Sophomore year was actually year one (1) of three (3) as a Candidate. The class schedule had settled into a "post" COVID rhythm. It was still Monday and Wednesday evenings, with one Saturday a month for everyone; however, all save one week (the week including the Saturday formation) were remote via Zoom and a couple included some asynchronous instruction. All of us (all four classes) would first meet to do evening prayer, then depart for our respective classes. Saturdays would also bring all classes together at the Pastoral Center in Braintree for morning prayer and included The Exposition and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, something that I had not really paid much attention to before then. Although the wives no longer had to attend classes, they were still asked to come to two (2) events each semester (corresponding to one of the days the men had to also physically attend) where they did a little spiritual support and a little question and answer sessions. At the end of the year was a family gathering where the kids were invited as well.
Classes were much more focused on academics now, with "Basic Truths" and "Liturgy & Sacraments" in the fall and "Christology" and "Canon Law" in the spring. This was also the first time that we got any details (few though they were) about the MAM program through St John's Seminary which basically require you to score in the A/B range for tests and triple the length of any papers you had to do. It was also where we found out about the cost to transfer credits and then take the three (3) additional courses: Fundamental Theology, Faith and Reason, Spirituality Elective (and another 3 with 2 colloquia if you wanted the MTS instead of the MAM) ... and given that I already had a masters degree and I didn't really need another one IMHO, the extra effort and cost was such that I elected to pass on this opportunity (only 1 of our group stuck with it).
At some point during the year, there was a Mass where one of the Boston Bishops officially accepted us as Candidates for the Permanent Diaconate (ours included our class and the class ahead of us). Like the previous year, we were required to volunteer at a couple of Boston area charities; this year I volunteered at the local Community Food Bank and My Brother's Table. After that, I started monitoring VolunteerMatch to find new charts that I could help. We were also supposed to do approximately 40 hours supporting our parish pastoral visits, where we would take part in during home, homebound and hospital communion calls, but these were all shut down still for COVID. I was able to do a few of them the following year, but unable to do any of it this year.
Because of the formation schedule, we were also told that we should eliminate or reduce our parish commitments; so I stepped away from teaching the confirmation classes at my parish and only continued as a Lector a couple of times each month. In addition, we were required to find a Spiritual Director (who must be a priest while in formation). Originally I had the impression that if you couldn't find one, they would do that for you ... I was wrong ... and I had to scramble to find one before the year was up.
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