WEBVTT 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:05.780 Greetings, everyone, and welcome to the spiritual direction certificate, presentation. 00:00:06.560 --> 00:00:08.100 My name is Gregory Shapiro. 00:00:08.160 --> 00:00:11.860 I am the admissions adviser here at Divine Mercy University. 00:00:12.725 --> 00:00:17.945 And today, I'm just gonna present for you the program details for spiritual direction. 00:00:18.805 --> 00:00:24.805 You'll get a good sense of the ins and outs of this and to see if this is a good fit, and we'll keep this short and sweet. 00:00:24.805 --> 00:00:27.145 So without further ado, let's get started. 00:00:27.860 --> 00:00:31.960 So here's what we're gonna be talking about today, who we are as a university. 00:00:32.180 --> 00:00:43.985 We'll go into what is spiritual direction, about the spiritual direction certificate program and the time frame intuition, and we'll also talk about how to reduce the tuition. 00:00:45.805 --> 00:00:48.845 So first things first, our mission as a university. 00:00:48.845 --> 00:00:58.280 So Divine Mercy University is an institution of higher education offering graduate degrees, continuing education, and certificate programs globally. 00:00:58.900 --> 00:01:20.805 The university is dedicated to the renewal of the Catholic Christian intellectual tradition and the the integration of the theoretical and empirical basis of psychology, professional counseling, and related fields with a Catholic Christian view of the human person through teaching and learning, both knowledge and critical skills. 00:01:20.865 --> 00:01:35.660 So in short, our university reaches students globally all over the world, but our mission really is the integration component of psychology with the Catholic Christian understanding of human dignity. 00:01:36.465 --> 00:01:52.780 The university provides students with an appropriate academic and educational environment that supports the integration of science, scholarship, and a Catholic Christian understanding of the person through a rigorous, critical, and objective search for truth. 00:01:53.720 --> 00:01:56.540 And we have multiple programs here at the university. 00:01:56.840 --> 00:01:58.380 We have our doctoral program. 00:01:58.440 --> 00:02:21.450 We have a, master's in psych program, master's in counseling, And the spiritual direction certificate program, which is our newest one that began back in 1999, what they all have in common is that mission driven focus of, acknowledging the human mind, but more so looking at the person as a whole that we're all made in the image and likeness of God. 00:02:22.470 --> 00:02:24.970 And what's next, we're gonna talk about the accreditation. 00:02:25.270 --> 00:02:33.345 So we are, institutionally accredited through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. 00:02:33.345 --> 00:02:42.565 This is one of the seven major accrediting bodies, and we're also approved to operate by SHEV, and that's the State Council of Higher Education in Virginia. 00:02:43.265 --> 00:02:48.550 And, I included the American Psychological Association accreditation here. 00:02:49.010 --> 00:02:51.030 Now this is a programmatic accreditation. 00:02:51.250 --> 00:03:04.915 It's only pertaining to a doctoral program, but I still include it here because we use that same APA writing style in all of the programs we offer, including the spiritual direction certificate program. 00:03:06.815 --> 00:03:08.595 Now what is spiritual direction? 00:03:09.055 --> 00:03:12.275 So the first thing, spiritual direction is accompaniment. 00:03:12.575 --> 00:03:16.435 So it's assisting people on their path to the Lord. 00:03:16.800 --> 00:03:28.740 It's the act of being there for them in service both to them and to the Lord, and it's deep listening to the directee to help them deepen in their experience of the Lord and his narrative in their lives. 00:03:29.105 --> 00:03:40.785 So for many of you that are looking, viewing this presentation, you have probably gone through a spiritual direction and, noticed that that spiritual director has been accompanying you. 00:03:40.785 --> 00:03:52.530 They've been there with you as you're trying to wrap your heads around your faith and trying to grow in your faith life, and they've been there in deep listening, so that they can best understand exactly where you are in your faith life. 00:03:53.390 --> 00:03:54.990 It's a pilgrimage toward God. 00:03:54.990 --> 00:03:57.490 It's a clear goal of growing closer to God. 00:03:58.805 --> 00:04:00.805 It's not psych excuse me. 00:04:00.805 --> 00:04:09.305 It's not therapy, which it might resemble it because it's one on one speaking and there's someone speaking primarily, the other one listening intently. 00:04:10.240 --> 00:04:21.380 So in that sense, there might be some overlap, but it's not the same as therapy, but rather as it is in walking with someone in the air in their faith life closer to our lord. 00:04:21.935 --> 00:04:24.995 And lastly, it's formation in mission. 00:04:25.135 --> 00:04:30.435 It's the effort to, like Christ, summon, form, and send forth. 