Spiritual Guide
Everything you need for the Spiritual Guide Ministry is below. To jump to sections quickly, use the Quick Links.
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Additional Information
The ministry of Spiritual Guide is defined in the handbook. It’s important for the Spiritual Guide to help ensure that the team stays within the guidelines of the program as laid out by the Continuation Committee. It’s been refined over time and it works! You will come to know the needs of your team better than anyone. Don’t be afraid to ask the Holy Spirit for guidance. If you feel you have a unique situation of some sort, contact the Continuation Committee.
In addition to the description in the handbook, the Spiritual Guide is called to play specific roles during the different parts of formation:
Sharing Our JOURNEY
Your facilitator should really be seen as the “leader” of the group for this section of formation. If you are seen as the leader, it makes it more difficult for the Journey Leader to transition into that role when he or she is discerned. It also allows you to focus on the spiritual growth of the group, which is your primary ministry.
In general, the Spiritual Guide is fairly quiet during Sharing Our JOURNEY. You may open the meeting with a prayer, play a song, give a reflection, etc. This can be passed between the facilitator and the Spiritual Guide from week to week.
Encourage your facilitator to stick with the time limit guidelines (contrary to what some have said, this is NOT an “audition for a witness talk”) The facilitator’s job is to keep the meeting on time, allowing you to be “fully present” to the team.
The Spiritual Guide should lead the affirmations for each person as they share (until the team catches on).
Many Spiritual Guide s have found it worthwhile to contact each person during the week after they share (note, email, phone call) and thank the person for sharing.
Spiritual Guide should be keeping track of who has shared and who hasn’t, and should be reaching out to those who haven’t shared, or haven’t been attending, to see if there are any issues/concerns.
The Spiritual Guide can help “enforce the rules” of Sharing Our JOURNEY – no note taking, no advising (just affirming), no judging, etc.
Spiritual Guide can wait until the last night to share if there is time, as they will be giving their witness very soon anyway. Or the Spiritual Guide can go first to model the process and the time limit.
Keep the meetings to a maximum of three hours. End the meetings on time. It’s good practice to clear the room so that everyone knows the official meeting is ended. If people want to continue their conversations, that’s fine.
Evening with the Holy Spirit
The Evening with the Holy Spirit facilitator should be in charge, and run the evening. It is imperative that the Spiritual Guide and the Sharing Our JOURNEY facilitator are silent, so as not to influence the discernment process.
Meet with the Evening with the Holy Spirit Facilitator 2-3 weeks prior to the process and how many of each ministry will be discerned.
The Evening with the Holy Spirit facilitator should attend the last few minutes of the final Sharing Our JOURNEY session so that he or she can talk with the team about what will happen at Evening with the Holy Spirit, and how to prepare. Be ready for questions from the team during the week leading up to Evening with the Holy Spirit.
JOURNEY with Christ
Once the Journey Leader is discerned, he or she should be leading the meetings. The Spiritual Guide will certainly be seen as a leader as well, but should focus on the spiritual needs and spiritual growth of the team.
The Journey Leader should be making sure the team is ready for the next week with the appropriate emails, handouts, etc.
Team members should begin to take up their ministries, which are for the formation process as well as the next weekend:
Facilitator/Physical Arrangements Coordinator should be arriving in time to set up the room, and should manage the breaks and meeting times.
Kitchen Coordinator should be coordinating any drinks and snacks.
Sacristan/Liturgist should be dealing with music.
Table Leaders should be preparing reflections on the weeks’ themes as requested.
Invitations should be organizing the recruiting.
Witnesses should be preparing/delivering witnesses.
Keep the team focused on formation and spiritual growth, avoiding weekend planning until much later in the process. The only exception is Invitations. The Invitations Facilitator will begin involving the entire team early in the process.
As JOURNEY with Christ progresses, it’s good to try to challenge the team to “up” their spirituality. Some suggestions from past teams, all voluntary:
Gather at 6:30pm (before the meeting) to pray the rosary for the future retreatants. (It’s also nice to work in an explanation of the rosary at one of the early JOURNEY with Christ sessions. A lot of people remember it from their childhood, but haven’t said it in a while.)
Go to daily Mass once a week as a team.
Pick up all or part of an Adoration holy hour.
Meet with prayer partner once a week for accountability/shared prayer.
Meet with the witnesses soon after Evening with the Holy Spirit to provide them with guidelines (if provided by Continuation Committee) and to answer any questions they might have on how to get started. If you have concerns about the content of a witness, consult the pastor. Emphasize importance of keeping to the theme and the time frame.
Inspirational Notes
Others who have been called to the ministry of Spiritual Guide offer these inspirational notes and prayers.
Know that God calls to the team through you.
Let go, Let God! Have Faith. The Holy Spirit IS with us!
Listen to inspirational music. Let your spirit soar with GOD!
Be patient and when you know what is right, be fearless and be loving.
Think: Gentle Shepherd.
Simple can be beautiful.
Make room, to allow sharing.
Scripture reflection, community sharing lead to wisdom (who wouldn’t want to be wise?)
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful.
Fear not.
Agape.
Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest.
Not perfect, but loved. And love conquers all.
Col 3:12-21- Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion…..do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Matt 10:27-33 - What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops….
Carry your candle, run to the darkness….
You will be rewarded when you pray…you may not get what you ask for, but will be rewarded.
You may not know how to pray, pray anyway.
Find a regular place to pray, a prayer spot.
Know prayer is always possible. Jesus is with you.
Prayer is experiencing God, being with God.
St Francis de Sales conditions of prayer; 1) Be little by humility; 2) Be great in hope; 3) Be grafted onto Jesus Christ crucified.
The beginning of prayer is praise.
Just to say the holy name of Jesus Christ is a prayer.
Thru prayer we find strength, hope, peace, encouragement, joy so that we can endure the sufferings with grace.
The SILENCE: 1Peter4:7 says remain calm to pray. The quieter we are to the promptings of grace, the more we grow.
How do I hear Him? Be faithful, great in hope. God speaks in a whisper. I never heard Him speak, but ‘know’ his presence, His inspiration in my soul.
Pope John Paul II spoke of our mother tongue as praise to God. We must relearn the language of humility and trust…sincere commitment.
Silence is a dedication to God. A sharing of your gift of life.
BE still, and know that I Am the Lord.
Then, I feel such a touch of the divine in my in most being that my heart awakens and becomes light. Light as if it possessed wings to lift it up to the true homeland.