More mentors needed; new cohort starts soon
by Therese Horvat
Special to The Leaven
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Interested in receiving formation to accompany others on their journey toward holiness and at the same time enriching your own faith life? Apply now for the next cohort of the Catholic Spiritual Mentorship program.
Stephanie Jacobson, director, explains that the program is designed for adult Catholics who desire to deepen their prayer and sacramental life; to increase their knowledge of the faith; to grow in the virtues; and especially to help others do the same.
“We want to equip men and women as mentors to accompany and guide others on their spiritual journey,” she said.
Since the program began in 2011, it has graduated more than 430 spiritual mentors with an additional 94 set to complete the two-year training in September. These spiritual mentors have assisted an untold number of persons/mentees on their paths to spiritual enrichment. The demand for spiritual mentors currently exceeds the supply.
Father Brian Schieber, pastor of St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Leawood and a strong supporter of the program, said that his parish has slowly built an army of spiritual mentors with 40 parishioners having completed the course.
“On average,” he said, “if each of these mentors is forming five people, this means we now have 200 people being formed in their spiritual life. In turn, if 10 percent of those receiving spiritual direction are willing to go through the mentorship program, we continue to multiply the number of missionary disciples in our parish.”
Structure of the program
The spiritual mentorship program includes four in-person, weeklong intensives spread across two years and interspersed with online learning done at each participant’s personal pace. The intensives are held at Savior Pastoral Center in Kansas City, Kansas. These sessions focus on prayer; the sacraments and moral principles; virtues; and spiritual readiness and practical equipping to strengthen skills learned.
Frequent practice opportunities occur throughout the program. A theory on a topic is presented, and demonstration of a related spiritual mentoring scenario is modeled. Participants then complete an abbreviated practice mentoring session on the topic. Alumni of the program serve as observers who provide guidance and feedback. The final in-person intensive aims to strengthen use of the tools and skills participants have learned.
Susan Pieper, a consecrated virgin and School of Faith spiritual adviser, is one of the cofounders of the mentorship program. She describes the initiative as having evolved over time particularly on the practical level.
“There is a lot more emphasis on having participants practice what they’ve learned about the faith,” she said, than in the past.
“It’s one thing to understand virtue,” she continued, “it’s another to accompany someone in living out the virtues.
“It’s one thing to ‘know’ how to pray, but another to accompany someone in deepening their life of prayer. We give program participants the theory. We want them to practice spiritual mentoring with others to learn to apply what they’ve learned.”
The in-person intensives are dynamic. Jacobson said the day begins with prayerful meditation and Mass. There’s time for friendship, learning, shared meals and exercise/leisure activities. A retreat day during the week offers the opportunity for even deeper reflection.
“This schedule helps our spiritual mentors progress in their own holiness and equips them to guide others in taking stock of their interior life,” she said.
Content of the online dimension reinforces what is taught in the in-person intensives. The length of the online segments varies based on whether participants are asked to listen to 10 one-hour lectures or to a series of rosary podcasts. Program faculty include Mike Scherschligt, STD, founder and executive director of the Holy Family School of Faith; Troy Hinkel, Ph.D., vice president and cofounder; and Pieper. Alumni volunteers provide staff and participant support.
The program includes the expectation that participants have their own spiritual mentors/directors.
Jacobson explained, “So many aspects of spiritual mentoring are learned by meeting with one’s own spiritual director. These monthly encounters serve as model training sessions.”
Unique features of the program
Aside from the fact that it’s very practical and hands-on, there are other unique aspects of the Catholic Spiritual Mentorship program.
The program doesn’t follow a particular spirituality, Pieper said. Instead, it draws from many great minds of the church, like St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross.
Jacobson points to the connectivity that exists among participants and with alumni, and the pairing with a member of the alumni team throughout the program as other pluses.
From a young mother of seven children to a 70-plus-year-old, the program attracts people from across the age spectrum. Participants and alumni represent diverse vocations, professions and life stages: couples, retirees, deacons, priests, women religious, parish staff and those just seeking to cultivate their faith lives.
The program team strives to accommodate needs of those who are hearing-impaired and visually impaired. Adeptness with the English language is required. However, Spanish- speaking persons are available for practice sessions and as spiritual mentors.
While developed to help with faith formation of adults in the archdiocese, since its inception the program has been open to Catholics from across the country. Approximately, 45% of participants have come from the archdiocese.
“The spiritual mentorship program fulfills a huge need,” said Father Schieber. “Priests and religious can only provide spiritual direction for a limited number of people. We need well-formed laity willing to disciple and mentor others.”
Join the next cohort
The Holy Family School of Faith coordinates and implements the Catholic Spiritual Mentorship program and is now taking applications for the next cohort that will begin in February 2026 and run through September 2027. For more information about the curriculum, fees and an application, visit the website at: schooloffaith.com/spiritual-mentorship.
This is a very nice article about a program on how to deepen ones faith, as well as assist others to do likewise.