00:04:32.735 --> 00:04:36.195 So why is spiritual direction such an important ministry? 00:04:36.330 --> 00:04:40.010 So the first thing is that it's offering the service of deep listening to another. 00:04:40.010 --> 00:04:45.690 This is very important for people as, faith can be a a a mystery. 00:04:45.690 --> 00:04:50.250 And so we're we're always trying to better understand God and what he's teaching us. 00:04:50.250 --> 00:04:57.165 And many times, he helps us understand that through human agency, so that could be through a spiritual director. 00:04:57.465 --> 00:05:06.910 It's accompanying our sisters and our brothers in the faith to help strengthen their faith, hope, and love, so their ability to grow into theological virtues. 00:05:08.170 --> 00:05:11.070 It's guiding another to find the lord in every situation. 00:05:11.130 --> 00:05:23.925 So whether it's a very tragic and difficult situation that they might be in at a certain moment, or it could be a very mundane moment, but having the ability to recognize God in all of these moments is very important. 00:05:24.945 --> 00:05:28.325 A way that others may discover their call to be a spiritual director. 00:05:28.545 --> 00:05:42.160 So just as many of you have gone through spiritual direction and now you're at a point where you're hearing that calling to go into the ministry, you'll also have that experience where you're directing individuals and eventually Bill also. 00:05:42.700 --> 00:05:45.680 Many of them might also hear that calling to this ministry. 00:05:46.435 --> 00:05:53.175 And it's giving spiritual direction as a help also for the director to grow in his or her relationship with God. 00:05:53.795 --> 00:06:09.880 So one example that I have is that spiritual directors that, or folks that are that are going through this program, their relationship with their spiritual director, is usually enriched because they better understand where the spiritual director is coming from. 00:06:09.880 --> 00:06:16.220 So it allows them to be better directees as well as as they're going to become directors themselves. 00:06:19.465 --> 00:06:24.125 So what to expect in the spiritual direction certificate program. 00:06:24.505 --> 00:06:28.285 So the first thing is that these courses are done online. 00:06:28.825 --> 00:06:32.425 They're done online, and they're done through an asynchronous format as well. 00:06:32.425 --> 00:06:52.325 So in other words, you're not having to log in to a Zoom meeting at x hour, but instead you'll be able to log in to discussion boards and prerecorded lectures, and you'll be able to sit down and do your reading and, sitting down to do your your writing assignments at any time that works within your schedule. 00:06:53.185 --> 00:07:01.685 There are six courses within the program, and, I say it's primarily done online because there are two face to face components. 00:07:02.370 --> 00:07:08.310 One would be the two four day residencies, which happen here on campus in Sterling, Virginia. 00:07:08.850 --> 00:07:11.810 And then the second would be sixty practicum hours. 00:07:11.810 --> 00:07:26.665 And so this would mean a little bit closer toward the end, you'll be putting in and documenting, your hours acting as a spiritual director with real directees, whether it's within your apostolate or your parish or church. 00:07:27.860 --> 00:07:33.400 You'll be able to put into practice these skills and knowledge that you've been learning throughout the program. 00:07:35.620 --> 00:07:39.160 These are gonna be the six courses that you're taking, and they're sequential. 00:07:39.220 --> 00:07:40.980 You'll be taking them in this order. 00:07:40.980 --> 00:07:47.865 So the first one is ongoing conversion, deepening discipleship, and the foundations of spiritual direction. 00:07:48.565 --> 00:07:52.105 The second course is human development for spiritual direction. 00:07:52.805 --> 00:07:59.510 The third course will be relating skills for spiritual direction, and the first residency will fall in this place. 00:08:00.070 --> 00:08:05.210 So you won't have your first residency about until about ten months after you've begun. 00:08:06.070 --> 00:08:08.330 So, again, this is built into the third course. 00:08:09.205 --> 00:08:13.385 Your fourth course will be discernment and spiritual growth theory and practice. 00:08:14.005 --> 00:08:20.105 Your fifth course will be advanced spiritual direction skills and practicum, putting out into the deep. 00:08:20.325 --> 00:08:23.705 And so this is actually where your second residency will fall. 00:08:24.490 --> 00:08:26.090 That will take place in week two. 00:08:26.090 --> 00:08:30.750 And it's also going to serve more as a launch into your practicum hours. 00:08:31.370 --> 00:08:36.350 And then the last course that you'll be taking will be advanced prayer and situations. 00:08:39.355 --> 00:08:40.975 So let's talk about the residencies. 00:08:41.275 --> 00:08:46.975 We have a couple of pictures from, a few recent residencies that we've had, again, here on campus. 00:08:47.435 --> 00:08:50.335 So, again, there are two residencies in the program. 