Facilitating Faith in Action Part A

Would you like to know more about the spirituality of the Society?

Facilitating Faith in Action Part A

Registrations are NOW open for the session starting the week of 24 April 2023

An invitation to join in an online course – Facilitating Faith in Action Part A

• Would you like to deepen your understanding of how our service is inspired by our spirituality?
• Would you enjoy sharing in a learning opportunity with members from other parts of the state?
• Is there a desire in you to encourage more conversations among members about how we put our faith into action?

We invite you to learn, explore, reflect upon how to support Conferences to be ‘genuine communities of faith and love, of prayer and action’ (The Rule, 3.3 page 20).

The next session for Part A begins 24 April or sometime that week, with most participants finishing in 4 – 5 weeks. Two online conversations will be scheduled at a time to suit participants during May. There will also be an optional online orientation session during the first week..

Please register by 17 April or as soon as possible.

Purpose

Facilitating Faith in Action Part A is a 4-week course exploring faith in action using the Spiritual Adviser Handbook as a guide. It is open to all members and employees and volunteers who are interested in learning more about the spiritual basis of the Society. Participants will grow in understanding and appreciation of the spirituality of the St Vincent de Paul Society and reflect on what it means for them personally to be part of it.

Background

The State Spirituality Committee launched this initiative in 2019 to enable participants to be more deeply grounded in the Society’s spirituality. The committee also seeks to broaden the understanding of the role of the Spiritual Adviser from the singular role of leading the meeting’s spiritual reflection to a person who is a resource to the Conference or Council in all aspects of the meeting, service, and interactions.

What happens?

Participants work at their own pace. The course involves ‘Blended Learning’ and the timeframe is flexible. Blended learning means there are online tasks and reading and writing using printed materials.

The Online Learning course leads you through step-by-step tasks which include

1. Reading short (2-3 pages) excerpts from the Spiritual Adviser Handbook
2. Writing responses to reflection questions in your Workbook
3. Posting brief responses to discussion questions in the online discussion forum
4. Joining in 2 fortnightly online Zoom conversations for 60 – 90 minutes with other participants. Facilitating Faith in Action is available by invitation in order to create a learning community for those participating. It is not found if searching the Vinnies Learning Centre but those who register will be provided a link to undertake the course.

See comments from participants below.

What to do to participate:

1. Email the course facilitator, Kate.scholl@vinnies.org.au to indicate your interest in joining the group. Please include where you are located, your role (e.g. Conference spiritual adviser, President, secretary, etc…) and your phone number. Numbers are limited so please register soon. Please register by 17 April or ASAP if possible.
2. Check if you have the Spiritual Adviser Handbook and Workbook and Appendix. If you need hard copies of those resources, let us know your address and we will post them to you. Alternately you can download them from MAVS website: https://mavs.vinnies.org.au/conferences/spirituality/spiritual-adviser-handbook/

Then what happens?

1. Details of how to log into the Vinnies Learning Centre (VLC) will be provided and support is available to get connected if required.
2. Shortly before we start, you will receive a link to join the course and more details.
3. Once we start you can move through the course modules at your own pace with the aim of finishing Part A within 4 – 5 weeks. Additional time to complete the course is available if needed.

Read more details in the FAQ’s – Click here

Click here to Download the flyer

For more information contact:

Kate Scholl

Mission and Spirituality Learning Development volunteer

Kate.scholl@vinnies.org.au

0425 211 065

Comments from Participants

I would encourage everyone involved in SVDP to participate in the course to learn of its rich history and founding members, the importance of spirituality in our community and the provision of our services to those in need.  — Steve from Port Macquarie

It was a very well-organised course, well-paced and with targeted reflective questions that made me think, learn and grow. There was a lot of support offered and it was great to connect up with the other participants. The material is helpful and well-paced, giving plenty of depth and ways to reflect that draw out growth, prayer and understanding. I would highly recommend it!  — Elizabeth from Parkes

I found the course materials and background readings beneficial for the course and for myself in my own personal journey as a Vincentian. The interaction with fellow Vincentians from other Conferences was affirming and engaging.  – Tom from Grafton

Doing this in your own time, having the opportunity to go back and revisit ideas along the way was great.  – Pat from Miranda