Requirements/Considerations

The Practicum meets one weekend a month over two years.

Program fees: $2,000.00 each year

• Covers cost of tuition/materials/handouts (does not cover required text books)
• Meals/breaks
• Monthly individual mentoring/supervision
• Resource persons

Application Fee: $25.00
This includes administration and interview (discernment session with staff) costs and is additional to the year’s program fee of $2,000.00.

Formal Requirements

• Completion of Foundations in Spirituality
• Rooted in a faith tradition
• Willingness to reflect on personal experience and participate in the practicum
• Basic foundation in Spirituality, Theology, Scripture, Psychology and/or B.A. degree in one of these areas or the equivalent
• Experience as a directee in individual or group spiritual direction for 1-2 years
• Recommendations by others for the ministry of spiritual direction
• Already sought out by others for this ministry
• Annual Directed Retreat within each year of the Spiritual Formation Program

Considerations
The Charism and Call
The first indication that someone is called to the ministry of spiritual direction is that others are seeking out that person. The person is already engaged in contemplative listening and responding to others and is deeply committed to his/her personal spirtiual journey. A maturity about life and depth of “good” Theology, Psychology and Spirituality are evident. The starting point is the presence of the charism, as gift for and in the Church, a ministry in the Church — a gift that can then be fine-turned in a spiritual direction training education/formation program. The focus of such a program is on the doing of spiritual direction under the guidance of an individual mentor/supervisor.

Discernment
Spiritual directors journey with and assist in discerning spiritual experiences and the Spirit’s direction in the interior life of the other, as well as confirm or challenge those experiences and sometimes suggest paths of growth in grace. They consequently need to have considerable experience of the inner life and a reasonable depth of knowledge of their own faith tradition, theology, scripture, spirituality and ethics — as well as a degree of psychological health in one’s life. They need to be well grounded in their own spiritual formation and reflect significant inner freedom — a discerning heart.