Spiritual Direction
An Introductory Course for Priests,
Deacons, and Candidates
Community of Jesus Crucified
Our Lady of Sorrows Retreat Center
Fr. Michael Champagne, CJC
Tentative Schedule
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January 22
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January 29
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February 5
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February 12
Introduction to Nature and Need
for Spiritual Direction
Some Guiding Principles in
Giving and Seeking Spiritual
Direction
Using Well the Means to
Holiness (at Knight Hall Fatima)
Understanding the Supernatural
Organism – The Three Ages of
the Spiritual Life
Schedule (cont.)
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February 19
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February 26
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March 5
March 12
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Directing a Person who is
Discerning the Priesthood or
Religious Life (Fr. Joe Palermo)
Pastoral Counseling and Spiritual
Direction: Respecting Differences
(Mario Sacasa, Ed.S, LMFT)
No Class (Priestly Association)
Learning to Pray and Progressing
in Prayer
Schedule (cont.)
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March 19
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March 26
The Role of Actual Grace in the
Spiritual Life
Dealing with Extraordinary
Phenomena in Spiritual Direction
Select Questions
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What is Spiritual Direction?
Is Spiritual Direction necessary?
Why does one need Spiritual Direction?
Is Spiritual Direction spoken of in the Bible?
What do the Saints say about Spiritual Direction?
What does the Church say about Spiritual Direction?
What are the differences between Counseling and
Spiritual Direction?
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Is there a difference between the Office of
Confessor and the Office of Spiritual Director?
What are the technical qualities of a good
Spiritual Director?
What are the moral qualities of a good Director?
What are some of the duties of the Spiritual
Director?
What are the qualities to be expected in the one
directed?
What are some classes of directees where good
spiritual direction is crucial?
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How does one choose a Spiritual Director?
When is it advisable/permissible to change
directors?
Can one consult a number of spiritual directors?
Can I do spiritual direction in cyberspace?
What are some solid resources on Spiritual
Direction?
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What is Spiritual Direction?
 Definition: “the art of leading souls
progressively from the beginning of the
spiritual life to the height of Christian
perfection” (Royo, 593).
 it is an art – a practical science
 it is progressive – according to the
strength and disposition of the soul
directed
 it is oriented toward the perfection of the
Christian life
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Is Spiritual Direction necessary?
 Not absolutely necessary, morally
necessary
 Not needed if one is not serious
about living the spiritual life –
waste of director’s time
 most saints had a director or
someone who gave them
spiritual counsel
Why does one need it?
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Necessity of a “third” person
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More knowledge and experience in a guide
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To be an observer
For objectivity
“Dose of reality”
God uses mediator
To diagnose where you are
To lead you to the “next step”
Part of Prudence to seek counsel
Merit of humility and obedience
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Protection from the pitfalls of self and the devil
Is it in the Bible?
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Eccl. 4:10 “If the one falls, the other will help the
fallen one. But woe to the solitary person! If that
one should fall, there is no other to help.”
Tobit 4:18 “Seek counsel from every wise man, and
do not think lightly of any advice that can be
useful.”
Sirach 32:18-19 “The thoughtful man will not
neglect direction…Do nothing without counsel,
and then you need have no regrets.”
2 Cor. 5:20 “So we are ambassadors for Christ, as if
God were appealing through us.”
What do the Saints say about Spiritual Direction?
 “To believe that one does not need counsel
is a great pride” St. Basil
 “Do not be your own master and do not set
out upon a way that is entirely new for you
without a guide; otherwise you will soon go
astray” (St. Jerome)
 “As a blind man cannot follow the good
road without a leader, no one can walk
without a guide” (St. Augustine)
 “He
who constitutes himself his own director,
becomes the disciple of a fool” (St. Bernard)
 “Our Lord, without whom we can do
nothing, will never grant His grace to one
who, having at his disposition a man capable
of instructing and directing him, neglects this
powerful means of sanctification, believing
that he is sufficient to himself and that he can
by his own powers seek and find the things
useful to salvation” (St. Vincent Ferrer)
 John of the Cross, Living Flame of Love, Cant.
3, n. 56
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Teresa of Avila, Book of Life, c. 4 “I had no
master—I mean, no confessor—who
understood me, though I sought for such a one
for twenty years afterwards: which did me much
harm, in that I frequently went backwards, and
might have been even utterly lost; for, anyhow, a
director would have helped me to escape the
risks I ran of sinning against God.”
