Alright.
So why don't we get started?
Welcome everybody to the spiritual direction certificate webinar.
Just to introduce myself, my name is Greg Shapiro.
I'm the admissions adviser here at Divine Mercy University.
Just as a background, I've been working in the university system and enrollment for the past, six and a half years now.
But I've been with Divine Mercy University for almost two years now.
So my background has been working in the psychology and counseling fields and social services.
But, recently, I actually made a switch over to a spiritual direction.
I've really enjoyed doing that.
Just speaking with people that have been enthusiastic about this sort of ministry and, their experiences within spiritual direction, and now they're calling to go into this has been just a real blessing.
So I've been really happy to do that.
So today, just as a heads up, I think I mentioned it earlier.
There's gonna be a lot of information that we're gonna cover.
I'm gonna make sure that you know all the details of the program.
But as any questions are coming up, go ahead and list your questions in the chat and the q and a section.
I might get to a point where I can answer that as we're going through it.
If I don't, that's fine.
I'll make sure that we cover everything, toward the end of it.
So we're gonna open a q and a after we cover all of the details.
So with that said, why don't we get started?
So today, we're gonna be covering who we are as a university, our mission, our history, and really how this program is different from so many other spiritual direction certificate programs.
Next, we're gonna talk about what is spiritual direction.
A lot of you probably already have a good sense of it, but I think sometimes we use that term in different ways.
So I wanna share with you how we're defining that program, that sort of phrase.
And then after that, we're gonna go into the about what this program will actually entail for all of you, the ins and outs, the, the courses, the time frame, that sort of thing, and then also the tuition.
So let's get started.
The, just to share with you a little bit of the history of the university.
We began back in 1999 under the name of the Institute for the Psychological Sciences.
We were also called IPS.
Some of you might be familiar with that.
So we started with the PsyD in clinical psychology program.
And then in 2014, we added the master's in psychology.
In 2016, we added the school of counseling.
And so that had us change our name to Divine Mercy University when we went to university status.
But the spiritual direction certificate program is the newest of them.
That one began only in 2019, so it's fairly new, but it's been going very well for us.
Our cohorts have typically been made up of somewhere between twenty five and thirty students.
And what these all have in common is the mission of the university, which is the Catholic Christian meta model of the human person.
So this is basically the integration of psychology with two thousand years of church teaching on human dignity.
So the this is, again, something that actually does separate this program from so many other spiritual direction certificate programs.
There's a lot of them that are great that are out there, but what makes this one unique is not only that emphasis on the Catholic Christian understanding of human dignity, but how it's also related to or rather how psychology can be related to that, having a better understanding of the human mind and how that allows for our spiritual directors to thrive in this sort of, ministry.
Next, just to share with you our our accreditation, we are institutionally accredited through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
This is one of the seven major accrediting bodies.
So we do hold to a high standard of education, and we're also approved to operate by SHEV.
That's the State Council of Higher Education in Virginia.
Now that top accreditation that you're seeing, which is the American Psychological Association, this is a programmatic accreditation, which you would only find in a doctoral program.
So you might be asking why is this one relevant to this one if this is not a doctoral program.
I like to include it in here because we still use the APA writing style in all of the programs that we offer including in this one.
So this is also a way to better equip our students in spiritual direction before they go into this, ministry as they're learning their skills and knowledge.
So what is spiritual direction?
I speak with a lot of students, and sometimes they we we have a very, common understanding of what this is.
And sometimes we look at it very differently, but, we're we're approaching spiritual direction from the Catholic tradition.
And so what this means is, first, it's accompaniment.
It's assisting people on their path to the Lord, so working with them as they're growing in their faith.
And it's the act of being there for them in service both to them and to the Lord.
And then it's also deep listening to the directee, so to help them in deepening in their experience of the Lord and his narrative in their lives.
So spiritual directors and for many of you who have who have gone through spiritual direction, you'll notice that many times it's you, sharing with your spiritual director where you are in your current life and in your faith life.
And so it's important for that spiritual director to have that deep listening so that they can better work with you, but more so better accompany you.
It's a pilgrimage toward God.
It's a clear goal of growing closer to God.
What it's not is therapy.
It's I think sometimes people see it that way because there are sort of overlapping tones to it.
You're sitting with an individual and speaking with them one on one.
So it might even resemble therapy, but it's not therapy.
