The essay found here originally appeared as the description of the Spirituality Pillar at TMI - The Episcopal School of Texas in San Antonio. It outlines my philosophy of school chaplaincy, and my vision of the basic dimensions of student spiritual formation in Episcopal Schools.
"May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 1Thessalonians 5.23
Spirituality can be a very difficult term to define. For some, spirituality means almost the same as "organized religion": It refers to the collection of beliefs, values, practices, and rituals we use to connect with God. For others, spirituality means precisely the opposite: It refers to our feelings of being attached to God or Spiritual Reality, without defining that feeling with practices, rituals, or beliefs.
In Christian Scriptures such as that quoted above, the word "spirit" is used to refer to that part of a person that is spiritually aware and responsive. Just as the "body" is physically aware and responsive to the physical environment, and the "soul" is internally aware and responsive to our inner desires, so also our "spirit" is that part of us that can connect to, and communicate with, spiritual reality.
Thus, at TMI, spirituality refers to our human receptivity to God's presence, and our yearning to be connected at a deep level with the Meaning, Purpose, and Source of our existence. Spirituality is like an appetite, or a hunger, to be fed by "spiritual food", just as our physical appetite is fed by physical food. Spirituality is also like a muscle: The more it is worked, the stronger it gets. Thus, spirituality is not just something static in humans. It is something that can be fed, and strengthened, and grow over time.
Another way to look at Spiritual and Ethical formation is to think in terms of developing a "map" for our journey through life. In Spiritual formation, we help students get a "Big Vision" for the meaning and purpose of their life, and the Overall Goal toward which their life is headed. This vision in turn gives them a map on which they can chart their activities and interests intellectually, emotionally, personally, socially, physically, and religiously. Ethical formation then is about helping students develop a "Moral Compass" which helps them navigate the map of their lives, so that any point on their "life map" they know when to turn left or right, go forward, or in some cases, turn around.
Because of this, our "Spiritual Pillar" at TMI focuses on practical ways to feed, and strengthen, the spirits of our students. The three main ways that we put our spirituality into practice are our Daily Chapel Program, the Academic Study of Religion, and our Community Service program.
The Daily Chapel Program
Almost every day, around 10:00 o'clock in the morning, you can find the entire TMI community- students, staff, and teachers- gathered in our spacious All Saints Chapel for daily morning prayer, or monthly Eucharist. Daily Chapel at TMI includes all the things you might expect from an Episcopal worship service: An invitation to pray, a song or psalm, a Scripture passage, a short message, prayers of the people, a blessing, and a dismissal.
Why do we spend time daily doing this? Well, the purpose of daily chapel is fourfold:
This daily pattern of prayer has been shown, over thousands of years, and in millions of lives, to be an effective way of accomplishing these purposes, so we may nourish our spirit, and "tune in" to the Spirit of God. The messages in our chapel come from our chaplain, our students, and our faculty. Each person brings their own unique voice and gifts to share with the TMI community to challenge and strengthen one another.
Once a month, we break this rhythm of daily prayer to join one another around the Lord's Table for Holy Eucharist (which is known to some as Communion, or The Lord's Supper, or the Mass). In this worship service, we remember Christ crucified and risen, as we partake in a meal of bread and wine which shares Christ's spiritual presence with the community.
As an Episcopal School, our Daily Chapel and Eucharist services are "authentically Christian yet genuinely Inclusive". After all, our mission statement declares that we are striving to become an excellent educational community with "values based on the teachings of Jesus Christ". Thus, we read Christian Scripture and meditate together on the meaning of core Christian ideas such as Love, Justice, Incarnation, Atonement, and the Trinity. Yet, because we seek to follow Jesus, we try to do what Jesus did.
And what Jesus did was genuinely inclusive. Jesus welcomed everyone, fed everyone, healed everyone, and challenged everyone to grow into the best version of themselves. So we follow his example and embrace everyone, whether Christian or non-Christian, religious or secular, as we travel on a spiritual journey together, striving to feed our spiritual hunger for peace and purpose and meaning. So, we do not strive to "convert" or "proselytize" those who join us in chapel, but rather welcome them to pray with us, meditate with us, share their perspectives with us, and grow with us into the most caring and compassionate version of ourselves. These values are what are at the core of our daily chapel experience.
