The Institute’s Mentor Training Program trains priests who have been chosen by their diocese to help new pastors become effective, productive parish leaders.
A well-trained mentor enables a new pastor to follow the path of an older and wiser pastor, who can pass along knowledge and experience and open doors to otherwise out-of-reach opportunities.
A training session is held each year at Saint Meinrad, over two days and two nights. Also, the program can be scheduled in a particular diocese.
Training Goals
The goals of the training are to:
- Help mentors understand their role
- Assist mentors in recognizing the distinctive aspects of mentoring, compared to other relationships, such as coaching, counseling and spiritual direction
- Define mentoring and the mentoring relationship
- Provide the background for a successful mentoring relationship.
What You'll Learn
Topics covered in the training program include empathic listening, appreciative inquiry/questioning, reflections on pastoring, and modeling proactive vs. reactive behaviors. Discussing case studies and role playing are a large part of the training.
Following the initial training, the Institute continues to provide mentors with additional resources. In addition, an annual mentor retreat is held at Saint Meinrad to offer mentors an opportunity to gather, share experiences and gain new insights into their ministry.
To find out more about the Mentor Training Program, contact the Institute at smipp@saintmeinrad.edu.