It's it's a little bit different, and it's, instead, it's walking with them in their in their faith life.
It's that accompaniment.
And lastly, it's formation in mission.
So it's the effort to, just like Jesus did, summon, form, and send forth.
So for many of you, you at one point, for you for you you who have spiritual directors, you felt drawn.
You were you felt summoned to actually seek that spiritual direction now.
And as you've been going through it, you have gone through a faith formation.
And at this point, you're here on this webinar because you feel like you're being sent to enter into this ministry yourselves.
And so, this is something to expect that as you are active as spiritual directors, you too will work with people who have felt summoned to that sort of, just growing in their faith, formation with a spiritual director.
And many of them themselves may come become spiritual directors.
So there are a lot of fruits to this.
Next, why is spiritual direction such an important ministry?
So first, it's offering the service of deep listening to to to others.
This is, I think, very important for people as they're trying to wrap their heads around their own faith and trying to grow, and and sometimes it really does take human agency to better understand what God is, directing them to.
And next, it's accompanying our sisters and our brothers in the faith to help strengthen in their faith, their hope, in faith, hope, and love.
So the theological virtues.
Next, it's guiding another to find the Lord in every situation.
So whether it is a very traumatic situation that they've gone through and they're trying to find meaning and understanding and love from God through that difficult circumstance or even if it's a very mundane situation that they're in, but they know that there's something that God is telling them.
Spiritual direction helps people in finding God in all of these sort of circumstances.
And it's a way that others may discover their call to be a spiritual director.
So like I had said earlier, many of you have gone through spiritual direction, and at some point, you've had that calling.
Maybe someone has has wanted you to become a spiritual director, and sometimes the holy spirit speaks to you through others.
And so that's one way of doing it.
Maybe you just learned through, silence and and heard the holy spirit speak to you on that.
And lastly, it's giving spiritual direction as help to others, also for the director to grow in his or her relationship with God.
So one thing I'll share that was very interesting, I had the benefit of speaking with a spiritual direction student here on campus when she was here for her residency.
And I asked her, how has this program, helped her out in her ministry and, just in general.
And one thing that I wasn't expecting, but it makes a lot of sense, is that it's helped her out as a directee with her own spiritual director.
She's better understood why her spiritual director would ask certain questions or, guide her in certain directions.
And so not only has it helped her understand that, it's helped her become a better directee, and it's it's enriched her communication with her own spiritual direction.
So this is just another example of how there are more fruits involved in this than we may even realize.
So what to expect in the spiritual direction certificate program?
So the first thing is that all of the courses that you're taking are done online.
So you're doing this online, and you're also doing this asynchronously.
So in other words, you are logging into your discussion boards.
You are, reading your assignments.
You are posting your responses in the discussion boards.
You're listening to your prerecorded lectures at any time that works within your schedule.
Now sometimes people think asynchronous means that you're left to your own devices, and that's not the case.
You have your instructors.
We have an extensive student support service team, so we make sure that that, assistance that's needed is there, but also that camaraderie.
This is a cohort system, so you have your your, colleagues in the program, and and it's very common that they lean on each other for that assistance.
So that's you'll get that just as you would in a synchronous program as well.
There are six courses in this program, and there are a couple of face to face components as well.
So the first face to face component would be the two residencies, which happen on campus here in Sterling, Virginia.
They're each only for four days.
So they're not super extensive, but they will happen twice in the program.
And then you also have a sixty practicum hour session as well.
Not session, but sixty practicum hours that you would be fulfilling.
And that would happen a little bit closer toward the end of the program.
And that would happen in your local area.
So you won't have to travel for that.
You can do that within your apostolate or within your parish.
And and you'll have guidance from a supervisor, which would be one of your instructors.
So they'll be there to help you through those sixty hours of practicum.
You'll be logging those hours with them, and it'll also be an opportunity for you to share with them the successes.
And if there are difficulties, which is extremely common, there might be some points where you have hiccups, and they're there to help you out and and help push through that and, and make sure that you're growing in your skills and knowledge.
So here are the courses that you'll be taking as students, and they're sequential.
So you'll be taking them in this order.
So the first course will be ongoing conversion, deepening discipleship, and the foundations of spiritual direction.
And then term two, you'll have SDC 200, which is human development for spiritual direction.
And then you'll have SDC 300, which is relating skills for spiritual direction.
