SPIRITUAL DIRECTION
Where does dominique offer spiritual direction?
Dominique is currently offering direction in Sydney in the beautiful, sandstone Piquet Building situated within the extensive, peaceful grounds of The Marist Centre, Hunters Hill.
Come and experience Dominique’s hospitality and the calm and welcoming atmosphere of this beautiful place.
What is Spiritual Direction ?
Spiritual direction, an ancient ministry of the church, is a relationship in which one person assists another, or others, in attending to God’s presence and call. Spiritual direction has been, and remains, particularly strong within Roman Catholic and Orthodox religious orders, and over the past twenty years Anglican and Protestant traditions have begun to recover it more fully. There is also growing interest in spiritual direction among other faith traditions, such as Judaism and Buddhism. Throughout Christian history, spiritual direction has traditionally been practiced by ordained clergy alone. In recent years, however, this practice has widened to embrace the spiritual gifts of non-ordained persons as well. Today, spiritual direction is regarded as a ministry open to all, not an order or office reserved for the few.
~ Presbyterian Church, USA.
From the website of Spiritual Directors International
Spiritual Direction focuses upon the Wisdom of the Holy Spirit within the Directee.
Spiritual Direction has been a vital ministry in the Church down through the ages. It is more accurately ‘spiritual companioning’, since the Holy Spirit is the ultimate Director. The person who seeks Spiritual Direction is encouraged to allow God to be the centre of attention. In a conversation that takes place in a prayerful and trusting setting, the person will be helped to notice and attend to the wisdom of the Holy Spirit within them, who seeks to develop a personal relationship with her/him.
Spiritual Direction is not therapy or counselling. The focus of the meetings is the directee’s relationship with God.
Directors receive their qualifications from recognised institutions and undergo ongoing formation and supervision.
What will I experience in Spiritual Direction?
During a spiritual direction session the Directee (person who is receiving spiritual direction) invites the Director to enter the sacred space of their experience. The Directee is then able to notice more in the experience, encouraged to get in touch with what was felt during the experience and is invited to respond more fully to the God who is communicating with the Directee through the experience.
The Director facilitates this process by being fully present to the Directee, listening to and honouring the sacred mystery of the Directee’s experience. There is a deepening of the experience as the Director witnesses the mystery and reflects it back to the Directee, whereby the directee is invited to grow in an ever deepening relationship with the Divine. Spiritual Direction is an affirmation of the true essence – Holiness (wholeness) of the individual as created by God. It is an experience of reflecting upon Sacred communication and an emersion in the contemplation of the Mystery of the Creator.
