PROGRAM OF FORMATION

FOR

HOLY ORDERS

INTRODUCTION

The ministry of a priest--to serve people in their relationship to God--is a very sensitive and important one, and it must be exercised with all kinds of people, from the uneducated to the highly educated, and in a world that presents all kinds of problems.  Because of that, formation in view of the priesthood is an extremely

important activity, and one that demands serious and dedicated work.   The following course of study is comprehensive enough and serious enough to give candidates a solid intellectual preparation for their ministry.  Other requirements, to be described below, complement the intellectual preparation with development in other areas that are required to be a good and effective priest.

Acceptance into this program or as a candidate for Holy Orders is not a promise of ordination, and it does not guarantee that a candidate will be ordained.  Rather it is an admission to a period of discernment and training.  Selection of a candidate for ordination is solely at the discretion of the candidate's Bishop, is not subject to appeal, and may include criteria not expressly stated or implied here.

A person must be a committed member of the Celtic Christian Church for at least six months before applying for admission into the formation program.

In this program the word "candidate," unless otherwise specified, applies both to persons seeking ordination and to already ordained persons seeking incardination.  In the case of the latter the requirements will be adapted as needed.

I. STRUCTURE

1. Mentor.   Given its small size, the Celtic Christian Church does not have a seminary of its own.  Nor will it require its candidates, who in very large part will be adults with family and work responsibilities, to enroll in a seminary program of another church.  Rather, the Church employs the mentor system.  For each candidate a person with the necessary training and experience will be appointed by the candidate's Bishop to act as mentor during his or her course of formation.  If advisable, a general mentor will be appointed and other persons will serve as mentors in the specific areas of their expertise.  The mentor will work closely with the candidate and will have input in all aspects of his or her formation.  In the academic area the mentor will oversee the candidate's study and will be responsible for testing him or her.

2. Yearly Evaluation.   The candidate's Bishop and the mentor, with the input of other persons working with the candidate, will evaluate him or her at the end of each year in the formation program.  The decision on the advancement or the dismissal of the candidate is the responsibility of his or her Bishop.  If the candidate is dismissed from the program, he or she will be informed of the reasons for this action and will be given full opportunity to discuss it with his or her Bishop.  If the candidate is advanced in the program, the results of the evaluation, including areas in which it is judged that greater effort is needed, will be communicated to him or her.  

II. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

1. Clergy Application.   As the first step, a candidate must answer a basic questionnaire and submit the documents requested in it.  Of particular importance here are the transcripts of any academic work done, since these will be necessary to determine the specific course of study to be followed by any individual candidate.

2. Criminal-History and Child-Abuse Clearances.   Small independent churches, of which the Celtic Christian Church is one, can be havens for persons with criminal or child-abuse histories.  In order to exercise due diligence in the admission of candidates to Holy Orders and in the incardination of ordained clergy persons, the Celtic Christian Church requires these two clearances (unless they are illegal in the candidate's home state).  The specifics are given in the Clergy Application.

3. Psychological Screening.   Each candidate will take a battery of psychological tests to provide his or her Bishop with information on, first, the candidate's personality, abilities, weak points, and so on, and, second, on real or potential pathology.  The specifics are given in the Clergy Application.

4. Spiritual Direction.   The work of a priest is essentially spiritual, and in order to be effective in his or her  ministry, a priest must be a person with a real and deepening spiritual relationship with Jesus Christ.  Because of this each candidate is required to have a spiritual director, a person who has the knowledge and the experience to guide another in a relationship with Jesus.

5. Clinical Pastoral Education.   Each candidate will be responsible for one unit of CPE.  This provides real-life training by professionals in important pastoral skills and also allows for peer interaction between trainees.  CPE can be done full-time, but almost all programs have extended units designed for working adults who cannot engage in it full-time.

6. Ministry.   During the entire course of formation the candidate will be involved in an appropriate pastoral ministry.  The choice of ministry will be the candidate's, with the approval of the mentor.  The supervision of the candidate's work in this ministry will be the responsibility of the mentor.

7. Mass and Sacraments.   Toward the end of the course of formation, the candidate will receive practical training in saying Mass and administering the Sacraments.  This training will be the responsibility of the mentor.

III.  ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS

A. Structure of the Program of Study

1. College or Equivalent.   Ideally, a candidate beginning the program of formation will possess a college degree.  Barring that, an associate's degree will be considered sufficient.  However, as noted above, a good number of candidates will be adults with family and work responsibilities, for whom returning to college to obtain a degree would be a real hardship.  Such candidates will work with their Bishops and mentors to determine what must still be done.  In many cases this remaining work can be completed by means of correspondence or online courses offered by reputable institutions.   A candidate finishing college work in this way will be considered enrolled in the formation program and will be assigned a mentor.

