New Directions Sabbatical
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"I chose New Directions because it allowed me scope to design my own program while at the same time offering a supportive structure. I reveled in the wealth of opportunity available in Berkeley from guest lectures in the various Colleges in the Graduate Theological Union to swimming and gym at the Y, concerts, ballet, visiting places of beauty and historical interest." "During my time in Berkeley grace came knocking at my door and I was ready to let her in." Dates for 2010-2011
Your sabbatical, your time! New Directions offers men and women, priests, religious, and laity, the flexibility to design their sabbatical experience from a variety of options. Your fellow participants are persons with years of experience in ministry who desire to integrate and deepen their spirituality in order to prepare for the next phase of their lives. Here, they find a balance of personal reflection, relaxation and renewal, and updating in theology and spirituality. New Directions begins with an opening retreat where students reflect on their lives and careers up to this point. We pause to listen to God's call. During the retreat a sense of community begins to build through our shared liturgies. Insights from the retreat are developed through ongoing spiritual direction, and those who are interested participate in a faith-sharing group. All of these components focus on personal and spiritual renewal, the heart of the sabbatical. "It is a dozen years since my sabbatical yet I still regularly have new insights which flow from that experience. It was a time for integrating many years of religious life, priesthood, ministry and healthy self awareness. The new integration has made an enormous difference in my life." New Directions is for professional and personal renewal of those engaged in ecclesial ministry. Participants choose two courses from the hundreds available through JST and the Graduate Theological Union. Courses may be taken for letter grade, pass/fail, or audit. A tenured member of the JST faculty is available for consultation on course selection. The New Directions Program is designed to offer participants the remarkable opportunity to discern and articulate new directions for their professional ministry and personal development. Successful completion of the program culminates in a certificate of completion issued by the Director on behalf of the Jesuit School of Theology. New Directions is limited to a dozen participants. This number is small enough to allow for interpersonal sharing yet large enough to allow for a diversity of participants. Members become a support for one another. You also have the opportunity to share some of your sabbatical experience with the larger community at the Jesuit School. Often, mutually enriching relationships develop between younger students and experienced ministers. Over the last several years, nearly two-thirds of New Directions participants have come from countries outside the United States. Students from forty different countries attend the Jesuit School, and one's outlook is immensely enriched and broadened in this culturally rich environment. "I came in contact with a variety of people, some quite young, others not so young! Here, I met students from so many countries, of different religions, different customs, and different cultures. Coming from Ireland, all this was very new and proved to be a very enlightening, enriching experience." New Directions aims for a holistic sabbatical experience: spiritual, social, physical, and intellectual. See the links to the left for more details. For another sabbatical option, see Special Student Status under Continuing Education.
Staff Paulina Espinosa, MTS, MAHS serves as Assistant Director of the New Directions Program. She has served in a variety of ministries for the last 30 years, including catechesis at all levels, parish administrator, and youth faith formation. Paulina has worked in young adult and adult formation at the diocesan level in Texas and California . For twelve years she served as an associate director of campus ministry in higher education. Paulina is committed to the development of Hispanic ministry, and serves on the Board of the National Catholic Council for Hispanic Ministry, and the accreditation committee of the Federation of Hispanic Pastoral Institutes. Presently she is pursuing a Doctorate in Educational Leadership to obtain her credentials for administration in higher education. |
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