Instituto San Agustín - Hispanic Pastoral Leadership Formation Program

Hispanic Pastoral Leadership Formation Program

Intermediate Level
Diocese of Kalamazoo

New courses for the year July 2020 – June 2023 will begin on October 17, 2020. Contact your pastor if interested. (courses are in Spanish)

Click Here for Registration Form 2020

 

1. General Objective

To develop in the participants, their leadership abilities and their involvement in the Catholic Church through pastoral/theological formation.
  

2. Specific Objectives

1. To empower the participants to take ownership of their present and their future as baptized in Christ.
2. To present fundamental human topics of everyday life which frequently are not discussed but are necessary for integral human development.
3. To discover what it means to be a Hispanic/Latino Catholic in the United States today, through social analysis and theological reflection.
4. To study the ecclesial structures of the Catholic Church in the United States and learn how to participate in them without losing one’s cultural identity.
5. To provide tools for the Hispanic/Latino community to engage in a communion of life and mission with previously established diocesan communities.
6. To integrate theological/pastoral formation into one’s life experience, uniting both faith and reason.
7. To experience by way of spiritual retreats an interpersonal and communitarian relationship with God through prayer and reflection.

  

3. Methodology

Begin with the concept that participants are subjects and agents when it comes to learning, not just recipients.  A three stage inductive method of teaching will promote the internalization of the subject matter. This process begins with one’s life experience and leads to deeper conversion and Christian solidarity. Key Church documents will be incorporated into each session. Prior to class professors will assign coursework and follow up with homework, in order to reinforce learning.
  

4. Definition

An intermediate level program designed to form pastoral leaders within a Hispanic/Latino context, recognized by Bishop Paul J. Bradley. When three years of formation are complete the participants will be equipped to provide leadership in the areas of liturgical ministry, catechesis, youth ministry, prison/jail ministry, migrant ministry and other ministries.


       5. Participants

All participants need their pastor’s or parish coordinator’s signature on their registration form in order to be accepted in the program.
 
 

        6. Professors

This pastoral leadership formation program will be offered in Spanish by professors who have worked with, understand, value and know the richness of the Hispanic/Latino culture and are able to promote the integration of the Hispanic/Latino community in the diocesan Church.

          7. Mentors

Graduates from the ICLM program and other qualified persons will serve as mentors to accompany and tutor the participants.

        8. Calendar

• Courses will be offered in each of the following months: September, October, November, February, March, April and May on a Saturday from 8:30AM to 5:00PM seven times a year.
• A two day spiritual retreat will take place during the month of June.

Topics

First Year

Communication: Basic Tools and Techniques

• Importance of communication within the family, at work, in groups and in the community in general
• Oral and written communication techniques
• How to write my story as a Hispanic/Latino immigrant
• Techniques on how to speak in public
• Trust and confidentiality
• Mass media

 
Introduction to the Bible

• How, when and why the Bible was written
• Overview of the books of the Bible
• Biblical interpretation: A Catholic approach
• The Bible and prayer/meditation
• Lectio Divina

 
Encounter with Jesus of Nazareth

• An encounter with the historical Jesus of Nazareth
• A Mestizo Messiah: neither  totally Jew nor Gentile
• Jesus and the Reign of God: Toward a new humanity

 
Human Psychology and the Immigrant Experience

• Self-awareness
• Evolutionary phases
• Addressing addictions and compulsions
• Healing: emotional, spiritual, physical
• Stress management techniques
• How to raise your self-esteem

 
Synoptic Gospels

• Gospel as literary form
• Audience  and purpose for which they were written
• Overview of Matthew, Mark and Luke
• What image of Christ speaks to the Latino/Hispanic community of the USA today?

 
Pilgrim Church

• Origins of the Church
• Pilgrim/missionary Church in the patristic period
• The Church today

 
Liturgy and the Mass

• The liturgical calendar
• The parts of the Mass and their significance
• The importance of the assembly and its active participation
• Liturgical ministries
• Music and worship

 
Retreat: Identity: Encounter with the Triune God 
 

Second Year 

Pentateuch

• The History of Israel.
• Creation Narratives.
• The Ten Commandments.
• The Covenant.
• The Exodus.
• The Promised Land.

 
Popular Religion and Mariology

• Mary and the Saints
• Fiestas and Celebrations
• Pilgrimages and Processions
• A popular calendar
• Christmas: posadas, pastorelas, novenas, levantamiento del niño
• Día de los Muertos
• Lent and Holy Week: Ash Wednesday, Via Cruces, Seven Last Words
• Devotions
• Rosary

 
Spirituality as a Hispanic/Latino Immigrant

• Drawing from our own wells
• Experiences of God throughout one’s life
• Experiences of God found in migration
• Experiences of God found on the margins of life
• Spirituality of the dessert and other spiritual traditions

 
Prophets

• The prophetic tradition in the OT and NT
• Major prophets
• Minor prophets
• The prophetic Tradition today

 
Ethics and Morality

• Basic principles
• Morality and life issues
• Sexual morality
• Ethics of leadership

  
Ecclesiology

• Models of the Church
• Church and Tradition
• Church structure and charisma
• Local, diocesan and global
• Stewardship and lay participation

 
Pastoral Practicum

Each student will be involved in a Pastoral Practicum during their second and third year of the program. This second year course will consist of identifying an area of pastoral interest. Once identified, they will describe their pastoral involvement and in writing present a plan in collaboration with their mentor and pastor for some level of leadership in this ministry. Potentials areas of involvement may include catechetical ministry, migrant ministry, youth ministry, liturgical ministry, music ministry, pastoral care of the sick, incarcerated, or disenfranchised .The plan will be carried out and evaluated during the third year of the program.
 
Retreat: Discernment: Dialogue with the Spirit
 
 

Third Year

   Pauline Texts

• The life and journeys of St. Paul
• Overview of Pauline epistles
• Primary themes
• Application to parish life

 
The Sacraments

• Signs and symbols
• History of the sacraments
• Sacraments of Initiation
• Sacraments of forgiveness and healing
• Sacraments of service
• Sacramental preparation and catechesis

 
Catholic Social Teaching

• Principles of Catholic Social Teaching
• Major Encyclicals and other Church Documents
• Major themes: War and peace, migration, work, fundamental human rights

 
The Gospel of John

• History
• Significance
• Relevance for today

  
Ministry in a Culturally Diverse Church

• Culture and self identity
• Cultural groups which make up the Diocese of Kalamazoo
• How to manage intercultural relationships
• Frameworks for effective ministry in culturally diverse contexts
• Promoting unity without uniformity

 
The Hispanic/Latino Presence in the United Sates Catholic Church

• The Hispanic presence in the Americas from the 1500’s to the present day
• The Encuentro process
• National Pastoral Plan for Hispanic Ministry
• Diocesan Plan for Hispanic Ministry

 
Civil and Canon Law: Rights and Responsibilities for Latino/Hispanic Pastoral Ministers

• Information regarding the different laws of the United States and the Catholic Church with respect to immigration, work, education,  marriage, transit, health and other important issues that are important for life and ministry in the United States.

 
Retreat: Commitment: Ministry and Discipleship as a follower of Jesus