Spiritual Direction:
Welcome to our page on Spiritual Direction! We believe spiritual direction is for each person who has a hunger for holiness and desires a closer relationship with Jesus Christ. We need not walk this journey alone as we have spiritual guides in the great saints and trained men and women who have walked this path of prayer and discernment before us.
We strongly encourage the men and women in our lay formation programs, such as IMPACT, to secure a spiritual director or spiritual mentor. A spiritual director is a man or woman, ordained or lay, who is trained and holds a certificate or Master’s degree in spiritual direction. A spiritual mentor, on the other hand, may have no professional training, but is someone you believe to be holy, spiritually wise, listens with an open and compassionate heart, non-judgmental, comfortable with silence, and skilled in asking pertinent questions.
Where does one begin? We suggest you begin by reading the Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Spiritual Direction: http://www.johnpaul2center.org/Lay-Formation/Spiritual-Direction.htm
If you believe spiritual direction is a right fit, you may ask, but where do I find an appropriate spiritual director? You may start by asking your pastor or pastoral minister for names of men or women in your area who may be willing to serve as a spiritual director or spiritual mentor (do not expect your pastor or pastoral minister to serve as he or she may be too busy or may not feel adequately trained). You may also contact area retreat centers, listed in alphabetical order:
American Martyrs Retreat House: http://americanmartyrsretreathouse.com/
New Melleray Abbey, New Melleray, IA: http://www.newmelleray.org/
Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey, Dubuque, IA: http://www.mississippiabbey.org/
Prairiewoods Retreat Center, Hiawatha, IA: http://prairiewoods.org/spirituality/
Shalom Retreat Center, Dubuque, IA: http://www.shalomretreats.org/spiritualdir.html
Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Dubuque, IA: http://dubuquepresentations.org/prayer_spiritual.cfm
Siena Retreat Center, Racine, WI: http://www.racinedominicans.org/spiritualdirection.cfm
Websites on Spiritual Direction:
John Paul II Center for the New Evangelization: Spiritual Direction Information and Resources: Guidelines and Frequently Asked Questions about Spiritual Direction: http://www.johnpaul2center.org/Lay-Formation/Spiritual-Direction.htm
Catholic Spiritual Direction by Dan Burke, author of Navigating the Interior Life: Articles, Resources, Webinars on Spiritual Direction and the Spiriutal Life by Dan Burke: http://rcspiritualdirection.com/
Ignatian Spirituality: A Service of Loyola Press: Articles on Spiritual Direction according to Ignatian Spirituality: http://www.ignatianspirituality.com/making-good-decisions/spiritual-direction
Spiritual Direction Programs for Those Seeking to Serve as a Spiritual Director:
Franciscan Spirituality Center, LaCrosse, WI: Spiritual Direction Preparation Program: http://www.fscenter.org/content/spiritual-direction/spiritual-direction-preparation-program-sdpp
Creighton Spirituality Center, Omaha, NE: Graduate Certificate in Spiritual Direction and Directed Retreats: http://www.creighton.edu/christianspirituality/spiritualdirectioncertificate/
Siena Retreat Center, Racine, WI: Spiritual Guidance Training Program: http://www.racinedominicans.org/spiritualtraining.cfm
Evango: http://evango.net/ (Excellent 1-3 minute videos on spiritual discernment by evangelist Patrick Sullivan)
Making Good Choices:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koicjf2FyZI
Silence:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzsWixQIvkY
Fruit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ou0sMwRFjkg
Happiness or Joy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHCK2o1ClJE
Peace Within:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrNheo8WpQc
If you have further questions about spiritual direction, you may contact Mary Pedersen of the Office of Adult Faith Formation: dbqcaf@dbqarch.org