Refresher Courses for Spiritual Directors

Have you considered refreshing your spiritual direction  skills?  If so, these courses are for you!    

    Take one session for $50 or all four sessions for a      discounted price.

Several respected spiritual authors have stated that spiritual directors will play a key role in the pandemic. Spiritual direction creates a safe, compassionate space to gain perspective amidst the suffering.

Description: By taking all four online courses in this series you will sharpen your listening skills and examine where pitfalls may blindside you. You will also have an opportunity to deepen your self-awareness in body, mind and spirit as well as deepen your compassion and empathy (a much-needed skill) during these times of upheaval. Lastly, we provide an opportunity to re-visit and refresh your skills in supervision. Please join us!

Class Format: Stillness, Discussion of Topic, Article, Reflective question,    ..              ....     Questions/Answers

Led by Sister Mary Colleen Schwarz, OSB; Coordinator of Global Online Benedictine Spiritual Direction Program & Mr. Dana Cossey, Facilitator

Time: 6:30 - 8:30 pm MDT     Place: ONLINE      Cost: $50 each session

Early Registration for all 4 sessions: $180 by Sept 25. Scroll down to register. Registration for all 4 session after Sept. 25th: $200

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PRIOR to Session 1: article to read and a reflection question to ponder

Tuesday, Oct. 6th  6:30 - 8:30 pm MDT
Session 1: Active Listening Skills/ Pitfalls in Spiritual Direction                    By listening, we leave our own world of experience in order to put ourselves into that of the other. Listening requires a giving of oneself in the very act of receiving the the gift of the other. A veritable self-emptying is integral to listening to the other person. As a spiritual director we need to be steadfast in prayer and express compassionate love.

PRIOR to Session 2: exercise to complete and reflection question to ponder 

Friday, October 9th 6:30 pm- 8:30 pm                                                 Session 2: Self-awarenesws/ Body wisdom                                                "Our body is the angel of our soul.” John O’Donahue The body never lies; it holds secrets that need to be gently and lovingly unlocked. When the heart finds intimacy with the mind, we enter into knowing God’s love as abundant, embracing full and whole. We will look at our emotional health; self-awareness, self-regulation, social skills, empathy, compassion, motivation.

PRIOR to Session 3: article to read and a reflective question to ponder

Tuesday, October 13th  6:30 pm- 8:30 pm                                           Session 3: Compassion/ Empathy through Human Suffering                            As we companion with others, the more we know how addictions, attachments, and suffering is transformed, we become compassionate -empathic listeners.

As we become aware of what shapes our attitude toward suffering, we gain insight into how we approach both our own and others’ suffering in a way that encourages compassion. Rather than denying, ignoring, or resisting the unwanted hurts, we enter with empathy. We also learn to avoid projecting our views about inevitable suffering when we become aware of what shapes our thinking about it. (Joyce Rupp, Boundless Compassion)

PRIOR to Session 4: two articles to read                                                   

Friday, October 16th   6:30 pm- 8:30 pm                                                      Session 4: Supervision                                                                              Supervision for spiritual directors is a contemplative process that happens either in a peer group or in conversation with a more experienced director. The purpose of supervision is to enhance your growth as a director in response to the movements of God, so that both you and your directees can flourish. It is an ethical responsibility to participate in supervision as a regular practice recommended by Spiritual Directors International in the Code of Ethics.

Please Register Early