Catechetical Newsletter

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The Importance of Spiritual Formation
by Steven Ellair

Many years ago, when awareness and attention to my faith journey was just awakening, I decided that I would seek the guidance of a spiritual director. This was spurred by the fact that I felt I was spending a great deal of time in prayer, but, for some reason, I wasn’t feeling as close to God as I had once experienced. I wanted to explore this with someone who could offer me some guidance and wisdom.

Up to that point in time, my prayer life consisted of reciting all of the traditional prayers of the Church: the Our Father, the Glory Prayer, and the Hail Mary, just to name a few. I would also pray the Liturgy of the Hours and the full Rosary. Morning, noon, and night I would recite these prayers again and again, waiting for some magical moment of divine enlightenment.

As I explained this to my new spiritual director, he sat in the chair across from me with a big grin. “Oh,” he said, “It is clear to me that God is speaking to you through all of this.” I was ecstatic. This was exactly what I was hoping for. “What is God saying?” I asked with great anticipation. My spiritual director replied in a slow and calm manner, clearly indicating that some great piece of wisdom was about to be relayed, “God is simply telling you…” I was so excited, I could barely stand it. “…to shut up!” My jaw dropped.

The spiritual director went on to explain that vocal prayer was indeed an important type of prayer, but that it might also be helpful to explore the meditative and contemplative types of prayer in the Catholic Tradition. I realized that I was so busy talking in prayer that I never had a chance to listen to God! It was a lesson I will never forget and one which has led me to a rich spirituality and a fruitful prayer life today.

As we gather to prepare those charged with the task of handing on the faith, let us not forget the importance of spiritual formation in our support and training. The person of the catechist is one of the most important teaching tools that exists, and exposing our catechists to different resources and opportunities that enrich their own spirituality has a direct impact on the faith lives of those they work with. Classroom management, lesson planning, and solid theology are extremely important, but it is the heart of the catechist that teaches most profoundly.

Adult Formation
The Faith Connection®

Whole Community Catechesis
Online Resource

Sacrament Preparation
Eucharist and Reconciliation

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