The Formative Spirituality Programs

Formative Spirituality is a growing dimension of ministry that emphasizes the contemplative and mystical aspects of faith formation. It assumes as its core the fostering of personal and communal experiences of God in order to promote the “greatest glory of God, the human person fully alive” (St. Irenaeus).

Formative Spirituality is an umbrella discipline that integrates the contemplative formation of the varied dimensions of the mind, body and spirit in order to form healthy individuals and communities. It is inter-disciplinary, ecumenical and focuses on classical spiritual disciplines and rigors of the heart.

Deeply grounded in the Christian tradition, the program fully embraces the Gospel values of unity in diversity by facilitating an understanding of and respect for the contributions of all world spiritualities to "God's one grand action in the world" (John Macmurray).
   
Students may enroll in the
Formative Spirituality Graduate Certificate (21-credit)
Spiritual Direction Graduate Certificate (24 credit)

Students who are enrolled in the MAPC, MATS or MDiv degree programs may chose a Concentration in Formative Spirituality (12-credit).

REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMISSION

The requirements for admission into the Formative Spirituality program are similar to those of degree candidates and include:

• interview with the Formative Spirituality Team
• undergraduate cumulative grade point average of 2.5 at an accredited institution
• autobiographical essay
• written letters of recommendation
• Spiritual Direction Graduate Certificate only: prior to admission, at least 1 year of monthly spiritual direction from an approved spiritual director

Students may take up to 12 credits of courses in the Formative Spirituality sequence, with the approval of the Formative Spirituality Co-Directors, before matriculating into a graduate certificate program.