I was reviewing some of the resources I have developed over the many years I have worked as a rehab counselor, and more recently a Spiritual Care Coordinator and Chaplain. After 30 years as a rehab counselor, I was ordained to the minor order of Subdeacon in the Maronite Church. There are two different paths with this ordination. The temporary path which leads to Deacon, Priest and Bishop (God willing) and the second status Permanent Subdeacon. This is a ministry in itself where the candidate is ordained at a church where he will serve for the foreseeable future. I was drawn to this because I did not have any intent to become a deacon. I was married.

My background in Eastern Christian theology stemmed from my study of Eastern philosophy and meditation in College in 1972. I learned Transcendental Meditation. Later after converting to Maronite Catholic, I changed the practice to be more in tune with Catholicism using FR. Thomas Keating’s Centering Prayer http://www.geocities.ws/scrate/CPmethod2.html as a model. Since the Maronite Church was founded from the monastic tradition of St Maron it seemed to fit. I even wrote a letter to Fr. Thomas Keating concerned that my foundation of learning meditation being TM, that it might be heretical in the Catholic, He encouraged me, noting that if adoration of God, through and with the Most Holy Trinity was my intention as I meditated that it would not be a contrary practice. I confirmed this with my spiritual director and continued my ministry.