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By Erika Anderson, Staff Writer
DUNWOODY—J.B. and Sharon Colletta got more than they
bargained for when they signed up for the two-year Pastoral Ministry Formation
program to increase their effectiveness in youth ministry.
Dating during registration and happily married by their May
graduation day, the couple received not only practical knowledge and skills to
apply to youth ministry at St. Benedict Church, Duluth, but also a deeper
relationship with God and each other and a better understanding of the
sacrament of marriage through the class on sacramental theology. As they
planned the wedding, they related much of the course material to their
commitment.
“It was a shared experience,” said Mrs. Colletta, 24.
“It gave us a lot of good things to talk about and helped us develop our
faith and grow in our relationship together but also with God.”
It’s important to have that relationship with God together,
she added. “In order for our relationship to be successful God’s got
to be there . . . As we talked about the different sacraments you recognized
the importance of it. It just kind of hit home.”
The sacraments are just one aspect of the Pastoral Ministry
Formation program sponsored by the archdiocesan Office of Lay Ministry
Formation and Evangelization. The program covers a broad range of topics that
relate to persons with diverse skills, interests and experiences, and is open
to Catholic lay adults currently active and actively seeking involvement with
formal ministry in the church. Participants seek a foundational knowledge and a
greater depth of understanding of church teachings and ministry.
The Collettas and 14 other graduates representing 12 parishes
gathered the evening of May 29 before friends and family for the Graduation and
Commissioning Celebration Mass at All Saints Church, Dunwoody. It was
celebrated by Archbishop John F. Donoghue and concelebrated by about 15
priests. Cantor Kathy Kuczka and pianist Rick Reed led the congregation in
songs like “Here I Am Lord,” “I Will Choose Christ” and
“We Are the Light of the World.”
In his homily the archbishop spoke of the role of all the faithful
to live according to the Gospel, to participate fully in Christ’s church
and to make known these gifts to all mankind without self-pride or prejudice.
The archbishop recognized and commissioned graduates as “leaders and
teachers in the general work of our shared priesthood—to be examples by
the purity of their lives, to lead others into a more perfect union with the
Church, and to fill, wherever possible, the void of worldly emptiness, with the
healing and vivifying power of God’s Word, knowledge of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ.”
He said they would serve the church and her members in the future
in ways in which only God now knows, and as he watches over them will provide
them with the path on which they may choose to walk.
“We are all traveling towards the heavenly Jerusalem—we
do not know what will happen to us, an hour from now, tomorrow, next
year-except that we all know life cannot be easy for those who have found and
who have chosen to share the Cross of our Lord. And yet, the Spirit—the
Spirit of truth and right, the Spirit of God that has come to us by Baptism and
Confirmation, pushes us on, compels us as St. Paul says.”
And what doesn’t exhaust them will make them stronger, he
said.
“And, we are all running a race, a race with time, with our
own mortality, to get as much done as we can, to store up our own acts, our own
signs and gestures, of love for God, and belief that by His mercy, at the end
of our race, He will grant us His eternal peace, and the reward in Heaven that
He has prepared for all those whom He loves,” he concluded.
“These acts, these signs, the work we do, as priests, as lay
teachers, as members of the One Mystical Body of Christ, are the service which
has been assigned to us by the Lord, in answer to our willingness, our
dedication, our commitment. He tests us, but never beyond our ability to
endure—and by enduring, faithfully, we see Him more and more, day by day,
sacrifice by sacrifice.”
Persons then came forward as their names were called to receive a
certificate from the archbishop and a lighted candle after which they lined up
facing the altar and received a blessing.
Afterward attendees and graduates enjoyed food and fellowship at a
reception in the parish hall.
Graduates were the Collettas; Kenneth Ammerman of the Shrine of
the Immaculate Conception, Atlanta; Hugh Bowen of Prince of Peace Church,
Buford; Sister Leonie Iweh of Sts. Peter and Paul Church, Decatur; Mary Magyar
of Our Lady of the Americas Mission, Doraville; Debi Montelongo of St. Ann
Church, Marietta; Amy Osier of St. Matthew Church, Winder; Jon Sheppard of St.
