’s relationship with the church
RECOMMENDATIONS
- Catholicism for Dummies – re-visit why we do things
- More involvement of laity – active participation (Priests at centre still)
- Reminder of different roles
- Explore mission – ‘go out’ from Mass
- Involve young people/more people
- ‘Not someone else’s problem’ – we are all in it
- Training/formation for all ministries
- Personal prayer opportunities (written biddings to share)
- Need spontaneity in the Mass
- Everyone needs understanding of the Mass
- Greeting people in Mass
- Evangelisation – especially through sacraments
- Priest leads and should be led by the people
3. What would help congregations in the diocese to understand and embrace the New Mass?
HEADLINES
- Awareness of change
- Teaching opportunity and spiritual opportunity
- DVD available and website to explore
- More exciting Mass encourage people to go to Mass
- Diocesan protocol
- Try to understand and embrace this in our hearts
- Staggering lack of awareness now!
- Never mind ‘new’ – old Mass not understood
- Opportunity to educate all – improve awareness
- Young people – Youth Sunday around new Mass
- How to stimulate interest
- Poor catechesis at the moment on the Mass
eg in Confirmation/Holy Communion not much on Mass - Tridentine --> Novus Ordis – long time, then easy. Takes a long time to bed down
RECOMMENDATIONS
- More concrete timetable when happens
- Diocesan approach to new Mass and help laity to introduce it
- Website link to Hexham and Newcastle Diocese
- Explanation in Sunday homilies
- Range of Strategies: Team of Priests to explain, DVDs, books etc, website, Northern Cross, Use in-parish groups to lead, Youth Groups - Village
- Keep Mass catechesis going after change
4.How could stillness and silence play a larger role on the Spiritual Development of the Diocese?
HEADLINES
- Stillness and silence is important in order to hear the word of God and develop a personal relationship with Him
- Not everyone fully appreciates the importance of silent reflection (Benediction/Rosary etc often poorly attended)
- Awareness of the different ways to be prayerful needs developing (eg Ignatian/Benedictine etc)
- Young people in particular need encouragement and guidance with reflection and prayer (hopefully which will boost Mass attendance)
- Children taught to ‘evaluate’ and reflect within the curriculum – we should harness this to reflect upon their faith
- Stillness and quiet particularly important to contract the ‘pace of life’
- Quiet time is important to discern God’s word – we need to learn how to be silent – we have lost these skills
- Being rather than doing
- To begin from a very young age to create opportunities for quiet family time eg turn TV off, family meals
- Christ-centred is foundational to all that we do in the Diocese
- Necessity of creating opportunities for silence eg after readings or Communion at Mass; in people’s own homes; schools; groups
- Acknowledge the growing desire for stillness and reflection on life and prayer
- Respect for people’s own faith journey, where they are at, be non-threatening in encouraging silence
- Acknowledge how prayer can already be present in our homes
- Learn how to be contemplative in a busy life
- How do we learn to discern God’s will
RECOMMENDATIONS
- Guidance from Diocese, although the methods are often better ‘caught’ rather than ‘taught’
- Young people should be referred to youth groups (we should almost ‘allow’ God to work in them spiritually)
- More quiet time in the Mass ie before and after readings and communion. (Beautiful prayer by Thomas Aquinas for Mass preparation
- Make sure support is available in parts of the Diocese some distance from Cathedral/centres
- Encourage ‘family prayer’ as part of First Communion ‘instruction’
- Flexible opportunities for quiet time
- Help people discover different ways of praying
- Optimise opportunities to create climate and culture in sacramental preparation, schools and families
- Creating opportunities for spiritual conversations
- Promote opportunities for simple spiritual conversations and faith sharing
- Introduce people to various ways of silent prayer – Lectio Devina, weeks of guided prayer, silent adoration, the heritage of spiritual traditions we already have
- Nurture a sense of silence from childhood
- Provide access to opportunities for everyone to develop their prayer