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Spiritual Direction
Reflections on the Experience in the Internship in Spirirtual Direction
How I came to know about the Dominican Center for Religious Development’s Internship Program for Spiritual Directors still remains a mystery to me. All I know is that I “sat” on it for a while, but it kept coming up on my “screen.” Prayer, a long discernment process, being with my own spiritual director and encouragement from others led me to this program. Many times I have thanked God for putting me in this place with these supervisors, teachers and mentors. The program has inspired personal spirituality, spiritual formation, responsibility, integrity, sensitivity and an awareness of my own limitations.
My personal spirituality has been an increased commitment to my participation in spiritual direction and supervision, and a more conscious awareness of my spiritual practices such as prayer, silence, self-knowledge and other disciplines.
Spiritual formation has included the study of scripture, different forms of prayer, knowledge of early spiritual leaders such as Ignatius and Theresa of Avila, as well as contemporary leaders such as Thomas Merton, Henri Nouwen and others. This has led to a knowledge of historical context, the importance of understanding environmental settings and the influences of cultures which has inspired me to integrate my own self-knowledge and spiritual development.
Under the supervision of highly experienced teachers, guides and mentors, I have been supported in taking responsibility for being present to directees who have come to me for direction. I have learned the importance of integrity by removing myself from any possibility that might influence or manipulate the directee’s spiritual path. This requires ongoing self-observation and guidance, which has been provided firmly and with compassion. Significant in this area has been the inclusion of psychology, which has been integrated beautifully with spirituality and spiritual direction. Personal insight as well as being able to recognize that a directee might possibly need to be guided into seeking other avenues for growth are crucial in spiritual direction.
Awareness of my own limitations has caused me to balance carefully my time for worship, family, personal relationships and responsibilities, as well as taking care of myself. Watching how my calendar fills up has been helpful, but being in the presence of those who live what they teach has been a key benefit.
As I said in a paper I wrote earlier in this program, “the internship itself has been invaluable to me for the reasons given above as well as for support and reflections that have sustained me and my faith. For this I have a grateful heart.”
Joan Davis
I love to learn. I love to be stretched and challenged. This program has bathed me in those opportunities. From both the perspectivs of staff and students, I am surrounded with gifted, diverse individuals. I still marvel at both. When people ask me about the program, I always share the beauty and uniqueness of being part of an experience where everyone excels and seems to love what they do. There isn’t a day of class time that I haven’t walked away having heard something profound.
From a theological perspective,
God is bigger for me than He was when I entered
this program. I have grown in my
idea of what prayer looks like and how one facilitates
a prayerful relationship. For example, while
always feeling very close to God
when I was creating, I never saw art as a form
of prayer. There were times when my throat would
tighten reflexively at something I would
hear or read and that doesn’t happen quite as often anymore.
William Barry’s characterization of scripture as “imaginative
literature” was one of those times. I consider it a real blessing
to be part of an ecumenical program. It gives
me much more to think about. There is a tension for me that piques
my senses and moves me
to a level of contemplation that would not be
happening if some of my views and beliefs were not being called into
question.
I have become more open minded. I am more able
to accept people wherever they are in their journey
and I have confidence that if they are looking
for God, they will find Him. I have learned
how important, as well as empowering it is to
allow directees to come to their own conclusions.
I don’t need to teach them, I just
need to be with them on their journey and have
confidence in God’s
ability to reveal His truth to them.
I am able
to integrate my classroom experience during
direction. For example, in the past when
I saw a directee struggle with finding meaning
in suffering, I would have responded on an
intellectual level. Now, I have a deeper understanding of
the existential questions we face and can bring
a more educated perspective to my reflection.
I see strength in my ability to empathize with
and identify a wide range of emotional and
spiritual challenges and my passion to bring
meaningful companionship to people on their
journey to make sense of those challenges. I am learning
to transform the intuitive into
the intentional.
When I found my way to this program, I was
in a very dry place spiritually. I was in love
with my Lord, in love with ministry and running
very close to empty. This program offers
a beautiful irony to those of us in pastoral
ministry. We are enabled in a myriad of ways
to better give of ourselves to others. Yet
we are filled in profound and meaningful ways
on a personal level. One month into this program
I know I would grieve
when it drew to a close.
I consider this experience as pure joy and
blessing.
Lynn Graff-Headapohl
Reflecting back over my experience in the Internship in Spiritual Direction, I find that I have much to be grateful for. I have developed a new freedom in my relationship with Jesus Christ. And I’ve experienced that in this freedom, I’ve been enabled to accept spiritual experiences in others, which differ from my own. I’ve learned that God communicates with us more than we think, and in many ways. I am learning to really listen, and I’m growing in my ability to recognize the “God moments” in life.
I value what I have learned about the integration of psychology and spirituality. I’ve learned that “one size fits all” spirituality is narrow, confining, and not of God. I’m learning to delay judgment and to turn to God for insight and discernment.
I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to study the classics in Christian spirituality, and am excited to discover ways in which I might incorporate them into my work.They have helped to identify God’s presence in me, and will help guide me, as I listen for his movements in others. I have appreciated the patience and loving-kindness of the entire internship faculty and staff, and I aspire to demonstrate the wisdom, maturity, and compassion that I have observed in all of them.
Amy Heath
I had the privilege of being one of eight interns at the Dominican Center for Religious Development in 1998-2000. We were a motley group, representing a variety of faith traditions but united in our love for God and our commitment to God’s people. Our development as directors was guided by the care and concern of three gifted professionals who not only shared their expertise but brought in a variety of individuals to supplement our learnings. I can honestly say that we were schooled at the feet of Masters.
