Are you longing to explore a closer relationship with God, rekindle your prayer life or learn how to pray? Are you discerning a particular decision or vocation in your life? Are you seeking to integrate spirituality into your daily life, identify and trust your own experiences of God? Are you searching to discover how to live out your Christian call to service?
The Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus offer Spiritual Direction to individuals who:
What is Spiritual Direction?
Spiritual Direction is an interpersonal relationship in which one person helps another to reflect on his/her unique life experiences in the light of the Gospel and Christian wisdom. In the midst of a busy life, many people find it difficult to notice God’s action in their daily affairs. Yet at the deepest level of our lives, we long for more conscious experience of God’s presence and love.
Spiritual direction will help you reflect deeply on the experiences of your daily life, find God in all things, see work as prayer, recognize God in people, places and events of life. Through Spiritual direction you may come to realize how God’s Spirit is truly with you every day and everywhere.
What should You Look for in Spiritual Direction? Spiritual Direction is not really about being “directed,” but it is about being encouraged to draw closer to God. Spiritual Direction will help you to:
Spiritual Direction will not: give you a list of “shoulds” about how to live your life (the focus is not problem solving) or provide psychological counseling or therapy, although it may give helpful suggestions from time to time. Spiritual Direction is different from therapeutic relationships. Therapy mainly deals with problem areas and attempts to resolve issues. Spiritual Direction deals with finding and responding to God in all aspects of life. Spiritual Direction invites you to relationship with God where you are in the faith journey.
What is the Role of a Spiritual Director/Companion? It is conversation that enables you to understand and express your own living of faith, hope and love, and to enable you to discern and respond to the experience of God’s presence and love. A contemplative atmosphere will help you notice how God’s Spirit is truly with you everyday and everywhere. Please, know that a Spiritual Director/Companion may request a fee for this service, however know that no one will be turned away because of finances.Usually we meet for an hour once a month or every five weeks at mutually agreed time and at the place. After three sessions, we will evaluate the relationship. What is shared during the session is held in confidence
How do we Begin?
To discuss your expectations, answer any further questions and actually begin a Spiritual Direction, please contact:
Sister Grace Dike, SSHJ
(716) 284-8273
E-mail: Sister Grace at:
srdyke3@yahoo.com