The Academic Study of Religion
If daily chapel is about cultivating a "spirituality of the heart", our academic study of religion is about cultivating a "spirituality of the head". This is, of course, an over-simplification. But there are aspects of spirituality that cannot be effectively dealt with in a short message in chapel to 500 students. There are many topics in spirituality that are better dealt with in a small class that is dedicated to discussing and interacting with the great themes of the Christian Tradition, Western Philosophy, and the great World Religions.
Indeed, understanding religion is absolutely essential in a multi-cultural information age, when one's neighbors or business partners might be Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Secular, or from any number of Christian traditions. With over 90% of the world's population practicing some type of religion, and over 80% of Americans belonging to some form of Christianity, the academic study of religion cannot be overlooked if one wants to understand why culture functions the way that it does.
Thus, at TMI, we equip our students for their own spiritual search for meaning, and for religious literacy in the larger world, by offering a selection of religious studies classes.
For Middle School, we offer our 6th graders "Introduction to the Christian Story", which supplies basic literacy in the Christian Scriptures and the major characters and events of the Biblical narrative. Our 7th graders take "Introduction to World Religions" which provides a broad overview of the major spiritual traditions of the world.
For Upper School, our students have to take two semester long religion courses to graduate from TMI. These two courses can be chosen from any of the following five course offerings:
As our academic program grows and develops, these course offerings will be adapted to student needs. Our goal is always to feed our spiritual hunger while strengthening our ability to analyze, critique and discuss issues of ultimate significance.
Community Service
The third and final component of our Spirituality Pillar is our Community Service program. If Daily Chapel aims at the "heart", and Academic study of religion aims at the "head", then Community Service challenges us to get our "hands" dirty by putting our spirituality into practice in concrete acts of compassion and care for others. It is not enough to pray about helping others, nor to think about how to help others. We must do the hard work of helping others. And this is what Community Service is all about.
TMI's mission statement goes on to say that our basis in the teachings of Jesus Christ has a purpose. That purpose is to "challenge motivated students to develop their full potential in service and leadership". In fact, "service and leadership" were the defining feature of Jesus' own ministry. Jesus' own words and actions constantly challenged his followers to become "servant leaders" who inspired others to imitate Christ by sacrificially giving their lives in acts of compassion and care for their fellow humans.
Thus, we require every student at TMI to be involved in making a difference in their community by earning community service hours. Our students have a multitude of different types of service they can perform, and they participate in community service activities as diverse as:
These are just a few ways we put spirituality into practice, but there are many, many more that could be added. Our Community Service is a "learning laboratory" that challenges our students to act on all the "spiritual theory" they have heard in chapel, and discussed in the classroom. This leads to students that are not only more spiritually engaged, but also more socially conscious.
Forming W.I.S.E.R. Students and Families
Speaking of spiritual engagement and social conscience, the Mission of TMI states that we are rooted in "values based on the teachings of Jesus Christ". The following five values are central to Christ's teachings, and form the Foundation that the Pillars of TMI are built upon. The purpose of these Core Values is to create a "moral compass" that guides our students to grow W.I.S.E.R. day by day, so we may become an excellent educational community which develops their full potential in service and leadership. These Core Values are:
WISDOM: We are committed to developing intellectual curiosity, inspiring self-reflection, and challenging students to strive for academic achievement. See Matthew 22.35-40; Luke 24.44-45; John 16.12-15; Romans 12.1-2.
INTEGRITY: We are committed to developing the capacity to know the good, to do the good, and to love the good, so that we embody virtue and character in all we do. See Luke 6.43-49; Matthew 5.17-48; Philippians 2.12-16; Colossians 3.1-14.
SERVICE: We are committed to compassion, as we develop empathy for others, and embody this in concrete acts of service in our community. See Luke 10.25-37; Matthew 25.31-46; Mark 10.42-45; Philippians 2.1-13.
EXCELLENCE: We are committed to continual growth as we develop our full potential throughout our common life, from the classroom, to the athletic field, to the chapel, to the parade ground, to the dormitory. See Matthew 5.14-16; Philippians 3.12-16; Ephesians 4.11-16; 1Peter 4.10-11.
REVERENCE: We are committed to a spiritual vision greater than ourselves, as we grow in our relationship with the Source and Meaning of our existence, revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. See Mark 12.28-34; Matthew 6.5-13; Mark 1.14-20; Acts 17.19-31; Matthew 28.16-20.
