Spiritual direction

In this section, you can find some explanation of the role of spiritual direction in supporting the Christian faith journey and details about finding or training to be a spiritual director.

A man kneels in prayer in an empty church with a labyrinth on the floor

Opening your heart to God is an essential part of growing in faith and deepening our relationship with Him. For centuries men and women have sought out people of faith to share their thoughts about faith and consider how these connect to everyday life and also to help deepen their unique relationship with God. The Bible is filled with verses that encourage us to open ourselves fully to His presence. But sometimes this journey (in faith) needs some encouragement and discernment through competent and prayerful companions. These spiritual directors or spiritual companions may be lay or ordained, monks or nuns. Their unique role is to provide a confidential and safe space, walking with us on our Christian journey and helping us to understand the love, guidance and purpose that God wants to pour out on us. As Christians, we want to surrender our hearts to God and trust in His will for our lives. Spiritual direction helps us make sense of what is going on and we feel less isolated.

God in our life

Spiritual direction can increase our awareness of the presence of God in our life, and how we live out our response to God´s presence. Significantly, it is a process that acknowledges that the real spiritual director is God and recognises that God touches the human heart directly. The human spiritual director does not “direct” in the sense of giving advice and solving problems. Rather, the director helps a person respond to God’s invitation to a deeper relationship.

Who can have a Spiritual Director?

Opening your heart to God is an essential part of growing in faith and deepening your relationship with Him. The Bible is filled with verses that encourage us to open ourselves fully to His love, guidance, and purpose. But sometimes this journey (in faith) needs some encouragement and discernment. People seek spiritual direction for many reasons. As Christians, we want to surrender our hearts to God and trust in His will for our lives. It might be to deepen and develop our Christian faith. It could be because we are struggling with our faith and need someone with whom to share our story and to stand with us as we work things through. The process of discernment may be part of one's spiritual journey. We might want to explore one aspect of our (spiritual) life in particular and appreciate guidance.

In the Diocese in Europe spiritual direction is open to anyone, clergy and lay people. Contact Sister Julian, the Diocesan Spirituality Advisor, details below.

Finding a Spiritual Director

Choosing a Spiritual Director is a very personal matter. Start by considering what you want from spiritual direction, and then what kind of person you might look for. For example, does it matter if the person is a man or woman, clergy or lay? Are there other considerations that matter to you?

Spiritual Directors are men and women, lay and ordained, from a wide variety of backgrounds and have a calling to support others on their journey with God. The Diocese in Europe has a register of trained spiritual directors across the continent.

Spiritual direction for the diocese is overseen by the Diocesan Spirituality Advisor. If you would like to find a Spiritual Director you can contact Sister Julian who will be happy to advise you and put you in contact with one of our accredited Spiritual Directors - details below

Training as a Spiritual Director

There are different training courses on offer (online and in person) you might like to explore.

The diocese has some good experience with an online formation course offered by Sarum College, Salisbury. The course runs over two years with two-day teaching modules every two months. There is also ongoing teaching and support between these sessions. The course ends with a retreat, at the end of which participants are commissioned as Spiritual Directors.

Training, safeguarding and supervision are important elements in the ministry of Spiritual Direction. We expect anybody who offers spiritual direction to undergo supervision.

For more details, please contact the Diocesan Spirituality Advisor. Sister Julian will be happy to advise you on the next steps of your vocation, her contact details are below.