Newman house of discernment.
what is a house of discernment?
The Newman House of Discernment is a house where men live together to discern their vocation through prayer, formation, brotherhood, and service. This house, located adjacent to the UNM Newman center, provides men with an incredible opportunity to faithfully discern their potential vocation to the priesthood and prepare them for seminary.
While living in the Newman house men will take part in regular spiritual direction, mentorship, academic classes, personal growth, physical fitness, evaluations, and pastoral ministries.
Formation comes about every day through interpersonal relationships, moments of exchange and discussion which result in the development of that ‘fertile soil,’ in which a vocation matures concretely. The House of Discernment is a school of human virtue and of growth in honesty, integrity, intellectual rigor, hard work, and tolerance, where common good is built with solidarity and discipline – all leavened by humor and healthy enjoyment.
The 3 tiers of discernment are designed to meet men where they are at in their journey while providing them guideposts to help them continue to mature. Each man will choose his tier with the help of his spiritual director and the house director. A formation plan must be approved by the vocations director and any modifications to the tiers must be approved.
Men will be required to take a minimum of 9 credit hours per semester and must apply for federal and state financial aid. Academic discipline is a significant part of the seminary life and men in the HoD will need to be ready to tackle a rigorous course load. Discerners will also be required to work 10 hours per week minimum at a job. Not only does this help to cover the cost of their rent, it will help them to understand how to manage a budget, work with others and learn life skills. Often men who go directly from High School to seminary are lacking in some of these critical skills that will be required of them when they are running a parish. Young priests are essentially the CEO of a non-profit organization on top of all of their pastoral duties.
Discerners will each be required to fulfil a role in the house. Each role will be tailored to the needs of the house and the skills of the discerner. Discerners in the Formation Tier will hold leadership roles including the house prefect. The prefect is responsible not only for his formation but also for the formation, accountability, and progress of the entire house.
Each discerner will One of the first steps to enter into a tier is to determine what question is being asked. In general men will center their discernment around the following questions:
- Discernment 1: What am I being called to?
- Discernment 2: Am I being called to the priesthood?
- Formation: Am I ready for seminary?
In discernment 1, men will gain skills that are required of every man. He will grow in responsibility, intentionality, and confidence as he breaks free from old habits and begins to put on the new man. He will be surrounded by men who are on a similar journey. These men will challenge him to become the best man he can be.
Discernment 2 focuses more strongly on the priestly calling. This tier is the core of the house. Men in this tier will begin to show competence in the four pillars of formation: Human, Spiritual, Intellectual, and Pastoral. They will understand the importance of saying “no” to many of their desires so that they can say “yes” to the desires of the Lord.
The formation tier is intended to mirror the lifestyle of a seminarian. This helps a man to understand the strenuous nature of seminary and stretches him so that he will have the capacity to serve the countless needs of his parishioners throughout his life as a priest.