REFLECTION

Listening to Winter by Joyce Rupp (adapted)

I am listening to the roar and quiet of winter

to a beauty that sometimes remains unseen.


I am listening to the seed hidden in the earth

to the dark swallowing up the light

to faith rising out of doubt

to the need to believe without seeing.


I am listening to storms raging out my window

to storms raging in my heart

to all that makes me pull my cloak a little tighter

to trust buried deep in the ground of my being.


I am listening to the kind permission of the season 

to rest more often

to reflect more deeply

to pray without words.


I am listening to the sacrament of non-doing

to the quiet life in winter’s womb

to bare trees, so lovely in their emptiness, 

to winter, nurturing spring


I am listening to the poetry of winter.

Excerpted and adapted from The Circle of Life: The Heart’s Journey Through the Seasons by Joyce Rupp and Macrina Wiederkehr (Sorin Books).

Dear Spiritual Direction Colleagues,


Have you been listening to winter lately?


Maybe you’ve heard the interplay of raging storms and restorative stillness. Maybe you’ve been listening for what lies beneath the surface in fallow or frozen ground. As winter winds down in the Northeast this year, maybe you are listening to crocuses pushing up earlier than expected.


As spiritual directors, we’re accustomed to this type of attentive listening. We listen to our directees’ spoken words and for what might be lying beneath the surface. We listen, too, for God stirring in our midst and in the great beyond.


We know how important this kind of listening truly is amidst the cacophony of a complicated world. Maybe that’s why I’ve been hearing lately from people eager to receive the gift of spiritual direction in general, in marginalized communities and in the lives of those who work within these communities. Read on to find out more.


As you listen to your own need for spiritual enrichment and ongoing formation, I hope you’ll take advantage of the wonderful offerings from the ISDI and our Ignatian partners described below.


May your Lenten season be graced by the One who listens to every word we speak while also hearing the wordless needs hidden in our hearts.

Blessings,


Nancy


Nancy Small

Associate Director for Spiritual Direction Initiatives (ISDI)

Office of Ignatian Spirituality

USA East Province of the Society of Jesus

929-232-3056

nsmall@jesuits.org

SEEKING SPIRITUAL DIRECTORS FOR IN-PERSON SPIRITUAL DIRECTION

The ISDI needs more trained spiritual directors who are available to accept in-person spiritual direction referrals, especially in areas where we receive frequent in-person requests such as Baltimore and Philadelphia.


  • Do you know spiritual directors who are accepting new in-person referrals? 
  • Can you help us by reaching out to trained spiritual directors you would recommend who may not be listed in the ISDI Catalog? 
  • Share with them this link where they can learn more about the ISDI Catalog of Spiritual Directors and register if interested: (https://jesuitseastois.org/ois-catalog-of-spiritual-directors-directors)


Are you a trained spiritual director with availability to accept new referrals? 


If so and you are 


  • already registered in the ISDI Catalog or
  • uncertain if you are registered in the ISDI Catalog


email us at OISspiritualdirection@jesuits.org.


You can update your record or register in the ISDI Catalog for the first time by clicking here.

SEEKING SPIRITUAL DIRECTORS FOR THOSE INVOLVED IN PRISON MINISTRY

The Catholic Prison Ministries Coalition (CPMC) (catholicprisonministries.org), a national 501©(3) whose mission is to “promote ministry to all people affected by incarceration and detention,” is seeking trained spiritual directors for those involved in this ministry. The CPMC is especially interested in spiritual directors who:


  • have personally encountered the criminal justice system or those working in it;
  • recognize signs of vicarious trauma; and/or
  • offer spiritual direction in Spanish


If you are interested in the possibility of offering virtual or in-person spiritual direction to those who minister with the CPMC, or if you’d like to find out more, please click here to complete a short form expressing your interest and giving your consent to share the information you provide with the CPMC.


Those involved in CPMC ministry may also be referred to a spiritual director through the ISDI Catalog of Spiritual Directors.

