|
"Priests are, first of all, human beings whose very humanity ought to be a bridge for communicating Jesus Christ to the world today. Their humanity reflects a complex make-up, the different dimensions of what it means to be human. Each dimension needs recognition and attention."
|
|
—National Conference of Catholic Bishops
The Basic Plan for the Ongoing Formation of Priests
|
|
"Ongoing formation involves relatively new content and especially methods; it develops as a harmonious and vital process which – rooted in the formation received in the seminary – calls for adaptations, updating and modifications, but without sharps breaks in continuity."
|
|
—John Paul II
Pastores dabo Vobis
|
|
NFPC Appreciative Inquiry Program
 Appreciative Inquiry focuses on the power of the questions we ask. AI is an exciting new way for any parish, organization, or community to see and talk about its vibrant, positive strengths and life-giving qualities to build hope and a vision for the future. The hallmark of AI is the exploration of "unconditional positive questions." The art of asking such questions results in a process that strengthens an organization's ability to realize its full potential.
The AI process utilizes the 4-D cycle – Discovery, Dream, Design and Destiny. This cycle can be as formal as a diocesan-wide process involving many people, or it can also be as informal as a conversation with a colleague in ministry. When individuals or organizations tap into rich, inspiring accounts of peak experiences and link this "positive core" to any change agenda, transformations never thought possible are formalized.
AI also incorporates the following principles
- Constructionist Principle: We all wear "rose-colored glasses." We see reality not as it is, but as we are. How we choose to see and talk about creates the world in which we live. This is reflected in the importance of the questions we ask. The questions we use and how we word them are very significant. There are no neutral questions.
- Poetic Principle: Organizations are like poems, open to infinite interpretation. There is always more to see and discover if we are open to doing so.
- Simultaneity Principle: Change begins with the first question. What we seek, we find. What we find, we talk about. What we talk about creates the images that shape the future we live.
- Anticipatory Principle: Deep change is centered in the power of our images of the future.
These images guide our behavior and the eventual future of our community. By anticipating the future in a hope-filled and creative manner, we help to make it so.
- Positive Principle: Positive questions lead to positive images, which increase positive energy and positive relationships, resulting in positive change. Congregations, as all organizations, are largely affirmative and respond to positive thought and positive knowledge. The more positive the questions used to guide community-building or congregational planning, the longer lasting and more effective the change will be.
Recommended length: 1 Day
Click here for Program Fee information
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Rosario Camacho
National Federation of Priests' Councils
333 N. Michigan Ave.
Suite 1205
Chicago, IL 60601-4002
312-442-9700 ext 206
312-442-9709 (fax)
camacho@nfpc.org
|
|
