On Wednesday, March 4, the parish staff, priests, ministry leaders and some convocation delegates from Christ the Good Shepherd Parish in Vineland gathered for an all-day workshop entitled, Discovering Your Spiritual Gifts. This workshop is one of the events offered to parishes through the Lay Ministry Formation Office.
Mary Lou Hughes and I, the co-directors for the Offices of Faith Formation, Family Life, and Lay Ministry Formation, led the workshop. The goal of the workshop is to help the participants discern the particular charisms given to them at their baptism and how they can best use them to build up the Kingdom of God in their midst.
The participants at Christ the Good Shepherd listened as I outlined the rights and responsibilities of the laity’s vocation in the church. The participants were reminded that they, as well as priests and religious, are called to missionary discipleship and that this vocation does not come without the necessary graces and gifts to live out their call. We call these gifts charisms because they are meant to be given away.
Mary Lou Hughes then introduced 24 of the most common charisms or spiritual gifts, including most of those listed in Saint Paul’s letters. Each person was then invited to participate in a Spiritual Gifts Inventory created by Sherry Weddell, author of “Forming Intentional Disciples” and co-founder of the Sienna Institute in Colorado Springs. This inventory helped the group discover the gifts that were unique to them and offered guidance in how to use them.
In conclusion, the participants were invited to take their top six charisms and pray with each one during these next six weeks in Lent, recognizing when they are using these gifts and when they see these charisms present in the broader community.
The final task for the group still remains. Following the command of Saint Paul — “There are different gifts, but the same Spirit. … There are different works but the same God who accomplishes all of them in everyone. To each person, the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good” (1 Cor. 12:4-7) — participants are invited to determine, through prayer and dialogue, how these charisms can best be used to enrich the life of their parish while inviting others to embrace their baptismal vocation to be missionary disciples in their local communities.
For more information regarding the Spiritual Gifts Workshop, contact sr.kathy.burton@camdendiocese.org or marylou.hughes@camdendiocese.org in the Office of Lay Ministry Formation, Diocese of Camden.
Sister Kathy Burton, SSJ is co-director for the Offices of Faith Formation/Family Life/Lay Ministry Formation, Diocese of Camden.
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