Good morning.
I have the opportunity to interview today Monica Ruggio.
He's a graduate of our spiritual direction certificate program.
And I'm Michelle Drennan.
I'm the alumni relations manager for Divine Mercy.
We're gonna talk to her a little bit about our journey.
One of the programs that we put together here, the spiritual direction certificate, grew immensely because there's such a shortage in The United States and over and internationally for spiritual director.
So we're so glad we have Monica as a graduate.
So tell me a little bit, Monica, if you would.
How are you using and what are you doing as far as your spiritual direction training?
So twofold, actually.
Within my home parish, I serve as a spiritual director for my home parish as well as people within our diocese and beyond because I see people virtually as well.
So that's, bit of benefit.
And, also, what brought me into the spiritual direction program is I'm a leadership coach and trainer.
Uh-huh.
And my spiritual director actually encouraged me to look into this course because of some of the clients I was working with.
And I'm like, no.
That can't be possible for me.
I'm not worthy enough.
But after a couple of years of discernment, I went through it, and I recognized the benefit for me personally.
However, I see how it's helping me even from a professional perspective because there's a total integration now where the clients who I'm working with want that holistic approach.
And so I'm able I feel very equipped to be able to bridge that gap and integrate the two.
That was a gift you didn't expect.
Absolutely.
That's exciting.
So I'm always interested.
You're doing it both, via Zoom meetings.
You're also doing it in person Yes.
Via phone.
I don't personally Not phone.
Okay.
But So how so are you getting most of your, spiritual director folks by referrals or, obviously, you're doing it in the parish, but, how many people are you talking to a week?
I guess was my bottom line question.
I'm keeping it small because I'm only seeing specific spiritual direction on specific days of the week.
So I I'll blend anywhere from 12 to 20 people at a given time just depending on the need of the individuals.
Excellent.
Well, we are blessed to have quite a few folks, which we found out in a recent meeting in Louisiana, so you have some nice support and more people to know from that retrospect.
So you said it took you a couple of years to decide.
Yes.
That's a long discernment.
Yes.
So what was the main thing that actually took you over the top and attracted you to DMU and said, I'm gonna do this?
Well, of course, I did all my research whenever, my spiritual director mentioned becoming a certified spiritual director.
I'm like, well, who offers this besides DMU?
And as I started looking around, like, DMU just kept drawing me back in just because of the programming, the simplicity of it, the cost effectiveness of it, all the things, and, of course, because of my spiritual director recommending it, who's a legionary priest.
And, I think I knew deep down that I was gonna eventually do it, but I was afraid.
K.
And I kept praying into it and speaking to my adult daughter who just amazes me with her spirituality.
And I and I was crying, and I'm like, why me?
You know, why is this passion continuing to be on my heart and it's not going away?
Because I didn't understand fully the the process of discernment.
And she's like, mom, you know you're gonna do it.
Why wait?
The longer you wait, the longer it's gonna take for you to finish.
That apple doesn't far far fall very far from your tree, does it?
Right.
And so I'm like, you know what?
Okay.
And, you know, it's not set in stone.
If I don't like it, I can quit.
Right?
But I don't quit.
Never thought about that.
Submit to something.
I I I never even went back, and I it's just been a beautiful journey.
I show up.
I love it.
That's what we love to hear.
Your cohort, do you stay in touch with any of your folks that you're you're in the spiritual direction program with?
Actually, we do.
We have a peer supervision group that we've been connecting every month ever since we graduated.
That's fantastic.
And I think I told you when I was there, in Louisiana, invite me to one of those one time.
Yes.
I would love to just sit in and listen.
So if you had to take three takeaways away from what has made this journey so valuable for you in spiritual direction and what's made you be better at it than you thought you would be, What are those three qualities that you feel like you either earned from your education or that Divine Mercy University gave you in that teaching?
I feel for me with DMU, it was that integration of the sciences, the psychology infused with our Catholic understanding and spirituality because I'm more of a heady person, and I have to understand the whys and the hows before I can really immerse myself perspective.
It was almost overwhelming the the content that was provided to us because it was so rich as well as the support.
That's the other thing is I felt like virtually my hand was held along the way, and then the relationships that were formed with the cohort was really beautiful.
And I think that kept me going as well and sharing that experience with one another Because I distinctly remember in our second semester, it was starting to get really deep, and we're all looking each at each other and, like, what did we get ourselves into?
And we were able to express that and have a conversation around it.
So that was really beautiful to have that level of support.
And, of course, we were going through all of this during COVID.
Right.
Exactly.
Really, compounded the importance of it, I felt.
So and then the third thing, I feel maybe the credibility of the university.
You know, because there's a lot out there, and I'm I'm not trying to discredit anyone.
But for me, it just carried a lot of credibility in having those credentials behind my name that gave me the confidence when sometimes I was feeling a bit intimidated to step into that, especially early on when we were doing our, our I'm losing my words.
When we were practicing our, our skill sets.
And so coming out of it, remembering to that we have the training and we are fully equipped, and now it's just allowing ourselves to lean on the Lord in the way that we were formed.
Right?
My final question is, this is obviously what we call a hybrid program.
Yes.
So you came to campus several times.
I came once.
Once.
Did our, residency virtual virtual because of COVID.
Mhmm.
So how valuable was that to you to have the opportunity to come to the campus and be in that Immersed.
Immersed.
Yes.
It was invaluable because I had the benefit of having both Yes.
With the virtual during COVID, and that was intense.
I bet.
And that was so good and rich.
However, being able to meet in person and meeting with the professors and meeting with the staff and our cohort from all over the world, forming those bonds and those relationships and talking about the unique things that we go through as spiritual directors in this process that not a lot of people in our lives can really relate to.
Because I didn't know any other lay spiritual directors until I started going through this program.
And I know recently having attended a diaconate event, there is such a shortage of spiritual directors.
Yes.
And they were delighted that our program's two years long, not six months or five months.
We say, how can you do it in that time frame?
And your commitment and all your cohort has made such a difference in the world.
Thank you for your gift of time today.
You.
Are there any other questions or thoughts that you'd like to share that I didn't ask you?
I would just not for me personally, but for anybody who may be seeing or listening, if you're even in tree and the thought keeps coming back, please look into DMU and just allow your heart to follow that path and consider becoming a spiritual director if that's where the Lord's calling you.
Thank you.
That's a lovely commercial, and we appreciate it.
God love you, dear.
Thank you so much.