Spiritual Direction is an ancient tradition within the historic Church whereby an individual seeks to grow closer to God with the help of another person who is capable of helping him or her hear the Spirit within.  It is about listening to God with the desire to know and do God's Will, and grow in Love of God and Charity toward self and others.  It is deeply personal as it addresses one's own relationship with God.  It is about nothing else!  It can affect every aspect of one's life, but it is primarily about one's relationship with God--and how THAT affects everything else.

 

Spiritual direction can take various forms depending upon the director and directee. It is not chit-chat!  It is not haphazard conversations.  It is an INTENTIONAL and SERIOUS commitment between the spiritual director and directee to attend to the Holy Relationship one has with God.  For this reason, it is normally a regularly scheduled exchange, with the clear intention of seriously addressing one's prayer life--relationship with God, and one's religious practice, and how both affect daily life choices and relationships.  Vocational, career choices, and daily choices are informed by one's personal relationship with God, so a director and directee examine the FRUIT of the directee's spiritual life to see better if the life is on track.  If so, a spiritual director can help one go deeper...  If not, a spiritual director can help one hear the Spirit of God correct and redirect thinking, praying, and the choices made.

In recent years spiritual direction has been known by several names or descriptions, such as spiritual journeying, co-journeying, soul-friendship, soul-mentoring, or spiritual-mentoring.  Spiritual direction has been a tradition within the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Church since the beginning of the Church, regardless of the name that was used for it in various parts of the world.  Soul-friendship was also a sacred tradition among the pagan Celtic people, and the concept of soul-friendship was readily baptized into the Christian Faith in the early Church among the Celtic people.  The Celtic monks combined this tradition with the sacrament of Penance as a normal practice, and influenced the early Church's ritual of the sacrament, changing it from a public confession and penance once before death, to a private exchange between the penitent and confessor, and done more frequently than once before death, with the purpose of personal transformation rather than punishment.

 

Today, spiritual direction has been rediscovered by more of the laity within the Catholic Church, and newly discovered by many non-Catholics in growing numbers. This is one area of spirituality where Christians are united, i.e., in the desire to grow closer to God and have that close relationship affect their daily lives.

 

HOW does it work?

Before beginning spiritual direction, the director and directee talk together about their practical expectations, and their personal approach to spiritual direction.  There are different schools of spiritual direction and it is important that the directee understand a director's approach. This initial conversation is to avoid misunderstandings or conflicts down the road because of any unexpressed expectations.  An honest and candid conversation about spiritual direction will help avoid problems. They may agree to try the spiritual relationship for a set time, then to evaluate it before committing to an ongoing relationship of spiritual direction.  In this manner both will feel comfortable enough to continue together.  If the match is not a beneficial one, it is understood that the directee is free to seek another director.  We will try to help him or her do this so the directee is not left feeling alone.

 

What about fees? 

Many spiritual directors do not charge a fee depending upon his or her religious tradition and personal approach to this ministry.  Some spiritual directors charge a set fee or work on a sliding scale, others ask a donation.  In some cases donations can be made to a Church which then pays stipends to their priests or ministers for their work.  To avoid any misunderstandings, speak with the individual director regarding any fees or stipends expected before making a commitment.

 

Where can I obtain spiritual direction?  

 

Some of our priests are spiritual directors and are available to serve.  We maintain a list of available directors within the Celtic Christian tradition as a service to those who may be seeking spiritual direction.  If you would like to speak with any of our directors in the Celtic Christian Church about spiritual direction itself, or to schedule an appointment, call 570-242-8756.

 

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