Someone asked how to become a Spiritual director.

First you have to have a heart for it. You need a desire to lead people to the Light. This comes from being led from your own darkness. You need a desire to help people deepen their relationship with God. You need to have personal experience with listening for, recognizing, and yielding to the voice of God in your own life. You have to have a willingness to change your own ideas if you discern something unexpected. If you are lacking these needs and desires don’t pursue direction.

The goal of Spiritual Direction is to assist people in their own walk with God. The Director helps the directee see where God is present in life circumstances. The Director may have an insight that the directee has not yet considered. The Director is a safe place for the directee to process his own journey.

Ignatius of Loyola, a Jesuit priest, developed the Spiritual Exercises in the early 1500s. The Exercises were a series of meditations, prayers and mental exercises lasting 28 to 30 days. The intention was to help a person to discern God’s will in his life. The Jesuits teach a course to train people to use the Spiritual Exercises in their own lives, and to be able to guide other people in their own individual journey. My internship course was a 2-year-course. Contact your local Catholic Church to find out where the internship is taught.

Many of the people who took the Internship were already involved in helping professions. Ministers, nurses, councilors, therapists, and the like. Some took the internship for personal enrichment. If you are considering this as a way to make money, look elsewhere.

Once you are trained, a good place to begin is in your own church. Let your pastor and the parishioners know who you are. Let them know of of your availability. The rest is up to God.