SPIRITUAL NEEDS AND WELL-BEING OF GRADUATE SCHOOL STUDENTSIN A CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY: BASIS FOR A SPIRITUAL FORMATION PROGRAM

Abstract

This study sought to determine the spiritual needs and well-being of the SPUS Surigao Cit graduate school students whose faith may have been affected by the various struggles in life and whose self-identity may be headed to the tunnel of darkness. This was a descriptive study, thus, involved the description, recording, analysis, and interpretation of conditions that existed. It entailed some variety of comparison or contrast and attempted to discover relationships between existing non-manipulated variables. It was also concerned with hypothesis formulation and testing relationships. Moreover, to obtain the extent of the students' religious needs and well-being, a four-point scale was used quantitatively as for religious needs-Strongly Felt Need, Moderately Felt Need, Slightly Felt Need, Not Needed and for the well-being- Always, Often, Seldom, Never. The result of this study would be used as the basis for the spiritual formation program as integrated with the Christian formation program for graduate school students at St. Paul University, Surigao City. Based on the findings of the study, it was found out that the extent of the spiritual needs such as religious, existential, inner peace and generativity needs were very strong because majority of the respondents were responsible to self, family, community, and others. When individual maturity increased it was expected that the longing for inner peace also increased and that being married or single can change their views in life especially on the importance of existence in order to live, share, and fulfill one’s responsibility to self, family, community, and others; moreover, there was no significant relationship on the respondents’ spiritual needs and the profile, thus age, sex, civil status, and religious affiliation were not indicators that influence their individual spiritual needs. It was further found out that there was no significant relationship on the respondent’s spiritual well-being and the profile, there was no significant difference on the respondent’s spiritual.