Tuesday, February 20, 2018

celibacy formation framework (falkenhain, 2013)


Re: Celibacy Formation Model
Fr: Falkenhain, J. M., OSB, PhD Psychology (2013 Summer), “Live celibacy: A proposed model for celibacy formation programs.” Human Development, 34(2), 23-29.

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The Model: Celibacy as Lived Experience

FACTORS / DIMENSIONS
>MOTIVES à STRENGTHS / SKILLS
>THEOLOGIES à LIMITATIONS
>SEXUAL IDENTITY = SEX + GENDER + SEXUAL ORIENTATION + HISTORY OF SEXUAL EXPERIENCES + VALUES & ATTITUDES RE: SEX

NB: These factors are aspects of the SELF that formands must KNOW and ACCEPT about themselves in order to make a FREE and HEALTHY choice of celibate chastity. They serve as the broad OUTLINE or FRAMEWORK for an effective celibate formation program.

GOAL (of Formation Model): to give candidates the INFORMATION and SKILLS needed to KNOW and ACCEPT themselves along these dimensions.
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Goal of Article: to articulate a FRAMEWORK with which to construct celibacy formation programs (men & women) adapted for screening and ongoing formation purposes

>”Despite the relative abundance of writings on the theology, history and spirituality of celibate chastity, a recent review of literature* uncovered few CONCRETE and IMPLEMENTABLE models for formation” (p. 24).
[*”In our review of the literature, no published models for celibacy formation for men and women religious were identified” (p. 24)].

>Delivery Systems (US Conference of Bishops, 2006)
- instruction
- personal reflection
- community life and feedback
- application to the tasks of seminary life
- formation advisors
- mentors and directors
- spiritual direction
- PSYCHOLOGICAL COUNSELING

>7 Guiding Elements in Celibacy Formation with Graduate Seminarians (Krenik, 1999: National Catholic Educational Association)
1. internalization of presbyteral values
2. pattern of contemplative prayer
3. capacity for solitude
4. age-appropriate PSYCHOSEXUAL DEVELOPMENT
5. capacity for INTIMACY in human friendships
6. experience of COMMUNITY support
7. ACCOUNTABILITY to others

>Definitions
- chastity = responsible living out of one’s gift of sexuality, to which ALL Catholics are called
- celibacy = the more particular call to a life of ABSTINENCE from marriage and general expressions of sexuality (vs. non-genital expressions of sexuality)
= celibate chastity

>Overview
(a) objective aspect: define PARAMETERS, i.e., abstention from marriage and genital expressions of sexuality
(b) subjective aspect: subjective EXPERIENCE of living of the chaste celibate, including the following factors:
- motives for choosing celibacy
- theologies of celibacy
- sexual identity
- strengths and skills for living the celibate life
- personal limitations for living a life of celibate chastity

>Three-fold Process of Celibacy Formation (USCCB, 2006)
1. Self-knowledge [thinking]
2. Self-acceptance [feeling]
3. Self-gift [acting]

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FACTORS / DIMENSIONS

A. MOTIVES FOR CELIBACY
>clear sense of motives
- “What has landed you in the celibacy box?” (very basic but given very little thought)
- “Are you choosing celibacy simply because it comes along with the territory of priesthood/religious life, or are there OTHER reasons why you believe a life of celibacy will be a good and responsible way of living out your sexuality as a Christian?”
NB: motives: conscious & unconscious; multiple and multi-layered; changeable, shifting, can become clearer or grown into; initial and ultimate

> invalid (vs valid) motives (Schneiders, 2001), include:
- fear of marriage, sexuality and parenthood
- denial of sexual desires
- unresolved parent issues
- sexual naivete
- confusion about sexual orientation
- desire for same-sex environment in which to gain access to possible sexual partners
- desire for an environment that will help CONTROL undesirable, dysfunctional or addictive sexual behaviors or desires

>Conclusion: A candidates’ motivation for choosing celibacy must NOT have psychosexual and psychosocial DYSFUNCTION at its roots!
>Avoid extremes: (a) AVOID painful questions about sexuality
                          (b) GRATIFY harmful sexual impulses
>Initial Motives: valid
  Ultimate Motives: “One’s motives as the time of ordination or final vows must be VALID, HEALTH, and CAPABLE of sustaining a life of celibate chastity” (p. 25).