2. Individual Program of Study.   The program of study will be tailored to each individual candidate, since a certain number of the candidates will already have done some of the required studies.  In each case the candidate's Bishop will examine the documents sent to him or her along with the filled-out Clergy Application and will make a preliminary determination of what needs to be done.  He or she will then choose a mentor for the candidate.  The candidate's Bishop, the mentor and the candidate will then structure the individual course of study.

3. Seminary or University Courses.   Candidates are strongly encouraged to take at least a few of their courses in a seminary or in a Christian university.  This would provide them with professional teachers and also with peer interaction.  Because of the importance of the orientation of the seminary or university (the Celtic Christian Church is a sacramental church, close in doctrine to the Roman, Anglican and Orthodox churches, but different from the Protestant churches), the choice of a seminary or university must be approved by the candidate's Bishop.

4. Internet Based Courses.   Candidates who have access to the Internet have the possibility of taking courses via that medium.  Great care must be exercised to choose organizations and courses that are reputable.  Candidates who consider this possibility are encouraged to look into Global Ministries University.  This is a newly established all-Internet program of study, sponsored by the Federation of Christian Ministries, that offers an undergraduate degree in Religious Studies and the graduate degrees of Master of Theology, Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry.  All Internet-based courses or degree programs chosen by a candidate must be approved by the candidate's mentor.

5. Collaboration with the Mentor.   The mentor determines, with input from the candidate, the concrete details of the way in which they will collaborate, how often and where they will meet, how the candidate will be tested in the various areas of study, and so on.  This applies also to candidates following courses in a seminary or university or via the Internet.

6. Reports to the Bishop.   The mentor will advise the candidate's Bishop regularly--at a minimum, once every three months--on the candidate's progress.

7. Final Paper.   At the end of the course of formation, the candidate's Bishop will assign the candidate a final comprehensive paper to write.  The Bishop's intent here is to obtain an idea, in the candidate's own words, of his or her approach to the priesthood and to ministry and their requirements in the context of the concrete world in which that ministry will be exercised.

B. Program of Study

1.        Outline.  Following are the areas in which preparation is required:

Part I.  The Western Church

A.  Pre-Theology

                1.  Philosophy (a basic introduction)

                2.  Psychology (a basic introduction)

                3.  Comparative Religions

B.  Christian Theology

                1.  Introductory and General

                2.  Doctrinal Theology

                     a.  God, the Trinity

                     b.  Creation

                     c.  Redemption

                          1)  Christology

                          2)  Redemption/Salvation

                          3)  Mariology

                     d.  Sanctification

                          1)  Grace

                          2)  Theological Virtues (Faith, Hope, Charity)

                          3)  Ecclesiology

                          4)  Sacraments

                     e.  Consummation (Eschatology)

                3.  Moral Theology

                     a.  Sin, Original Sin

                     b.  Christian Moral Doctrine

C.  Sacred Scripture

                D.  History of the Christian Church

E.  Liturgy

                F.  Spiritual Life, Prayer, Spiritual Direction

G.  Pastoral Care, Counseling, Religious Education

                H.  Homiletics

Part II.  The Eastern Church

Part III.  The Celtic Church

2. List of Required and Recommended Books

The list of required books given below may well seem overwhelming at first sight.  It is therefore very important to keep two points in mind.

First, a seminary program for the priesthood in a sacramental church would take some three years and include over a thousand hours of classroom lectures.  The program below, while not pretending in any way to duplicate seminary training, must provide the substance of such training, without the lectures and the interaction between students and professors.

Second, the intent of any candidate's Bishop is to be as flexible as possible in the application of the program.  School work already done will count in the program if at all possible.  What is to be required of each individual candidate will depend on what has already been done and what still needs to be done.  As already noted, the transcripts requested in the Clergy Application will be particularly important in determining this, and the input of the mentor will also be important.

