Spiritual Advisor

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Does anyone have a spiritual advisor? I don’t seem to be making the progress with my faith that i would like to and am considering seeking an advisor. If anyone has one can you tell me how they help you?
 
Do you mean Spiritual Director as this is the common term?

I came into the Church in 2000 and have wanted to arrange for a SD since then. However, the shortage of priests and the demands on their time have made me reluctant to ask.

I believe a SD would be very valuable to spiritual growth. Too bad that those qualified are in such short supply.

Chuck
 
I have a spiritual advisor. If there are any nuns in your area, they are a good resource. Many nuns are trained spititual advisors. It is suggested that you don’t use your pastor. Some folks have differences with their pastor. Also, most pastors are very busy and these sessions can easily go one hour. We have some nuns in our diocese that practice Perpetual Adoration. They are very good advisors. There are other spiritual advisor threads on this site that you can look up. A spiritual advisor listens to your spiritual journey and tries to guide you to find within yourself, the answers that you seek. Such as, “What does God want from me at this time.”

May God bless you on your faith journey
Deacon Tony SFO
 
While I was going through the RCIA process in preparation for my Confirmation in 2000, I met with a spiritual director. I continued to meet with her (a nun) for the following year as well, and then moved out of the area.

I’ve considered searching for another one & have had conversations with friends who are also seeking their own; here are some of the points for consideration that we all seem to be mindful of:
  • What is the SD’s relationship with the diocese? (I.e., are they faithful to the Magisterium?)
  • How long has the person been an SD, and who have his/her “directees” been? (Religious or laity? Men or women? Married folks or singles?)
  • Many saints have found it beneficial to seek direction from a priest, so that they may also benefit from Reconciliation when necessary
I think that it’s okay to meet with someone once or twice with the understanding that you want to decide if his or her style of directing and your style of “directee-ing” will be productive. In my case, I began to feel like I needed more concrete direction and tasks from my director, but her style was more laid-back, reflective and all-around accepting, not challenging.

It’s easy to make the comparison between meeting with an SD and meeting with a therapist, but the substance of those meetings should be very different. (In addition, a good SD should be able to draw that distinction and refer someone to a professional therapist when neccessary, and not incorporate every issue into the spiritual direction.)

In my opinion, spiritual direction should be goal oriented and focused, not meandering and vague. It might be a helpful exercise for you to sit down and list your reasons for seeking direction, and what you would like to do differently in your faith life, and then bring that for discussion to whomever you might find for an SD.

Oh, also: some SDs receive a fee ($10 or $20 per meeting). I didn’t realize this & my SD never said anything; I felt terribly embarrassed when I finally found out!
 
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