>Formation Goals for Celibacy Formation:
1. to CLARIFY initial motives
2. assist EVALUATE the validity and health of these motives
3. assist EXPLORE additional, healthy motives
4. assist* raise and answer QUESTIONS
- “Do I currently have motivations that are capable of SUSTAINING a life of celibate chastity with all its particular CHALLENGES and OPPORTUNITIES for personal and spiritual growth?” (p. 25)
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*raise questions REGULARLY, e.g. 1/semester and in the months leading to ordination or final profession

>context: spiritual direction, reading, coursework, interview with more experienced community members, meetings with formation personnel, and INDIVIDUAL COUNSELING

>Questions:
- “WHY do you think you have chosen a life of celibate chastity, so far?”
- “How have your motives for living a celibate life CHANGED in the course of formation?”
- Can you IMAGINE yourself in another vocation that doesn’t require celibacy?”
- If celibacy was not required of priests/religious, do you think you would sthill CHOOSE to be celibate?”

B. THEOLOGIES OF CELIBACY
“Ultimately, our strongest motives for living the celibate life are THEOLOGICAL” (p. 25).
>means to an end: “for the sake of the KINGDOM”
                            “UNDIVIDED LOVE for Christ”
>Conclusion: “Common to all theologies of celibacy is the notion that the practice most result in CONVERSION to Christ and an increased capacity for LOVE – love of God and love of neighbor, including an increased capacity of God’s and our neighbor’s love” (p. 26).

1.    For active/missionary & diocesan priesthood
-      Celibacy as a means to free one’s time, energies and availability to SERVE a wider group of people, e.g. for the kingdom
2.    For contemplative communities
-      SPOUSAL theology of celibacy – to pursue an UNDIVIDED or UNMEDIATED love for Christ
3.    Other charisms
-      Celibacy as ASCETICISM – as a means of conquering the passions (-) and participating more deeply in the life of Christ (+)

è Survey the Church’s THEOLOGY OF SEXUALITY with emphasis on Chastity
Sources: Catechism of the Catholic Church, John Paul II’s Theology of the Body, Scheniders (2001), Founders, Church fathers and mothers, Saints and theologians related to one’s congregations’ charism
>The “call to celibacy is rooted in the broader call to chastity, a call shared with married and single people” (p, 26). [Catholic sexuality]
>”Theological REFLECTION assists the candidate in DEEPENING and PERSONALIZING his or her theological understanding of what it means to live the celibate life.
The young man or woman who spend time looking for and recognizing the promised FRUITS of celibacy is not only likely to remain FAITHFUL to that promise in the long run, but also to hone and fine tune SKILLS for celibacy and conversion as his or her priestly or religious life continues” (p, 27).

C. SEXUAL IDENTITY
>”Grace builds on nature” (human nature as sexual beings). – St. Thomas Aquinas
>responsible education in human sexuality (Pastores Dabo Vobis, 1992; Program for Priestly Formation, 2006)
à Build relationship with a medical or mental health professional* or agency (e.g. treatment centers specializing in working with clergy & religious)
*Professional Qualifications: (a) understand the body of literature on human sexuality & (b) able to appreciate the complexity of these issues as they interface with our Catholic faith
>Course Outline for Sexual Identity: SEX + GENDER + SEXUAL ORIENTATION + SEXUAL HISTORY + VALUES & ATTITUDES on sexuality
>”Just as our identity is COMPLEX and HIGHLY INDIVIDUAL, so is our sexual identity complex and particular to the person” (p. 27).
à “Describe yourself as a sexual person!” (Screening Interview Question)
-Responses usually limited to sexual history and sexual orientation

1.    SEX = one’s biologically determined (c/o chromosomes and physiology in the 2nd trimester of gestation + puberty) status as male or female (DICHOTOMOUS vs. gender); straightforward (except in androgen-insensitivity disorder & androgenital syndrome)

2.    GENDER = a more CONTINUOUS, psychological and SUBJECTIVE sense of one’s self as male or female, i.e., masculinity and femininity, including the following factors: sex, environment, larger culture, social expectations
-“Every culture has a range of MODELS and NORMS inked to what it means to be masculine and feminine & these form the basis of many GENDER STEREOTYPES” (p. 27).
à ANDROGYY = (not gender neutrality) an individual’s capacity to incorporate qualities and personality characteristics stereotypically associated with the opposite gender into his or her personality without necessarily compromising the individual’s primary sense of self as male or female
-Research: Priests with capacity for patience, listening, emotional support, and appreciation of beauty = + .r (correlated) with behavioral flexibility, competence, confidence in decision, and NURTURE (Crooks & Baur, 2005)

