School for Discipleship

By Patrick P. Gribben, Jr.
Member, Diocesan Pastoral Council

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Looking for a school of “higher” education that features schedules tailored to your convenience, has no tests or grades, requires only two textbooks throughout its entire curriculum and charges little or no tuition? The School for Discipleship at St. Mary Magdalen in Brighton is for you. It offers all of these features and much, much more.

Background: Now in its second year, the school is a product of the Brighton parish’s pastoral plan and seeks to attain one of its four major goals: “Provide a vibrant, lifelong faith formation opportunity which enables us to live the Gospel.”

As Father Dave Howell, pastor at St. Mary Magdalen, describes the effort, “We wanted a program that covers our Catholic theology… that gives a systematic, academic approach to that theology, to scripture and to church history. First and foremost, it’s adult faith formation. Today, there are a lot of Catholic ‘Generation X-ers’ in our parishes who do not really have a solid understanding of scripture and theology. Those subjects have not been a major part of their education experience and this program is designed to give them that understanding.”

In meeting these objectives, the school embodies several unique features not usually found in the more traditional faith formation programs. First, it’s a very comprehensive program with an integrated curriculum of 13 courses in a preferred sequence spread over about a two-year period. Second, the syllabus matches up well with many of the elements in the guidelines for catechist certification and in the Siena Heights ministry programs. If they are motivated to do so, this enables participants to move into more formal ministry preparation programs and apply the class certificates they’ve earned to gain advanced standing.

The School for Discipleship curriculum consists of classes that meet one night each week for six weeks. There are six scriptural courses and six more on theology. The remaining course is a practicum class on ministry and leadership that helps individuals discern whether they are being called to go on into ministry.

For the person with expedited ministry preparation in mind, the time commitment over two years would probably entail attending sessions two nights a week, for two hours each, from mid-September to late April. No courses are scheduled for November and December. On the other hand, those with solely their own personal faith formation in mind could develop a very solid, comprehensive foundation in Catholic theology at a more leisurely pace, investing just two hours a week – an invaluable return for the time invested. For parishioners, the school is a precious faith formation resource that is available right in their own community.

Although it does offer an advantage to those who want to go into one of the various ministries, Father Dave cautions that the program’s thrust is more fundamental than that.

“Ours isn’t a ‘funnel system’ for ministry,” he stresses. “ It’s for people who would like to know more about their faith, to have a more basic understanding of what we believe and of the theology behind our catechism. In the course of gaining that, if they feel a ministerial calling, that’s wonderful but it’s icing on the cake.” He notes that a great many of those participating are already involved in ministries.

Sister Joyce Hoile, Director of Adult Faith Formation at the Brighton parish, coordinates the program. According to Sr. Joyce, “Enrollment in the courses has been very gratifying. Several have drawn nearly 100 participants. But we’re finding that a maximum of about 30 students attains the best results.” The instructors thus far have all been parish staff with the exception of one who is a member of neighboring St. Patrick Parish.

Matching the schedule to the students’ convenience is a work in progress. “Enrollment levels vary according to when the classes are offered,” Sister points out. “Mondays and Tuesdays seem to be working out best while Saturdays are not very popular.”

“We are also learning what the optimum times are to begin and end the semesters,” she adds. “In the first year, we began the program too early and folks were still involved with their summer life styles. An October start-up has proven better. Further; we have no courses from Thanksgiving through the Christmas Holidays because everyone is busy with other matters during that time. There are also indications that finishing our courses in early spring will work out best for participants’ convenience.”

This school has no truant officers because the attendance requirements are not an issue except for those who want to earn a certificate for the class. They have to meet at least five of the six sessions. Tuition isn’t burdensome either. The courses are free to parishioners and only $20 each for people who aren’t members of St. Mary Magdalen. At present, there are seven participants who fall into the latter category.

Father Dave sees this program as an excellent vehicle for collaboration among neighboring parishes. “It’s a lot of work for a single parish to do. We are blessed at St. Mary Magdalen with a staff that likes to teach. Plus we have others in our area who can bring significant gifts to our formation efforts.” Promoting it with other parishes will bolster both the numbers of participants and of faculty. He’d like to see his parish become the regional center for this type activity.

Resources Required:
Financial: Cost is not a major factor. The entire program requires only two books the participants are expected to purchase. The text used for the Bible courses is “The Catholic Study Bible,” preferred for its rich commentary. For the theology courses, the book used is “The Catechism of the Catholic Church.”
There may be some modest travel expenses involved for those infrequent occasions when outside presenters are involved. The parish feels very fortunate that Sister Barbara Reid, a noted Biblical scholar, will present a lecture in the current course on “Women in the New Testament.” It helps that Sister Barbara’s mother is a parishioner at St. Mary Magdalen!

Human Resources: Labor can be a significant consideration, especially where the availability of faculty is concerned. The weight of the burden depends heavily on the size of the parish. The program at St. Mary Magdalen uses a five-member faculty to provide the 13 courses over the September-April time frame. With several parishes collaborating, however, the demands of a program like School for Discipleship become very manageable. As openings occur, St. Mary Magdalen staff would offer faculty spots to persons outside the parish who are capable and interested in teaching one of the courses. That would be an excellent way for others who might be interested in replicating the school in their parishes to learn the school’s operations firsthand.

Also, there are some administrative duties involved with operating the school, particularly when it comes to monitoring attendance and issuing certificates for use with other programs.

Promotion: Unless the sponsoring parish is fairly large, inviting attendees from neighboring parishes becomes necessary if the program is to remain viable. This is another element where regional collaboration can play an important role.

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Person To Contact:
Sister Joyce Hoile, OSF, Director of Adult Formation
St. Mary Magdalen, 2201 Old US 23
Brighton, Michigan 48114-7609
Phone: 810-229-8624
Fax: 810-229-6471