We believe that these Core Values should be the beating heart of every program TMI has to offer, so that we may use our heart, our head, and our hands, to help us grow W.I.S.E.R. and more Christlike every day.
The Hub of the Wheel
So that, in a nutshell, is the Spiritual Pillar at TMI. It is a robust and multifaceted program that challenges our "heart", "head", and "hands" to grow spiritually. And while spiritual growth is different for different people, depending on their religious background, social development, and personal taste, there is one common denominator: Spiritual growth leads to an ever-deepening sense of meaning, purpose, and value in life. Spiritual growth contributes to a personal sense of mission, as one strives to live into one's core convictions about what matters in life. In short, spirituality answers the "why" question that is behind all the many and varied things we do.
This is why Spirituality is the hub of the wheel that is TMI. Think about all the other activities that make up our life at TMI: Academics, Military, Athletics, Arts, Clubs, and Community Events. Imagine that all of these are spokes circling on an immense wheel. What connects them together? Spirituality. Spirituality is the "why" behind all the other activities on campus, because all of these other activities contribute to making a complete, well-rounded, mature person who is growing to maturity in the image of God.
An Ancient Christian theologian named Irenaeus once said "The Glory of God is humanity fully alive". Fully alive refers to a full, flourishing human life that makes the most of all our capacities: Academic, Emotional, Social, Artistic, and Athletic. This fullness of life is why we exist, so that we may show forth the glory of God in all the unique gifts and talents God has blessed us with.
It is by pondering and meditating on this great spiritual truth that we begin to understand WHY all these other areas of life are so important. And it is the Spiritual Pillar at TMI that is dedicated to this journey into an ever-deepening sense of meaning and purpose that animates everything else we do.
Because of this, our "Spiritual Pillar" at TMI focuses on practical ways to feed, and strengthen, the spirits of our students. The three main ways that we put our spirituality into practice are our Daily Chapel Program, the Academic Study of Religion, and our Community Service program.
The Daily Chapel Program
Almost every day, around 10:00 o'clock in the morning, you can find the entire TMI community- students, staff, and teachers- gathered in our spacious All Saints Chapel for daily morning prayer, or monthly Eucharist. Daily Chapel at TMI includes all the things you might expect from an Episcopal worship service: An invitation to pray, a song or psalm, a Scripture passage, a short message, prayers of the people, a blessing, and a dismissal.
Why do we spend time daily doing this? Well, the purpose of daily chapel is fourfold:
- Spiritual transformation: To help people develop an overall vision and mission in life, as we take time to focus on the "big picture" of who we are and why we exist.
- Ethical formation: To help people develop ethical values and norms for decision making, so they can make wise decision that help them become their best selves and form healthy communities.
- Personal connection: To provide prayers, meditations, rituals, and techniques to help people connect with their deepest self and Ultimate Reality.
- Community celebration: To provide an opportunity for all of us to see, and be seen, by one another, so we may share in our triumphs and challenges together.
This daily pattern of prayer has been shown, over thousands of years, and in millions of lives, to be an effective way of accomplishing these purposes, so we may nourish our spirit, and "tune in" to the Spirit of God. The messages in our chapel come from our chaplain, our students, and our faculty. Each person brings their own unique voice and gifts to share with the TMI community to challenge and strengthen one another.
Once a month, we break this rhythm of daily prayer to join one another around the Lord's Table for Holy Eucharist (which is known to some as Communion, or The Lord's Supper, or the Mass). In this worship service, we remember Christ crucified and risen, as we partake in a meal of bread and wine which shares Christ's spiritual presence with the community.
As an Episcopal School, our Daily Chapel and Eucharist services are "authentically Christian yet genuinely Inclusive". After all, our mission statement declares that we are striving to become an excellent educational community with "values based on the teachings of Jesus Christ". Thus, we read Christian Scripture and meditate together on the meaning of core Christian ideas such as Love, Justice, Incarnation, Atonement, and the Trinity. Yet, because we seek to follow Jesus, we try to do what Jesus did.