It should also be noted here that the division of the following material into “The Western Church,” “The Eastern Church” and “The Celtic Church” is somewhat artificial.  In fact all of the material could easily have been included in a single series of sub-topics, with each Eastern or Celtic book placed within its proper topic.  However, the present division, in addition to bringing a greater degree of clarity to the organization of the material, accentuates the intent of the formation program.  Since we live in the Western world and the very large majority, if not the totality, of our priests will work within that world, the basic theological formation provided by this program is in the Western ambit.  Then, since we live our faith in the spirit of the ancient Celtic church and since this spirit is closer to the more mystical spirit of the Orthodox church than to the more rational outlook of the Western church, that basic formation is completed by a study of the theological outlook and especially the spirituality of the Orthodox church and by a study of the history and spirituality of the Celtic church.

All of the books indicated below are required unless otherwise noted.    

Part I.  The Western Church

A.  PRE-THEOLOGY

            1.  PHILOSOPHY

A general introduction to philosophy, which is usually done in college, is required.  The following two books are examples; another may be substituted.

Jenny Teichman and Catherine C. Evans, PHILOSOPHY: A BEGINNER'S GUIDE, 2nd ed., Cambridge, MA: Blackwell, 1995.

C. E. M. Joad, GUIDE TO PHILOSOPHY, New York: Dover, 1957 (originally 1936).  (More thorough than the first book, accentuating major themes in philosophy.)

                2.  PSYCHOLOGY

A general introduction to psychology, which is also usually done in college, is required, as is a book on human sexuality.  The following books are examples; others may be substituted.

Ronald Kotesky, GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY FOR CHRISTIAN COUNSELORS, Nashville, TN: Abingdon, 1983.

James Bruce Nelson, BETWEEN TWO GARDENS: REFLECTIONS ON SEXUALITY AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE, Pilgrim Press, 1983.

                3.  COMPARATIVE RELIGIONS

Huston Smith, THE WORLD'S RELIGIONS, HarperSanFrancisco, 1991.  (Revised and updated edition of his "The Religions of Man," 1958.)

B.  CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY

1.   COMPENDIUM OF THEOLOGY

The vast area of Christian theology can best be addressed by means of a compendium of theology or a book of systematic theology.  This will give a well integrated overview of the material.  It will then be completed by other works in those areas where a more developed treatment is needed.

Richard P. McBrien, CATHOLICISM, New Edition, New York, NY: HarperSanFrancisco/ HarperCollins, 1994.   (A thorough presentation of Christian doctrine in the Roman Catholic tradition, by a priest who is a professor of theology at Notre Dame University.)

2.       TOPICS REQUIRING FURTHER STUDY

a.        CREATION

Matthew Fox, ORIGINAL BLESSING:  A PRIMER IN CREATION SPIRITUALITY, Santa Fe, NM: Bear & Company, 1983.   (A study of creation which, while not ignoring sin, sees our world as good and uplifting.  Reflects the Celtic spirit on which it draws.)

b.        SCIENCE AND FAITH

The developments of modern science (concerning human origins, for example) raise serious questions for the Christian faith.  The following books address various aspects of this issue.

John Polkinghorne (a particle physicist and an Anglican priest and theologian) - choose ONE of the following two books:

---QUARKS, CHAOS AND CHRISTIANITY:  QUESTIONS TO SCIENCE AND RELIGION, New York, NY: Crossroad, 1997;

---SCIENCE AND THEOLOGY:  AN INTRODUCTION, Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1998.

Jerry D. Korsmeyer, EVOLUTION AND EDEN:  BALANCING ORIGINAL SIN AND CONTEMPORARY SCIENCE, New York, NY: Paulist Press, 1998.  (Korsmeyer is a nuclear physicist and a theologian.)

Dennis Edwards, THE GOD OF EVOLUTION:  A TRINITARIAN THEOLOGY, New York, NY: Paulist Press, 1999.  (Edwards is a Roman Catholic priest and a professor of theology in Australia.)

                                c.   PRIESTHOOD

Daniel Donovan, WHAT ARE THEY SAYING ABOUT THE MINISTERIAL PRIESTHOOD? New York, NY: Paulist Press, 1992.  (Describes different emphases on the priesthood as developed by several modern theologians.  Provides an excellent view of the complex nature of the priesthood.)

                              d.   EUCHARIST

Alexander Schmemann, THE EUCHARIST:  SACRAMENT OF THE KINGDOM, Crestwood, NY:  St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1998.  (A beautiful and deeply spiritual treatment of the Eucharistic celebration and what it means in our daily life.  Schmemann is an outstanding Orthodox theologian.)

e.   SIN AND ORIGINAL SIN

Karl Rahner, ed., ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THEOLOGY:  THE CONCISE SACRAMENTUM MUNDI, New York, NY: Seabury, 1975, "Sin" and "Original Sin."  (Rahner, a Jesuit priest, now deceased, is one of the greatest of the modern theologians.)

f.   FEMINIST THEOLOGY

Rosemary Radford Ruether, WOMEN AND REDEMPTION:  A THEOLOGICAL HISTORY, Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1999.  (The author is a respected theologian known for her work in feminist theology.)