3.    SEXUAL ORIENTATION = ‘primary persistent” target of sexual arousal (Ellis & Mitchell, 2007), i.e., heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual
-factors: social desirability, cause, choice, changeability, morality which all complicate one’s understanding and acceptance
à access ACCURATE SCIENTIFIC information & THOROUGH knowledge of Church teachings leading to clear and consistent set of policies and practices re: admission & formation of candidates with homesexual & bisexual orientations
-NB: “Formation programs that avoid addressing issues of sexual orientation may inadvertently communicate that the issue is either a TABOO, UNIMPORTANT, or may enable a young man or woman to continue living a state of CONFUSION regarding his or her sexual orientation” (p. 28).
-Research on clergy sexual offenders points to CONFUSION about one’s sexual orientation (Rather than a particular heterosexual or homosexual orientation) as a key factor contributing to sexual offense vs minors (John Jay College Research Team, 2011; Rossetti, 1996) (p. 28)(.

4.    HISTORY OF SEXUAL EXPERIENCES: dating, sexual activity, possible HARMFUL, EXTREME & DEVIANT sexual experiences (e.g. victim or perpetrator of abuse, high-risk sexual behaviors, promiscuity, sexual activity in early childhood), internet porn
è NB: indicators of compulsivity & addiction

5.    VALUES & ATTITUDES re: sexuality, including
a.    General Topics: repulsion, fear, avoidance, distrust
b.    Specific Topics: homosexuality, premarital sex, sex roles, gender stereotypes, RESPECT for members of the opposite sex, comfort around sexual stimuli
-typically formed by: parents in childhood (early and middle), peers, culture, adolescence and young adulthood, FAITH and RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE

NB: “When it comes to screening and educating candidates in the area of sexual identity, formation personnel should be looking for INTEGRITY or INTERNAL CONSISTENCY among the five dimensions” [of sexual identity] (p. 28).

>INTEGRAL SEXUAL IDENTITY = all parts of sexual identity are KNOWN and WORKING WELL TOGETHER (vs. repressed or in conflict with one another) (p. 29)
à INTERNAL DISSOCNANCE à extreme defensiveness or limitations in one’s ability to enter freely the formation process or the ministry
E.g. “A young woman where overly harsh or negative values re: homosexuality is in conflict with herself as attracted to other women à may lead to being COMPARTMENTALIZED, INTELLECTUALIZED, or even AVOIDANT, in order to deal with the TENSION” (p. 29).
-may be triggered by THREATENING ATTRACTIONS or UNACCEPTABLE PARTS of her identity

D. SKILLS AND LIMITATIONS
1. Skills
>Program for Priestly Formation (USCCB, 2006)
-appropriate self-disclosure
-capacity for self-reflection
-capacity for solitude
-ability to hold all persons in the mystery of God
-vigilance and mastery over one’s impulses
-effective boundary setting
-care for others
-commitment to mastering sexual temptations &
-capacity for giving and receiving love (p. 29)

>AFFECTIVE MATURITY (Program…, 2006 & Pastores…, 1992)
-8 Emotional Competence SKILLS (Caroluyn Saarni, 2000)
1. awareness of one’s emotional state
2. skill in discerning others’ emotions
3. skill in naming emotions
4. capacity for sympathy and empathy
5. skill in adaptively coping with unpleasant emotions
6. awareness of the relationship between the type/quality of relationship and
7. the immediacy and genuineness of emotional display (i.e, boundaries),
8. capacity for emotional self-efficacy

>HELPFUL CELIBATE CHASTITY SKILLS (Falkenhein)
-prayer life: healthy & regular
-insight into the effects of one’s emotions on behavior
-capacity for VULNERABILITY in relationshiops
-impulse control
-ability to delay gratification
-capacity to deal with loneliness
-social problem-solving skills
-ability to rely on close relationships for support and personal accountability

GOALS
METHODS
To impart basic INFORMATION
Lectures, readings, workshops
To share experiences & practice emotional and social problem-solving SKILLS
Case studies, scenarios
Other methods: spiritual direction, counseling, the daily dynamics of relationships with community, occasional challenge to celibate living

2. Limitations
>if absence of skills
à help candidate grow in AWARENESS of his limitations, to REMEDIATE these, when possible, and EVALUATE how to weigh these limitations in the final decision on whether to take a LIFE-LONG vow of celibate chastity
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NB: “Any program for celibacy formation should be considered a work in progress – one that improves as a result of regular PROGRAM EVALUATION and the SHARING of ideas with other professionals who do the work of celibacy formation in the church” (p. 29).