Using Lectio Divina in a Support Group for Pre - Seminarians

Abstract

Using Lectio Divina in a Support Group for Pre - SeminariansDung Ngoc Hoang, D.Min.Director: Donald Heet, D.Min.,Nowadays, living in the communist society in Vietnam, two of the main issues that need attention in preparation of the candidates in the one- year pre-seminary program are developing their habits of prayer and strengthening their skills needed for a rich community life. For this reason, the project Using Lectio Divina in a Support Group for Pre - Seminarians was designed to help the candidates become accustomed to seminary life. This project will consist of an eight-week workshop. Each weekly session will last for two hours. The candidates have a chance to look back at traditional prayer in Church history included lectio divina to show the importance of prayer in the process of priestly formation as well as in the life of ministers. They will learn the way to practice Lectio Divina both in personal prayer and in the small group. This project will also offer them an opportunity to learn the skills needed to live in the community life and to practice these skills. This project is intended that the participants will demonstrate a growth in their prayer life and their relationship to God. By the power of the living Word of God, and by listening to others share in the group, they will hopefully increase in the fraternity and cooperation for community life. Doing this project with twenty candidates who lived at the Saigon Archdiocesan Pastoral Institute in Vietnam in the first semester of the one- year pre-seminary program, the facilitator was confident of the project's benefits. From the participants' feedback, this project had helped the participants to grow deeper in their relationship with God in their prayer life, and to go wide in their relationships with others in community life. Hopefully, this project will also provide a specific means to the other pre-seminary year that to help the candidates to improve their prayer lives as well as prepare them for communal life.

Degree awarded: D.Min. Pastoral Studies. The Catholic University of America