C.  SACRED SCRIPTURE

THE HOLY BIBLE.  Recommended:  THE NRSV NEW OXFORD ANNOTATED BIBLE WITH THE APOCRYPHA, Nashville, TN : Thomas Nelson, 1989.

                1.  GENERAL

Margaret Nutting Ralph, "AND GOD SAID WHAT?":  AN INTRODUCTION TO BIBLICAL FORMS FOR BIBLE LOVERS, New York, NY: Paulist Press, 1986.  (Explains the literary forms used in the Bible [myth, parable, letter, etc.]  and shows the importance of this in interpreting the Bible correctly.)

Joseph A. Fitzmyer, SJ, SCRIPTURE, THE SOUL OF THEOLOGY, New York, NY: Paulist Press, 1994.  (Shows how the correct interpretation of Scripture should function in relation to Tradition, in the study of theology and in ecumenical work.)

Lawrence Boadt, CSP, READING THE OLD TESTAMENT:  AN INTRODUCTION, New York, NY: Paulist Press.  (An up-to-date and comprehensive introduction.)

Pheme Perkins, READING THE NEW TESTAMENT:  AN INTRODUCTION, Second Edition, New York, NY: Paulist Press.  (Includes material on the individual books of the New Testament, and recent material from archeology and social history that helps the reader better to understand the New Testament.)

Very highly RECOMMENDED:  Raymond E. Brown, SS, AN INTRODUCTION TO THE NEW TESTAMENT, New York, NY: Doubleday, 1997.  (An excellent, scholarly and thorough introduction to all aspects of the New Testament and its books.  A very useful resource book.)

2.  THE EVANGELISTS AND PAUL

Donald Senior, CP, WHAT ARE THEY SAYING ABOUT MATTHEW?, New York, NY: Paulist Press.  (A survey of current scholarship on Matthew.)

Patrick J. Flanagan, THE GOSPEL OF MARK MADE EASY, New York, NY: Paulist Press.  (Places Mark's gospel in the context of its original audience, the early church in Rome.)

Mark Allan Powell, WHAT ARE THEY SAYING ABOUT LUKE?, New York, NY: Paulist Press.  (A presentation of the most important current studies on Luke.)

Mark Allan Powell, WHAT ARE THEY SAYING ABOUT ACTS?, New York,NY: Paulist Press.  (An overview of present-day scholarship on Acts.)

Stanley B. Marrow, SJ, THE GOSPEL OF JOHN:  A READING, New York, NY: Paulist Press.  (Reflects on the meaning of John's gospel, and brings out its wealth and its mystery.)

Stanley B. Marrow, SJ, PAUL, HIS LETTERS AND HIS THEOLOGY:  AN INTRODUCTION TO PAUL'S EPISTLES, New York, NY: Paulist Press. (Interprets Paul's theology by his letters and his life, against the background of his times.)

D.  HISTORY OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH

Following are three books that each give a good, if summary, treatment of the history of  the Christian Church.  The candidate will choose ONE of them:

---John C. Dwyer, CHURCH HISTORY: TWENTY CENTURIES OF CATHOLIC CHRISTIANITY, Revised and Updated Edition, New York, NY: Paulist Press.  (Good, objective summary treatment.)

---David L.Edwards, CHRISTIANITY:  THE FIRST TWO THOUSAND YEARS, Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1997.  (Broad in scope, blends institutional history with theological developments.)

---Justo L. Gonzalez, THE STORY OF CHRISTIANITY:  THE EARLY CHURCH TO THE PRESENT DAY, Peabody, MA: Prince Press, 1999 (two volumes in one, originally 1984 and 1985).  (Sheds light on the major cultural and theological currents shaping the church's outlook, while highlighting essential events, people and ideas.)

Bishop Karl Pruter, THE OLD CATHOLIC CHURCH:  A HISTORY AND CHRONOLOGY, San Bernardino, CA: St. Willibrord's Press, 1996 (PO Box 2845, San Bernardino, CA 92406).  (Biased against the Roman Catholic Church and the Jesuits, but good to obtain the basic history.)

