Called and Gifted
Deputy Leader of Called & Gifted, Anne-Marie Fletcher, in conversation with Candida Calvert.
Candida:
So Anne-Marie, let's start with a bit of an introduction: who are you and what do you do?
Anne-Marie:
Thanks Candida.
I am a Catholic wife, mother & grandmother, and I'm also the Deputy Leader of the Called & Gifted Charism & Mission Discernment Process in the UK.
Called & Gifted, as a discernment process, was brought over from the United States by the Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth in 2014. We were living down there at the time, on the south coast of England, and I became involved very early on.
I knew that Called & Gifted was such good news that it had to spread far and wide! It seems that this is God's Plan too. We finally moved back up north to Sheffield in 2021, which is my husband and children's home city, and this - rather wonderfully- coincided with Called & Gifted being given the permission and tools to deliver the programme nationally for the first time. All praise be to God!
Candida:
We can talk more about the discernment process itself later, but let's start by focusing on the title: Called & Gifted. When I first came across Called & Gifted - which is how you and I first met, actually - I instantly loved the idea! But who exactly is called? And what do you mean by 'gifted'?
Anne-Marie:
We are all 'called' to be in relationship with Jesus, and when this relationship is nurtured, it grows. We nurture this relationship through prayer, scripture, sacraments, fellowship, listening to God's promptings in the heart, and trying to respond in love to God's holy will.
God's will for us is our calling- our mission, if you like- and He wants to collaborate with us on that. But it is not easy to discern God's will and that's where Called & Gifted can help. Because God has not left us to our own devices; He has gifted us with particular charisms to enable us to be successful in our calling. And through the process of responding to our calling, we become more and more who we were created to be. If we had to rely simply on our talents, skills and hard- work, the thought of 'mission' would be very daunting indeed for most people... But knowing that you are equipped with God's gifts- the charisms- it can become very exciting!
Candida:
So... talk to me about the gifts, then- the charisms. What are they, and how do they work?
Anne-Marie:
Charisms are the gifts of the Holy Spirit, through which the Holy Spirit can flow to people and situations in remarkable ways. We are talking of supernaturally empowered gifts here- gifts that bring about fruits that are way beyond our natural talents. When you see these manifested in your community and workplace, it's awesome! God then becomes not just someone to take out on a weekend when you go to Church; He is there in your life, collaborating with you, and bringing about wonders through you.
Candida:
That idea always blows my mind! But I know that people can struggle with the 'super-natural' element of it. Can you say more?
Anne-Marie:
God loves us; He made us in love, for love. Charisms are manifestations of that love. When Jesus walked the Earth, he was constantly teaching and prophesying- with spectacular results. So, there are charisms of Teaching and of Prophecy, Jesus was also a complete wonder-worker, pouring out healing grace wherever he went; and there are two specific Healing charisms.
In fact, Called & Gifted have identified a total of 24 charisms, all of which are arranged in different categories to describe what they do. So, you have the Healing charisms, but you also have the Nurturing charisms. Then there are the Organisational charisms and the Communication charisms. There are also Creative charisms, charisms of Understanding, and so forth.
Candida:
Do people generally just have one charism, or can they have more?
Anne-Marie:
Often people have more than one charism - a charism tool box, if you like. In fact, our charism mix is often an excellent clue as to what our mission calling is all about! But when we discern charisms, we always start by selecting just one and taking it into prayerful, real-life experimentation.
Charisms leave us feeling energised and joyful, or peaceful and fulfilled. We often find that it is other people who more readily recognise the charisms before we do, often subconsciously calling them forth from us. Once you are confident with one charism and have learnt how to discern, usually another charism starts blinking on the radar, inviting exploration.
Candida:
What would you say to anyone who may be thinking this doesn't apply to them?
Anne-Marie:
Well, I have listened to hundreds of ordinary people's stories, and I find it is simply about helping people to uncover and recognise the extraordinary within. The God of Surprises often reveals himself in the most amazing ways as people start to intentionally discern! For some, it affirms what they have always suspected, but have not been able to define or understand. For others, it is a real journey of discovery: discovering the gifts they simply had not known they had. For many, it's a combination of both those things.
