Priest’s ‘skepticism’ about gifts of the Spirit upended by experience

Find your specific gift(s)through Encounter School of Ministry

By Father Tim Segert

Parochial Vicar

Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Boise

For the ICR

Just a little more than five years ago, I was generally skeptical of a specific spiritual movement trending within the Catholic Church.

I felt turned off by some of the excesses I had seen by members who claimed to have supernatural gifts of the Spirit.

But then the unexpected happened: I experienced several successive powerful and unmistakable encounters with the Holy Spirit that absolutely rocked my

world.

“Now in regard to spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be unaware …” 

This is how St. Paul the Apostle begins 1 Corinthians, chapter 12. Unfortunately, if you are anything like I was, and not long ago, you may be in precisely the position St. Paul described: being unaware when it comes to the spiritual gifts.

Many of us are turned off by the whole idea of spiritual gifts; many regard them as something only the saints of old could partake in; and others simply have never even heard of the idea. But if you read 1 Corinthians 12-14, it becomes clear that the spiritual gifts “are a basic part of what it means to be a Christian.”

First of all, what are the spiritual gifts? The Catechism of the Catholic Church delineates between different kinds of grace given by the Holy Spirit. In paragraph 2003, it states, “There are sacramental graces, gifts proper to the different sacraments. There are furthermore special graces, also called charisms after the Greek term used by St. Paul and meaning ‘favor,’ ‘gratuitous gift,’ ‘benefit.’”

It continues: “Whatever their character - sometimes it is extraordinary, such as the gift of miracles or of tongues - charisms are oriented toward sanctifying grace and are intended for the common good of the Church. They are at the service of charity which builds up the Church.” 

To put it another way, God plants sanctifying grace, or His very life, into our hearts through baptism and reception of the other sacraments, which leads to our salvation. This is the most important gift that He gives.

But to that end, He also gives charismatic gifts - supernatural abilities that God plants within our souls in order to build up the Kingdom of Heaven and to lead others into relationship with Him.

The Catholic Church teaches that “each and every baptized believer is given some supernatural gift for the building up of the kingdom (cf. 1 Cor. 12:7),” whether healing, prophecy, speaking in tongues, discernment of spirits, deliverance or something else. These are not merely natural aptitudes or likes; they are explicitly supernatural activities that surpass the natural order.

My personal experiences with the spiritual gifts, as mentioned above, led me to reconsider some of what I had believed, and in a way that was strangely similar to when I became Catholic. Between the time of my conversion and now, I believed in the spiritual gifts, but often did not know how to interact with them due to my lack of knowledge and experience in the area.

Father Tim Segert, second from right, poses with members of the Diocese of Boise. From left, Marisela Baca, Father German Osorio, Bishop Peter F. Christensen, Emily Woodham, Father Segert and Father Caleb Vogal, Vicar General. (ICR archive photo)

I decided to take the Encounter School of Ministry two-year course online in order to expand upon my knowledge base. The program was not perfect - no program is. But I can say without a doubt that what I have seen in my priesthood has changed in a drastically positive way since the beginning of this class.

I have seen several physical healings before my eyes. I have witnessed prophetic prayers that have deeply impacted people’s lives. I have been able to help in inner healing ministry, which helps to free people from deep-seated wounds from their past. And most of all, I have learned how to use the charisms of the Holy Spirit in a way that is totally authentic to myself.

In my case, that means being completely obedient to the Magisterium of the Church and practicing the gifts in a more quiet, contemplative way.

The next question naturally follows: How do I figure out which gift(s) I have?

The answer is too in-depth to give quickly here, but I want to suggest a good resource which will be coming up for those who live in the Treasure Valley.

Many staff members from our Diocesan Pastoral Center have worked to establish a local campus of the Encounter School of Ministry at St. Mark’s Parish in Boise for training in exactly these spiritual gifts. They will be hosting a summer intensive Thursday through Saturday, Aug. 7-9.

They are also offering the two-year course in-person at St. Mark’s. Classes begin in the fall.

I would encourage anyone who is developing this aspect of their spiritual life to attend the intensive or take the course, as you will likely not have a better, more inexpensive and accessible opportunity to do so for some time to come.

My hope is that whether you take this class or do it some other way, you can find the same thing for yourself. Perhaps this is the perfect time for you to move forward and take the plunge.

To register and for more information, visit encounterschool.org/boise/.