The faith of the Celtic Christian Church is that of the first seven ecumenical councils, which were those of the undivided Christian Church.  For a study of those seven councils, the following book is RECOMMENDED:   Leo Donald Davis, SJ, THE FIRST SEVEN ECUMENICAL COUNCILS (325-787):  THEIR HISTORY AND THEOLOGY, Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1983/1990.

For those interested in tracing how the church's doctrine evolved over the centuries, the following lengthy study is highly RECOMMENDED:   Jaroslav Pelikan, THE CHRISTIAN TRADITION: A HISTORY OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF DOCTRINE, 5 vols., Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1971-1989.

  Vol. 1:  THE EMERGENCE OF CATHOLIC TRADITION (100-600).

  Vol. 2:  THE SPIRIT OF EASTERN CHRISTENDOM (600-1700).

  Vol. 3:  THE GROWTH OF MEDIEVAL THEOLOGY (600-1300).

  Vol. 4:  REFORMATION OF CHURCH AND DOGMA (1300-1700).

  Vol. 5:  CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE AND MODERN CULTURE (Since 1700).

The thought of St. Augustine had incalculable influence on the theology of the Christian Church, and for us, his thought is also important in understanding Pelagius (see below, Part III, The Celtic Church).  For a basic understanding of Augustine's thinking, the following book is RECOMMENDED:    T. Kermit Scott, AUGUSTINE:  HIS THOUGHT IN CONTEXT, New York, NY: Paulist Press, 1995.

E.  LITURGY

Dennis C. Smolarski, SJ, SACRED MYSTERIES:  SACRAMENTAL PRINCIPLES AND LITURGICAL PRACTICE, New York, NY: Paulist Press, 1995.  (A practical and sound guide for the celebration of the sacraments, with notes on their historical and theological roots.)

In addition, the candidate will choose ONE of the following books:

--- Edward J. Kilmartin, SJ, CHRISTIAN LITURGY I:  THEOLOGY, Kansas City, MO: Sheed & Ward.

---Regis A. Duffy, REAL PRESENCE, WORSHIP, SACRAMENTS, AND COMMITMENT, San Francisco, CA: Harper & Row, 1982.

---Aidan Kavanagh, ON LITURGICAL THEOLOGY, New York, NY: Pueblo, 1984.

---Dom Gregory Dix, THE SHAPE OF THE LITURGY, London: A. C. Block, 1986.

---David Power, WORSHIP:  CULTURE AND THEOLOGY, Washington, DC: Pastoral Press, 1990.

---Herbert Vorgrimler, SACRAMENTAL THEOLOGY, Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1992.

The candidate must be familiar with the following:

-THE ROMAN SACRAMENTARY, New York: Catholic Book Publishing Co., 1985 (the Mass).

-INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE LECTIONARIES and RESPONSORIAL PSALMS, Hyattsville, MD:     Priests for Equality.

-THE ROMAN RITUAL (the Sacraments).

-ORDER OF CHRISTIAN FUNERALS.

F.  SPIRITUAL LIFE, PRAYER, SPIRITUAL DIRECTION

                1.   SPIRITUAL LIFE AND PRAYER

Matthew Fox, ed., WESTERN SPIRITUALITY:  HISTORICAL ROOTS, ECUMENICAL ROUTES, Santa Fe, NM: Bear and Company.  (Traces the development of spirituality in the Western Church.)

Lawrence S. Cunningham and Keith J. Egan, CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALITY:  THEMES FROM THE TRADITION, New York, NY: Paulist Press, 1996.  (A concise overview of the ways in which Christians over the centuries have approached God in prayer and practice.)

Henri J. M. Nouwen, REACHING OUT:  THE THREE MOVEMENTS OF THE SPIRITUAL LIFE, Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1975.  (The successive stages of our approach to God, as explained in simple terms by a modern master of the spiritual life.)

Henri J. M. Nouwen, WITH BURNING HEARTS:  A MEDITATION ON THE EUCHARISTIC LIFE, Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1994.  (A profound and beautiful reflection on the meaning of the Eucharist for ourselves and for our communities.)

M. Basil Pennington, OCSO, DAILY WE TOUCH HIM:  PRACTICAL RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCES, Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1977.  (Simple practical exercises to help us pray more deeply, by another modern master of the spiritual life.)

Thomas Keating, OCSO, OPEN MIND, OPEN HEART:  THE CONTEMPLATIVE DIMENSION OF THE GOSPEL, NewYork, NY: Continuum, 1986/1992.  (An initiation into a deep loving relationship with God, by, once again, a modern spiritual master.)

