Candidate Qualities at the Beginning
of the Program
A commitment to the person of Jesus Christ and a desire to serve others are the qualities
that are most characteristic of candidates when they begin lay ministry formation programs.
How much do candidates have these qualities when they begin your program?
Percent responding:
|
"Very Much" or
"Somewhat" |
"Very Much"
Only |
| Commitment to the person of Jesus Christ |
98% |
54% |
| Desire to serve others |
95% |
62% |
| Commitment to the Catholic Church |
94% |
46% |
| Sense of personal call |
93% |
39% |
| Commitment to prayer |
85% |
23% |
| Sense of mission/discipleship |
84% |
20% |
| Openness to ongoing conversion |
80% |
20% |
| Sense of community |
80% |
14% |
| Healthy sense of self |
79% |
14% |
| Openness to transforming grace of ministry |
75% |
13% |
| Openness to life-long faith formation |
73% |
25% |
| Ability to articulate personal faith experiences |
66% |
6% |
| Willingness to serve diverse populations |
57% |
9% |
| Ability to invite others to a life of faith |
54% |
5% |
| Ability to integrate ministry within the multiple roles in
one's life |
53% |
6% |
| Commitment to social justice |
53% |
3% |
| Ability to engage in discernment |
47% |
2% |
| Sensitivity to diverse expressions of faith |
47% |
5% |
| Appreciation of diverse models of the Church |
43% |
4% |
| Ability to reflect theologically |
25% |
2% |
A desire to serve others is the quality program directors are most likely to say
characterizes program candidates "very much" at the beginning of the formation process. Some
62 percent say candidates have this quality "very much" and another 33 percent say they have it
"somewhat." Respondents are a little less likely to say that a commitment to the person of Jesus
Christ characterizes candidates "very much," but almost all agree that they possess this quality at
least "somewhat."
According to program directors, candidates also come to lay ministry formation with both
a relatively high level of commitment to the Catholic Church and a fairly strong sense of personal
call. Some 46 percent say they have the former and 39 percent say they have the latter "very
much."
Compared to the previous section, there are more differences among the types of
formation programs in their assessment of the qualities candidates possess "very much" when
they begin lay ministry formation.
How much do candidates have these qualities when they begin your program?
Percent responding "very much"
|
Diocesan |
College |
Seminary |
CPE |
Independent |
| Commitment to the person of Jesus
Christ |
58% |
49% |
48% |
36% |
73% |
| Commitment to the Catholic Church |
58% |
33% |
39% |
10% |
55% |
| Openness to life-long faith formation |
49% |
52% |
39% |
78% |
18% |
| Sense of personal call |
40% |
40% |
43% |
0% |
36% |
| Desire to serve others |
35% |
42% |
26% |
20% |
9% |
| Sense of mission/discipleship |
22% |
22% |
9% |
20% |
9% |
| Openness to ongoing conversion |
21% |
26% |
30% |
11% |
36% |
| Commitment to prayer |
20% |
22% |
26% |
0% |
36% |
| Sense of community |
17% |
15% |
8% |
0% |
9% |
| Openness to transforming grace of
ministry |
15% |
16% |
5% |
0% |
9% |
| Healthy sense of self |
15% |
12% |
17% |
0% |
18% |
| Willingness to serve diverse populations |
7% |
12% |
0% |
30% |
9% |
| Ability to integrate ministry within the
multiple roles in one's life |
7% |
3% |
9% |
0% |
9% |
| Ability to invite others to a life of faith |
7% |
3% |
0% |
9% |
9% |
| Ability to articulate personal faith
experiences |
6% |
2% |
9% |
9% |
9% |
| Sensitivity to diverse expressions of
faith |
4% |
7% |
0% |
9% |
9% |
| Appreciation of diverse models of the
Church |
2% |
7% |
0% |
10% |
9% |
| Commitment to social justice |
2% |
5% |
5% |
0% |
0% |
| Ability to reflect theologically |
2% |
2% |
0% |
9% |
0% |
| Ability to engage in discernment |
1% |
3% |
0% |
0% |
0% |
- Compared to those from other types of programs, directors from CPE programs are
much more likely to see their candidates as coming to the program with an
openness to life-long faith formation and somewhat more likely to see them as
willing to serve diverse populations. They are much less likely, however, to see
their candidates as beginning the program with a sense of personal call, a
commitment to prayer, or a commitment to the Catholic Church.
- Respondents from independent programs are less likely than those form other types
of programs to view their candidates as wanting to serve others or as open to life-long faith formation. They are more likely, however, to perceive their candidates
as committed to Jesus Christ and, along with those from diocesan programs, as
committed to the Catholic Church.
Top Ten Qualities of Candidates at Program Initiation Chart