How do I find a good spiritual director?

[lissa70]

How do I find a good spiritual director/advisor? I have been involved with many faith sharing groups and I am always beyond the other participants and leaders in my faith.

 

[adowcday]

You can ask priests or religious in your area. If they don’t provide spiritual direction themselves, they may know of people who do. An especially good source of information is a retreat house or spirituality center. Your diocese may also be able to point you in the right direction.

 

[withwind]

Your diocese should have a list of spiritual directors. You can either contact them directly or your parish’s priests.

 

[brigid12]

If you have a monastery nearby, I would highly suggest trying there.

 

[lissa70]

I have my suspicions, but what would be the advantage on speaking with someone from a monastary? And how would I go about doing this?

 

[Joannm]

I have my suspicions, but what would be the advantage on speaking with someone from a monastary? And how would I go about doing this?

There is no advantage, it is simply that often there are priests, nuns or brothers in a monestary or abbey that are involved in giving spiritual direction to those in their community and to others outside of the community who may choose to receive direction from them. Interstingly enough, this is how the practice of private celbration of the sacrament of penance started, specifically in the British Isles. People would hear about the wise Abbot or monk that was offering spiritual advice and assuring God’s forgiveness to those in the abbey and the towns people whould also seek their advice. This practice of “spritual direction” caught on and while first looked up with suspicion and banned on mainland Europe, the popularity of this “non-canonical confessions” caught on and eventually developed into the form of the sacrament that we know today. (Just an interesting tid-bit of historical information) Anyway, although the non ordained abbots or monks could not offer sacramental absolution, the practice of spiritual direction by wise monks or nuns really caught on for many centuries. Many monks and nuns are currently trained in spiritual direction. The monestary that I am associated with has a few nuns who offer direction.

 

[brigid12]

I have my suspicions, but what would be the advantage on speaking with someone from a monastary? And how would I go about doing this?

There are usually trained priests that are not too busy with diocesan/parish jobs so they can give SD. One would need to be careful, as with any person they go to for SD that they are orthodox followers of the Magisterium and that they are experienced (although I think I would take the former even if they weren’t experienced). If you don’t care if they can give Sacramental Confession/Absolution, then you can also ask a monk or nun.