UPCOMING PROGRAMS

A Lenten Retreat for Spiritual Directors

Exploring Our Lives Through the Lens of Spiritual Freedom

Retreat Leader: Vinita Hampton Wright

March 14, 2024, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. ET Program Fee: $25

(Scholarships available by clicking here.)

Lent is a perfect season to explore our lives through the lens of spiritual freedom. Spiritual freedom liberates us from unhealthy patterns, disordered attachments, and shameful regrets. It releases us from the immobilization caused by unaddressed fears, conflicts, and resistance. Unfreedom stops our progress and tempts us to despair.


This online retreat will tap the deep wisdom of Ignatian spirituality and its invitation to grow in spiritual freedom. It will include time for personal reflection as well as small and large group conversation. 


All who register will receive a PDF copy of Praying Freedom: Lenten Meditations to Engage Your Mind and Free Your Soul by Vinita Hampton Wright. The program will be recorded and all registrants will receive a copy of the recording.


Click here to register. (If you think you may have already registered, please check for a confirmation email to avoid registering twice.)

A Conversation Among Spiritual Directors of Color

Saturday, May 11, 2024, 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. ET

Join us for a special opportunity to gather virtually as Spiritual Directors of Color. This conversation will invite you to share about what brought you to spiritual direction and your experience as a Spiritual Director of Color. We will support and learn from each other by discussing the challenges and opportunities we face as well as our hopes and desires. 


Registration for this conversation is limited to those who identify as Spiritual Directors of Color. Please spread the word among Spiritual Directors of Color who may be interested.


Click here for more information and to register.

SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR PROGRAMS OFFERED BY OUR PARTNERS IN MINISTRY

A Trauma Informed Approach to Ignatian Spiritual Direction

April 7, 2024, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. ET

St. Raphaela Center, Haverford, PA

Presenter: Nicholas Collura

Program Fee: $30


Drawing on his experience as a former trauma chaplain, Nicholas will lead a discussion on the impact of trauma upon spiritual experience and will explore trauma-informed adaptations of the Spiritual Exercises and of Ignatian spirituality and spiritual direction more broadly.


Click here for more information and to register.

3-Night Weekend Workshop for Spiritual Directors on the Exercises: The Adventure Deepens

April 25-28, 2024

Ignatius House Jesuit Retreat Center, Sandy Springs, GA

Directed by Fr. Kevin O'Brien, SJ

Cost: $475


This transformative experience, led by Father Kevin O’Brien, SJ, spiritual director and author of The Ignatian Adventure, welcomes seasoned directors eager to refine their skills in leading the Exercises as well as those new to the practice who hope to lay a foundation to direct the Exercises in the future.


Click here for more information and to register.

Ignatian Spirituality Institute Giving Witness Practicum – Retreat Ministry Formation

July 15-19, 2024

Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House, Barrington, IL

Cost: $995 (private room)


This intensive workshop explores aspects of retreat planning, unfolding of Ignatian themes, and offering talks and presentations that lead others to encounter and prayer. The practicum offers insights on formulating and framing presentations and talks rooted in the dynamics of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius and developing themes and flow of presentation based on the framework of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius.


Learn more by clicking here.

JOB ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Murphy Center for Ignatian Spirituality of Fairfield University (MCIS) is seeking an Associate Director of Spiritual Formation who is a certified spiritual director and supervisor. Learn more by clicking here.

Mount Saint Mary House of Prayer in Watchung, NJ, is seeking a full-time Program Director with a spiritual director/retreat director background. Applicants can email a CV and resume to Sr. Laura at sr.laura@msmhope.org. Click here for a job description.

WHAT ARE THEY SAYING ABOUT SPIRITUAL DIRECTION?


"Spiritual Direction helps me to see God where I haven’t seen God before. It’s like having a store clerk point out the peanut butter I was searching for that was right in front of me."


— A Mother of Two Children


If you have quotes to share about the importance of spiritual direction, please email them to nsmall@jesuits.org.

IgnatianSpiritualDirection.org

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