Spiritual & Theological Formation

Formation serves the Mission of Ascension by nourishing the interior life of leaders and associates, enabling actions and behaviors that reflect our identity as a ministry of the Church. It provides a variety of opportunities for all to live more fully into the three calls we believe come to each person by virtue of our creation in the image and likeness of God:

• The call to vocation, to become more fully human
• The call to community, to live, work, and share life together
• The call to ministry, to serve the needs of others

Formation at Ascension

Formation includes an evolving set of programs, services and resources to equip leaders and associates with personal qualities and skills necessary to advance our healthcare ministry in an ever-changing healthcare landscape.

Available Programs

• Executive Ministry Leadership is a two-year program in a cohort model, conducted in collaboration with professors from Aquinas Institute of Theology, which provides executives with a deep understanding of the theological foundations and resources that sustain Catholic healthcare and equips them to lead Ascension as a ministry of the Church.
• Management Formation invites Directors and Managers, along with other leaders, to a personal examination of their behaviors and dispositions as managers. This one-year program explores elements of the spiritual and theological tradition that support and sustain essential management skills and each participant’s ability to manage according to mission.
• Formation Facilitator Certification meets a growing number of formation requests across Ascension by training facilitators who understand and demonstrate our standards of formation excellence and the essential components of facilitation as outlined in Ascension’s Formation Facilitator Resource.
• Physician Formation invites physicians to see the practice of medicine as a calling and a participation in the healing ministry of Jesus. It enriches them with a renewed sense of balance, meaning and life purpose, and facilitates the creation of a community of physicians within Ascension who serve as a community of caregivers.

Formation Services

• Ongoing Formation Planning helps local mission leaders and CEOs prioritize the formation needs of their particular local health system or subsidiary and obtain the resources they need to support their formation plan, including direct facilitation.
• Associate Formation collaborates with local mission leaders to create formation resources for associates at every level within their local health system or subsidiary.

Custom Resources

As part of the Formation program, an online learning management system provides valuable resources– including texts, videos, photographs, art, discussion threads and reflection questions – customized to support specific user groups.