The Bon Secours Spiritual Direction Institute offers a nationally-recognized training program in the art and skill of spiritual direction. Over the course of a year, participants gather three times, each time for an intensive week.
Session 2 is a week-long intensive course that will provide a deeper foundation for understanding and engaging in the practice of spiritual direction in the Christian tradition. It is intended to enhance the students’ understanding of the spiritual life, with attention given to developing the basic skills required for this ministry.
REQUIRED PREREQUISITE:
Completion of the week-long introductory intensive (April 2024) or permission of the instructor.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
– To have an understanding of the spiritual life, its breadth, depth, and language, in order to understand the context of spiritual direction ministry.
– To examine and understand the core principles of effective spiritual direction, noting the implications for both the director and the directee.
– To enhance and practice the basic interpersonal skills necessary for the exercise of this ministry, such as maintaining appropriate boundaries, dealing with transference and counter-transference, etc.
– To explore a range of issues for which people might find themselves when seeking spiritual direction: loss, grief, spiritual darkness, alienation from the church, and abuse.
FORMAT:
The class will include some lecture and some interactive exercises. These exercises will be used for practicing some of the skills needed for spiritual direction, such as active listening. Discussion of the reading assignments will be part of the class.
REQUIRED TEXTS:
-Henri Nouwen, Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming (New York: Doubleday, 1992)
OTHER ASSIGNMENT:
After this session, students will be doing some spiritual direction and will write up two case studies for the final week.
The third and final week-long intensive in the program is scheduled in the spring, April 27-May 2, 2025. Registration for this final session will be available soon. A certificate of completion will be awarded upon completion of the entire program, which includes these three week-long sessions and the required course work.
Check-in begins at 4pm. A gathering will be held after dinner.
If you are interested in a commuter or virtual option for this program, please email Doris.Gallagher@BonSecoursRCC.org
Program Directors are Kathy Brown and Sr. Bernie Claps.
Sessions are facilitated by Kathy Brown and others.
Kathleen Hope Brown, D.Min. is Director of Pastor Care Services at the Saint Luke Institute. She teaches spiritual direction and other courses in spirituality at the Virginia Theological Union. Her doctorate in Adult Spiritual Formation is from Catholic University.
Sister Bernadette Claps, a Sister of Bon Secours, provides spiritual direction and spiritual companionship at the Retreat and Conference Center at Bon Secours. She holds graduate certificates in Spiritual Direction, Spirituality and Aging. She has done graduate studies in theology and received a Master of Social Work from New York University.