On October 6, 2012, Candy and Jay Krueger attended their latest class.  They were happy to see their classmates.  Even though it has only been two weeks since they had last been together, it seemed much longer.

The morning was spent in Spiritual Direction.  Since we had a retreat two weeks ago, it had been a month since we had met with our Spiritual Directors.  It was for this reason that the morning Spiritual Direction session seemed to take more time than expected.

After Spiritual Direction, we started the class portion of the day.  This portion was led by Deacon Chris and his wife Yvonne. We began with a prayer service focusing on how God is closer than we think.

We discussed the summer assignments.  Although most of us had done rather well on what we learned, we seemed to be having difficulties on how we were nourished. We were reminded that in this portion of the homework, it was to be about “me”.  How was I fed by the materials that were read? Like manna in the desert.

We discussed difference type of Psalms that there were (Praise and Lamentations) as well as assignments for the next class. It was then time to share our potluck lunch with each other.

The focus of the afternoon class was to learn how to pray the Divine Office in the manner of a Deacon.  A Deacon is required to pray Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer.  Once the instruction was completed by Deacon Craig, we went through Evening Prayer as a class. It was not bad considering that it was the first time that most of us had done it.

Next we look at a reading assignment.  Not one of the many books for class, but rather something that might feed our spirit.  Many examples were given and the choice was left up to us.

We also discussed our growth contract. This contract consists of two or three areas that we are going to work on improving between December and June.  Dates and times for discussing our contracts with Deacon Chris and Yvonne were selected.

The class was concluded with us trying to pray Morning Prayer as a class. The various roles of Presider, Psalm Leader, Reader, and Another Person were assigned earlier in the day.  So we prayed and ended our day.

Future class time will now begin with Morning Prayer from the Divine Office and end with either Evening Prayer or a Prayer Service written by one of the couples.

These days are filled with much prayer and learning.  At the end of the day you can be very tired from your experiences. A good tired.  A tired that you might experience from a good workout or completing a difficult mental task.

It has been a while since we were in school.  The muscle between our ears has not been used in this manner in a long time.

We continue our journey with our classmates, our Instructors and Spiritual Directors, our friends, the community of Holy Family, and each other.

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