Becoming a Sister
Finding a Spiritual Director
Personal referrals are a great resource. Talk to a priest, religious sister, vocation director, or other pastoral minister (like a youth or young adult minister, religious education director, deacon, or pastoral associate) at your parish and ask if they can recommend someone.

howdoifindspiritualdirectorYou can go online or call a local Catholic retreat center, theology school, seminary, or campus ministry center for a list of spiritual directors. You might also check your diocesan website for more information.

Once you have a list of potential directors, finding the “right fit” is an important part of the process. It is a good idea to have a conversation with potential spiritual directors in advance. Even a short conversation – whether it is by phone, email, or in person – will hopefully give you enough information and a good sense of whether or not it will be a good fit.

In preparation for the conversation you might reflect upon these questions:

  • What brings you to seek spiritual direction at this point in your life?
  • What is your relationship with God?
  • How much time do you regularly devote to prayer on a daily or weekly basis?
  • What are you seeking from God? What do you hope to gain?
  • Do you have a preference for working with someone who is male/female, clergy/religious, married/single? What other qualities are you looking for?

It is also appropriate to ask the potential spiritual director some questions, such as:

  • Can you tell me about your style and approach to spiritual direction?
  • What kind of training, formation, and education have you received in spiritual direction?
  • What is your experience as a spiritual director? How long have you been active in this ministry?
  • What type of people have you worked with – men, women, younger, older, married, single, religious, laity, etc.?
  • What can you tell me about your own prayer life and spiritual journey?

Once you have chosen a spiritual director, you are beginning a journey of faith together. It may take some time to establish a level of trust in which you are both comfortable. Be yourself and go into the process with an open mind and heart! Finally, consider evaluating the relationship after 2-3 sessions. If something doesn’t seem right, bring it to the attention of your director, so it can be addressed – or you may decide together that another spiritual director would be a better “fit”.

What is Spiritual Direction?
God Moments
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