Components of Into the Deep

Retreat experiences

First retreat 

  • Theme, Into the Deep 

  • Introduction to Catholic Leadership Foundation and overview of Into the Deep program

  • Fellowship and community building, especially spiritual conversations in small groups

  • Reconciliation and Eucharist

  • Personal reflection on life and faith journey, story of leadership

  • First Spiritual Exercises Week 1

Final retreat

  • Theme “So I send you’

  • Presentation of mission enhancement initiatives

  • Review and evaluation of the program

  • Continuing involvement as Friends of the Foundation

Retreats offer the chance to deepen one’s relationship with God. Dedicated time for prayer, reflection, and contemplation allows for connection with God on a deeper level. Time on retreat can be used to discern God's will, find clarity and direction. Through a focus on prayer, sacraments, and teachings, retreats can facilitate a more profound encounter with Christ. Retreats offer an opportunity for spiritual renewal and refreshment and can offer the potential for healing past hurts and finding forgiveness through reconciliation.

Personally, retreats offer a chance to gain a new perspective on life, relationships, and challenges. Introspection and journaling can foster greater self-awareness. Retreats offer opportunities to connect with other Catholics and build community. Some retreats offer the chance to learn new skills or practices, such as prayer or meditation techniques.

Retreats also offer the potential for strengthened faith, growth in virtue, and the potential to find greater peace and joy in life through a deeper connection with God.

The First Spiritual Exercises

The First Spiritual Exercises help a person ask for and receive inner peace. This inner peace is utterly unmistakable. They can feel the love of God so overwhelmingly unconditional, so gently intimate, that they are left with a deep-seated peace that will survive all sorts of trials, selfishness and loss. 

Praying an FSE retreat can bring people swiftly back into a relationship with a personal God and the meaning and direction of our life journey. It slows people down to reground them in what matters. The FSE offers life through listening and conversation. A single story from another can change us for life. Such stories reach deep and catch us up, to transform and nourish. And our life stories carry life for others. The FSE is full of deep stories – our stories, the story of the universe, of people in great need, of intimacy with Jesus.

The FSE is a four-week retreat in daily life, with a choice of four retreats. It involves a commitment to daily prayer from Monday to Thursday and a Sunday exercise. Retreatants usually meet weekly during the retreat and share their experience in spiritual conversation facilitated by trained guides. The FSE can always be adapted to the particular needs and circumstances of those making the retreat.

The Ignatian Awareness Examen

The Ignatian Awareness Examen, rooted in the teachings of St. Ignatius Loyola, is a method of prayerful reflection on daily experiences to discern God's presence and direction. It's a practice of becoming more consciously aware of God's activity in our lives. Typically involving five steps, it begins with centering oneself in God's presence and asking for His light. Gratitude follows, recalling blessings received. The core involves reviewing the day, paying attention to emotions and significant moments, both positive and negative. This leads to acknowledging shortcomings and seeking forgiveness. Finally, one looks towards the future, asking for God's grace and guidance for the day ahead. The Examen aims to foster a deeper relationship with God by finding Him in the ordinary events of life.

Lectio Divina

The Catholic Leadership Foundation promotes Lectio Divina as a way to foster a life-giving relationship with Jesus. Lectio Divina, which means "divine reading," is a Benedictine practice of prayerful meditation on Scripture. 

It involves four steps: 

  1. lectio (reading a short passage of Scripture slowly and attentively), 

  2. meditatio (reflecting on the passage and listening for God's voice), 

  3. oratio (responding with prayer), and 

  4. contemplatio (resting in God's presence). 

The spiritual benefits of Lectio Divina include deepening one's relationship with God, increasing understanding of the Bible, promoting spiritual growth, cultivating inner peace, and enhancing discernment. 2

The primary resource is Lectio Divina with Bishop David Walker Click here
Participants will pray the online Lectio Divina reflections on the Sunday Gospel.
They will be invited to share reflections online at lectiodivina.com

Mentors

Mentors are experienced Catholic leaders who have served the Church in senior leadership positions.

As mentors Catholic leaders can help participants:

  • Integrate faith, life and work: They can help younger leaders live out their Catholic values in the workplace and find greater meaning in their work.

  • Provide spiritual support: This can include offering guidance, when appropriate, on living as a Catholic leader and navigating challenges to faith in a secular world.

While there may be some overlap in the skills used, a mentor in the Into the Deep program does not accompany the participant in the same was as would a professional coach or spiritual director.

Mentors are assigned to participants in consideration of their location (e.g. rural, remote, city) and mission field (e.g. education, health services, MPJP).

Mentors meet with participants at the beginning of the Program and at the end of each Phase. Their role is to assist the participants to reflect upon their experience of the activities that were featured in each of the five Phases (e.g. First Spiritual Exercises, Lectio Divina, Pilgrimage…). Questions to assist in each of these meetings will be framed by the Program designers. They will seek to draw out the significance and implications of what was experienced in each of the Phases and the Program as it develops.

Online Seminars and Book Club

Online seminars using Zoom are offered throughout the Program. They feature acknowledged experts in their field. Small groups negotiate suitable times to meet within designated periods.