00:08:50.795 --> 00:09:00.020 They're each for officially, they're four days, but I like to say five just because, on a Wednesday night, that this is actually when it gets launched. 00:09:00.320 --> 00:09:06.065 It happens in the evening where it's more of a meet and greet between you and your classmates and your instructors. 00:09:07.085 --> 00:09:14.785 But then on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, that's when you'll go into the deeper parts of the of the residencies. 00:09:15.965 --> 00:09:27.340 So your first residency will take place on week seven of your third term, and then your second residency will take place on week two of your fifth term. 00:09:27.640 --> 00:09:32.460 And, again, the whole point of these is so that you can put into practice the skills and knowledge that you're learning. 00:09:33.615 --> 00:09:38.495 I've mentioned that they take place here on, in Sterling, Virginia on campus. 00:09:38.495 --> 00:09:46.020 And so students that are flying in, they're flying in through Dulles just because Dulles is only about a five to six minute drive from here. 00:09:46.020 --> 00:09:47.060 So it's very close. 00:09:47.060 --> 00:09:51.160 And they they're lodged, right next door to I believe it's a Hilton. 00:09:52.100 --> 00:09:54.100 And so everything is very close by. 00:09:54.100 --> 00:10:01.320 You're not going to have to go far out in order to, to participate in these. 00:10:04.715 --> 00:10:10.895 So the next thing, this program is term based, and so each term is eight weeks. 00:10:11.435 --> 00:10:14.235 You're taking only one course per eight week term. 00:10:14.235 --> 00:10:15.935 So you're doing one at a time. 00:10:17.140 --> 00:10:23.720 This next part, it's not set in stone, but usually students are committing somewhere between six to nine hours per week. 00:10:23.780 --> 00:10:31.640 So that involves sitting down to do their writing assignments, to post in their discussion boards, to, listen to the lectures. 00:10:31.995 --> 00:10:43.615 So, again, usually, I would say estimating, giving yourself about nine hours per week, within your schedule would be a a safe place to go off of. 00:10:44.810 --> 00:10:46.970 There are breaks between each term as well. 00:10:46.970 --> 00:10:51.150 So there's roughly nine to ten week breaks between each term. 00:10:51.530 --> 00:10:53.130 So this allows some breathing room. 00:10:53.130 --> 00:11:08.265 It allows some time to reflect on your information or just to take a step back so that you can, you know, if you have holidays or travel or anything important, you can take that step back to to do those those important things. 00:11:08.885 --> 00:11:11.865 It's also a good time for students to replenish their funds. 00:11:11.960 --> 00:11:18.380 Since students are paying course by course, this is a great time for people to save up for that next course that they're taking. 00:11:19.000 --> 00:11:23.100 And the whole program in total would be completed in two years. 00:11:26.085 --> 00:11:31.545 So the cost of the program, it is $778 per course. 00:11:32.485 --> 00:11:35.065 And per residency, it's 1,000. 00:11:35.125 --> 00:11:37.705 And that thousand, that's gonna cover the the lodging. 00:11:38.160 --> 00:11:39.920 It's gonna cover most of your meals. 00:11:39.920 --> 00:11:41.380 It's gonna cover your materials. 00:11:41.920 --> 00:11:50.340 So students are only responsible for their travel and for three of their dinners, but everything else will be covered through that thousand per residency. 00:11:51.595 --> 00:11:56.175 Now I had mentioned earlier that there is a possibility of bringing the cost down. 00:11:56.395 --> 00:12:00.015 So we can actually reduce the cost per course by 10%. 00:12:00.475 --> 00:12:17.040 That's if you are a consecrated religious, if you are, if you're part of a religious order, if you're a volunteer with your parish or you work with a even a nonreligious organization, that might be an ability for us to bring your cost down by 10%. 00:12:17.040 --> 00:12:26.845 We would just need a a letter from these corresponding ministries or or locations so that we can bring that that down for you. 00:12:28.345 --> 00:12:32.445 So that brings us to the very end, and this is my contact information. 00:12:33.385 --> 00:12:36.060 My email and my telephone number are both listed. 00:12:36.060 --> 00:12:38.800 You're welcome to call, email, text me. 00:12:39.260 --> 00:12:48.140 And lastly, if you're interested in applying, this is the code, if we if you wanted to waive the $25 application fee. 00:12:48.140 --> 00:12:49.995 Usually, there's a fee connected to it. 00:12:50.155 --> 00:12:56.635 But if you put in the code SDCREGFREE, that's going to waive it. 00:12:56.635 --> 00:12:58.895 It'll be in a free application for you. 00:12:59.595 --> 00:13:05.830 So with that said, that concludes everything, and, I hope we can actually connect one on one. 00:13:05.890 --> 00:13:08.550 If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me. 00:13:08.770 --> 00:13:11.170 Thank you very much, and god bless. 00:13:11.170 --> 00:13:11.910 Bye bye.