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

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

Description: By taking these online coureses in this series you will have an opportunity to deepen your self-awareness in body, mind and spirit as well as deepen your compassionand 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 the Global Online Benedictine Spiritual Direction Program & Mr. Dana Cossey, Global Facilitator

Time: 6:30 - 8:30 pm MDT     Place: ONLINE                                     Individual sessions: $50 each session   ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------                         PRIOR toSession 2: exercise to complete&reflection question to ponder                 Friday, October 9th  6:30-8:30 pm                                                       Session 2: Self-awareness/ 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  6:30-8:30 pm                                                      Session 3: Compassion/ Empathy through Human Suffering                                                                   As we companion with others the more we know how addictions, attachments and suffering is transformed and we become compassionate-empathetic 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  6:30-8:30 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