Graduation

Well that's it! Our last class was two weeks ago, only this time it really is our very last class. Tonight is the graduation ceremony for the ILM Class of 2013, and for me too. Once again, for the last time I suppose, I would like to thank everyone who is reading my blog; His blog, I hope, it's about the One who inspires me daily to be the person I am trying to be. I hope that you have learned something too, or at least found it interesting. My desire has been to faithfully reflect my witness of God's Grace in my life, my belief in Jesus' Love for us, my trust in the Holy Spirit, and my understanding of the Catholic Church in the world.

 

Not too long ago, another ILM student mentioned that writing must come easy to me; after all I am writing this blog. I told her that before joining ILM I mentioned to the director that although I was very interested in the program I didn't want to write term papers. I guess they aren't term papers, but the four papers per year have been the hardest part of the program for me. I was very uncomfortable with the idea of writing anything that "should include theological insight and pastoral implications", because I'm the student not the theologian. However, once I realized that my papers would serve to indicate my progress which also meant there would be no tests, I accepted my fear of writing. My early papers were mostly about things that I wanted to write about and my later papers were mostly about things my instructors wanted me to write about, but in every case I found it necessary to "adjust" the final version of my paper to approximate the instructors assignment. Looking back, it really hasn't been that hard I suppose; you can do it too!

 

This has really been a very interesting process for me, and I would recommend it to anyone that is interested in the Catholic Church: actually to anyone interested in religion in general. Pretty much all of my life I've been in school, or some kind of formal training, or taking self study courses, so after hearing about the program I wanted to attend ILM for personal reasons; I simply wanted to know more. After I was in the program I realized that the Institute for Leadership in Ministry actually meant training leaders for the church (oops). I struggled with this a bit in my second year, but eventually realized that the training was still valuable for someone like me who prefers to be in a supporting role. So if you're interested, talk to your Pastor and do it!

 

Sometime life gets in the way and I hope that what I've written here will help others, including my own family, discover who I am on the inside and who I am trying to be on the outside. For those who undertook this journey with me, thank you. I am especially grateful to my Mother who did her best to keep me on the "straight and narrow" and to my Dad who usually let me make my own mistakes in life, I hope they always know how much I love them and how much I appreciate their love for me. To my Grandfather who inspired me to search for the truth no matter where it leads, and to my friend John who commented on my papers and assisted me with grammar and spelling when necessary. To my sister who showed me that I could "think outside the box", and to my brother, my children, and my grand children who have their own stories. Most of all I am grateful to my wife who gently led me with love and by example, making this discovery of a lifetime possible. I love you all!

This has been the story of my personal journey for truth, knowledge, and wisdom, but as with all great stories and epic journeys ... it's really just the beginning.