The following book is RECOMMENDED:    Louis Dupre and James A. Wiseman, OSB, LIGHT FROM LIGHT:  AN ANTHOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN MYSTICISM, Second Edition, New York, NY: Paulist Press.  (Presents the key spiritual texts from the most important mystical writers in the Christian tradition, with introductions and bibliographies.)

            2. SPIRITUAL DIRECTION

Jean Laplace, SJ, PREPARING FOR SPIRITUAL DIRECTION, Chicago, IL: Franciscan Herald Press, 1975.  (An excellent guide by an experienced and highly competent director.)

Benedict J. Groeschel, SPIRITUAL PASSAGES:  THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT, New York, NY: Crossroad, 1989.  (Guides the reader through the interrelationships between one's spiritual life and one's psychological make-up.)

Wilfrid Stinissen, THE GIFT OF SPIRITUAL DIRECTION:  ON SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE AND CARE OF THE SOUL, Liguori, MO: Liguori Publications, 1999.  (Excellent, well balanced and expressed in simple language.)

Kathleen Fischer, WOMEN AT THE WELL:  FEMINIST PERSPECTIVES IN SPIRITUAL DIRECTION, New York, NY: Paulist Press, 1988.  (An approach to spiritual direction that reflects women's experience and concerns.)

G.  PASTORAL CARE, COUNSELING, RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

One unit of CLINICAL PASTORAL EDUCATION (CPE) is required.  This provides hands-on supervised training in pastoral ministry.

Henri J. M. Nouwen, THE WOUNDED HEALER:  MINISTRY IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY, Garden City, NY: Doubleday/Image, 1972.  (The author argues that ministers must be willing to go beyond their professional role and as wounded and suffering fellow human beings leave themselves open to those they serve, if they are to collaborate in Christ's ministry of healing.)

Henri J. M. Nouwen, CREATIVE MINISTRY, Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1971.  (In his or her several roles, the minister must, again, go beyond the professional role to "lay down his life for his friends" in order to mediate new life in Christ.)

Eugene Kennedy, ON BECOMING A COUNSELOR:  A BASIC GUIDE FOR THE NON-PROFESSIONAL COUNSELOR, New York, NY: Crossroad, 1977/1989.  (An excellent resource for the many counseling situations a priest encounters, by a married priest, professional psychologist and respected author.)

Thomas N. Hart, THE ART OF CHRISTIAN LISTENING, New York, NY: Paulist Press, 1980.  (The author, a marriage and family counselor, uses the insights of Scripture, contemporary spiritual theology and modern psychology to guide the Christian helper in various pastoral situations.)

Robert J. Wicks and Thomas E. Rodgerson, COMPANIONS IN HOPE:  THE ART OF CHRISTIAN CARING, New York, NY: Paulist Press.  (Written by two counselors, this book provides practical information on interacting with others in a caring way, again in various pastoral situations.  This book and the previous one are complementary, and both are complementary to Kennedy's book, which is slightly more clinical in approach.)

Richard M. Gula, SS, ETHICS IN PASTORAL MINISTRY, New York, NY: Paulist Press.  (Helps pastoral ministers see the moral dimensions of their ministries and guides them in a methodical way in reflecting on their moral responsibilities.)

Maureen Gallagher, THE ART OF CATECHESIS:  WHAT YOU NEED TO BE, KNOW AND DO, New York, NY: Paulist Press, 1998.  (Combines theology, liturgy, psychology and catechetics in showing catechists how to help others grow in faith.)

The following book, concerned with ministry in the church, is very highly RECOMMENDED:     Edward Schillebeeckx, THE CHURCH WITH A HUMAN FACE:  A NEW AND EXPANDED THEOLOGY OF MINISTRY, New York, NY: Crossroad, 1988.  (A thorough and carefully researched study of ministry in the successive periods of the Christian Church's history.  Provides valuable insights for ministry today.)

The following two-volume study, concerned with pastoral counseling, is RECOMMENDED:     Robert J. Wicks and Richard D. Parsons, and for Volume 1 Donald E. Capps, eds., CLINICAL HANDBOOK OF PASTORAL COUNSELING, VOLUME 1 (EXPANDED EDITION) and VOLUME 2, New York, NY: Paulist Press.  (Provides thorough and professional treatments of various aspects of pastoral counseling itself and of specific populations served by pastoral counselors, such as minorities, married couples, the aged, the incarcerated, the handicapped, the addicted, those experiencing loss and bereavement, gays and lesbians, the depressed, and so on.  The two volumes constitute an excellent resource in this broad area.)