The class formally met every other week and, largely because of the emphasis on personal experience, learning was not restricted to our times together. The skills that I learned, especially that of being an attentive listener, have served me well in sessions of direction and otherwise. Throughout our training, we each met regularly with directees outside of class, under the guidance of an assigned supervisor. The experiences we then brought to class provided a richness that could never have been contrived.
Our group was good for one another. We were affirming, yet challenging to one another. Additionally, I found that the group provided me with professional support that I found lacking as a pastoral associate in a city parish. Another personal bonus was, in large measure, that our group was my sounding board as I discerned a significant ministerial change from city parish work to pastoral work in a campo following “graduation.”
God does work in strange ways. Almost three years later, I find myself in the Dominican Republic helping to guide 20 religious women from a eleven different religious congregations in the skill and art of spiritual accompaniment. Although our program is adapted to a different culture and reality, its framework is grounded in the insights and experiences gained through the Intership Program at DCRD. The enthusiasm and positive response that we are receiving today acknowledge our efforts and reflect the solid foundation gained in Detroit.
Nancy Jurecki, OP
My participation in the Internship in Spiritual Direction Program is enriching me in wonderful ways. The opportunity to spend quality time with other spiritual directors-in-training enhances my learning with a broad spectrum of insights and wisdom. The experiences we share in class, in conversation and over lunch consistently enlivens my spirit.
The entire experience has effected a shift within me that has gently but powerfully deepened my friendship with God. That shift has invited me into a fuller integration of theological study and reflection with the reality of one’s own experience of God’s movement in one’s life. That shift has challenged me to a greater trust and reverence that God’s presence and God’s active grace touches the stuff of everyday life.
I’ve not only gained greater skill in being a spiritual
director, but I’ve
also grown personally in the midst
of the process.
Barbara Blesse, OP
After considering four Spiritual Direction Programs, I chose the program at the Dominican Center for Religious Development because it focused on individuals and offered an integrated approach to learning. The internship program offers a strong academic section and a practicum. The practicum is the spiritual direction piece for the intern and it is well supervised by a staff member. I believe that certification from the internship program recently opened a door for me that would otherwise not be open – the role of administrator of Visitation Spirituality Center in Monroe.
Prior to participating in the internship program at the Dominican Center, I had been a long-time administrator in education. This was a fulfilling ministry because it enabled me to be a change agent in the field of education. I was also able to mentor other administrators, teachers and parents. After leaving this administrative role, I had the opportunity to study Celtic spirituality in Ireland and was invited to work at a retreat house in Glendalough. I found myself again drawn to work with individuals, this time accompanying them on their journey with God. This experience awakened a desire in me to be a spiritual director. I began looking for a program to help me establish this goal and discovered the Dominican Center’s program.
The internship program, which is held for a full day, every other week, allows full-time ministers to attend. This schedule also allows time for academic study, reflection on the materials presented, meeting individuals for spiritual direction and receiving individual supervision. The classes also foster networking among participants. Yet, the emphasis remains on the person and his or her development, and on how to see transformation in others and in oneself.
The internship program helped to build my skills and knowledge in spiritual direction. This is especially useful in my new role at Visitation, which includes administration, spiritual direction and retreats. I am very pleased with the training I received in the Internship Program for Spiritual Directors at the Dominican Center for Religious Development.
Margaret Gaffney, IHM
Monroe, Michigan
After years in higher education and administration, I knew that I was being led in a vastly different direction. A pervasive interest and a background in spirituality seemed to be winning out over my primary educational formation. I was experiencing quality spiritual direction myself at the time and individuals were coming to me to speak about life’s real issues. So, hesitantly, I braved inquiring about the Internship in Spiritual Direction, then a ten-month full-time experience, offered at the Dominican Center for Religious Development. I was academically prepared as I had a degree in theology but what about the other gifts required to sustain the director/directee relationship? As things turned out, I was encouraged every step of the way beginning with the personal interview.
Affirmation and challenge accompanied me each and every day. Being a very private person, independent, and one who kept life appropriately controlled—relaxing, opening up and sharing were costly. However, growing in confidence, experiencing more and more inner freedom, and recognizing latent skills created a balance as the internship progressed. My relationship with God, with others and with a goodly number of directees seemed to be nurtured on a consistent basis. I can say without a moment’s hesitation that for me, the internship was a professional and personal experience of growth of a lifetime!
For almost twenty years I have been involved in the spiritual ministries in the Archdiocese of Detroit and at the diocesan retreat center for the Diocese of Lansing. I do individual and group spiritual direction, retreats, offer classes in Scripture and prayer, train spiritual directors and more. The change of focus has allowed me to personally know God as my home and professionally to become more and more sure that this ministry is the "sacred niche " where I belong.
I’d encourage you to be in spiritual direction and to notice the leadings that may invite you to the Internship in Spiritual Direction. For my experiences I am forever grateful.
Suzanne Eichhorn, OP
As a participant in the Internship in Spiritual Direction Program offered by the Dominican Center for Religious Development, I experienced many grace-filled moments in my personal life that have paved the way for my on-going formation in Spiritual Direction. The Internship staff members as well as my peers in ministry, were living examples of a supportive community focused on discerning and doing the will of God.
The program staff provided me with a rich background and many helpful tools to assist me in my parish ministry, particularly as a Spiritual Director. In full-time ministry it is often very easy to get caught up in activities: teaching and learning groups, fundraising, programming and immediate needs that arise in parish life. What I have found most helpful in my ministry is the ability to draw on a rich heritage of well-tested models in spiritual guidance that helps to feed the hunger that so many people have when they come to the parish community for assistance. I am grateful that I had such thorough and professional training to learn how to be an effective companion to those who are listening for the whispers of God in their daily lives.
Nancy Mason Bordley