Online seminars serve to

  • Introduce practices such as ‘Praying the Ignatian Awareness’ and ‘Praying Lectio Divina’

  • Introduce a particular Phase of the Program such as ‘The Call to Holiness’ and ‘Leading Mission: Leading change’

The Book Club will be focus on key readings including Edward Hahnenberg’s ‘Theology for Ministry’.

Pilgrimage: ‘A Journey that resets the soul’

From Harvest Pilgrimages, our partner in the organisation of pilgrimages

“Travel provides the opportunity to disconnect from the everyday. It gives us time away, time to pause, time with ourselves and others, and time to explore and experience life in a new place, at a different pace.

With every new destination comes new possibilities, new encounters, new friends, new memories. What is amazing is that everything already exciting and extraordinary about travel is enriched when on pilgrimage.

There is something that stirs in the heart of each pilgrim; a quiet voice that tells us there is something more to this life and this world than what we experience through our senses. For centuries, Christians have gone on pilgrimage, not just to visit a place and admire its nature, art or history, but to seek and immerse themselves in the presence of God.

Pilgrimage gives us an opportunity to seek what our spirit longs for. It’s not just travel; it’s travel with purpose and faith that bears lasting fruit.” ….. More

Mission Enhancement Initiative

A mission enhancement is a leader led initiative specifically designed to enrich the Catholic life and mission of an organisation. It’s purpose is:

1. Deepening Understanding and Commitment:

  • Connecting to the Organisation's Mission: By actively working to enhance the Catholic life and mission of their organisation, leaders gain a deeper understanding of its ecclesial nature and mission . This strengthens their commitment and helps them align their leadership with the organisation's core purpose.

  • Exploring Catholic Social Teaching: Many projects focused on enhancing Catholic life and mission involve applying principles of Catholic social teaching (CST) within the organisation. This could include promoting social justice, advocating for the marginalised, or fostering a culture of service and dignity.

  • Living the Faith in the Workplace: Leaders learn to integrate their faith into their daily work, creating a more cohesive and meaningful professional life. This fosters a sense of purpose and inspires others to live out their faith in the workplace as well.

2. Developing Essential Leadership Skills:

  • Collaboration and Communication: These projects often require collaboration with colleagues, staff, and potentially external partners. This provides opportunities to practice effective communication, build consensus, and navigate diverse perspectives in dialogue with them.

  • Strategic Thinking and Planning: Leaders learn to assess the organisation's current Catholic identity, identify areas for improvement, and develop strategies to achieve their goals. This strengthens their ability to plan and implement initiatives effectively.

  • Spiritual Discernment: Leaders are encouraged to discern how the project aligns with the organisation's mission and the needs of its members. This fosters a culture of prayerful decision-making and reliance on God's guidance.

3. Fostering Spiritual Growth and Formation:

  • Reflection and Prayer: Engaging in a project that strengthens the Catholic identity of their organisation provides ample opportunities for reflection and prayer. Leaders can journal, discuss their experiences with mentors, and deepen their relationship with God.

  • Community Building: Working together on a shared mission fosters a sense of community and shared purpose within the organisation. This strengthens relationships and creates a more supportive and faith-filled environment.

  • Leadership as Vocation: By actively contributing to the Catholic mission of their organisation, leaders gain a deeper understanding of their work as a vocation. This can lead to greater job satisfaction, a stronger sense of purpose, and a renewed commitment to their role.

Examples of mission enhancement initiative within an organisation:

  • Developing a faith formation program for staff: This could include Bible studies, retreats, or guest speakers to deepen the faith of staff and members.

  • Implementing a social justice initiative: This might involve partnering with a local charity, advocating for policy changes, or creating opportunities for staff to volunteer and serve the community.

  • Creating a prayerful workplace: offering daily prayer or reflection time, or incorporating spiritual practices into meetings and events.

  • Promoting ethical leadership: This might involve providing training on ethical decision-making in the Catholic tradition, or creating a culture of transparency and accountability.

By engaging in these types of initiatives, experienced Catholic leaders can deepen their understanding of their faith, strengthen their leadership skills, and contribute to creating a more vibrant and faith-filled organisation.

Evaluation

To evaluate the effectiveness of the "Into the Deep" program, a mixed-method approach can be used that includes both quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis. Here are some specific suggestions:

1. Pre- mid- and post-Program surveys:

  • A survey instrument can be developed that provides privileged insights into key outcomes

  • The pre- and post-program survey results can be compared to assess changes in participants' knowledge, skills, and attitudes.

2. Participant Interviews:

  • Individual interviews can be conducted to gather in-depth feedback on their experiences in the program.

  • Open-ended questions can be used to allow participants to share their perspectives freely and to identify unexpected outcomes.

3. Observation of Program Activities:

  • Program activities, such as retreats, workshops, and small group discussions, can be observed to gather firsthand data on participants' engagement and learning.

4. Analysis of Participant Work Products:

  • The quality of participants' mission projects and their ability to apply what they have learned in the program can be assessed.

5. Long-Term Follow-Up:

  • Contact can be maintained with participants after the program concludes to assess the long-term impact of the program on their lives and ministries.

  • Follow-up surveys or interviews can be conducted to assess the sustainability of program outcomes.