And what Jesus did was genuinely inclusive. Jesus welcomed everyone, fed everyone, healed everyone, and challenged everyone to grow into the best version of themselves. So we follow his example and embrace everyone, whether Christian or non-Christian, religious or secular, as we travel on a spiritual journey together, striving to feed our spiritual hunger for peace and purpose and meaning. So, we do not strive to "convert" or "proselytize" those who join us in chapel, but rather welcome them to pray with us, meditate with us, share their perspectives with us, and grow with us into the most caring and compassionate version of ourselves. These values are what are at the core of our daily chapel experience.
The Academic Study of Religion
If daily chapel is about cultivating a "spirituality of the heart", our academic study of religion is about cultivating a "spirituality of the head". This is, of course, an over-simplification. But there are aspects of spirituality that cannot be effectively dealt with in a short message in chapel to 500 students. There are many topics in spirituality that are better dealt with in a small class that is dedicated to discussing and interacting with the great themes of the Christian Tradition, Western Philosophy, and the great World Religions.
Indeed, understanding religion is absolutely essential in a multi-cultural information age, when one's neighbors or business partners might be Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Secular, or from any number of Christian traditions. With over 90% of the world's population practicing some type of religion, and over 80% of Americans belonging to some form of Christianity, the academic study of religion cannot be overlooked if one wants to understand why culture functions the way that it does.
Thus, at TMI, we equip our students for their own spiritual search for meaning, and for religious literacy in the larger world, by offering a selection of religious studies classes.
For Middle School, we offer our 6th graders "Introduction to the Christian Story", which supplies basic literacy in the Christian Scriptures and the major characters and events of the Biblical narrative. Our 7th graders take "Introduction to World Religions" which provides a broad overview of the major spiritual traditions of the world.
For Upper School, our students have to take two semester long religion courses to graduate from TMI. These two courses can be chosen from any of the following five course offerings:
- Old Testament: An in-depth overview of the Hebrew Scriptures.
- New Testament: An in-depth overview of the Christian Scriptures.
- Philosophy: An overview of the major thinkers and themes in the Western Philosophical tradition.
- World Religions: A more in-depth look at several of the major non-Christian spiritual traditions.
- The God Debate: A class that looks at the philosophical, cultural, and political issues raised by our current debate about God's existence and role in culture.
As our academic program grows and develops, these course offerings will be adapted to student needs. Our goal is always to feed our spiritual hunger while strengthening our ability to analyze, critique and discuss issues of ultimate significance.
Community Service
The third and final component of our Spirituality Pillar is our Community Service program. If Daily Chapel aims at the "heart", and Academic study of religion aims at the "head", then Community Service challenges us to get our "hands" dirty by putting our spirituality into practice in concrete acts of compassion and care for others. It is not enough to pray about helping others, nor to think about how to help others. We must do the hard work of helping others. And this is what Community Service is all about.
TMI's mission statement goes on to say that our basis in the teachings of Jesus Christ has a purpose. That purpose is to "challenge motivated students to develop their full potential in service and leadership". In fact, "service and leadership" were the defining feature of Jesus' own ministry. Jesus' own words and actions constantly challenged his followers to become "servant leaders" who inspired others to imitate Christ by sacrificially giving their lives in acts of compassion and care for their fellow humans.
Thus, we require every student at TMI to be involved in making a difference in their community by earning community service hours. Our students have a multitude of different types of service they can perform, and they participate in community service activities as diverse as:
- Serving at Food Pantries and Homeless Ministries.
- Donating food, goods, and toys for special occasions (such as Thanksgiving and Christmas).
- Volunteering at Retirement homes, Animal Shelters, and local Parks.
- Mentoring and tutoring with elementary students at local schools and ministries.
- Raising funds in creative ways for charities as diverse as Morgan's Wonderland and Alzheimer's Awareness.
- Taking "Servant Leader Adventures" to places like Belize, Jamaica, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, and beyond.
These are just a few ways we put spirituality into practice, but there are many, many more that could be added. Our Community Service is a "learning laboratory" that challenges our students to act on all the "spiritual theory" they have heard in chapel, and discussed in the classroom. This leads to students that are not only more spiritually engaged, but also more socially conscious.
