Spiritual direction is based on the premise that God is always near and wants to be in relationship with us – no matter where we are at in our journey of faith. God is always calling us to a more intimate relationship. Since each of us is utterly unique, God calls to each of us in different ways – sometimes through liturgy or scripture, sometimes through relationships or service, sometimes through poetry, music or nature. God is constantly beckoning us to come near. The role of a spiritual director is not to give direction but to explore with the individual how God may be speaking to them. A director might help one to explore new ways of praying or suggest scripture passages, poems or images to pray with. Spiritual direction is also a setting where one can examine questions and doubts, always remembering that the Holy Spirit is the true Director.
“We define Christian spiritual direction, then as help given by one believer to another that enables the latter to pay attention to God’s personal communication to him or her, to respond to this personally communicating God, to grow in intimacy with this God, and to live out the consequences of this relationship.” – Barry and Connoll
Gifts of Spiritual Direction:
- Identify and trust your own spiritual experiences
- Integrate spirituality into your daily life
- Discern and make difficult choices
- Share your hopes, struggles and losses
- Live the essence of you spirituality with integrity
“Spiritual direction is, in reality, nothing more than a way of leading us to see and obey the real Director – the Holy Spirit hidden in the depths of our soul.”
Thomas Merton - Trappist Monk
I am a recent graduate of Loyola - Chicago’s Institute of Pastoral Studies. My degree is in Christian Spirituality/Spiritual Direction. I am also a student at The Living School at the Center for Action and Contemplation. I am Roman Catholic with an ecumenical/interspiritual heart. I approach the world through an Ignatian lens looking to find God in all things. A retired physician, I am married and have three adult children and six grandchildren and live in a small town in Southern Wisconsin. Contact me at suannereed@gmail.com or 920-691-2849.
Favorite Books
Nadia Bolz-Weber
“Pastrix – The Cranky Beautiful Faith of a Sinner and Saint”
“Accidental Saints – Finding God in All the Wrong People”
Gregory Boyle, SJ
“Tattoos on the Heart – The Power of Boundless Compassion”
“Barking to the Choir – The Power of Radical Kinship”
Elizabeth Johnson
“Quest for the Living God – Mapping Frontiers in the Theology of God”
James Martin, SJ
“Jesus – A Pilgrimage”
“The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything”
Richard Rohr
“Falling Upward – A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life”
“The Universal Christ ”
Mary Doria Russell
“The Sparrow”
“Children of God”