PhD Thesis by Michael Newman;

The Catholic University of America (Degree granting institution); Studzinski, Raymond (Thesis advisor); Heet, Donald (Thesis advisor); Lombardo, Nicholas (Committee member)

Degree Awarded: D.Min. Spirituality. The Catholic University of America

The discernment of a vocation to the priesthood and religious life is very important to the Church. Pope John Paul II’s apostolic exhortation Pastores Dabos Vobis states that vocation discernment groups can assist those considering a religious or priestly vocation by offering them “a systematic guide, in a community context, with which to check the development of vocations.” (PDV no. 64). The Oblates of St. Francis de Sales sponsor the Oblate Associate Program, a vocation discernment group for young men in college considering a vocation to the Oblates. A recent assessment of the program indicates that it lacks a process of spiritual formation in the Salesian tradition which could assist the Oblate Associates in deepening their relationship with God as they discern in college. This doctoral program was designed to provide members of the Oblate Associate Program with this type of spiritual formation by introducing them to the Salesian principles and spiritual practices of the “devout life” as advocated by Francis de Sales in his classic spiritual work Introduction to the Devout Life. In addition, aspects of Thomas Groome’s Critical Praxis method were employed to help the Oblate Associates connect their own personal experiences of living the devout life to Salesian spirituality and their relationship with God. Eighteen Oblate Associates participated in the program which presented the devout life through a blended model of three on-campus sessions and two online sessions. Feedback and evaluation materials at the completion of the third and fifth sessions demonstrated that the Salesian principles and practices had positive results from both the on-campus and online sessions. Participants reported gaining a better understanding of the principles inherent in Salesian spirituality. In addition, the participants reported that they felt that they had deepened their relationship with God through by learning and engaging in the Salesian spiritual practices. Finally, while participants appreciated the online aspect of the program, their preference was for more on-campus meetings. In summary, participants found that the program increased their spiritual formation by improving their knowledge of Salesian spirituality and deepening their relationship with God, while they continue discerning their vocation in the Church.