A Brief Guide to Discernment

By Fr. Eddie Chincha, SDB, CYM, St. John Bosco Parish

Dear friends,

I would like to share with you a little bit of what I learned in my summer courses at the Cenacle of Our Lady of Divine Providence School of Spiritual Direction in Clearwater, FL. I was blessed to deepen my knowledge about discernment, to look at my ongoing formation, and to see how I can use this in my ministry. Whether you are thinking of helping someone else in their Christian decision-making or you need some guidance on your own, I hope this short summary will help you.

The method of discernment that I learned was based on St. Ignatius of Loyola’s Discernment of Spirits. You might think, “Why should we use this Jesuit method if we are Salesians?” It’s important to remember that the Ignatian discernment method has already become part of mainstream Catholic discernment and time-tested methods. Moreover, St John Bosco learned this method of discernment from the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, when he completed the Spiritual Exercises at the St. Ignatius Shrine in Lanzo. This was the same place he took many of his boys and the first Salesians for retreat for 30 years. So, feel free to use it if you wish.

I also recommend doing other readings about the Discernment of Spirits and to review the complementary guide included at the end of this article. Finally, please Google the Ignatian Examen of Conscience. It is a great meditation tool and an integral part of discernment, since it helps us to become aware of the movement of the Spirit in our souls.

Access the brief guide to discernment!