Who funded F.i.R.M. and what are the overall objectives and goals?
In March 2021, St. Peter’s Seminary submitted a proposal to the Lilly Endowment’s Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative and was subsequently awarded a small grant to fund the development of F.i.R.M. This initiative is administered by The Association of Theological Schools.
The primary commitment of F.i.R.M. was to develop a series of modules on relational maturity and designed for seamless integration into the whole ministerial formation program, on an ongoing basis, and with the involvement of all faculty and formators at the seminary.
F.i.R.M. has relied on the collaborative effort of all formators in their desire to awaken future ministers to the development of the competencies, habits and skills required to become a mature individual, fully capable of engaging in deep and ongoing self-reflection. Also foundational to reaching this goal has been the building and cultivating of a sustainable model of relational maturity where the virtues of humility, trust, and interior freedom are nurtured in order to enrich one’s capacity to lead and to serve their congregations.
With the development of the modules, F.i.R.M. now has the potential for multiple applications. This knowledge can readily be adapted to foster growth in relational maturity for our lay ministerial candidates and for ongoing formation for priests and lay ministers already at work in congregations. It could also be used to help international priests learn about and adapt to the pastoral realities of ministering in Canada.