Welcome!  

                                Spiritual Direction - Retreats - Group Direction


What is Spiritual Direction?

Spiritual direction is the contemplative practice of listening for the movement of God in one's life with the guidance of a trained spiritual director/companion. 

Also called spiritual companionship, spiritual direction encourages you to explore a closer relationship with God.  In the midst of a busy life, many people find it difficult to notice God's action in their daily affairs, even when we long for a more conscious experience of God's presence and love. 

Spiritual direction extends an invitation to listen deeply to the movement of God in one's life, and to reflect upon questions of meaning, faith, prayer, tradition, relationships and one's changing images of God.

Spiritual direction is not really about being "directed".  Rather, it is very much about being encouraged to draw closer to God.  Spiritual direction invites you into this relationship whether you attend a church, mosque, synagogue, temple, or none of these.  God seeks you where you are.  Spiritual directors come in all faiths.

You might come to spiritual direction for a variety of reasons, including to:

1. identify and trust your own experiences of God.

2. integrate spirituality into your daily life.

3. discern and make difficult choices.

4. share your hopes, struggles, losses and joy.

5. develop a sensitivity for justice and concern for the poor.

6. live the essence of your spiritual affiliation with integrity.

What happens during a session of spiritual direction?

The privilege and responsibility of a spiritual director is to journey with you as you deepen your relationship with God.  The jouney takes place in the contenxt of confidential one-on-one or group sesions with your spiritual director.

An important aspect of this conversation may be to discuss your spiritual practice or prayer.  But spiritual direction is not limited to only "holy" topics.  God permeates every aspect of your life, and thus no issue is considered outside the scope of the spiritual direction relationship.  Therefore, issues concerning your work, relationships, sexuality, health, pregnancy, and parenthood are all considered areas where God may be moving in your life. The conversation with a spiritual director also offers a space to articulate realistic visions for your life and to explore how they may be grounded in practice.

Spiritual direction is the act of paying attention to God, calling attention to God, being attentive to God in a person or circumstances or situation. A pre-requisite is standing back, doing nothing. It opens a quiet eye of adoration. It releases the energetic wonder of faith. It notices the Invisibilities in and beneath and around the Visibilities. It listens for the Silences between the spoken Sounds.


Practical information regarding spiritual directions sessions:

• Times: sessions last about an hour and typically take place once a month, depending on what suits you and what your needs are. 
• Place: My office is located at Loyola University Chicago's Watertower Campus 
• Cost: $50, or whatever you can reasonably afford.  You will not be turned away for financial reasons.
• Confidentiality: the spiritual direction relationship is a sacred one.  What you share with me will not be disclosed to anyone.
• There will be an initial "meet and greet" session in order to determine if spiritual direction is right for you and if we are a "good fit". 

Retreats

In addition to being a spiritual director, I am also available to develop customized retreats for your group based on your groups work and focus.