Spiritual Direction

Holy Trinity offers spiritual direction to those seeking to recognize God’s presence, to deepen their relationship with God, and discern how God is calling them to live their discipleship with Jesus Christ within the Christian community. The spiritual directors at Holy Trinity are trained in the Ignatian tradition through our Ignatian Training Program or other similar programs. Please see below to determine if spiritual direction is right for you.

What is spiritual direction?

Spiritual direction is described by William A. Barry and William J. Connolly in The Practice of Spiritual Direction as follows:

Spiritual direction is “help given by one Christian to another which enables that person to pay attention to God’s personal communication to him or her, to respond to this personally communicating God, to grow in intimacy with this God, and to live out the consequences of the relationship.”

Other ways of describing spiritual direction include accompanying another through the spiritual life, holy listening, and spiritual friendship.

• Spiritual direction focuses on religious experience. It is concerned with a person’s actual experience of a relationship with God.
• Spiritual direction is about a relationship. The religious experience is not isolated, nor does it consist of extraordinary events. It is what happens in an ongoing relationship between the person and God. Most often this is a relationship that is experienced in prayer.
• Spiritual direction is a relationship that is going somewhere. God is leading the person to deeper faith and more generous service. The spiritual director asks not just “what is happening?” but “what is moving forward?”
• The real spiritual director is God. 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.

What distinguishes Ignatian spiritual direction from other approaches?

Ignatian spiritual direction is rooted in the Spiritual Exercises, a gift that St. Ignatius of Loyola gave the Church. The Spiritual Exercises are a personal guided journey into the mystery and person of Jesus Christ that frees and transforms a person for service to the Gospel. A crucial feature of the Spiritual Exercises is discernment of Spirits where a person learns to notice the different internal movements and identify which are from God and which are from the enemy of human nature. The goal is to grow in the skill of cooperating with the Spirit of Christ in daily life and in our decision-making. Spiritual direction grounded in the Exercises maintains that the Holy Spirit is the real director of a person’s spiritual life. It respects the life history and spiritual experience of each person trusting that it is in that history and experience that God is at work. The guide will employ Ignatius guideline for discerning spirits with the directee. Spiritual direction in the Ignatian tradition functions as a partnership between the directee and the director based on mutual respect and openness to the other’s frame of reference.

Spiritual direction, in the Ignatian tradition, is a core element of the spiritual life. Realizing that God's Spirit is the primary formator, a spiritual director accompanies individuals in their search for God in everyday life. It helps a person become aware of where God is at work in her life and how God wants to work through her to touch others. Ignatian spiritual direction seeks to uncover the directee’s most profound desires as shaped by the Holy Spirit. It helps the directee identify inner movements, reflect on them, and understand where they come from and where they might lead.

What spiritual direction is not?

Spiritual direction is not therapy. Nor is it simply conversation about religious topics. The spiritual director does not give advice and solve problems. Rather, the director is trained to listen, notice, feel, contemplate and explore the interior movements spoken about by the directee.

Who can benefit from spiritual direction?

Everyone can benefit from spiritual direction, regardless of religion or spiritual beliefs. Spiritual directors are trained in deep listening that honors all beliefs without judgment. The invitation is extended to anyone who seeks nourishment, awakening, healing or companionship while reflecting on God’s presence in their life. Some people may be experiencing a transition. Others may feel stuck, feel something is missing, or may be discerning a particular situation. Common questions asked of those in spiritual direction include: What is my purpose? Where is God in my life and how can I be more connected? The spiritual director will not attempt to answer these questions but instead will be present along the process to notice, feel, contemplate and discern movements of God from within that person.

What happens in spiritual direction?

You will be invited to share your journey and prayer experience with your guide to respond to the activity of the Spirit of God. The spiritual director will meet you where you are. The initial visit will usually entail getting to know each other and clarifying any questions. There are different settings where spiritual direction can take place, such as a spiritual director’s office, spiritual centers, a church building or even virtually. When beginning spiritual direction it is best to be open to what God wants to do for you and not have any expectations. Knowing you are in a safe and sacred space and that Holy Spirit is calling you to a deeper life with Christ.