Brigid Church, Alpharetta; Terry Blind of Holy Trinity Church, Peachtree City;
Sharon Branca of Holy Family Church, Marietta; Julie Johnson of St. Brigid;
Anna Mickle of St. Augustine Church, Covington; Sister Angela Onuoha of Our
Lady of Lourdes Church, Atlanta; Kathy Porter of St. James Church, McDonough;
and Lynda Von Kanel of St. Ann.
Meeting 11 Saturdays per year, the program, taught by priests,
deacons and the laity, covers topics including Scripture, church history,
liturgy, prayer, pastoral counseling, justice and multicultural ministry,
evangelization and canon law. It also fosters deeper ministry commitment
through faith formation, spiritual development and practical training with lay
leadership skills.
For her own faith, Mrs. Colletta said the program also gave her a
better understanding of what she believes and that studying biblical themes in
the overview sessions on the Old and New Testaments helped her to better
understand the Bible and small details in it. And she’s a more confident
youth minister. Teens “have a lot of questions and we can give them the
answers. I think that’s very valuable when kids know why we believe what
we believe, why we do what we do; it helps them grow in their faith.”
Her husband called the program “pretty low impact” and
“all about what you put into it.” He particularly liked practical
ministerial instruction he’ll apply with teens, like how to listen and not
try to solve problems or be a therapist and knowing when to give referrals. It
also gave him a greater awareness of the different ministries in the
archdiocese.
“It’s all about the people,” he said. “I think
it will be great as far as ministry in the Atlanta Archdiocese. It was a
wonderful way to meet people in different ministries, not just youth
ministers.”
Johnson, director of religious education at St. Brigid, said the
class has stimulated her to do a lot of outside reading and to keep searching
for deeper understanding of church teachings. She better appreciates her faith
and has come to truly love her church by studying things like the catechism and
church history, good and bad.
“Just seeing the whole bigger picture through these classes
has strengthened not only my spiritual devotion but my love for the
church,” said Johnson, 48. “Things I’d always been taught I
would question and now I want the answers because I want to understand why the
church teaches (what it does) on many controversial subjects.”
Magyar, who also feels better able to explain her faith to others,
hopes to get more involved as needed at her church, Our Lady of the Americas,
Doraville, after her retirement. For her, writing was a valuable discernment
tool. Her faith “has become more concrete because we had to write many
papers and in writing them you really had to speak from your heart and where
you’re at and where you want to go.”
Anne Frederick, director of lay formation and evangelization, said
class members come from a variety of different backgrounds, with some like
Magyar being nurses and others working as Catholic school teachers and in young
adult ministry or discerning how they can serve the church.
“They are wonderful people. I’ve been so impressed with
them. I’m impressed with the extent of the gifts they bring into the life
of the church, the generous way they’ve decided to share those gifts,
their skill levels. Some of these people have more than one graduate degree. We
have people with extensive education and experience who have taken these two
years to prepare themselves to be in better service of the church and deepen
their understanding of our church,” Frederick said.
This fall there will also be a new one-year leadership program for
Catholics already involved in ministry and with parish or school leadership
experience that will focus on practical leadership skills like effective
communication and recruiting volunteers, Frederick continued. In addition, she
is working with Pamela Villacres, director of the Office of Hispanic
Catechesis, and hopes to offer the two-year program in Spanish this fall to
better serve that community.
She hopes all Catholics, who must be recommended by their pastors,
will consider this educational opportunity. And for those considering graduate
study in theology some schools, like Spring Hill College, count the program as
credit towards meeting admission prerequisites.
The program is for “anyone who is actively seeking to become
involved in church ministry and realizes they need more of a background
preparation. There are so many people who haven’t had a chance to learn at
a mature level what the Catholic faith is all about and this provides a
systematic, organized way of doing that. We strive to do it in a balanced way
that reflects the teachings of the church,” Frederick said. “The
point of it is to give a better appreciation. We’re really trying to cover
a broad scope (of material) about the Catholic Church and doctrine and how that
connects with people in their ministerial journeys. We want people to also take
time to reflect on how God is working in their lives and how God is calling
them to respond and then connect that back to church teaching.”
The new formation and leadership programs begin on Sept. 8 at All
Saints and the registration deadline is Aug. 17. For information call Adys
Perera at (404) 885-7202 or Frederick at (404) 885-7248. |
