St. John’s University and diocese partner to support parish ministries

by Mark Kemmeter, Diocesan Coordinator of Staff

After years of study and discussion, the Diocese of New Ulm is pleased to announce that a formation program with sessions in scripture and theology will begin in the fall of 2004, facilitated by faculty from St. John’s University, Collegeville, MN. The program, called the Discipleship Formation Program, is designed for one hundred and sixty-four participants. Each parish in the diocese will be offered two scholarships. Priests and pastoral administrators will recommend the participants. After completing all of the sessions, participants will be asked to share their formation with others through parish and Area Faith Community ministries.

Bishop John C. Nienstedt views the program as a significant step toward achieving the Plan for Parishes’ goal of "quality ministry" throughout the diocese. He points to the university-level content and the inclusion of participants from every parish as important aspects to realize that goal. The program also offers exciting opportunities to build unity in the diocese through a common overview of the Catholic faith and by participants sharing their faith and ministerial experiences with participants from other parishes.

Bishop Nienstedt also draws a parallel between the way this program will form and then send people "two-by-two" and the way Jesus called and sent disciples in the Gospels. The formation and training of these "two’s" will benefit every parish in the diocese and the diocese as a whole.

Vic Klimoski, Director of Lifelong Learning at St. John’s, has worked over five years on developing a collaborative ministry formation venture with the Diocese of New Ulm. He describes the program as holding "great promise in advancing the formational goals of the diocese."

The two-year program is comprised of six Saturday sessions each year, during the months of September, October, November, February, March and April. The sessions will be conducted at a centrally-located site within the diocese. Participants will be asked to make a commitment to attend the sessions over the two-year period.

The program’s first year will focus on the scriptural tradition of the Church and the second year on the theological tradition. The opening session will be a Day of Reflection that will provide participants with opportunities to focus on their personal journeys of faith and to become familiar with the program methodology and content. The concluding session of the second year, will be facilitated by personnel from the Diocese of New Ulm. That session will provide various electives to further participants’ training in some parish or area ministry.

The program will be partially funded through a grant from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Home Missions. Additional funding will be provided by the Bishop Lucker Lecture Fund. Participants will be asked to pay a fee that will cover lunches, refreshments, and reference materials. They will also need to make arrangements for transportation to and from the sessions.

Complete program information and application materials will be made available to pastors and pastoral administrators after Easter.