Spiritual Formation Program

As a School of Theology in the Benedictine tradition, Saint Meinrad is committed to the balance between ora et labora (prayer and work). As an integrated part of the “work” of a pastorally focused theological education, Saint Meinrad’s spiritual formation program helps lay students grow spiritually, both to nurture their own faith life and to ground them for their service in ministry. The program has a core set of goals for learning and spiritual growth to help lay students:

• grow in knowledge of the Church’s spiritual tradition, particularly the Benedictine charisms;
• deepen their baptismal call to holiness, justice, and their ability to discern and articulate their own vocation;
• practice the process of theological reflection, working individually and in groups to put personal experience into dialogue with Church tradition;
• understand the varieties of spiritual practices, and discern and articulate a personal spirituality that fits their unique gifts and temperament;
• develop and strengthen a commitment to personal prayer and public worship.

Students who complete the spiritual formation program earn three pass-fail elective credits toward the MTS or MA degree. The program can be completed in a minimum of two years and must be completed within four calendar years from the time of enrollment. Credits are awarded after all required components are completed.

The written portions of all required formation components are collected in a spirituality portfolio for each student. Assignments should be submitted in electronic format to the Director of Lay Degree Programs, who maintains all portfolios in confidentiality. The student, the Director of Lay Degree Programs and the Academic Dean have access to the portfolios

Required Components

• Submit a spiritual autobiography and statement of goals to the spirituality portfolio.
  Although similar to the degree application essay, this autobiography should focus less on professional or academic concerns and more on the movement of your interior life. Contact the Director of Lay Degree Programs for essay guidelines.
  
  
• Participate in four weekend workshops.
  Students begin the program in August with the initial workshop covering theological reflection. Other workshops cover such topics as prayer and temperament, lay vocational discernment, spirituality and social justice, and ecology and spirituality. Written assignments and reflections for all workshops must be submitted to the workshop facilitator by the deadlines she or he specifies. A copy of those assignments will be placed in the student’s spirituality portfolio.
  
  Tuition for the workshops is included in the program tuition fee, but students will be responsible for room and board charges, workshop textbooks and materials.
  
  
• Participate in four theological reflection group meetings.
  Submit short (one to two pages) reflection papers from each meeting to the spirituality portfolio. Each student is required to lead at least one cohort meeting. Theological reflection group meetings generally take place on Saturday evenings concurrent with weekend classes held at Saint Meinrad. The format of the meeting is group theological reflection on a personal experience of a student, through the lenses of tradition, culture and experience.
  
  Written reflections should describe the theological themes that emerged, implications for personal discipleship and pastoral possibilities. Students are welcome to attend any or all peer group meetings and need not submit written reflections for each meeting; however, at least four written reflections are required to complete this section of the portfolio.
  
  
• Complete the experiential/retreat component.
  Completion of the experiential component consists of making two one- to two-day retreats or days of recollection. All Saint Meinrad retreats may fulfill this requirement. The conference fee for most Saint Meinrad retreats is covered by course tuition, but students will be responsible for room and board charges
  
  Retreats at other institutions may also fulfill the experiential requirement with the approval of the Director of Lay Degree Programs. The student is responsible for all associated expenses. To receive credit, a student must submit to the spirituality portfolio a two- to three-page written reflection about each retreat.
  
  Regular spiritual direction, mentoring or participation in a small faith-sharing group (other than the Saint Meinrad cohort group) may substitute for one retreat. “Regular” is defined as meeting at least six times in a calendar year. To receive experiential credit, students must submit to the spirituality portfolio at least six short written summaries of these meetings.
  
  
• Complete the final project and exit interview.
  During the semester in which a student plans to complete the requirements of the formation program and receive three elective credits, he or she must consult with the Director of Lay Degree Programs to discuss the final project.
  
  The project is a five-page statement about the student’s spirituality, including an honest evaluation of personal strengths, weaknesses, and growing edges, and his or her future goals for growth and development. A guide is available from the Director of Lay Degree Programs.
  
  The student submits the final project to the Director of Lay Degree Programs at least two weeks before the end of the semester. Before the end of the semester, the student must arrange to meet with the Director of Lay Degree Programs for an exit interview to discuss the final project and his or her involvement in the formation program.
  
  

Optional Components

• Spiritual Direction and Spiritual Companioning
  If a student already has a spiritual director or spiritual companion, he or she can receive experiential credit for these regular meetings; see the Experiential Component bullet point under Required Components.
  
  If a student would like to establish a spiritual direction or companioning relationship, the student may contact the Director of Lay Degree Programs. Saint Meinrad monks and priests may be available for spiritual direction, or can seek out a spiritual director or companion in the student’s home diocese.
  
  
• Mentoring
  Similar to spiritual direction, in mentoring a student meets regularly with an experienced minister to discuss professional, academic and/or personal issues. A list of available mentors may be obtained from the Director of Lay Degree Programs. Many of these mentors are recent alumni, students nearing graduation or professional ministers.
  
  Saint Meinrad also provides a series of optional mentoring guides, which center on ministry competencies and theological reflection. To earn experiential credits substituting for one retreat, a student must submit to the spirituality portfolio a short reflection from at least six mentoring sessions, or complete the mentoring guides.
  
  
• Faith-Sharing and Bible Study Groups
  If a student is already involved or becomes involved in a small group independent of the formation peer group, these regular meetings can also substitute for one of the two required retreats in the experiential component. To earn experiential credit, the student must submit to the spirituality portfolio paragraph-long summaries/reflections on at least six small-group meetings.
  
  
• Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Testing
  For any student participating in the Spirituality and Temperament weekend workshop, Saint Meinrad makes available the Myers-Briggs personality profile. The profile is administered by the counseling staff at Saint Meinrad, and there is no extra charge.

Payment Policy and Financial Aid
Tuition is based on the tuition rate at the time of enrollment and may be paid over a two-year or four-year period. Students are responsible for arranging a payment schedule with the Business Office. In the event the program is completed earlier than expected, academic credit will be awarded when the balance due on tuition is paid.

All Saint Meinrad Grants/Lay Ministry Grants will be applied toward the tuition cost for the Spiritual Formation Program. Students must complete the necessary forms to be eligible for these grants.