May 18th was our last Spiritual Direction and the turning in of our last homework as Deacon Aspirants. We also spent the afternoon with Jerry Frumento who is a passionate instructor on the Old Testament.
Our last Spiritual Direction marked the completion of the 19th Annotation of the St. Ignatian Spiritual Exercises. This, like so many other aspects of this year seemed so far away last September. Each member of the Aspirancy Diaconate group met with their Spiritual Director, which was both a blessing and tearful moment, many of the Spiritual Directors had accompanied their counterpart for the entire year, sharing faith, spiritual guidance and the lessons of the 19th Annotation in our daily lives.
Candy’s Spiritual Director, Anny, has been with her since the very first session. The journey they have shared has been both moving and faith filled. From the birth of our Savior, through his early life and then into his adult ministry, the lessons learned by Candy were amazing, seeing the growth in understanding of the gifts that were given by Jesus as well as the human side of him, helped Candy to see the true life, dedication and sacrifice that Our Lord and Savior so freely gave to this world. It was a very tearful ending to an amazing journey, but as with all things, on this part of the journey a lifelong friend has been found. The Spiritual Directors through the 19th Annotation are a true gift from God. We know that the new Aspirancy Class will find their Spiritual Directors as inspiring as we have.
Learning this Ignatian form of prayer has improved our prayer life more than we could have ever expected. The ability to use ones imagination in scripture is the most amazing aspect of this process. It allows you to see, hear, feel, smell, and taste the scripture. It provides the ability, to view all in scripture, even Jesus, as human. To place yourself into the reading, to follow and speak to those who came in contact with Jesus, to watch him work his miracles and to be part of the crowd or perhaps a Disciple, gave the scriptures a new level of understanding, to have the Holy Spirit guide your thoughts and emotions, to place yourself in that place, making the passage come alive in your mind.
We have only two classes remaining this year. One in La Puente, which will be an all class Retreat and our last class will be held at Valyermo (aka St. Andrew’s Abby) in the high desert near Palmdale.
We look forward to no longer being Aspirants, but being accepted as a Candidate Couple in Candidacy Year I.
If you are interested in becoming a Deacon Couple, please contact:
Diaconate Formation Office
Archdiocese of Los Angeles
3424 Wilshire Boulevard, 2nd Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90010-2241
213-637-7383
If you have any questions about the Diaconate, please ask us or send us an e-mail to wyb@wyb.com. We greatly appreciate your prayers and support and will continue to keep you informed of our journey.
Candy & Jay Krueger,
Aspirancy Year, Deacon Couple Formation,
Holy Family Parish, South Pasadena