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Francis de Sales, Introduction to a Devout Life, Bk. I, c. 4 “A
faithful friend,” we are told in Holy Scripture, “is a strong
defense, and he that hath found such an one hath found a
treasure;” and again: “A faithful friend is the medicine of
life; and they that fear the Lord shall find him.” These
sacred words have chiefly reference, as you see, to the
immortal life, with a view to which we specially need a
faithful friend, who will guide us by his counsel and advice,
thereby guarding us against the deceits and snares of the
Evil One:—he will be as a storehouse of wisdom to us in
our sorrows, trials and falls; he will be as a healing balm to
stay and soothe our heart in the time
of spiritual sickness,—he will shield us from evil, and
confirm that which is good in us, and when we fall through
infirmity, he will avert the deadly nature of the evil, and
raise us up again.”
What about the
Magisterium?
“It is part of the ordinary law that as
God in His Providence has ordained
that men for the most part should be
saved by men, so He has appointed
that those whom He calls to a higher
degree of holiness should be guided
thereto by men” (Pope Leo XIII, Testem
benevolentiae, Jan. 22, 1899)
“Moreover, it should be added that those who
strive to sanctify themselves, by the very fact
that they strive to follow a way that is little
frequented, are more exposed to deceive
themselves and therefore they, more than
others, need a doctor and guide. And this
method of procedure has always been seen in
the Church. This doctrine was unanimously
taught by all those who, in the course of
centuries, flourished in wisdom and sanctity.
And those who reject it shall not do so without
temerity and danger” (Pope Leo XIII, Testem
benevolentiae, Jan. 22, 1899)
Is Spiritual Direction addressed in
Recent Magisterial Documents?
 Optatam
Totius (1965) par. 3, 19
 Codex Iuris Canonici (1983) par. 239.2,
240.2
 Pastores Dabo Vobis (1992) par. 40.3,
50.4, 66.1, 66.4, 81.3
 Catechism of the Catholic Church (1992)
par. 1435, 2690, 2695
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Codex Iuris Canonici (1983)
Can. 239 §2. Every seminary is to have at least one
spiritual director, though the students remain free to
approach other priests who have been designated for
this function by the bishop.
 Can. 240 §2. When decisions are made about
admitting students to orders or dismissing them from
the seminary, the opinion of the spiritual director and
confessors can never be sought.
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Catechism of the Catholic Church
1435 Conversion is accomplished in daily life by
gestures of reconciliation, concern for the poor,
the exercise and defense of justice and right, by
the admission of faults to one's brethren,
fraternal correction, revision of life, examination
of conscience, spiritual direction, acceptance of
suffering, endurance of persecution for the sake
of righteousness. Taking up one's cross each day
and following Jesus is the surest way of penance.
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2690 The Holy Spirit gives to certain of the faithful the
gifts of wisdom, faith and discernment for the sake of
this common good which is prayer (spiritual direction).
Men and women so endowed are true servants of the
living tradition of prayer. According to St. John of the
Cross, the person wishing to advance toward perfection
should "take care into whose hands he entrusts himself,
for as the master is, so will the disciple be, and as the
father is so will be the son." And further: "In addition
to being learned and discreet a director should be
experienced. . . . If the spiritual director has no
experience of the spiritual life, he will be incapable of
leading into it the souls whom God is calling to it, and
he will not even understand them."
Encouragement to Priests and
Deacons to do Spiritual Direction
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“Would it be rash for us to fear that many
priests will receive a frightful shock at the Last
Judgment when they find out that they are, to a
certain extent, responsible for the mediocrity
and even the loss of souls, because they
neglected to study the art of spiritual direction
and would not take the trouble to practice it?”
(Dom Chautard, The Soul of the Apostolate, p. 172)
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“Hardly ten in a thousand called by God to perfection
heed the call; of a hundred called to contemplation,
ninety-nine fail to respond. It must be acknowledged
that one of the principal causes is the lack of spiritual
directors. Under God, they are the pilots who conduct
souls through this unknown ocean of the spiritual life.
If no science, no art, how simple so ever, can be
learned well without a master, much less can anyone
learn this high wisdom of evangelical perfection,
wherein such great mysteries are found. This is the
reason why I hold it morally impossible that a soul
could, without a miracle or without a master, go
through what is the highest and most arduous in the
spiritual life, without running the risk of perishing”
(Godinez, Praxis theologicae mysticae).
What is the Difference between
Counseling and Spiritual Direction?
