This year’s Good Samaritan Study, Accompaniment and Mentoring (SAM) Program for Catholic women is providing six participants with scholarships to complete studies in theology, in addition to mentoring and spiritual direction.
By Debra Vermeer
A chance recommendation from a colleague led Evelyn Amores from the Philippines to apply for the SAM Program, providing her with both the financial and spiritual support to work towards her dream of completing her doctoral studies.
The SAM Program provides participants with scholarships to complete studies in theology, along with mentoring and spiritual direction. There are six scholars taking part this year.
Evelyn Amores. Image supplied.
Evelyn was born and raised in Ormoc City, Leyte, but spent her university years in Cebu before becoming a professional catechist at the Don Bosco Technical College in Mandaluyong in the capital, Manila.
She is currently studying the last two courses in the doctorate program, majoring in Religious and Values Education at De La Salle University in Manila.
“I hope to take the comprehensive examinations before the end of this year,” she said. “If I pass, then I may start the dissertation by next year.”
Evelyn said she first heard about the SAM Program through a fellow catechist, who she studied with at the Mother of Life Center (MOL), a graduate school offering a scholarship program and formation for people to become professional catechists.
Her fellow catechist had been a classmate of Donna Belle Ferrer, who went on to become a Sister of the Good Samaritan.
“The primary reason I applied for the SAM Program was due to my financial needs to sustain my studies,” Evelyn said. “However, I also appreciate the mentorship and fellowship with other scholars, which is part of the SAM Program, and I look forward to this in the months to come.”
Evelyn will return to her home in Ormoc City at the end of the academic year in June to accompany her ageing mother after the death of Evelyn’s eldest sister in November 2024 and to help ease her financial difficulties.
“I am always grateful for the divine providence of God through the Sisters of the Good Samaritan, because if I was not able to apply for the SAM Program, I am certain I could not continue my doctoral program studies,” she said.
“It is not only the financial support that I appreciate but, more so, the offering of mentoring, collaboration and fellowship with the Sisters and the other scholars.
“I believe that the moral support of the community is a significant component in reaching for my dream to finish the doctoral program. All for God’s glory. Amen!”
Rachael Kama. Image supplied.
Also joining the SAM Program this year is Rachael Kama, who works with the Diocese of Parramatta as a Mission Enhancement Team (MET) Facilitator, a role which centres on family ministry and vulnerable communities.
“Most parish youth leaders gain a wide range of skills juggling pastoral, spiritual, and hands-on parts of ministry,” Rachael said.
“As a MET Facilitator, I get to help communities in ways they need – this might mean creating custom formation sessions, leading table talks or standing by those on the fringes. Every day at the MET brings something new.”
Rachael is studying a Master’s of Theology at BBI The Australian Institute of Theological Education and has recently received an offer to join the Executive Doctoral OSA Program with the Order of St Augustine, to support their ongoing efforts to enhance global work with the United Nations.
She said the SAM Program caught her eye because of its focus on giving people regular personal support, spiritual direction, and mentoring.
“Many of my friends and colleagues have had transformative experiences through spiritual direction,” she said.
“Over the years, I’ve mentored many young people, but I’d never been mentored myself. So, when I got the chance, it felt like something I’d been waiting for was finally happening, a long-awaited desire was being fulfilled.”
Rachael said that after 13 years in Church ministry, the chance to study and receive spiritual nourishment filled her with joy.
“I’m excited to see where the Spirit will guide me,” she said. “As a millennial Catholic, I’m dedicated to growing and leading while also pushing the Church to accept new ways the Holy Spirit works in our lives.
“I think the Church hasn’t given millennials enough chances to thrive. We connect generations – we carry our elders’ wisdom while navigating the digital world with Gen Z. My hope is to dive deeper into these ideas to help the Church grow and to enrich my own spiritual journey.”
Jessica Parsons. Image supplied.
Jessica Parsons from West Gippsland in Victoria said she applied for the SAM Program for formational purposes and to start discerning how her studies, both now and postgraduate, might best be put to use in the Church.
Jessica works part time for the Christian Research Association and has recently taken on the role of administration assistant for WATAC (Women and the Australian Church). She is currently completing a Bachelor of Theology at Catholic Theological College in Melbourne.
“My areas of academic interest are feminist theology/biblical scholarship and the intersection of trauma theory with systematic theology, particularly for the way in which it can enrich the Christian understanding of sin and grace,” she said.
“I am also becoming increasingly interested in uncovering the extraordinary contribution that women have made to the life and mission of the Church throughout the centuries – a contribution that has, for too long, been overlooked.”
Jessica said she hoped the SAM Program would help to enrich her own life and the ministry she has with others.
“I want to connect with more women, to build that sense of belonging to, and standing within, a strong tradition of Catholic feminists who have given me such a renewed understanding of what it means to be Church,” she said.
“And also, to find a clear sense of direction as to what my place in that tradition is, and how I might open that space to others, to give them the sense of welcome and enrichment that has been given to me in this surprising academic and spiritual journey I find myself on.”
The SAM scholars are preparing for an in-person gathering at the Good Samaritan Centre in Glebe, New South Wales, over two days in April following a Zoom induction session held last month.
Meet fellow SAM Program scholars Simone Parianos, Tenielle Blanco and Karen Wong in the February 2025 edition of The Good Oil.
