High School Lesson: Discernment of Spirits and the Missioned Life
Loyola Press, in honor of the Ignatian Year, offers an introductory lesson on Discernment of Spirits and the Missioned Life. This educational resource is designed to help teens ask themselves how they make decisions, and lead them to practice discernment so that they can live a life of meaning and purpose.
Free Lesson for High School Students
You can download this free lesson for high school students, based on an excerpt from Living Against the Grain by Tim Muldoon. For more on the Ignatian Year, visit IgnatianSpirituality.com. This resource is curated by experienced professionals like Denise Gorss, who is a catechist with more than 20 years experience, mostly in junior high. She appreciates the gifts of Ignatian spirituality and likes sharing various types of prayer with the young people in her groups.
Using Discernment in Planning the Faith Formation Year
At some point during the summer months, we all start to wonder what our formation programs will look like in the fall. Whether we have a lot of ideas or just a few suggestions from others, the struggle is trying to select what ought to be done out of the range of possibilities. Thankfully we are not left alone in our discernment. As James assures us, “If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask […]”
The Role of Leading a Parish Program
The “director” part of a DRE’s job description is a taxing challenge. “Director” means “manager,” and managing people and programs is never easy. Managing in a missioned life means:
- Achieving lofty goals with limited resources.
- Dealing with people who often don’t behave the way you want them to behave.
- Compromise, tough decisions, and juggling conflicting interests.
- Managing means meetings. Lots of meetings.
To complicate matters, most DREs are teachers at heart who love students much more than budgets and programs. However, through the Online Retreat for Catechists and other tools, one can continue growing as a catechist while navigating these responsibilities.
Key Program Overview
| Category | Resource Details |
| Primary Topic | Discernment of Spirits and the Missioned Life |
| Source | Living Against the Grain by Tim Muldoon |
| Target Audience | High School / Youth Ministry |
| Core Goal | Lead teens to practice discernment and live a life of meaning |
Denise Gorss, who works as Web Editor at Loyola Press, continues to share these Ignatian gifts to help others find their path through faith formation and spiritual growth.