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Client-centered
Concerned with “problem”
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About relationships with
others, self
Seeks resolution of emotional
conflict
Personal well-being is desired
result
Self = center of person
Relationships with others
viewed as affecting self
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God-centered
Concerned with spiritual
progress
About relationship with God
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Seeks intimacy with God
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Doing God’s Will for me is
desired result
God = center of person
All relationships are viewed
as God-centered
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Counseling
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Spiritual Direction
“Being real” is being “in
touch with myself”
Purpose is self-actualization
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Result is achieved through
behavior change
By guidance and group
dynamics
Enlightened by results of
research studies
Frees self to enjoy pleasures
of this-world existence
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“Being real” is opening up to
God
Purpose is coming in
possession of God
Result is achieved by release
of force of Grace
By responding to actual
graces
Enlightened by revelations of
Jesus’ Teaching
Frees person to encounter
pleasure of God’s Love
Counseling
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Spiritual Direction
Protective of a strong “ego
center”
To experience the most of
my time on earth
To make most of what others
can mean to me
To avoid pain and
displeasure (dis-ease)
To love others for myself
To love others so I can love
my “higher power”
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Displace “ego center” to
“God-within” as center
To experience the deepest of
my reality/call
To sacrifice myself to make life
meaningful for others
To be unafraid to suffer for
love
To love others as myself
To love God so that I can love
others
Is there a Difference between the
Office of Confessor and the Office
of Spiritual Director?
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judge vs. teacher, guide, and counselor
fittingness of priest as director
fittingness of same priest as confessor
and director
obligation of priest to hear confessions
and freedom of priest to refuse office
of spiritual director for any given soul
What are the Technical Qualities of a
Good Director?
 Learning – knowledge of
spiritual life and souls
 prudence in decisions
 clarity in counseling
 firmness in exacting obedience
 experience
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What are the Moral Qualities of a
Good Spiritual Director?
holiness – nemo dat quod non habet!
Zeal for souls – Amor Christi urget
nos!
Humility – readiness to consult
others when needed, to prayerfully
reflect and avoid rash decisions, to
receive graces needed to be apt
director of souls
Disinterested – “Feed my sheep!”
Essentials for the Direction of Souls
(Charles Doyle, Guidance in Spiritual Direction)
 Adequate
Seminary Training
 Manual of Spiritual Theology
 Reading of the Masters
 Practice of the Virtues
What are some of the Duties of a
Spiritual Director?
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to know the soul being directed
 to be a good listener
to give instruction
to encourage the soul
to direct the spiritual life of the soul
to correct defects
to direct by progressive stages
to observe confidentiality
to practice what he preaches – get direction
for himself
What are Some of the Qualities that Should be
Present in the One Who seeks Direction?
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Qualities necessary for direction
 sincerity – director should know all that pertains
to one’s spiritual life
 there is freedom in choosing the director and
freedom in discontinuing direction, but there
must be obedience with regard to the spiritual
direction received
 vow of obedience – its acceptability and cautions
 Perseverance – give relationship time
 Discretion in revealing content of your spiritual
direction to others – it may not apply to them
Classes of Souls
Dom Jean-Baptiste Chautard, The Soul of the Apostolate
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Hardened in Sin
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Mortal sin – weak resistance by contrite
Venial sin – accepts it
Prayer – at times prays with fervor
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Mortal sin – resists & avoids near
occasions and deep regrets when
happens
Venial sin – sometimes commits
deliberate venials. Has superficial
sorrow.
Prayer – gives up meditation when it
becomes difficult
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Imperfections – energetically guards
Prayer – infused, faithful even with
much activity, great renunciation
Heroic Perfection
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Venial sin – never deliberate
Imperfections – doesn’t want them
Prayer – prolonged; affective or simple
Relative Perfection
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Intermittent Piety
Mortal sin – never or rare
Venial sin – rarely deliberate, fights
Imperfections – not too concerned
Prayer – always faithful, often affective
Fervor
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Mediocre Piety
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Mortal sin – trifling evil, easily forgiven
Prayer – mechanical and selfish
Sustained Piety
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Mortal sin – stubborn persistence
Prayer – deliberate refusal
Surface Christianity
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Imperfections – only first impulse
Prayer – contemplation, some extraordinary phenomena, passive purgation
intense
Complete Sanctity
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Imperfections – hardly apparent
Prayer – transforming union; thirst for
sufferings and humiliations
Points to be taken up in the
Direction of Beginners
(Dom Chautard, The Soul of the Apostolate, p. 180)
 Peace
 High
Ideal
 Prayer
 Self-Denial
“All the essentials of direction come
down to these four points”
Peace
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“Find out if the soul has genuine peace, not
simply the peace which the world gives, or the
peace that results from absence of struggle. If it
has none, try to give the soul a relative peace, in
spite of all its difficulties. This is the foundation
of all direction. Calmness, recollection, and
confidence also come in here.”
