"I'm in a mind-mapping state of mind"

(My apologies to Billy Joel)

In these last few days before break, you may want to set up a meeting with your advisor to discuss the National Standards for Lay and Ecclesial Ministry--either for the end of this week or just after break.  Creating a mind-map, or working with the Google docs form (in beta!), is an optional but important part of your own self-assessment as a student discerning lay ministry in the Church.  A completed mind map can be a useful introduction of yourself within a portfolio as well, electronic or not.

This option has been introduced in Th 209 and Th 460, but if you are interested, please feel free to fool around with the options and make an appointment with your Theology department advisor.

The National Standards Concept Map

(Click to enlarge)

Do you ever feel busy? It's likely because you are! Our majors tend to be extremely involved in service and church related activities. This concept map gives you the opportunity to place that formative involvement within one of the four formation branches established by the National Standards for Lay Ecclesial Ministry. Not only is this a useful visual aid to show another person (such as, ahem, an employer) what you have done to discern and prepare for lay ministry work, it is also useful to see what you still need to attend to in some matter.

We have a template of this concept map (thank you, Laurie Ziliak!) available through a Blackboard group. If you want access, let us know. The template requires a free computer program called Xmind...but we are looking into making the template available in simpler formats (although admittedly, if you like these things, Xmind has many bells and whistles). The image above is a sample PYM major concept map, created from our National Standards template. It was created through an easy to use website called Text2MindMap. (And this "filled in Joe Student sample" is found here: http://www.text2mindmap.com/JaiZoA .)

If you want see a video created on the why and how of creating a concept map such as this as part of your preparation for lay ministry, click here.  It's not the best quality and the first half minute is boring, but I said, I'm a theologian, not an I.T. person....But this concept map could be a great addition to your senior portfolio.  We ask you to consider it.

Next post: Take the tour!

Question: How do I determine what I need to do be a lay ecclesial minister or teach theology?

(Answer: it's a bit more than taking the required courses and having a good heart.)

Don't be afraid of the technology--it's really quite easy, and you want to do this! And since you have now finished exams (woo hoo!), you have time to do it as well!

As you move through one of the Theology-affiliated majors (or minors) and your liberal arts education at Saint Mary's University, you will be discerning who it is God calls you to be--as well as which skills, educational choices, and formation opportunities you need to best fulfill that vocation. This 14 minute video explains the easy "fill in the blanks" concept map that will help you see for yourself (and show others!) what you have done in the effort required to discern vocation, what your natural interests are, and what work you still need to do. It is designed to be a help in your growing self-awareness, as well as a key to seeing if your desire to move into lay ministry or teaching theology is in line with the guidelines provided by the U.S. Bishops.

If you want to see the Prezi presentation in this video and move through it at your own speed (but without the audio), click here.

Ignore the somewhat lackluster first minute of the video and please watch!

Contact any of us in the theology department with questions.

--Dr WD

On pizza, mind maps, and spiritual formation

The meeting! Finally! Thanks to everyone who came (should have gotten a big group shot, I know, I know)....

Conclusion #1: Goodness, we eat a lot of pizza.

Look at us using computers. How on earth did Thomas Aquinas write his Summa without them....









Concept mapping broke out all over the place.

If you weren't there, we explained this program (on this page) AND showed people how to use the "mind map" (or concept map if you prefer). This is like a digital version of Co-Workers in the Vineyard, a tool to self-assess your formation as a Catholic Christian, and help determine next steps in discerning and growing in your vocation and ministry. More to come....

What is "the Spirituality for the Vineyard"?

Is there a spirituality--specifically, a formation and discernment process--that is particular to young adults considering pastoral and youth ministry? We think there is. This website is a place for SMU theology, pastoral and youth ministry, religious education majors and minors to learn more about how you could pray, think, and live out your discernment regarding who God is calling you to be. You cannot ignore the need for knowledge and professionalism when you are in leadership...but there are spiritual needs as well.

In order to complete what we call "The Vineyard Experience," we ask you to accomplish the following:

1. Seeing: Encounter your world. Participate in one extended cross-cultural service experience (for example, a SOUL trip or equivalent, verified in advance by your advisor), attending to and learning from the vulnerable in our human family.
2. Learning: The Vineyard Colloquia. Attend three Vineyard Colloquia an academic year, for two years. The Vineyard colloquia offer a chance to hear leaders in our area share their wisdom and experience on the challenges and opportunities of various lay ministries in the Church. There will also be a focus on the spirituality of lay ministry.
3. Exploring: Praxis for ministry: Complete the Pastoral and Youth Ministry internship (waived if you are a Theology major or minor). There are also other volunteer ministries--through SMU and in the local churches and dioceses--that students may count toward this element.
4. Clarifying: Small group support and reflection. Participate in small sharing groups, facilitated by local lay ecclesial leaders. These groups of three or four students meet monthly to share a meal and discuss how issues of life discernment and lay formation are going. Ideally, students in the major should be in one of these groups from the time they declare a major. Regular attendance is expected for at least one academic year.
5. Discerning: Prayer and retreat. Participate in one discernment retreat for majors and interested minors, usually offered in January. Students may attend their junior or senior year (or both years). A time away can help a person recognize and name their vocation, and return to classes with new questions and fresh vigor.

In addition, students in the program are encouraged to seek other methods of formation: spiritual direction, the 19th annotation of the Spiritual Exercises, regular participation in Catholic liturgical life, etc. We can point you in the right direction for all that if you wish. But the five above are a baseline.

Completion of The Vineyard Experience merits recognition of work above and beyond the academic elements of the major, and helps fulfill the spiritual formation elements of the National Standards for Lay and Ecclesial Ministries.

Explore the site or talk to one of the members of the theology department. We're excited--you should be, too!

What are the "National Standards"?

As lay ministry has become a much more common phenomenon in the United States (although present throughout Church History in some degree!), there have recently evolved the National Certification Standards for Lay Ecclesial Ministers. You can see the standards book in our suite (Saitn Mary's 223), but there is a short overview here as well, which incudes this:

Core Certification Standards for Lay Ecclesial Ministers
These standards are for all lay ecclesial ministers, including coordinators of youth ministry/youth ministry leaders.

1.Personal and Spiritual Maturity: A lay ecclesial minister demonstrates personal and spiritual maturity in ministry with the people of God.
2.Lay Ecclesial Ministry Identity: A lay ecclesial minister identifies the call to formal and public ministry as a vocation rooted in baptism.
3.Roman Catholic Theology: A lay ecclesial minister integrates knowledge of Roman Catholic faith within ministry.
4.Pastoral Praxis: A lay ecclesial minister engages in pastoral activity that promotes evangelization, faith formation, community, and pastoral care with sensitivity to diverse situations.
5.Professional Practice: A lay ecclesial minister provides effective leadership, administration, and service, in the spirit of collaboration.

This "Spirituality for the Vineyard" program is aimed at helping you self-evaluate your place in the first set of standards (personal and spiritual maturity), and inform the second the fourth group as well.  Much of the third and fifth sections are covered in class study and field work.  Perhaps no one is moved to ministry through certification standards, but it is important to know the increasing expectations of a person who feels led to serve the Church in this manner.  Besides, these standards are helpful in determining which areas of your life need attention and growth.