Spiritual Advisor

[kburkot]

Can you ask one of your parish priests to be your spiritual advisor, or does it have to be a person specially trained to be a spiritual advisor? Also, do you pay a spiritual advisor, and if so, how much?

 

[Filioque]

You can approach any priest with faculties to function in your diocese to be a spiritual director or advisor. Most will not ask anything for it, however you can ask what the usual stipend people give him is. It’s usually a small amount, ten dollars or so, but don’t be suprized if he tells you that no stipend will be requested.

 

[svid2]

Our priest has two parishes, so his time is more limited.

Try to work with your priest.

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

You can ask your parish priest to be your spiritual director, but don’t be surprised if he says no. They are usually pretty busy and don’t have the time. He may be able to suggest someone else who is available.

If he doesn’t have any ideas you might look around for a monastery, convent, retreat center, or similar place and ask about spiritual direction.

Whether people charge or not often depends on whether this is their main source of income or whether they receive their support elsewhere. The best thing is to ask if they charge and if so, how much.

 

[Little_One0307]

Can you ask one of your parish priests to be your spiritual advisor, or does it have to be a person specially trained to be a spiritual advisor? Also, do you pay a spiritual advisor, and if so, how much?

Yes you can. I would recommend that one’s personal spiritual advisor be a priest, but this is because a priest is In Persona Christi - In the Person of Christ, and the Sacrament of Reconcilliation is readily available if it is needed.

If your parish priest is too busy then call the Vocations Office and see if they can recommend any ideas.

I would counsel you to make sure that your Spiritual Director is in line with the Magisterium of the Catholic Church.

Pay is up to the individual director. I have not seen any that charge for it to date.

God bless.

 

[YoungTradCath]

What exactly is a spiritual director?

 

[Little_One0307]

What exactly is a spiritual director?

What is Spiritual Direction?

There have been several different types or models of spiritual direction throughout the centuries. Some of us, especially those of us who have read the lives of the saints, have various ideas of what spiritual direction has entailed in the past. There have been relationships of spiritual guidance similar to father/son, teacher/student, master/servant, and confessor/penitent (such as is still common when spiritual advice is given in the confessional). There were also examples in the lives of the saints of spiritual friendships.
Modern spiritual direction most often refers to a relationship which is more like spiritual companionship or friendship where the director is present as a spiritual friend who listens with the intent of helping the directee recognize how the Holy Spirit is leading and working in one’s life. The emphasis is on helping the directee develop a good prayer life and relationship with God. The director does not tell the directee what to do in a way that requires obedience. The directee has the final decision as to what to do in her spiritual life. Questions are asked to get to know the directee, her present life circumstances and spiritual life.

The goal is to help the directee to discern how the Holy Spirit is personally leading, recognizing that God has a special and distinct plan for each person’s life and everyone is not called exactly the same way. In this sense, there are no better or worse callings or vocations, as the best calling for an individual is God’s plan for that person in particular no matter what it might be. Like scripture says, there are many members of the body and all are good and necessary. The idea is to determine and encourage the directee to be the unique person that God made them to be, doing the things that God is personally asking of each of us.

While God has a unique calling and plan for each person and gives individuals different talents, gifts and vocations (and trials and sufferings) as just described, there is also the recognition that God has certain standards and principles that apply to everyone. Jesus gave us a way to know these truths when He founded the Catholic Church to spread his message. Jesus told the apostles, “Whoever hears you, hears me.” This still applies today to the pope (and bishops) who are direct successors of the early apostles through the laying on of hands throughout the centuries. He promised to remain with the Church until the end of time and to send the Holy Spirit to lead until all truth. He gave us the Bible which is the inerrant Word of God. He also gave us various saints to teach us how to be closer to God especially saints who have been spiritual directors themselves such as St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross.

Besides utilizing the teachings of the Church, Bible and Saints for guidance on general principles, there is another dymanic that sometimes happens in meeting with a personal spiritual director. When the director and directee have the intention of prayerfully coming together in God’s presence to discern the guidance of the Holy Spirit, it is not only the two people joining together, but Jesus himself there with them. As Jesus said, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Matt 18:20)

The preceding was pulled from this site. This was the best oversight that I could find. I do not recommend doing Spiritual direction online, it is best, in my opinion, done in person face to face.

catholicspiritualdirection.org

God bless.

