Catholic Citizen
Social Ministry Discipleship Program | CCST at Assumption
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Social Ministry Discipleship Program

**This is a long course, typically about 18-24 months in length, in various formats. Contact Colin Miller for information about the next offering. Last offered May 2021- October 2022.**

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DESCRIPTION

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This is a sort of “apprenticeship” in social ministry, led by Colin Miller. It seeks a small group of 5-10 people for an ongoing, in-depth exploration of the Church’s social teaching and its lived application. As such, it is both theoretical and practical; there will be reading, teaching, learning and discussion, as well as hands on, on-the-ground serving, experiencing, and relationship building, especially focused on the poor, sick, and marginalized. We also focus on fostering community and a sense of belonging within the group – after a time we’ll hope to know each other well. 

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The focus of the group is on discipleship of the members of the group – becoming a better follower of Jesus Christ.  So the focus in not on output – but on being transformed ourselves.  This is not really a “service ministry”.  Like a soldier has to go through extensive training and be remade himself before he can go into battle, so the Program seeks to create the group into a sort of Gospel “Special Forces”, capable of being leaders in this area in the Church in the future. 

 

I am imagining this as a hearty commitment – I’m inviting you to something sort of intense – because transformation takes time and passion. So the course is usually something like 18 months to two years of twice monthly meeting/events (so, an hour every other week, but with lots of flexibility for travel, absences, and snowbirds, and the like). A rough syllabus is as follows:

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Months 1-3 – Classroom Only – Basic Christian Concepts for Social Ministry

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  • Classroom Topics: The Human Person, the Good Life, Incarnation, the Church as Body of Christ, Conscience, Creation

 

Months 4-6 – Classroom and Exploration – Getting a Catholic Philosophy of Social Engagement 

 

  • Classroom Topics: Prayer, Being With the Poor; Personalism, Cultural Analysis, the Poor, Money and Possessions, Compartmentalization; the Lives of the Saints

 

  • Exploration: Begin exploring and getting to know Practicum Options

 

Months 6-12 – Rotating Classroom and Practicum – Beginning Social Discipleship

 

  • Classroom Topics: The Social Encyclicals; The Environment; Catholic Economics, the Church and Politics, Christian Culture, the Catholic Land Movement, Care for Creation, Lives of the Saints

 

  • Practicums: Serving at Listening House or the Franciscan Brothers of Peace, or others TBD (with group debriefings) 

 

Months 13-24 – Rotating Classroom and Practicum - Advanced Social Discipleship

 

  • Classroom Topics: A Catholic Outline of History; Protestant Work Ethic; Further Cultural Analysis; War and Peace; Thinking Catholically About Technology; Reading the Scriptures; the Social Message of the Fathers of the Church; the Catholic Worker Movement; Lives of the Saints; Others, TBD

 

  • Practicums: Continue at Listening House and FBP or TBD

 

  • Field Trips: Catholic Worker House and Farm? Others, TBD

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