And, in this course, this is where your first residency will be built in, and that will take place during week seven.
And then you have, for your fourth course, discernment in spiritual growth theory and practice.
And then your fifth course will be advanced spiritual direction, skills, and practicum, putting out into the deep.
So for this fifth course, this is where residency number two will be built in.
And that will take place during week two.
And then your last course will be advanced prayer and situations.
So, again, they all go in this order, and you'll be taking one course at a time.
Now the residencies, and and we have a few pictures from our, from two recent residencies that we've had.
So they happen here on campus.
So this is where you and all of your classmates will gather together with your instructors and with clinical psychologists.
And this is where you'll be able to put into practice the skills and knowledge that you've been learning.
So you'll be able to go through these simulated scenarios.
You'll you'll, be able to practice a little bit deeper into what you've been learning, and it's really enriching for our students.
Every time I speak with them, they share about how this has been sort of the highlight of the program for them.
So these will happen, again, twice in the program.
The first one will happen during your third course.
The second one will happen during your fifth course.
So they're spread apart, and they happen in Sterling, Virginia on campus.
And what happens is for those of you that might be much further out from Virginia, so maybe you have to fly, you would be flying in through Dulles.
And just to give you an idea, Dulles Airport is only a five to six minute drive from here, so it's very close.
It's you won't have to be going, you know, too far from where the campus is located located.
And, you'll be lodged right next door, basically.
There's a Hilton.
I think it's a Hilton anyway that's right here.
In fact, it's so close that sometimes students will just walk from their hotel room over to the campus.
And, the other thing to highlight, it's we listed as two four day residencies that happen.
They're technically five.
Not five full days, but I like to include the Wednesday evening just because it's more of a meet and greet.
It's an opportunity for the students to gather together and just meet one another.
And I think that it's it's also a dinner that's offered, but it is just a great way to sort of launch into these experiences.
Along with that, just to share with you the time commitment and the, as far as the length of the program, so it's term based.
So each term is eight weeks, and you're taking only one course per eight week term.
Now along with that, usually, and this is not set in stone, but typically, students are committing somewhere between six to nine hours per week.
So that includes their reading, their, logging into discussion boards and engaging that way, listening to their lectures, sitting down to write their assignments.
So, again, usually, it's somewhere between six to nine hours.
And then, there's also breaks between the terms.
So you're not taking one term right after the other.
You'll have about eight, nine, ten week breaks depending on where in the academic calendar we're looking at.
But you will have these these, these breaks in between where you it's just an ability to offer some breathing room.
Sometimes students will take the this opportunity to just take a step back and, and have that break.
Others will use that time to reread the information that they've been going through in their previous terms.
But it's also an opportunity for students to replenish their funds because it is a it is a program where students are paying, horse by horse.
And so offering these breaks, does allow them to replenish their funds as they're going through it.
But many times also these breaks take place during major holidays.
So for instance, during the Christmas season, don't expect to be doing any you won't expect to have any sort of assignments due because this will be during a break period.
And in total, in including these breaks, this would take two years to complete.
So let's talk about the cost.
And I'm also gonna share with you ways on how we can reduce the cost for you.
The program is, well, it's $778 per course, and it's a thousand dollars per residency.
Not a thousand dollars, that also covers lodging.
It covers your materials, and it's gonna cover most of your meals.
So students are only responsible for three of their dinners and also for the travel.
But as far as your lodging and meals and materials, that will be covered through that thousand.
Now I've mentioned that there could be a way for us to reduce the cost for you.
So for instance, if you are a consecrated religious or, or a volunteer with your parish or even if you're a volunteer with a, nonreligious group, that could be a way for us to bring the cost down by 10%.
So that would mean that instead of it being $7.78, it would be roughly 700 per course.
And so that brings us to the end.
You know, one thing I'll I'll highlight, we are currently still enrolling for the upcoming fall semester.
So I know it's only around the corner, but that's gonna start on August 17.
We're we still have some seats available in this upcoming cohort, so it's not too late.
If you're really feeling drawn to start class sooner than later, we can still do that.
And, the class would run up until about mid August, and then you'll have a nice break between August and early January before the spring semester.
So if you're interested in applying, if you look at the bottom red box, usually, the application is $25, but we can waive the fee for you.
If you use the code s d c r E g f r e e, this will be a this will make it a free application for you.