Forming W.I.S.E.R. Students and Families
Speaking of spiritual engagement and social conscience, the Mission of TMI states that we are rooted in "values based on the teachings of Jesus Christ". The following five values are central to Christ's teachings, and form the Foundation that the Pillars of TMI are built upon. The purpose of these Core Values is to create a "moral compass" that guides our students to grow W.I.S.E.R. day by day, so we may become an excellent educational community which develops their full potential in service and leadership. These Core Values are:
WISDOM: We are committed to developing intellectual curiosity, inspiring self-reflection, and challenging students to strive for academic achievement. See Matthew 22.35-40; Luke 24.44-45; John 16.12-15; Romans 12.1-2.
INTEGRITY: We are committed to developing the capacity to know the good, to do the good, and to love the good, so that we embody virtue and character in all we do. See Luke 6.43-49; Matthew 5.17-48; Philippians 2.12-16; Colossians 3.1-14.
SERVICE: We are committed to compassion, as we develop empathy for others, and embody this in concrete acts of service in our community. See Luke 10.25-37; Matthew 25.31-46; Mark 10.42-45; Philippians 2.1-13.
EXCELLENCE: We are committed to continual growth as we develop our full potential throughout our common life, from the classroom, to the athletic field, to the chapel, to the parade ground, to the dormitory. See Matthew 5.14-16; Philippians 3.12-16; Ephesians 4.11-16; 1Peter 4.10-11.
REVERENCE: We are committed to a spiritual vision greater than ourselves, as we grow in our relationship with the Source and Meaning of our existence, revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. See Mark 12.28-34; Matthew 6.5-13; Mark 1.14-20; Acts 17.19-31; Matthew 28.16-20.
We believe that these Core Values should be the beating heart of every program TMI has to offer, so that we may use our heart, our head, and our hands, to help us grow W.I.S.E.R. and more Christlike every day.
The Hub of the Wheel
So that, in a nutshell, is the Spiritual Pillar at TMI. It is a robust and multifaceted program that challenges our "heart", "head", and "hands" to grow spiritually. And while spiritual growth is different for different people, depending on their religious background, social development, and personal taste, there is one common denominator: Spiritual growth leads to an ever-deepening sense of meaning, purpose, and value in life. Spiritual growth contributes to a personal sense of mission, as one strives to live into one's core convictions about what matters in life. In short, spirituality answers the "why" question that is behind all the many and varied things we do.
This is why Spirituality is the hub of the wheel that is TMI. Think about all the other activities that make up our life at TMI: Academics, Military, Athletics, Arts, Clubs, and Community Events. Imagine that all of these are spokes circling on an immense wheel. What connects them together? Spirituality. Spirituality is the "why" behind all the other activities on campus, because all of these other activities contribute to making a complete, well-rounded, mature person who is growing to maturity in the image of God.
An Ancient Christian theologian named Irenaeus once said "The Glory of God is humanity fully alive". Fully alive refers to a full, flourishing human life that makes the most of all our capacities: Academic, Emotional, Social, Artistic, and Athletic. This fullness of life is why we exist, so that we may show forth the glory of God in all the unique gifts and talents God has blessed us with.
It is by pondering and meditating on this great spiritual truth that we begin to understand WHY all these other areas of life are so important. And it is the Spiritual Pillar at TMI that is dedicated to this journey into an ever-deepening sense of meaning and purpose that animates everything else we do.
You can further explore these ideas in my writings about spiritual formation, including work on the philosophy of chaplaincy, the core values, and a program for forming servant-leaders at TMI- The Episcopal School of Texas. All of this is connected with my theology of educational leadership.
And with this, we return to the prayer we started this essay with: "May your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless" as we nourish and strengthen our Spiritual Pillar at TMI.
A Prayer for the Mission of TMI
Lord Jesus Christ, we thank you for the gift of your teachings, and for giving us the community of TMI to learn and practice what you have given us. Help us grow into an excellent educational community, with values based on the firm Rock of your teachings, as we challenge and motivate each other to develop our full potential in service and leadership. All this we ask for the sake of your Love. Amen.
And with this, we return to the prayer we started this essay with: "May your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless" as we nourish and strengthen our Spiritual Pillar at TMI.
A Prayer for the Mission of TMI
Lord Jesus Christ, we thank you for the gift of your teachings, and for giving us the community of TMI to learn and practice what you have given us. Help us grow into an excellent educational community, with values based on the firm Rock of your teachings, as we challenge and motivate each other to develop our full potential in service and leadership. All this we ask for the sake of your Love. Amen.
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