Spiritual Direction is an ancient ministry, a unique one-to-one relationship to explore the spiritual aspect of being human. People from all walks of faith (and none!) meet with spiritual directors to listen deeply for the spiritual movement in their lives and how they are being invited to embody their deepest Self. ~ stillpointca.org

An important and necessary part of discernment is to be under the care of a Spiritual Director.  This is a person, distinct from the sponsoring or mentoring priest, who the discerner can meet with in complete confidence and discuss how the discernment process is unfolding for them.  In a broader sense, a spiritual director is a “soul friend”; one who walks through the spiritual aspects of life with another, listening, prompting, being a sounding board, and praying together.

Once discernment is completed, if the discerner is ordained, it is highly recommended that the relationship with the spiritual director continue.  Priests and deacons can benefit from the listening ear and discerning eye of a person outside their congregation, who is trained to go deeper and ask hard questions.

A spiritual director should be trained and certified, and may require a nominal fee for each meeting.  Spiritual directors will often work on a sliding scale if the fee presents a burden to consulting with a spiritual director.

In the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, the Stillpoint organization can facilitate finding a spiritual director.  Click here to visit the Stillpoint website.   Other alternatives not affiliated with the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles are listed below:

Center for Spiritual Development: Click here

Center Quest: Click here

Spiritual Directors International: Click here

Note: all links external to the Diocesan of Los Angeles website