Candida:
Personally, I was someone who was experiencing a very strong calling, but I couldn't find anyone who was prepared to help me understand that- until I came across Called & Gifted. Finding you and the team was a massive relief to me! How can an understanding of your charisms help you discem your own personal, God-given mission?
Anne-Marie:
If you know which charisms you have, you are more easily able to discern what situations these will be effective in. And that, in turn, helps you to recognise when God is presenting you with certain situations or people, that are literally calling forth these charisms from you. As you go deeper into discernment, you also become more aware of how your charisms work with other people's charisms, especially those we are called to work with for the benefit of the Kingdom.
Equally, you will also feel more confident about stepping back or saying no, without guilt, to situations that require charisms you know you do not have, but someone else does!
Candida:
That is certainly something I've noticed on my Called & Gifted journey. It's been as much about learning what to stop doing, as it has been about discerning what my mission is and how the Holy Spirit likes to work through me. Even if it means stopping 'good' ideas! I've come to realise I don't want just good ideas anymore; I want the God ideas. His way is always so much better than my way.
Anne-Marie:
Absolutely! There are so many needs all around us that we can easily become overwhelmed, and many people suffer from burnout, trying to meet those needs in their own strength. God does not want to see His sons & daughters burn out. Discerning what to say yes and no to is really important. And when we collaborate with him in the right way, he makes those burdens really light and joyful!
Candida:
Another important aspect for me has been to discern my mission field-exactly where I am being called to work. If we think about the world as God's vineyard, and that as Christians, we are all called to work in a particular part of that vineyard, it's actually really important we get that bit right. But the world is a big place! What advice can you give people about that?
Anne-Marie:
There are clues to where God is calling you to work. One really important clue is "What bothers your heart?' If you are not deeply bothered, there will not be enough love in your heart to be moved to act.
Another clue is, "Where do you feel the most joy?". When we are working in the right mission field, there will be a sense of it being the 'right fit'. You will experience everything just flowing, and you will get really positive feedback from others that takes you by surprise.
Candida:
Receiving feedback is an important part of the Called & Gifted discernment process, isn't it? Why is that?
Anne-Marie:
Surprisingly, positive feedback from others helps you to know that they are receiving God's provision through you. That feedback often describes the characteristics of the charism in some way, such as the clarity they have received (charism of Teaching), or amazing insights they've received from talking to you (charism of Wisdom). Or they may even unknowingly name the charism they have received!
Candida:
Yes, I've noticed that; people are always telling me how encouraging they find me… I never used to pay much attention to feedback, but I'm very attentive now. I've noticed that when people receive something through a charism, it has always been a big deal to them- and so they have wanted to share that, hence the feedback. It's amazing, really: the Holy Spirit really does reach the parts we humans can't ordinarily reach!
So how can you tell the difference between your own efforts, and the Holy Spirit's?
Anne-Marie:
Let's look at an example: music. Music is a particularly interesting charism to reflect on, as not all those who have a talent for music have the charism, and not all those who have a music charism have reached a high level of musical training. But the difference can always be ‘felt' by the audience!
The one with talent can bring pleasure with a good performance, but it is only the charism that brings the Holy Spirit into play; and then people will feel deeply moved in some way, and it can even provide healing. People may be moved to tears, or they may feel so uplifted that they are walking on air. Of course, where there is natural talent, well-practised skills and a charism at play.
The Holy Spirit really can have a field day!
Candida:
Indeed! We went to an Advent service recently, and I'm sure their soloist had a Music charism. My eyes welled up and my heart soared with the sheer beauty of her song, and I noticed a few other people dabbing at their eyes too. It literally was the stand out moment of the whole evening, for sure.
But what about if someone is pursuing a direction at odds to God's plan for them so, pursuing one of those 'good ideas' rather than a God idea'?
How can people learn to recognise when they are heading in the wrong direction?
Anne-Marie:
Ah, yes... Feelings of frustration, boredom, heaviness, toil and weariness are all clues that you may be heading in the wrong direction - or simply operating under your own strength You may simply observe that nothing much is happening, over and above what you would expect from the pure effort you have put inc so, no awe and wonder! If you find yourself in that situation, you may need to change tack or find the person with the right charisms to work alongside.
