…that we hope will help you ignite the hearts of young adults with a passion for serving the Lord. It is designed to be a program that will help you lead them to knowing God more intimately and understanding the ways in which He speaks in the depths of the human heart.
What is Samuel Group?
Samuel Group is a discernment group for young adults, ages 19-30, who meet together once a month for six months in order to study, pray, and discover their individual vocations or lifetime call from God. The purpose of the program is to equip young adults with the tools they need to approach vocational discernment with peace, joy, and confidence.
Samuel group gave me the tools that have helped me know myself better, what I truly desire and what God desires for me. These tools helped me navigate through tough future choices with confidence! Knowing God’s will for you is the best adventure! Samuel group gives you knowledge that equips you for the ride! – Samuel Group participant from Texas A&M
Why should I consider leading Samuel Group?
Every Christian has a vocation, a special invitation from God to become holy and whole, to walk a unique, earthly path that leads ultimately to heaven. Each Samuel Group participant is encouraged to bring his or her unique questions, desires, strengths, and weaknesses to God, and to learn to respond to His loving voice. Each discovers what he or she needs to do to know the Lord better, which in turn leads to a deeper knowledge of the true self and what it means to live in the joy of Christ.
Just as Pope John Paul II encouraged young people to devote one day each month to prayer and reflection, so too, Samuel Group invites young people to set aside a few hours once a month in order to learn more about God, themselves, and to discern their vocation, a special call from God.
Anyone who is trying to help young adults connect in a genuine, personal way with God, anyone who wants to help young adults develop a real and lasting prayer life, anyone who wants help the Church with her “vocation crisis” should consider starting Samuel Group in their diocese. Samuel Group is a way to walk side-by-side with young adults, discipling them in prayer. By learning to listen, by growing in self-knowledge, by beginning to detach from the variety of obstacles that get between the person and God, young adults are prepared by their time in Samuel Group not just to discern endlessly but to actually decide. If you want to help someone to get to their true calling, teach them to pray! Samuel Group is the most effective way I know of to do that.
Structure of the Program
Each monthly meeting involves a brief social period, time for guided reflection, an hour of Adoration in front of the Blessed Sacrament, including the possibility for Confession, a purification talk, small group sharing, and “spiritual assignments” for the month.
Throughout the month, students must meet at least once with their personal spiritual director, develop a regular schedule of prayer, and abide by the rules of the Samuel Group.
What are the steps of beginning this program?
Following this, the team should together begin becoming comfortable with the manual, particularly the first two sections. This will layout the majority of the logistical setup for the program, providing the basic framework from which you will approach and run each session. Using this, you can review your venue and evaluate what would be the most appropriate setup for your site, one that will facilitate the flow of the meetings and be most conducive for each stage of the meeting.
Once someone is preparing for a talk, they should make an in-depth use of their respective section of the manual; review the material, pray with it, become comfortable with it so as to be able to deliver the content in an honest, relatable fashion without reading it verbatim from the book. This includes becoming familiar with the supplemental materials that accompany each meeting, as most often they are vital components to the core message of the talk, and often the “homework” that comes with it.
