Spiritual Direction

If you’re interested in strengthening your relation­ship with God, working with a spiritual director may be a good next step on your faith journey.

Spiritual direction helps you grow in noticing the ways in which God is touching your life.

A spiritual director, also called a spiritual companion, is one who engages in conversation with you about your life in the light of faith. The director helps you to see yourself through God’s eyes and to experience God’s deep and abiding love for you. Spiritual companions listen and encourage you to give voice to your experiences in prayer and to come to a deeper understanding of that experience. Together you will try to discover the movements of the Holy Spirit, to discern the direction God appears to be leading, and to choose topics for prayer that seem the most appropriate at that moment. Through spiritual direction, you will become more aware of the ways in which God is touching your life directly or indirectly.

Expectations

Spiritual companions are called to, and well prepared for, this ministry. They should be grounded in the Scriptures, sustained by a deep prayer life and carefully trained in the area of discernment. The relationship between you and your director is based on confidentiality and a sense of trust, which enables you to be comfortable and open with your director.

You may meet with your spiritual director virtually or in-person at a mutually agreeable location. Generally, meeting every four weeks or so is ideal. More or fewer sessions may be appropriate for others.

It is customary to compensate your spiritual director in this ministry with a monetary offering. You and the director should discuss this during your first session.

Finding a Spiritual Director

If you are interested in learning more about spiritual direction or would like to meet with a director, contact Ann Dillon, Manresa’s Director of Ignatian Formation, at 248.644.4933, Ext. 107 or via email at adillon@manresa-sj.org.