It has been nearly a year since the first cohort of the Archdiocese’s newest formation initiative, The Bethany Way, graduated. For Grace San Lorenzo and Maria Exposto, the fruits of their formation journey can be seen in the way they pray, serve and lead in their parishes.
Grace: Being formed to form others
Together with other parishioners from St Peter Chanel, Deer Park, Grace San Lorenzo was invited to join the Bethany Way by her parish priest, Fr Felimon Libot. At the time, Grace was already serving as a lector, commentator, extraordinary minister of Holy Communion.
‘I think it’s within me already … the hunger to know about my faith more,’ Grace said. That desire for formation drew her to the Bethany Way, where she discovered a deeper connection between the different dimensions of her Catholic faith.
‘One of the things that inspired me is that I can see the connections of our faith not just in the parish, but also how the tradition of the Catholic faith was being taught.’
They touch the totality of the basis of our Catholic faith.
The experience brought together Scripture, Tradition, the Magisterium, the sacraments, prayer and the teachings of the Church. ‘It’s not just one aspect, but that they touch the totality of the basis of our Catholic faith,’ she said.
She said the experience has also enriched her personal prayer life. While she had already encountered lectio divina, the Bethany Way introduced Grace to visio divina, a way for meditating with sacred images, which gave her another way of encountering Christ. ‘It intensified my prayer life,’ Grace reflected.
Several months on since her graduation, Grace’s formation has begun to bear fruit through her service to others. Grace explained, ‘It encouraged me to reach out to other people because I know that formation or learning from the feet of Jesus is not just a one-off thing. It’s a lifelong process.’
Today, Grace is part of her parish formation committee, working with others to help parishioners grow in their understanding of the Catholic faith. One of the initiatives the team is preparing is a ‘Biblical Walk Through the Mass’, particularly for those who serve in ministries such as lectors, commentators and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion.
Grace explained that it’s about helping people move beyond simply performing a ministry to understanding what they are actually participating in. ‘We thought that being in the parish is not just like going to Mass every Sunday or weekdays, but more so understanding the meaning of the Mass and its biblical foundation.’
She hopes that deeper formation will change how parishioners approach the liturgy, particularly their understanding of the Eucharist.
For Grace, this is the natural movement of formation: receiving formation herself and then helping others to be formed. Her experience of sitting at the feet of Christ is now shaping the way she helps others encounter Christ.