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Section 13’s Annual Enrichment -
The Called & Gifted Workshop
Jack & Karen Baker
Couples and priests from Alaska, Washington, Oregon and Idaho
gathered January 20, 2007 in Clackamas, OR for Section 13’s
annual enrichment.
This year Sherry Weddell and Fr. Mike Fones of the Catherine of
Siena Institute presented a one day Called and Gifted Workshop to
help couples and priests begin discerning their spiritual gifts
(charisms). The workshop included the 120 question Catholic Spiritual
Gifts Inventory developed by the Catherine of Siena Institute to
help quantify strengths in 24 different spiritual charisms. After
the inventory the presenters explained each of the charisms in more
detail to help each person to better understand the results of the
inventory.
Charisms were identified as gratuitous gifts given to us by God
to give away to others. It was explained that the characteristics
of a charism include:
• Being long-term, therefore they can be further developed
• Bears results above and beyond our natural
abilities
• They are focused outward
• They are received from God, not chosen. Given by the Holy
Spirit
• Enable us to be an agent of God’s purpose for others.
When we exercise a charism we:
1. Are energized
2. Think we have found “our place” in life where we
“fit in”.
3. Are fruitful and effective without undue struggle
4. May experience joyful satisfaction
We were challenged at the end of the workshop to continue to discern
our charisms through a testing process that involved choosing a
gift we think we might have. The three signs of a charism include:
1. An unmistakable inner peace, energy and joy when using the
gift.
2. Unusually effective and successful results in what you are
attempting to accomplish.
3. Other people’s direct or indirect recognition of the
gift’s presence.
It was explained that at the Catherine of Siena Institute, they
work to make apostolic formation and support readily available to
all lay Catholics by:
1. Making self-formation resources available to lay Catholics
throughout the world.
2. Equipping parishes to become houses of formation, discernment,
and apostolic support for the laity.
3. Forming clergy, religious, and lay leaders to be effective
formatters of lay people.
4. Fostering awareness, discussion, theological inquiry, and pastoral
consultation throughout the Church regarding the apostolic mission
and formation of the laity.
5. Collaborating with interested individuals, groups, and organizations
in the service of this mission.
On their website www.siena.org
I read
Every lay man and woman has been called by Christ (in his or
her baptism) to a unique mission, and every lay man and woman
has been gifted by the Holy Spirit in order to be able to answer
that call.
The Church calls these gifts of the Holy Spirit which Christians
are given for the sake of others "charisms". Discerning
our charisms is an important first step to discerning God's call.
These gifts of the Holy Spirit are both clues as to the
nature of the mission for which God is preparing us and tools
with which to successfully carry out our mission.
Those who take the Called & Gifted Workshop have a chance
to take the Catholic Spiritual Gifts Inventory, the first gifts
inventory designed especially for Catholics. They will also have
the chance to begin discerning their charisms. At a Called &
Gifted Workshop, you will learn:
• The role of every Catholic and of the local parish in
the mission of the Church to the world.
• The critical role of charisms in the life and service
of other lay Catholics and in the life of the parish or Christian
community.
• The signs and characteristics of 24 common charisms.
• How discerning and using your charisms can change your
life and the life of others, your parish, and the world.
We highly recommend the The Called and Gifted Workshop and encourage
you to visit the The Catherine of Siena Institute website www.siena.org
for additional information about their materials and how to schedule
a workshop in your area.
We are blessed to have a friend, Eryn Huntington, in our parish
that helped write the Discerning Charisms workbook. Eryn
and her husband Mike attended a WWME Weekend that we presented.
Eryn is helping us discern our individual charisms and has offered
to work with couples, we gather, to help them discern their couple
charisms.
We pray that God might help you to understand how you can best
be His conduit to sharing His love with those around you.
Love & Prayers,
Jack & Karen Baker
Click
here for a printable version (PDF, 10KB)
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