What is your Christian journey/testimony?
My journey began at age 13 when, without parent support, I went off to a minor seminary. I posted an outline of my life on my website, www.catholicmystagogy.com, because in the 67 years since then I can barely keep all the jobs, religious experiences, people, parishes, and such straight. What I can say is that it’s been a great ride with more trials and rewards, twists and turns, and wonderful people than I could list in a book.
What led you to becoming a psychologist?
I ended up as a psychologist out of my work in youth ministry. I did youth ministry for 35 (1963-1998) years, first using the Search Retreat model and then my own model, The New Antioch model, as in Acts 11:26 “For a whole year they (Paul and Barnabas) met with the church and taught a large number of people, and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.” It was long before youth ministry was a thing in most parishes. I did a lot of “diner ministry” with public school and college young adults to form a team each year. The year included a retreat where the team did witness talks.
I noticed that about two-thirds of the retreatants had a good experience, one-sixth had a wonderful life-changing experience, and one-sixth realized their family life and their own life was terrible and “decompensated,” that is, they responded with symptoms that become more severe, frequent, and disruptive to their daily life. I tried referring them but couldn’t find anyone I would trust with them. So, I started taking courses to help them myself. The courses led to more and more study until I ended up with a doctorate and a psychology license by 1990.
Overall, I spent 40 years doing psychotherapy with thousands of people, but it all started with my desire to help the young adults in youth ministry.
What led you to becoming a Catholic deacon?
I’d been in the seminary for 11 years and even took temporary vows with the Columban Fathers who did missionary work throughout the world. However, in the end I was so lonely and unhappy that I couldn’t bring myself to take perpetual vows and left the seminary. I immediately got drafted, spent four years in the military during the Vietnam war, and when my enlistment was up, I worked as a parish director of religious education first in a parish in the New York archdiocese and then, when I married, at a parish in the Paterson, New Jersey, diocese. I knew I still wanted to serve others but didn’t know where I fit in the Church. In Paterson, since I had a new master’s degree in religious education, the bishop assigned my to not only in a parish in Chester, NJ, but also to help implement some of the brand-new directives of Vatican II. One of those was to organize the diaconate for the diocese. I had a small part in that, and when the chancellor of the diocese asked me why I had never applied, I told him I never had the time. Instead, I petitioned the bishop to simply ordain me, and, after a few interviews, Bishop Rodimer did just that. He ordained me in 1982 and I’ve been a most happy deacon ever since.
How has your faith shaped your approach to psychology? Have there been moments when faith and psychology seemed at odds?
For years I had said that psychology overall had great tools but no Catholic-Christian faith and that the Church had great faith but almost none of the great tools that psychology offers. Faith and psychotherapy were something I routinely was able to integrate but in my experience faith and psychology remained far from understanding one-another. In 2019 I petitioned Archbishop Sartain to relieve me of parish duties so I could write about the intersection of faith and psychology. He gave me permission and since then I’ve produced six books on the intersection of “Christian anthropology and empirically validated psychotherapy.” I’m currently working on books seven and eight. The books are described on my website, www.catholicmystagogy.com, and all are available on Amazon.
What’s a common struggle people bring to you in ministry, and how do you help them navigate it?
People aren’t simple, but they are the most interesting thing on the planet. I figure I’ve read at least 20,000 books on the struggles of the thousands of people I’ve had the privilege of service in all kinds of parish and mental health settings and still feel some days that I don’t know anything about the human condition. However, between training and degrees in theology, religious education, and psychology, as well as years of supervision and decades of practice I can sort, diagnose, treat, encourage, pray with, and much more with the people that I meet. I’ve gotten much better at working with and being with people than I was 65 years ago and you can too. Just plan of a lifetime of learning, growing, praying, hoping, teaching, loving, and being in the Lord Jesus.
What’s one of the most rewarding moments you’ve had as a deacon?
The rewarding moments as a deacon are countless. I’ll praise and thank God, our Father, for all time for all those people and situations that brought such wonders and joys, past numbering, into my life.
What do the laity have to learn from psychology when they are ministering to those searching for Christ? What tools or strategies would be of help to them to minister effectively?
What you’re referring to I sometimes called your toolkit. You need a lot of tools and need to live and experience the great commandment to 1) love God, 2) with all your heart, 3) with all your soul, 4) with all your mind, 5) with all your strength, 6) your neighbor, and 7) your strength. That is, you’ll need a big toolbox. Part of my “ascent to God” has included helping to set up three master’s degrees in parish ministry at three different universities in the 1970-1980s and as the founder of a post-doctoral institute funded by the State of New Jersey at Princeton (1993-2003) and even then, I hadn’t finished helping students find and include all the possible strategies they’d need to carry in their toolboxes.
People aren’t simple and lots of tools, perspectives, patience, love, concern, are necessary to welcome and help heal all the people you’ll meet. But, God also trains the healer, provided we do our parts and learn and love with all we have.
What do psychologists and counselors have to learn from the Catholic faith in their practice?
Luke 10 is a good model for that. Jesus sent out 72 “others,” e.g., the laity. The 72 were sent to prepare those they met to be open to Jesus when he visited them. (See my book on religious experience). They were sent in pairs (we can’t do it alone), told to travel light, reminded that the witnessing they did might well be all the Word of Spirit and Truth that most people will ever receive. The 72 were to be “little ones” who were humbly open to the Father teaching them (that means we have to be able to witness to our stories and aware of what God is has done, is doing, and can do in our lives.) If we do some of that we’ll heal (Luke 10 includes the story of the good Samaritan) help with family dynamics (Luke 10 also includes Jesus’ story of visiting the home of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus), and find the you’re even able to dismiss evil from people’s lives. Between the 12 apostles and the 72 “others” Jesus sent out, it still accounts for about 1% of those who heard him. So, not everyone responds to Jesus’ invitation, but “the harvest” is still “great but the laborers few.” However, I can promise that if you don’t get afraid, but travel light in humility and allow Jesus to lead, you’ll have an extraordinarily happy life, with trials for sure, but learn skills and have revealed to you all that the wise of this world never learn. Plus, that “ascent to God” has a great retirement plan and lots of surprises that God delights us with in life eternal.
Deacon Ray Biersbach, PhD
April 1, 2025
