Pastoral Care and Counseling Newsletter Mrs
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May, 2010 Pastoral Care and Counseling Newsletter Neumann University Saint of 9/11: Franciscan Hero Provides Focus for Opening Lecture Series “Lord, take me where you want me to go; Let me meet who you want me to meet; Tell me what you want me to say; And keep me out of your way.” This prayer, simple in form and spirit, was daily on the lips of Father Mychal Judge, known for the past nine years as the “Saint of 9/11.” The first official casualty of the collapse of the Twin Towers on that fateful day, Father Judge was struck with falling debris as he stood among his fellow fire fighters, anointing one of the injured. Called “God’s Spirit in Sandals,” “An Authentic American Hero,” “The Fireman’s Friar,” perhaps the name he loved and lived most was Franciscan priest. In the biography borrowed from the Holy Name Prov- ince of which he was a member, he is described as “a busy Franciscan priest who dedicated his life to serv- ing God’s people. He is known for his work with the homeless, recovering addicts, AIDS patients, and his work as chaplain to the New York City Fire Depart- ment . He found God in the hurting, the broken, the Inside this issue: suffering and the poor.” On September 25, the Opening of the Lecture Series to honor the Twentieth Anniversary of the Spiri- PC Graduates Honored for Accomplishments 2 tual Direction program, will feature a day whose inspi- ration is drawn from the life, ministry, struggles and SD Students Share on Recent Involvements 3 service of Father Judge. Developed through the as- sistance of Frederick Pratt, PC ‘11, an award-winning Recent Faculty Achievements Noted 4 teacher at Merion Mercy Academy dedicated to social justice initiatives, the day will open with special Lecture Series Opens with Saint of 911 5 prayer, welcoming PCC students, past and present, to the keynote presentation by a pair of experts whose Community Learning Outcomes Revealed 6 work and dedication has been informed and trans- formed by Judge’s Franciscan ideals. Four break-out Generation to Generation Summer Seminar 7 sessions on related themes will follow a lunch and social gathering. Congratulations to Graduates in PC, SD 8 For information on Presentation see page 5. Page 2 Some notable graduates in PC share — Veni, Vidi, Verto: They Came, They Saw, They Tranformed Father Sanjai Devis, CM, winner of the St. Francis Award for Pastoral Counseling, 2010, reflects on God’s providence in his life. Born in India and raised as a Catholic, I was ordained to the priesthood in 1997. After my ordination, I traveled through a winding road, considering each yield sign to indicate stop. Difficult as they were, those experiences were priceless. As a young priest, I was in a mission province in India for seven years, where I worked both as a teacher and a principal in two schools, with orphan children, and in social work programs empowering and educating the socially deprived. I loved these ministries - but God had other plans. Ronaldo Tello- Despite my resistance, I was assigned as an Assistant Director of a retreat cen- Marzol, PC ‘10, ter, and there I discovered my true calling for I had the great privilege of assisting featured in the hundreds of people in their spiritual journey and personal and interpersonal relationships. I became con- last PCC vinced that I was being called to a ministry of counseling and more importantly, my clients and superiors rec- Newsletter, is ognized it. Therefore, my Vincentian order recommended that I pursue further training in counseling, bringing being presented me to the USA in 2004. Three years of hospital chaplaincy led me to a deeper conviction of this calling and to with the S. Neumann University. In my first course, I found what I was looking for. Au & Cannon state: “Neither a spiritu- Madonna Marie ality that ignores the dynamics of psychological growth nor a psychology that denies the spiritual nature of the Cunningham human person can serve as an adequate guide today for people who seek to live with greater harmony and Award for integration.” My seminary training provided me with a strong foundation in holiness and God centeredness. Service at the The PCC program at Neumann gave me a contemplative spirit, better self-knowledge and professional train- May 11 ing, and allowed me to integrate my spirituality and psychology for a fruitful ministry, both as a priest and a Graduation counselor. Now my journey continues to create sacred spaces in a covenantal relationship with my fellow Celebration. travelers holding their hands; leading to better health, wholeness and holiness. Presently, I am the Associate Pastor of a 3700 family parish in the Camden Diocese