A High Ideal
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“As soon as you have collected enough material
to clarify the soul and to recognize its weak
points, as well as its strength of character and
temperament and its degree of striving for
perfection, find out the best means of reviving
its desire to live more seriously for Jesus Christ
and of breaking down the obstacles which
hinder the development of grace in it. In a
word, what we want here is to get the soul to
aim higher and higher all the time: always
excelsior.”
Prayer
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“Find out how the soul prays, and in particular,
analyze its degree of fidelity to mental prayer, its
method of mental prayer, the obstacles met
with, and the profit drawn from it. What value
does it get out of the Sacraments, the liturgical
life, particular devotions, ejaculatory prayers, and
the practice of the presence of God?”
Self-Denial
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“Find out on what point, and especially how the
particular examen is made, and in what manner
self-denial is practiced, whether through hatred
of sin or love of God. How well is custody of
the heart kept: in other words, what amount of
vigilance is there in the spiritual combat, and in
preserving the spirit of prayer throughout the
day?”
Some Points for Consideration
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Boundaries
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Not friend, but director
Recreation, vacations, socialization
 Superior in office
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Appropriate times and places
 Young directors and directing of women
 Use of discretion in assuming direction and
discontinuing direction
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Best man, not the Bridegroom
Jesus to first Pope: “Feed my sheep; tend my lambs”
 Like at Annunciation, action of Holy Spirit essential
on both parties, but relationship is between God and
soul
 Avoid cultivating a dependence
 Limit time and frequency of visits
 Use obedience sparingly yet demand responsivity
 Respect the integrity of the directee’s intellect
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Spiritual Direction Relationship is Mutually Free
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Not all requests should be granted
Young associate
 Busy pastor
 Retired priest
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Not always a fit
Need to keep objective in my judgment and giving
direction
 Someone of a different spirituality is often a good fit
 Suggest a 3-month/3-session trial
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Confidentiality
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“The spiritual director is obligated to observe absolute
secrecy in regard to the confidences he has received from the
persons he directs, not only because many of these things are
in some way connected with the internal forum, but also
because the office of spiritual director obligates him to
natural secrecy. The obligation to secrecy is especially
important when it is a question of advanced souls who have
experienced certain extraordinary phenomena and
supernatural charisms. Although a director who comes into
contact with such phenomena may have a strong inclination
to discuss these things, he should remember that, as a rule,
the narration of such things does nothing more than arouse
morbid curiosity in others and dispose the director himself to
feelings of pride and self-complacency” (J. Aumann, Spiritual
Theology).
Catechism on Professional Secrets (CCC 2491)
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Professional secrets - for example, those of political office
holders, soldiers, physicians, and lawyers - or
confidential information given under the seal of secrecy
must be kept, save in exceptional cases where keeping
the secret is bound to cause very grave harm to the one
who confided it, to the one who received it or to a third
party, and where the very grave harm can be avoided
only by divulging the truth. Even if not confided under
the seal of secrecy, private information prejudicial to
another is not to be divulged without a grave and
proportionate reason.
What are some classes of directees
where direction is crucial?
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Young man or woman discerning a vocation
A beginner in the spiritual life coming off a
conversion retreat or weekend needing help in
entering into the spiritual life
Person experiencing strong temptations and/or
scruples
Person in transition toward illuminative way
(passive night of sense)
Person in transition toward unitive way (passive
night of spirit)
Some Other Related Questions about
Spiritual Direction
 How does one choose a Director?
 Can I change my Director? And if so
when is it permissible/advisable?
 useless direction
 harmful direction (“Bad direction is
worse than no direction”)
 Can one have a number of spiritual
directors?
 Can I do spiritual direction by email?
What are Some Resources on
Spiritual Direction?
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Garrigou-Lagrange, Reginald. The Three Ages of the
Interior Life, vol. I, pp. 256-264.
Parente, Pascal. Spiritual Direction. Abbey Press, 1950.
Doyle, Charles. Guidance in Spiritual Direction. Newman
Press, 1959.
Royo, Antonio and Jordan Aumann. The Theology of
Christian Perfection, pp. 593-614.
Dubay, Thomas. Seeking Spiritual Direction. Servant
Books, 1993.
Aumann, Jordan. Spiritual Theology, pp. 380-398.
Tanquerey, Adolphe. The Spiritual Life, pp. 257-270.