Bishop Robert has blessed and commissioned the new Spiritual Directors at a Eucharist at St. Columba’s House, Woking, that marked the conclusion of the Spiritual Direction course. 

The facilitators for the course were the Revd. Canon John Newsome, Diocesan Adviser for Spirituality, the Revd. Dr. Mark Godson, former Director of the London Centre for Spirituality and now parish priest in Hereford Diocese and the Revd. Canon Ulla Monberg, Diocesan Director of Ministerial Development.

The background for the course stems from the considerable interest in the Ministry of Spiritual Direction by both lay people and clergy in the Diocese in Europe. Furthermore, the spiritual directors already engaged in this ministry in the Diocese were receiving more requests than they could meet.

As a response to this situation, and in accordance with the aims of the Diocesan Strategy, the first Course on Spiritual Direction was completed in 2016. 

Pictured above is the group of new Spiritual Directors in the Diocese in Europe who have trained for this ministry for nearly three years. The group consists of both lay and ordained men and women who have come together to train at residential sessions from across the Diocese.

A new course is scheduled to begin in Autumn 2020 and conclude in 2022. 

In due course information on the course will be sent to all chaplaincies and those who feel called to this ministry are encouraged to contact Ulla Monberg at ulla.monberg@churchofengland.org

John Newsome, in his role of Diocesan Adviser for Spirituality, keeps an updated list of Spiritual Directors in the Diocese in Europe and enables contact between those seeking and those offering this ministry. John may be contacted at john.newsome@europe.anglican.org.