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Fitzgerald, Patrick T CRITERIA AND METHOD FOR DISCERNMENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: AN ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY Thesis Submitted to The College of Arts and Sciences of the UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for The Degree of Master of Arts in Theological Studies By Patrick T. Fitzgerald UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON Dayton, Ohio August 2021 CRITERIA AND METHOD FOR DISCERNMENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: AN ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY Name: Fitzgerald, Patrick T. APPROVED BY: _________________________ Elizabeth Groppe, Ph.D. Faculty Advisor Professor __________________________ Sandra Yocum, Ph.D. Faculty Reader University Professor of Faith and Culture __________________________ Dennis Doyle, Ph.D. Faculty Reader Professor __________________________ Jana Bennett, Ph.D. Professor and Chair, Department of Religious Studies ii ABSTRACT CRITERIA AND METHOD FOR DISCERNMENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: AN ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY Name: Fitzgerald, Patrick T. University of Dayton Advisor: Elizabeth Groppe, Ph.D. The purpose of this thesis is to critically assess a theological paradigm for the discernment of the Holy Spirit. The Catholic tradition affirms that the ecclesial, spiritual, and moral life of Catholics is sustained and guided by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of Christ, given by God, enables participation in the divine life through the sacraments and prayer of the Church. This affirmation is foundational to Catholic theology and life. Because of this, this thesis seeks to address the practice and method of discerning the Holy Spirit. How do Catholics open themselves to the presence of the Holy Spirit? How do they determine when the Spirit is actually present, and what the Spirit is leading them to do? One theological paradigm for the discernment of the Spirit is Thomas Dubay’s Authenticity: A Biblical Theology of Discernment. Dubay attempts to distinguish between actions based on the Spirit’s involvement and those based on sin or subjective illusion. The proposed thesis applies Dubay’s methodology to common questions of discernment in order to illuminate different aspects of the Holy Spirit’s involvement in human life. The thesis will assess Dubay’s paradigm through ethnographic research conducted among members of a Catholic religious community. The integration of fieldwork with theological scholarship by means of ethnographic study is a dimension of iii Sarah Coakley’s method of théologie totale. Using both participant observation and interviews, I researched the practices of prayerful reception of the Spirit and active discernment of the Spirit in the male branch of the Society of Mary (Marianist) communities in Dayton, Ohio. The Marianists are a Roman Catholic religious community of brothers and priests that work in areas such as education, social justice, and environmental preservation. Members of this community are part of the order’s Province of the United States, whose mission states that they are a community “empowered by the Holy Spirit.” On the basis of this research, I will assess Dubay’s theological paradigm seeking to answer the following: Is it adequate to account for the lived experience of Marianist communities? Are there aspects of the paradigm that need revision? Is there a need for any enhancements or additions? iv DEDICATION Dedicated to both Pobby (John J. Beale) and Fr. Paul Landolfi, S.M. “And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work.” 2 Corinthians 9:8 v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thank you to my grandmother (Alice Beale), my parents (John and Marypat Fitzgerald), my uncle (Fr. Kenneth Beale), and for both the support and friendship of my first community, my siblings (Erin, Brendan, Kieran, Aidan, Liam, and Owen). To both the Marianist Province of Meribah and the Province of the United States at the University of Dayton for giving me counsel in approaching this topic of discerning the Holy Spirit. I would especially like to thank the Marianist community that participated in my ethnographic study. A special thank you to my wonderful girlfriend, Aimee Solano, who has been my rock these last two years studying at the University of Dayton. I have been able to accomplish much because of your love and encouragement, which is why I owe much of my success to you. To the Campbell’s (Tyler, Chalsi, Keziah, Cy, and Harlow), the McNeely’s (Andrew and Lindsey), Jeremy Dowsett, Jacob Hart, Tiffany Hunsinger, and members of my cohort (Chanel Winston, Lindsay Horn, Rebecca Judge, Rachel Bell, Rachel Griggs, Samantha Mayne, and Fr. Varghese Chacko, S.M.) thank you all your friendship and community while at the University of Dayton. To Dr. Sandra Yocum and Dr. Dennis Doyle for offering both their time and feedback to this thesis. Finally, to Dr. Elizabeth Groppe, I am tremendously grateful that you agreed to work with me this semester on this thesis. Thank you for always challenging me to be a better thinker and writer. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... iii DEDICATION .................................................................................................................... v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... vi INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 1 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCING DISCERNMENT ...................................................... 3 Discernment ................................................................................................................................. 3 Ignatius on True Spirits and False Spirits ...............................................................................................6 The True Spirit and Consolation .............................................................................................................6 The False Spirit and Desolation ..............................................................................................................9 Discernment, Prayer, and Desire ............................................................................................... 13 Problems and Challenges ........................................................................................................... 17 Subjective Illusion ................................................................................................................................18 Purification and the Possibility of Discernment ...................................................................................18 Interpretation .........................................................................................................................................19 Illuminism .............................................................................................................................................21 Communal Discernment ............................................................................................................ 21 Discernment’s Importance and Role in the Contemporary Church .......................................... 27 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 29 CHAPTER TWO: THOMAS DUBAY’S THEOLOGICAL PARADIGM FOR DISCERNMENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT ...................................................................... 30 Authenticity ............................................................................................................................... 31 vii Possibilities and Conditions of Discernment ............................................................................. 36 Fruits and Signs of the Holy Spirit ............................................................................................ 42 Moral Behavior .....................................................................................................................................43 Doctrinal ...............................................................................................................................................47 Communal Criteria ................................................................................................................................49 Authentically Verifying the Holy Spirit .................................................................................... 51 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 52 CHAPTER THREE: IMPORTANCE OF FIELDWORK IN THEOLOGY .................... 53 Sarah Coakley and Théologie Totale ......................................................................................... 54 Robert Orsi and Fieldwork on 115th Street ................................................................................ 60 Methods of Ethnographic Study ................................................................................................ 64 Virtues and Values in the Practice of Ethnography ................................................................... 67 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 71 CHAPTER FOUR: ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY OF THE SOCIETY OF MARY ......... 73 The Society of Mary .................................................................................................................
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