For those who are, or who want to be, engaged in specific or specialized ministries, the following books are RECOMMENDED:

--- Maxine Glaz and Jeanne Stevenson Moessner, eds., WOMEN IN TRAVAIL AND TRANSITION:  A NEW PASTORAL APPROACH, Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1991.

--- Rev. Steven Waterhouse, STRENGTH FOR HIS PEOPLE:  A MINISTRY FOR FAMILIES OF THE MENTALLY ILL, Amarillo, TX: Westcliff Bible Church.

---Fernando Poyatos, I WAS SICK AND YOU VISITED ME:  A SPIRITUAL GUIDE FOR CATHOLICS IN HOSPITAL MINISTRY, New York, NY: Paulist Press.

---Mary Elizabeth O'Brien, THE NURSE'S CALLING:  A CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALITY OF CARING FOR THE SICK, New York, NY: Paulist Press.

---Henry C. Simmons and Mark Peters, WITH GOD'S OLDEST FRIENDS:  PASTORAL VISITING IN THE NURSING HOME, New York, NY: Paulist Press.

---Alan D. Wolfelt, DEATH AND GRIEF:  A GUIDE FOR CLERGY, Muncie, IN: Accelerated Development, 1988.

H.  HOMILETICS

Walter J. Burghardt, SJ, PREACHING:  THE ART AND THE CRAFT, New York, NY: Paulist Press.  (Practical advice by a recognized master preacher.)

Part II.  The Eastern Church

As noted above, the approach of the Eastern Church is generally more mystical than the basically more rational approach of the Western Church.  And the ancient Celtic Church has a great deal in common with the outlook of the Eastern Church.  Since the Celtic Christian Church lives its Christian life in the spirit of that ancient Celtic Church, it draws heavily on the theology and spirituality of the Orthodox Church.  It is important, therefore, for the ministers of the Celtic Christian Church to have a good grounding in Eastern theology and spirituality. 

Timothy Ware, THE ORTHODOX CHURCH, Part I, History; Part II, Faith and Worship, Revised Edition, New York, NY: Penguin, 1993.  (An excellent and clear introduction to the Orthodox Church, by a Westerner who is a bishop in the Orthodox Church under the name of Kallistos.)

George A. Maloney, SJ, GOLD, FRANKINCENSE, AND MYRRH:  AN INTRODUCTION TO EASTERN CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALITY, New York, NY: Crossroad, 1997.  (The author is an American Jesuit priest, a member of the Eastern Rite of the Roman Catholic Church, and the author of many deeply spiritual books.)

For those interested in pursuing their study of Orthodox theology and spirituality, the following books are highly RECOMMENDED.  All are by renowned contemporary Orthodox theologians, and all are published by St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, Crestwood, NY:

---Vladimir Lossky, ORTHODOX THEOLOGY:  AN INTRODUCTION.

---Vladimir Lossky, THE MYSTICAL THEOLOGY OF THE EASTERN CHURCH.

---Vladimir Lossky, IN THE IMAGE AND LIKENESS OF GOD.

---John Meyendorff, THE ORTHODOX CHURCH:  ITS PAST AND ITS ROLE IN THE WORLD TODAY.

---John Meyendorff, LIVING TRADITION:  ORTHODOX WITNESS IN THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD.

---John Meyendorff, CHRIST IN EASTERN CHRISTIAN THOUGHT.

---Alexander Schmemann, FOR THE LIFE OF THE WORLD:  SACRAMENTS AND ORTHODOXY.

---Nicholas Arseniev, REVELATION OF LIFE ETERNAL:  AN INTRODUCTION TO THE CHRISTIAN MESSAGE.

Part III.   The Celtic Church

The spirit of the ancient Celtic Church, which flourished for the greater part of the first Christian millenium in the northwestern part of Europe, is a simple and beautiful one, seeing God in nature and believing in the basic goodness of men and women and in personal relationships.  It is in this spirit, as noted above, that the Celtic Christian Church tries to live its Christian life, and understanding that spirit is therefore important for its ministers.  Since a great deal of material called "Celtic" is available today, a careful choice must be made.  The following books, all excellent, provide a basic introduction to the rich heritage of Celtic Christianity.

Timothy J. Joyce, OSB, CELTIC CHRISTIANITY:  A SACRED TRADITION, A VISION OF HOPE, Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1998.  (An excellent short presentation of the basic history of Celtic Christianity.)