So, again, if you're interested in doing that, write down this this, code or screenshot it or whatever, and, that would be a great time to, begin the process and, again, waive the fee.
So with that, I'm gonna now open up the floor to all of you.
I know that we have covered a lot of information, but we'd be happy to answer any questions.
So it looks like we have one question from Benjamin.
Can you explain more about the recorded classes?
What is the quality of the recordings?
Is the majority of the content in the classes, or is it found in the readings and discussion boards?
So I I don't know what the quality of the recordings would be.
I guess it could be depending on the student and, what services they're using or, how their Internet connections are.
But, we make sure that these are at least decent quality that I can at least speak to, because I haven't heard any sort of concerns about difficulties in understanding or clarity of the recordings.
And here we read that second part.
Is the majority of the content in the classes, or is it found in the readings and the discussion boards?
So, it's going to be a mixture.
So there are technically three textbooks that you'll have.
One of those textbooks is actually the Bible, so that will be a huge part of your content.
But then there are also, just a couple of other core, textbooks that you'll be reading from.
And you won't be reading the entire textbooks.
You'll actually just be reading certain excerpts that they'll assign to you.
So if, if I have a chance to speak with you one on one, Benjamin, and and you'd like to speak more, I'd be happy to send you an email with the list of, the other two textbooks that you'd have to read.
And expect to be having a full discussion, on these subjects in the discussion boards, but that will also be to the discretion of your immediate, instructors.
So that's a great question.
Let's see.
Are there any other questions?
One thing I'll I'll also mention, which is a common question from people.
And, and, again, if if any other questions are coming up, feel free to drop them in right now.
But one question I do typically get from people is, is it required that you're a Catholic to be in this program?
And the answer to that is no.
It's not a requirement.
While we do approach spiritual direction from the Catholic tradition, and, you know, that is very common and and our instructors are Catholic.
We also have a lot of folks that enter into this program and they are non Catholic Christians, and that's totally fine.
And for many of them, they really value spiritual direction, and they're a real asset to the university.
So, again, it's not a requirement that you are.
Alright.
So Benjamin asked, do you have a schedule of the courses and the breaks to see if it would be compatible with other things.
Yes.
Absolutely.
So I do have a schedule available.
So, again, I I Benjamin, I would love to get in touch with you and anyone else that's curious just to talk about what that schedule will look like.
I'd be happy to send that to you via email, and also where those breaks will line up.
So that way because many of you might be planning maybe travel or maybe you have major events are gonna take place, weddings or whatever they may be, during certain parts of the year.
And so I know that's a huge very important part.
So I'd love to show you where those will fall so that you can better plan for the future and see if this is a good option.
Another thing I'll highlight in in in line with that question, Benjamin, is that, there's also an opportunity for students to take a leave of absence if they need to.
So if for whatever reason you need to take a step back from the program, if it's because of a wedding or an emergency happens, you can do that.
So you can take a leave of absence.
And then when you're ready to jump back into the program and go back into where you left off, you can do that, and, there's certainly an option for that.
So that's a great question.
And are there any other questions for me?
Okay.
And then one more question.
Is this more focused on personal spiritual direction, or does it touch on leading spiritual exercises?
That's a really good question.
So it's going to be more in the direction of working with individuals one on one.
But I will say that I have, seen within the spiritual exercises that many times spiritual directors will have involvement with that.
In fact, the spiritual directions will be, I'm sorry, the spiritual exercises will be part of the program.
There will be a a point, I think toward the middle or end where students will, will participate in the spiritual exercises.
So some sort of retreat.
And that would be done, again, locally to you.
You won't have to travel for that, but you will need to take action in finding the ones that are in your local area.
Right.
And it looks like that reaches the end of our questions.
So, again, I'm just gonna highlight that if you are really feeling ready to begin the program and and, you're looking to start sooner than later, now would be a great time to begin the application process.
Again, this is the the code right here if you wanted to write it down so we can waive the fee for you.
And, I'll certainly be in touch with you just to cover the information a little bit more deeply.
And as questions come up, I'd be happy to answer that.
So with that said, I just want to thank you all for joining me this evening.
I'm really glad that you're all able to come in and and just learn more about the spiritual direction certificate program.
So, again, if any questions come up, feel free to reach out to me.
Thank you all, and God bless.