What The Next Chapter Program Is

  • It is a personal, spiritual journey
  • It is for people who are open to engaging in Ignatian prayer
  • It is for people who are open to trying to include God as a partner in their decisions regarding their next chapter plans by learning about and practicing Ignatian discernment
  • It is for people serious about a plan for their next chapter of life
  • It is for people who believe they have been created with unique personal strengths and spiritual gifts, and that becoming more aware of them and incorporating them into their plans creates the greatest likelihood for a fulfilling next chapter of life
  • It is a guided journey, not a lecture class – one’s plan flows from one’s decisions, not from a lecture
  • It is a program that assumes that discerning one’s next chapter plan is best done in the context of a group versus going it alone
  • It is a program where participants share on topics in both small and large groups
  • It is a program requiring 5-10 hours of work in between sessions
  • It is a program where what you are willing to put into it will determine what you get out of it
  • It is a program focused on going forward, not dwelling on the past

 

What The Next Chapter Program Is Not

  • It is not a program exclusively for Catholics
  • It is not a program where agnostics or atheists are likely to benefit nearly as much as believers
  • It is not a program which will ask participants about how they practice their religion
  • It is not a program where Catholic dogma or teaching will be discussed
  • It is not a program where the sex abuse crisis or other Catholic Church issues will be discussed
  • It is not a forum for addressing personal issues more appropriately dealt with in counseling
  • It is not a program equivalent to making the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius
  • It is not a program where participants primary interest should be finding a new social group; the participants primary interest should be arriving at a plan they feel called to live out in their next chapter of life