Candida:
Fabulous-thank you; that's been really helpful. Now let's talk a bit more about the Called & Gifted Process. Where has it come from?
Anne-Marie:
Called & Gifted was developed by Sherry Weddell in the States, who- with the US team at the Catherine of Siena Institute in Colorado Springs- has a mission to form intentional disciples of Jesus Christ, by empowering them to understand their unique gifting, or charisms.
The discernment process first came to England in 2014, following Bishop Philip Egan's invitation to Sherry Weddell to come over and train his people. A core team in the Diocese of Portsmouth- that's Bishop Philip's Diocese -then became licensed to deliver Called & Gifted, and we have been teaching and accompanying people on their charism journeys ever since.
Then in 2020, against all the odds and with a backdrop of Covid lockdowns, we were given permission by the Siena Institute to take Called & Gifted out across the UK.
Candida:
Who exactly is eligible to do this programme of discernment?
Anne-Marie:
All adult Christians, of any denomination-who are in a personal relationship with Jesus- are both eligible and very welcome to journey with us. You do need to be 18 years of age though.
In fact, 3 years ago the wife of a Christian, herself at that time a Buddhist, asked if she could join her husband in discerning gifts. Now usually our understanding is that these gifts only manifest in a person who has been baptised, yet it appears that God is not limited even by the sacraments -as we soon discovered! During her discernment & experimentation period with Called & Gifted, I asked to whom she was praying: imagine my delight when she replied "The Sacred Heart of Jesus!". Within 2 years she was baptised and confirmed into the Catholic church, and is now using her Administration charism within a Christian Ministry.
Candida:
Wow-that's an amazing conversion story! So, what does Called & Gifted actually involve? How long does the discernment process take?
Anne-Marie:
The whole process takes about five or six months from beginning to end, but there is a lot of flexibility with that. And that process is broken down into three stages. week, but most people take five weeks. A few take three months or more to complete it really depends on people's personal circumstances.
Stage one also involves completing a 'Gifts Inventory of 120 questions - also online -to start some initial sifting of potential charisms.
Stage two is the one-to-one charism discernment conversation with a trained facilitator. This usually takes just over an hour, and happens via Zoom. During Stage two, the facilitator acts as your sounding board and guide, and helps you unpack your story. Together with the Gifts Inventory results. the facilitator prayerfully guides you in selecting just one charism to take to experimentation.
Stage three is where you start to experiment and discern what the Holy Spirit is showing you in day-to-day life. Individuals are supported by coming together on four separate Zoom meetings, spread over a three-month period, with their facilitator and with other fellow discerners. Each Zoom is about ninety minutes in length, and creates the Stage 1 is the teaching stage, and that is delivered as a total opportunity for personal of five hours of online videos, accessed on Siena's Institute learning platform. You have six months to complete that. Some people do that in just testimonies to be shared, and charisms to be better understood- with the help of the others present.
Candida:
As you know, I went through Called & Gifted in 2021-22, and I have absolutely loved doing it. have learnt so much; it's been an incredibly exciting adventure for me! I am now going even deeper into discernment as I discover the range of my gift "tool box'. God's plan is only being gradually revealed to me, so I have a way to go... But I feel like I now know what I am doing on the discernment front, and I no longer feel alone, scared and lost at sea.
It is also truly wonderful to feel connected and a part of the nation-wide Called & Gifted community! So, final question Anne-Marie:
If anyone is interested about finding out more, how should they go about doing that?
Anne-Marie:
Well, first port of call is the Called & Gifted website which people can explore; this gives lots of information including video and written testimonies; a webstore and pricing; and all the relevant contact details. Or, simply email me - especially if there is a group of you who would like to embark on Called & Gifted together. We can talk things through.
To find out more
Called & Gifted (UK)- https://www.calledandgifted.org.uk
Or email: amfletcher@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk
About the Author
Candida is a busy wife and mother, and an activated disciple at St Marie's Cathedral (with a special interest in Children and Families Ministry). She is a freelance business consultant, with a background in psychology, who works with Catholic schools. She has lived in Sheffield for the past 32 years. She loves cooking, dancing, and walking her dogs - Betty & Frankie.