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What is Spiritual Direction?

 

What is Spiritual Direction?

In The Practice of Spiritual Direction, William J. Connolly and William A. Barry define spiritual direction as “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”.

In this video, Sister Connie Gefvert and Brother Reginald Crenshaw introduce spiritual direction and its importance, bringing their insights and sharing valuable experiences about what to expect.

 

How we support you in your spiritual direction journey?

As part of the Lilly Endowment-funded project “Reimagining Contemporary Ministries for a Renewing Church”, we support our Master of Divinity students by providing funding to help cover standard fees of spiritual direction.

How does it work?

  • Students enrolled in the MDiv program must attend six sessions of Spiritual Direction per year. The program will cover a maximum of $50.00 in fees per session, with a 1-hour duration (online/ in person) throughout the academic year (Sept to Aug).
  • Once attending the program, students must report all sessions, dates, locations and other relevant details.
  • If you already have a director before registering, please let us know. Complete the form with all the required information, send it to us, and we will contact you soon.
  • Please let us know if you decide to change directors or need help finding one.

How to register?

After finding a Spiritual Director, report to us by filling out the form and sending it to gabriela.pinho@utoronto.ca. We will contact you and your Spiritual Director/Organisation.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I find my spiritual director?

The idea of approaching your diocese is an option, as well as looking for a senior leader responsible for ministry formation in your local community that can help you, ideally, someone who understands the context and challenges of ministry in your region.

I am having difficulties finding a Spiritual Director! What to do?

We intend to help you identify credentialled spiritual directors, so please contact us, and we will assist you.

Can I change directors while receiving the Spiritual Direction grant?

Yes. Just keep us in the loop!

Should I pay the fees myself?

No. Once we learn about your director/organisation, we will contact them directly to make the arrangements and ensure payment is made.

Is the grant available for part-time students?

Yes. We are currently covering six sessions per year for all MDiv students.

How do I report my sessions?

After registering, we will need to keep track of your progress, so please email gabriela.pinho@utoronto.ca to report your activities, mainly after your third and sixth sessions during the academic year.