 

[Joannm]

That was a good description. I also don’t recommend it online. Face to fact is the best because body language and facial expression says a lot and a good director can pick up on that.

I have had the necessity for a short period of time when my director was out of the country to obtain direction via e-mail, phone calls and Skype, but there was something lacking. Skype was the best option since at least we could see each other. Anyway it was great when he returned and we could continue our relationship face to face.

 

[cnswift]

I recently posted a very similar question, yet my thread seems to have disappeared. I’m curious if a spiritual advisor must be a priest? There is a deacon in my church whom I would much prefer to have as an advisor. And is the role of the advisor for merely religious issues, or for personal challenges as well.

Thank you, cnswift

 

[brikar]

I recently posted a very similar question, yet my thread seems to have disappeared. I’m curious if a spiritual advisor must be a priest? There is a deacon in my church whom I would much prefer to have as an advisor. And is the role of the advisor for merely religious issues, or for personal challenges as well.

Thank you, cnswift

No problem with asking a deacon. It’s predominantly spiritual, but discussing some occasional personal challenges is to be expected.

 

[Little_One0307]

I recently posted a very similar question, yet my thread seems to have disappeared. I’m curious if a spiritual advisor must be a priest? There is a deacon in my church whom I would much prefer to have as an advisor. And is the role of the advisor for merely religious issues, or for personal challenges as well.

Thank you, cnswift

Hi,

I would counsel you to go with the deacon then. A spiritual advisor does not have to be a priest, personally that has always been my preference because well the Sacrament of Confession is quite handy, and the priest is in person Christe. The role of the advisor is mainly for spiritual issues, but personal challenges do fall under this as well as they can impact one’s spiritual life.

God bless.

 

[cnswift]

Excellent advice, thank you!

 

[puzzleannie]

Can you ask one of your parish priests to be your spiritual advisor, or does it have to be a person specially trained to be a spiritual advisor? Also, do you pay a spiritual advisor, and if so, how much?

quite frankly I know of no parish priests who even if they wished to have time to offer spiritual direction outside the sacrament of confession. Yes a spiritual director should be if not a priest at least a religious mature in the faith and in their own vocation well versed in Catholic spirituality (not eastern religions or new age) and living of course in harmony with Church teaching. There are “programs” to prepare spiritual directors but I don’t know of any certification sanctioned by the bishops. Inquire at a convent or monastery or seminary in your diocese for help in finding a director.

 

[HonoraDominum]

To me, direction in the confessional verses direction with a spiritual director would be akin to someone going to the ER for an appendectomy verses going to a dietician to learn the best way to lose weight for the body. Both deal with spiritual health, but the confessional addresses specific problems, heals wounds, and gives plans of action to make sure that the sin doesn’t happen again. Spiritual direction, however, seems like more of a counseling session, someone who can make sure that the path being taken is a wholesome one, and suggests ways to make the most of the spiritual state in life.

While it’s not a formal agreement, my parish priest and I have ‘walk and talks’ after weekday mass once or twice a month, and have for a few months now. Mostly we talk about prayers, spiritual issues I’m struggling with, my spiritual reading, etc., and he gives suggestions and advice. The last meeting we had, I had a list of questions about prayer that I had been working on, and he gave me some great tips to take my prayer life to the next level, as it were. The conversations we have are drastically different than the conversations we have in the confessional, which deal more with specific weaknesses in virtue, and plans of corrections to those weaknesses.

After I read this article about St. John of the Cross and his way of spiritual direction, it really helped me realize what a valuable resource I had in my priest. Plus, hearing the phrase “spiritual director” sounded so much like someone who should be writing out Action Plans and giving me spreadsheets and diagrams of where and how I will be progressing spiritually, and this article put things in perspective that showed my my priest was doing exactly what he was supposed to be doing.

QUALITIES OF A GOOD GUIDE: SPIRITUAL DIRECTION IN JOHN OF THE CROSS’S LETTERS, Kevin Culligan, O.C.D.