Parishioners of St. John Neumann Catholic Church are invited to participate in Whole Hearted, a parish-based faith formation program from Catholic Charities USA that helps people recognize trauma and respond to it more compassionately and competently. Several parish staff and parishioners, including some members of the Pastoral Council, have already participated in this program as it has been introduced in the parish in the past several months.
Trauma results from an event, series of events, or set of circumstances that is experienced as physically or emotionally harmful or life threatening and that has lasting adverse effects on our functioning and mental, physical, social, emotional, or spiritual well-being. Whole Hearted concisely introduces the issue of trauma, helps participants reflect on how trauma affects people, and highlights ways of restoring and healing wounds caused by trauma. Whole Hearted is for everyone: people who want to be more attuned to the suffering of others, those who suffer or are wounded, and their friends and colleagues.
The program is concise, consisting of four sessions of about one-hour each as well as short introductory and wrap-up sessions. Whole Hearted is for anyone: those wounded by trauma, their friends, family, and colleagues, and those who just want to be able to help. The program is not, however, a substitute for counseling. The program can be done as an individual or as part of a group, but the St. John Neumann parishioners who have finished the program believe participation in a group is most beneficial.
I hope that you will want to participate in this worthwhile program. If you are interested, either as an individual or if you would like your ministry or group of fellow parishioners to participate in the program together, contact John Dister at jmdister@gmail.com.
The St. John Neumann parishioners and members of the parish staff who have completed the program all found it to be very worthwhile. Here are some of their testimonials:
“As someone willing to accompany others who are living with the aftereffects of trauma, I felt a breath of fresh air in taking this course. I feel equipped to recognize some signs from people stuck in the grip of trauma while trying to live a normal life. I feel empowered to gently start a conversation and open the door to a whole new world of healing so others can regain the life of flowing grace that God has always intended for them.”
“Whole Hearted shares information on trauma’s impact and how one may be able to accompany a person in their mental and spiritual journey. The sessions themselves and accompanying resources intend to offer a sensitive pathway to establishing a helpful connection.”
“Participating in Whole Hearted allowed me to pause and reflect upon how wounded we all are: some wounds we share, e. g. the clerical abuse crisis and its aftermath, some are tragically unique to each individual. We shared stories of grace, examples of reaching out with grace, receiving grace – how to live Salesian spirituality, to be Christ for one another.”
“I appreciated learning so much about how much “trauma” is really out there in our community and how much it likely affects so many of our parishioners – and why it is so important for all of our ministries to be sensitive to its presence…”
“Whole Hearted helped me think about how we can give people a pathway out of despair due to the traumatic things that can happen to us. Healing, growing, and getting stronger is hard work, but prayer and fellowship in a parish setting can help.”
“Whole Hearted is a thoughtful program that gave me an opportunity to reflect on my responses to difficult experiences. I learned how my heart could change and be restored through prayer and in dialogue with others.”
