A survey of the status of spiritual direction in the Diocesan seminaries of the Philippines

• Main Author: Villalba, Benito B.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 1973
• Subjects: Spiritual direction > Catholic Church; Educational counseling; Educational counseling > Case studies; Counseling; Religion
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_masteral/220
• Institution: De La Salle University

v. 1. This study aims to survey the present status of spiritual direction in the Diocesan seminaries in the Philippines under the light of Vatican II. The study made use of the descriptive-survey method of research. In this study, a 40-item questionnaire was used which covered three dimensions namely, the profile of the spiritual directors, the spiritual directors and their work, and some important aids to spiritual direction. The respondents of this study were 30 spiritual directors whose ages ranged from 25 to 67 years and whose years in the priesthood ranged from less than a year to 37 years. The respondents came from six types of seminaries: the vollegiate-thelogate, the theologate, the minor-major, the minor, the minor-collegiate, and the collegiate. Seventy percent of these spiritual directors were Filipinos. In their approaches to spiritual direction, only 2 percent used the behavioral approach and the rest used either directive, non-directive or eclectic. There were as many goals of spiritual direction as there were types of seminaries and the spiritual directors were not agreed on the most important aspect of spiritual direction. To improve their work, the spiritual directors suggested the following solutions: less collateral teaching and less pastoral work, better preparation, some provisions for updating their techniques and training, and less seminarians to direct. The Holy Mass was the most common religious practice in the seminaries. Majority considered hearing confessions as an integral part of spiritual direction. It was recommended that an evaluation of spiritual direction be made and the provisions of the PPPF regarding the spiritual formation of seminarians be fully implemented. It was also suggested that younger spiritual directors be placed in Minor seminaries to minimize the generation gap between them and the seminarians. A special training for spiritual directors and a continuing in-service for up-dating should likewise be undertaken. The aids to spiritual direction and the religious pra v. 2. This study proposes a guidance program for St. John College, Candon, Ilocos Sur. The study used the descriptive-survey research method. Background data for the proposed program were taken from the advanced report of the Bureau of Census of 1970, and other similar studies. An organizational set-up based on the principle of supporting relationships, called the participative system of organization, was proposed. The guidance program, an integral part of the Student Personnel Services, offered the following services : individual inventory service, information service, counseling service, placement service, and evaluation service. The types of guidance offered were the personal-social, educational, and vocational, while the methods used were individual guidance and group guidance. It was proposed that the approach to counseling individual students should follow the client's problem and should not be predetermined, prescribed, and stylized. There should be teamwork among the school staff members, and the administrator should provide the necessary leadership in order for the guidance program to grow. Provisions for maintenance, and the improvement of the guidance facilities should be on hand for the guidance office to function well. The school staff should likewise be properly oriented through an in-service training before the final organization of the guidance program. A temporary guidance committee would be necessary to lay the ground for the final organization of the program. This would cease to exist as soon as the permanent guidance committee is formed. v. 3. The immediate worry of the subject of this study is his girlfriend whom he cannot afford to lose. He is worried as how he can get her back. Further probing revealed that there are some other problems, which have entered into the phenomenal world of the counselee. The counselee revealed that he has difficulty in relating himself to other people: he is rather slow or hesitant to relate to others, but wait for others to go to him. Likewise, he finds some problems with his sex attitude and behavior. Another, he finds it easy to win friends, but he finds difficulty keeping them. To gather more insights into the personality of the client, the counselor administered personality tests. The tests were : the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule, the Sixteen Personality Factors Inventory, the Guilford-Zimmerman Temperament Survey and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory. The counselor and the client planned next the goals to be achieved in their counseling relationships. They both decided to work on the following goals: first, to improve the counselees interpersonal relationships second, to work on changing his attitude and behavior towards love and sex third, to help him in lessening his worries and lastly, to help him reconcile with his girl friend. In his attempt to help the counselee best, the counselor thought it best to use a variety of techniques and approaches. The principal approach was the interpretative model. Another approach utilized by the counselor were the Ellis rational emotive therapy, modeling, logotherapy and lastly, verbal reinforcement. The results have shown some substantial indications as to the improvement and change of attitude and behavior of the counselee.