MADISON — The Diocese of Madison Office of Evangelization and Catechesis (OEC) will offer facilitator training for the “Lord Teach Me to Pray” (LTMTP) series.
Training will be held at the Bishop O’Connor Catholic Pastoral Center (BOCPC) in Madison. The session schedule is:
- Part one — Begins at 7 p.m. on Friday, July 27, and concludes at 5 p.m. on Saturday, July 28.
- Part two — Begins at 6 p.m. on Saturday, July 28, and concludes at 12 noon on Sunday, July 29.
- Part three — Friday, July 27, 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.
The series focuses on prayer and was developed to assist Catholics in ongoing spiritual growth in their response to the call to holiness and a deeper commitment to Jesus.
Stepping into spiritual world
One of the facilitators trained at last year’s program shared, “I have found the LTMTP program a wonderful way to grow in friendship with Jesus. The program makes it easy to gently step into the spiritual world of meditation and contemplation of the Scriptures, which may have seemed for great saints only. It is exciting to experience God revealing more of His nature, presence, care, concern, and guidance to us.
“I found that I learned quite a bit from the other women sharing their experiences of meditation on the same Scriptures. This deep sharing also formed an intimacy and sacredness within the group.”
Lord Teach Me to Pray series
Unlike Bible studies or other adult formation programs, this series is designed to help women and men learn how to pray. It is based upon the spirituality of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus. The spirituality of St. Ignatius and his Spiritual Exercises have been used for centuries to develop the spirituality of many great saints. The series is broken up into three consecutive parts that must be completed in order.
This program is conducted in a group experience of approximately 12 participants with the assistance of trained facilitators. The group meets once a week for two hours.
Each meeting consists of an opening prayer, personal faith sharing on the week’s Scriptures, and presentations on Ignatian prayer and Church teaching.
Participants are given Scripture passages to use every day for personal prayer at home.
Three-part series
Part one, “Praying Christian Virtues,” is a 12-week program that focuses on the need to develop good religious habits on the spiritual teachings on Christian virtues. It introduces the prayer of meditation and contemplation devised by St. Ignatius of Loyola.
Part two, “My 19th Annotation,” provides participants with the experience of praying the entire Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. It is a 30-week experience, broken up into two, 15-week sessions with a four-week break in the middle.
Part Three is “Discernment and Gifts of the Spirit.” During these 14 weeks participants will learn about the identity and activity of the Holy Spirit through the writings of experts and be introduced to St. Ignatius’ Rules for Discernment.
Fr. Marty Gleeson, O.P., spiritual advisor to the series, and Carol Weiler, director of the series, will lead the training in Madison. For more information about the series, go to www.lordteachmetopray.com
There is no charge for the training, but people must register in advance. Participants are asked to contribute for meals and snacks. Overnight accommodations can be arranged at the BOCPC.
To register, contact Marie Lins at the OEC at 608-821-3160 or [email protected]