NEC 2024 Interview with Fr. Arthur Mastrolia

0:09Good morning. I have the joy of introducing father Arthur Masciola, and I am the alumni coordinator for Divine Mercy University. And we're gonna talk to father about his journey at Divine Mercy University. So father, tell us what you're doing now with your degree, and what are some of the things you've done that you felt like made some major changes? Well, thank you, Michelle, for having me here today. It's wonderful to be at the, National Eucharistic Congress and that Divine Mercy University has a presence here Because, what you we're doing at the university is so integral to, faith development in in our parishes. And that's why I first enrolled in the master's degree program, the online master's program in psychology because I was convinced that it would be of immense, value and use in a parish setting as a pastor.

1:05I'm the pastor of a large parish in the archdiocese of New York, and a lot of our attention is on our families, families with young children. And one of the, things that has kinda plagued me all throughout thirty seven years of priesthood, was, baptismal catechesis. You know, when new parents make that kind of first contact with the parish that perhaps they haven't made since they were married. And so that is so important. So I I thought that Divine Mercy's, emphasis on child psychological development would be useful. And so that's why I I, I enrolled, went through the program, which was very challenging, and, and then graduated in 2017. Wonderful. So the other question that I would have is, I know you did something very special with that, feelings about baptism.

2:09Tell me a little bit about your capstone and why you wrote it and how it's been used in your your pastoral career. Well, my capstone project was on the development of a baptismal catechesis for new parents. And the catechesis itself is structured within the context of a of a cognitive developmental approach. That is to say, that the you know, the formation of the human person and, the the the need for, human flourishing is only answered in good relationships, good and healthy relationships. The most fundamental relationship, of course, the most primary relationship is the parent child relationship at the beginning. And then at all the way through and then at the end, the ultimate relationship is our relationship with god.

3:04So I thought if we don't get that foundational relationship straight, it's gonna be that much more difficult to make the later relationships as good as they can be. And, you know, the one, phrase that is so important to me, infant mental health Mhmm. From zero from birth to five years old. And what a kid picks up in those years can be so beneficial for the development of her or his relationship with God. Very good point. And, you know, if if if, the extent to which the child sees the parent praying or not praying could mean everything. Now that that's not to say that for children who suffer poor, infant mental health development, and there's plenty of that. That's not to say that things can't change because, you know, the church is reaching out to people all along the age spectrum.

4:10But if we could get those early years right, how much better would it be all throughout? Absolutely. That sense of values. So So so, we have, we do about, we do baptismal catechesis every two weeks. K. And we limit it to six parents. We have a priest, deacon, or theological presenter on the sacrament of baptism. We have a couple, with children who are active in the parish who talk about their connection with the parish and their children's faith development. And we have another person on the team who's like the welcome person, and it all, plays out over the course of about an hour and a half. And the young couples go away loving the openness of it all because we asked them to tell us their story too.

5:02I have a feeling that's made a difference in a lot of females. That's the difference. Yeah. But you know what, Michelle? But what we're working on now is the follow-up because they phrase the program, but then we've gotta keep them on the hook. You know? We've gotta reel them in. So we're working on that now. So Stages. Right? Next stage. Stages. My final question is to kinda share, if you would, there's a lot of bridges between, science, religion, health care, pastoral care, or mental health. How do you found that by that tough degree that you took in master's in psychology has helped you integrate all those areas, father? Well, in in religious ministry, in service to the people of God, the integration of, of psychological professionalism and religious professionalism or ministry to the mind and ministry to the spirit is inseparable.

6:04So, you know, one cannot be a good spiritual director without having a good insight into the workings of the mind because the mind comes first, and then grace builds on it. So, Michelle, I think the connection is, inseparable. Right. You know? And that's why I would recommend the the, courses of Divine Mercy University to anyone who has an inkling to contribute to the to ministry, pastoral ministry in this sense. It's a great compliment. Thank you. Are there any questions I should have asked you that you would like to, share any additional information? No. I think that's good. I just encourage, people who are at all interested to to follow-up on it and to keep reading. There's a lot of good stuff out there.

6:49You know, if you're not taking a a a course, toward a degree program, there's a lot of good stuff to read. And and pastors of souls, have to do that. Well, thank you so much, father, for your gift of time. We certainly appreciate it. And thank you for all you do. You bet.