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Spiritual Direction

“Spiritual direction is, in reality nothing more than a way of leading us to see and obey the real Director — the Holy Spirit hidden in the depths of our soul.”  Thomas Merton

 Spiritual Direction or Spiritual Companionship takes place in the context of more formal spiritual friendship between two people whose goal is to encourage an individual to explore and deepen their ultimate relationship – the One who many call God, or Mystery.   Most people long to find the deeper meaning in each moment as well as the whole of their life, and we often don’t make the time to notice this.  Taking the opportunity to speak with a spiritual companion helps you notice and reflect on the experiences of your life and more deeply discover God in the midst of it all.  

Spiritual Direction may be right for you if you…

•Would like support in hearing Spirit’s invitations during a retreat.
•Desire a depth of companionship to speak the deep truths of your life’s journey.
•Seek to integrate your inner spirit with the outer expression of your life.
•Sense a new awareness of and longing for the sacred.
•See a need for healing of your inner wounds.
•Want to learn new ways of praying and being with the Holy.
•Need support through transitions such as significant loses or new beginnings.

What you can expect….

•A spiritual director is someone who listens generously and deeply to the movements of the heart and spirit.  They may probe, notice, challenge and hold space for what you are experiencing.
•He/she welcomes others with intentional non-judgement and compassion. 
•Spiritual directors possess a capacity for depth, grounding and interpersonal rapport.
•Others recognize gifts of wisdom, gentleness, prayerfulness and peace in spiritual companions.
•Along with these gifts, spiritual companions have trained for many hours to listen well, attune to the Spirit’s movement through the spoken and unspoken word, as well as study in their tradition’s theology.
•Meetings are usually an hour in length and take place every 4-6 weeks. Every conversation is held in sacred confidentiality.
•One-time sessions are also available while you are on retreat.
•Current rate per session is $40.00.

If you are interested in meeting with a spiritual director from the Retreat Ministry please contact Sister Cheryl Clemons at 270-244-0394, or [email protected].

Pay for your spiritual direction session here

Here at the Mount Saint Joseph Retreat Center, we have several formally trained spiritual companions/directors that are available to serve you:

 

Sister Ann McGrew, OSU, is experienced in directing retreats and in spiritual direction. She holds a master’s degree in religious studies from Loyola University (Chicago) and a certificate in religious formation from Saint Louis University. She has certifications in spiritual direction from the Hesychia School of Spiritual Direction at the Redemptorist Renewal Center in Tucson, Ariz., and the Institute of Religious Formation at Saint Louis University. She served as director of the Spiritual Direction Training Program at Mount Saint Joseph from 2004-2017.

 

 

Sister Cheryl Clemons, OSU, offers individual and group spiritual direction. With a personal spirituality deeply rooted in Scripture and a passion for connecting spirituality, theology, and faith to “real life,” she has led women’s retreat weekends for over 25 years. She combines her spiritual direction training in Ignatian spirituality from the West Virginia Institute for Spirituality (Charleston) with a master’s degree in theological studies from the University of Dayton and a doctorate in historical theology-systematics from The Catholic University of America. Her experience in women’s spirituality, 12-Step spirituality, and The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius enables her to offer both spiritual direction and directed Ignatian retreats, including the 30-Day Spiritual Exercises and the 8–10 month Retreat in Everyday Life (the Spiritual Exercises for people within work and family life).