and provide counseling services to the candidates of the Diaconate program in the Diocese. I also have a passion for working with the grieving and I facilitate grief support groups and provide individual counseling. I plan to pursue my Doctoral studies in Psychology. Afterwards, I plan to re- turn to India to teach in the seminary and provide the seminarians, priests and religious with psycho-spiritual counseling. Three years ago, the PC program instituted a new certificate program for Pastoral Care Special- ists (PCSC), a membership category of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors. Following her taking Loss and Grief in the Summer 1 semester, Maureen Fleagle will be the first student to complete the 18 credits toward this credential. She shares a little about the pursuit of this. Yearning to be in a helping profession, I pursued physical therapy (PT) for my undergraduate studies. Many years of working with individuals with disabilities and dysfunction resulted in a calling to do more. I have often depended on my spirituality to guide my path, and so, I prayed for direction. It wasn’t until tragedy struck my family in 2002 that my eyes were open to real suffering. My 17- year old son passed away in December of that year leaving me stripped of all I had to give. I won- dered if I would ever be able to minister to others as I had in the past. With much prayer, faith, and support, I decided to enter the PCSC program. My intention was partially for my own healing; however, I expected to learn the appropriate skills to treat those who would enter the PT clinic everyday. Among my patients are individuals suffering with chronic pain, cancer, lymphe- dema, and women’s health issues. I found that studying Pastoral Counseling assisted me to listen with empathy and compas- sion. This held true not only for my patients but with fellow staff and my family as well. Page 3 Spiritual Direction Graduates — Extend Their Gifts of Presence, Peace to Others As a part of the ongoing outreach inspired by last year’s commitment to Bethesda Project, graduates of the Spiritual Direction program, have dedicated time and talents to its residents. Here two share of their time in this special place among these special women. Every other Tuesday, four to five members of the Spruce Street Residence, which is part of the Bethesda Project community, gather for prayer and faith sharing. These are formerly homeless women who have found a home at the Residence. What a privilege for me to listen to their experi- ences of daily life, and also learn how their journey brought them to Bethesda! Tony Medwid, a long-time member of the Bethesda Project Staff, also arranges for one-on-one conversations between me and some of the residents. One wonderful woman told her story of her childhood in the Philadelphia area, the circumstances of losing her job, being abused by a boyfriend, caring for children in an extraordinary situation, and eventually arriving at home in the Spruce Street Residence. She consistently spoke of God’s care for her and her growing trust in the presence of Jesus in her life. I pray in thanksgiving for the “hospitality of heart” these women share with me and look forward to our evolving relationship. Suzy Eyler, SD ‘03 For some time, I had been aware of a desire to become involved with those on the margins of soci- ety, to somehow share the gift of spiritual direction there. In January, I began participating in small, bi- weekly prayer meetings at the North Broad Street shelter of Bethesda Project, a ministry to the home- less in Philadelphia. This was the very gentle introduction of me to the residents suggested by Tony Medwid, Bethesda’s Community Life Director. I have also begun meeting individually with some of the women who live at the shelter. We talk about their experience of homelessness and how God has been present with them on this journey. I am very grateful for the open and gracious reception ex- tended to me by the community at North Broad. I look forward to deepening the relationships formed through this mutual sharing of gifts. Mary Chris Lindsey, SD ‘07 My passion since graduating in 1995 from the Spiritual Direction program has been to tie what I learned here about spiritual development and spiritual direction back into my own Mennonite tradition and into my local congre- gation’s life. Courses by Joann Conn were valuable to me because she taught a theology that connected human and spiritual development well, two areas not well connected in my own tradition. I also needed the role modeling of women thinkers like Eileen Flanagan and Joann Conn as well as a Christian theology of the development and full humanness of women, in order to move on into my own vocation in life.