Clinical Pastoral Care, with Mary Handley, director, will be held at St. Mary’s Hospital, Decatur. The specialization seeks to contribute to the ministerial formation of persons who will be able to function as pastoral caregivers in their parishes. The group’s life experiences will serve as the core text. Participants will discuss the spiritual issues inherent in relationships, illness, change, loss, death and grief and will identify and practice communication skills essential to pastoral ministry, especially listening and the sacrament of presence. Students in this specialization will be prepared for pastoral ministry in hospitals, care facilities, parishioners’ homes or on the phone. They will have the skills for providing bereavement ministry and/or developing bereavement ministry programs in their parishes. Recognizing God in the encounter and practicing self-care will be constant themes.

Liturgical Ministry: Liturgical Leadership Skills, with Eliot Kapitan, director, will be held at the Catholic Pastoral Center, Springfield. The specialization introduces the candidates to liturgical leadership skills, enabling them to coordinate liturgy preparation, to oversee one or more liturgy needs and to be an effective liturgy team member. It will provide an overview of the liturgical books and focus on the celebrations of Mass, the Word of God, sacramental liturgy and daily prayer, as well as the requisite needs for faith, culture, space, art and music.

The Lay Ministry Program is a two-year program. Specializations constitute Year II of the program and may be taken prior to Year I of formation. Men who might be interested in the permanent diaconate are encouraged to complete some or all of the Lay Ministry Formation Program in preparation for entrance into the deacon formation program.

Msgr. David Lantz is director of the Office for Ministry Formation. For more information, contact Joan Reed, secretary for the Office for Ministry Formation program at (217) 698-8500 ext. 153 or e-mail .