Ian Bradley, THE CELTIC WAY, London: Darton, Longman and Todd, 1993.  (A very readable short presentation of the essentials of Celtic Christian spirituality.)

Philip Sheldrake, LIVING BETWEEN WORLDS:  PLACE AND JOURNEY IN CELTIC SPIRITUALITY, Boston, MA: Cowley Publications, c. 1995.  (A discussion of place and journey, both important concepts to the Celtic mind, as keys to understanding Celtic spirituality.)

Esther de Waal, EVERY EARTHLY BLESSING:  REDISCOVERING THE CELTIC TRADITION, Harrisburg, PA: Morehouse Publications, 1999  [Originally: A WORLD MADE WHOLE, 1991.]  (A beautiful and sensitive presentation of the key aspects of Celtic spirituality.)

Esther de Waal, THE CELTIC WAY OF PRAYER, New York, NY: Doubleday, 1997.  (A simple presentation, based on wide scholarship, of the Celtic Christian approach to prayer.)

J. Philip Newell, LISTENING FOR THE HEARTBEAT OF GOD:  A CELTIC SPIRITUALITY, New York, NY: Paulist Press, 1997.  (An examination of Celtic spirituality through the medium of important figures in its history.)

J. Philip Newell, ONE FOOT IN EDEN:  A CELTIC VIEW OF THE STAGES OF LIFE, New York, NY: Paulist Press, 1999.  (A prayerful reflection on the stages of human life, from birth to death, seen through the prism of Celtic spirituality.)

For those desiring to pursue their study of Celtic Christian history and spirituality, the following books are highly RECOMMENDED:

1.         Sources

Oliver Davies and Fiona Bowie, CELTIC CHRITIAN SPIRITUALITY:  AN ANTHOLOGY OF MEDIEVAL AND MODERN SOURCES, New York, NY: Continuum, 1995.  (Texts set in their own time and context.  Includes an excellent introduction to Celtic Christianity.)

CELTIC SPIRITUALITY, Translated and Introduced by Oliver Davies, The Classics of Western Spirituality, New York, NY: Paulist Press, 1999.  (Varied texts described and placed in context.  Also includes an introduction to Celtic spirituality.)

Alexander Carmichael, CARMINA GADELICA:  HYMNS AND INCANTATIONS COLLECTED IN THE HIGHLANDS AND ISLANDS OF SCOTLAND IN THE LAST CENTURY, Hudson, NY: Lindisfarne Press, 1992.  (Contains numerous prayers in the Celtic spirit, asking God's blessing on all aspects of life including the most mundane activities.)

THE CELTIC VISION, Selected and Edited by Esther de Wall from the Carmina Gadelica, Petersham, MA: St. Bede's Publications, 1988.  (Selections presented by themes, with an introduction to each theme.)

B. R. Rees, PELAGIUS:  LIFE AND LETTERS, Two Volumes in One, Volume 2, THE LETTERS OF PELAGIUS AND HIS FOLLOWERS (1991), Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK, and Rochester, NY: Boydell Press, 1998.  (Pelagius, active in the fifth century, though much maligned and condemned by the Church, has much worthwhile teaching in the Celtic spirit.)

John Scotus Eriugena, THE VOICE OF THE EAGLE:  HOMILY ON THE PROLOGUE OF SAINT JOHN, Christopher Bamford, translator, with introduction and reflections, Hudson, NY: Lindisfarne Press, 1990.  (Eriugena, born in the early ninth century, is an outstanding Celtic mystic and philosopher.)

2.        Studies

Peter Beresford Ellis, CELTIC INHERITANCE, London: Constable, 1992.  (A scholarly study of Celtic Christianity and of its history in each of the Celtic lands of northwestern Europe.)

B. R. Rees, PELAGIUS:  LIFE AND LETTERS, Two Volumes in One, Volume 1, PELAGIUS:  A RELUCTANT HERETIC (1988), Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK, and Rochester, NY: Boydell Press, 1998.  (A judicious and scholarly presentation of Pelagius' life.)

James P. Mackey, ed., AN INTRODUCTION TO CELTIC CHRISTIANITY, Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1995.  (Chapters on various aspects of Celtic Christianity.  Includes M. Forthomme Nicholson, "Celtic Theology:  Pelagius," on pages 386-413.)

Thomas Cahill, HOW THE IRISH SAVED CIVILIZATION, New York, NY: Doubleday/ Anchor, 1995.  (Both scholarly and written in a lighter vein, describes the work of the Irish monks and scribes in preserving the heritage of Western civilization during the Dark Ages.)

Revised September 2002.