Diocese of St. Augustine, Florida, USA (2024-2026)
The Spiritual Direction Formation Programme is a two-year formative programme offered through the School of Mary, which specialises in spiritual formation in response to the universal call to holiness. The School of Mary seeks to remain faithful to the teachings of the Catholic Church and operates with ecclesial approval.
The programme is designed to prepare men and women for the ministry of spiritual direction within the Church. It is intended particularly to serve those who will accompany seminarians, diaconal aspirants and candidates preparing for ordination, as well as parishioners, retreatants and other members of the faithful. The formation is also open to those who may subsequently exercise this ministry in other dioceses and ecclesial contexts.
The programme is intended for priests, deacons, religious and lay faithful who already possess a vibrant spiritual life, desire to deepen their own relationship with Christ, and discern within themselves a call to assist others through spiritual direction.
The programme is not simply an academic course. It is a process of formation in which the participant’s own spiritual life remains at the centre. Instruction is combined with prayer, personal growth, group check-ins, practicum, individual supervision and mentoring, together with an ongoing discernment of the person’s suitability and readiness for the ministry of spiritual direction.
The Formation of the Spiritual Director
The programme is based on a fundamental principle: before accompanying others in the spiritual life, the spiritual director must himself or herself be seriously engaged in the life of prayer and in the pursuit of holiness.
For this reason, participants are expected to have an established and vibrant spiritual life and to be willing to deepen their commitment to prayer throughout the programme. As one consideration in discerning a call to this ministry, participants should be prepared, over time and incrementally, to devote at least two hours each day to personal prayer, in addition to other existing commitments such as Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours.
This is not understood as an arbitrary measure of holiness or as a purely quantitative requirement. Rather, it expresses the seriousness of the spiritual director’s vocation and the importance of having sufficient time for sustained prayer and personal formation. With the grace of God, and proceeding at a humanly sustainable pace, forms of prayer such as Lectio Divina and the Prayer of the Heart are expected progressively to become integrated into the participant’s daily life.
The programme therefore seeks not merely to teach participants how to give spiritual direction, but to help form them into persons who can accompany others from within an authentic life of prayer and a growing conformity to Christ.
The second principle of this programme is the importance of Lectio Divina as a process of learning to discern God’s voice and action in one’s own life. Deepening and fine-tuning one’s personal practice of Lectio Divina enables the spiritual director to become increasingly attentive to the ways in which God speaks and acts, and thus better able to listen to and discern God’s action in the life of the directee.”
A Two-Year Progressive Formation
The programme consists of two distinct but complementary years.
Year 1 is primarily preparatory. Participants receive the foundational formation necessary before beginning to exercise the ministry of spiritual direction. During this year they deepen their own spiritual life, receive an introduction to spiritual direction, and begin to develop the discernment and practical capacities required for accompanying another person.
Those who are already experienced spiritual directors may, where appropriate, continue exercising the ministry during Year 1 while receiving further formation.
Year 2 is formative and ministerial. Participants continue their formation while beginning, or progressively increasing, their actual exercise of spiritual direction. The experience of accompanying others becomes an integral part of the formation and is supported by practicum, supervision, mentoring and continued personal discernment.
Thus, the programme follows a deliberate progression:
formation in the spiritual life → formation in spiritual direction → supervised practice → progressive exercise of the ministry → discernment of readiness for continued ministry.
Year 1 — Foundations for Spiritual Direction
The first year establishes the spiritual and practical foundations necessary for becoming a spiritual director.
Solid Foundations in Spiritual Life — 48 hours
This course provides the fundamental framework for understanding the spiritual life. It introduces the principal dynamics of conversion, growth in charity, prayer, purification and union with Christ.
Lectio Divina I — 18 hours
Participants are introduced more deeply to Lectio Divina as a fundamental means of encountering Christ in Sacred Scripture and of learning to recognise and respond to God’s action in their lives.
Ensuring Steady Growth — 26 hours
This formation consists of 26 of instruction. It examines the conditions necessary for steady and authentic growth in the spiritual life and helps participants recognise the different stages and movements of spiritual development.
Introduction to Spiritual Direction I — 18 hours
Participants are introduced to the nature, purpose, principles and practice of spiritual direction. Particular attention is given to the relationship between the spiritual director and the person being accompanied, the discernment of the action of grace, and the proper role and limits of the spiritual director.
Year 1 also includes some hours of practicum, together with opportunities for group reflection, facilitated conversation and individual supervision or mentoring as appropriate.
Towards the end of Year 1, case studies and facilitated conversations may be used to assist both the participant and the formation team in discerning the participant’s readiness to begin exercising the ministry.
Total structured formation in Year 1: 110 hours.
Year 2 — Purification, Discernment and the Practice of Spiritual Direction
The second year moves from foundational formation towards the actual exercise of spiritual direction. Participants continue their own formation while progressively developing the knowledge, discernment, practical skills and maturity required to accompany another person.
Deeper Purification — 18 hours
This course examines the deeper processes of purification through which the Christian is progressively freed for a more complete conformity to Christ and a deeper life of charity.
Spiritual Direction II — 18 hours
The formation in spiritual direction is developed further, with particular attention to the discernment of the spiritual journey and the interpretation of what takes place within the person being accompanied.
Spiritual Direction III — 18 hours
Participants deepen their practical understanding of spiritual accompaniment, learning to distinguish different spiritual situations and to respond appropriately to the movements of grace, difficulty, temptation, purification and growth.
Spiritual Direction IV — 18 hours
The final stage of formal teaching brings together the principal elements of spiritual direction and prepares participants for a mature and responsible exercise of the ministry.
The second year also includes 8 hours of practicum.
Participants are expected, especially during the second year, to begin giving spiritual direction. Their experience of accompanying others becomes an important part of the formation process and is integrated with continued personal prayer, instruction, supervision, mentoring and discernment.
Total structured formation in Year 2: 80 hours.
An Integrated Formative Approach
The courses in this programme are deliberately described as formative courses rather than simply academic courses.
Formation takes place through several complementary means. Formal instruction provides the theological and spiritual framework. Personal prayer allows participants to assimilate and live what they are learning. Mutual support within the cohort. Practicum allows participants to begin translating formation into the concrete practice of spiritual accompaniment. Individual supervision and mentoring provide more personal assistance according to each participant’s previous formation, experience and emerging questions.
The programme therefore contains very little traditional academic homework. Personal reading, prayer, reflection, case studies and facilitated conversations are used where they serve the formative process.
The precise balance between in-person courses, live online instruction and pre-recorded material may vary slightly from one programme to another. The essential character of the formation, however, remains the same: personal spiritual formation, instruction, practical experience, supervision and discernment.
The programme is also designed to benefit both those who are receiving formation in spiritual direction for the first time and those who already have experience in the ministry and desire deeper formation and continued growth.
Recommended Ongoing Formation
“Reading and Studying St John of the Cross”: This longer course is highly recommended as ongoing formation, either alongside the two-year Spiritual Direction Formation Programme or after completing it. The writings of St John of the Cross provide an exceptionally rich framework for understanding prayer, purification, discernment, growth in charity and union with Christ. His teaching can therefore become an important resource for the continuing formation of those engaged in spiritual direction. This course is not a prerequisite for beginning the ministry of spiritual direction. Participants may therefore begin exercising the ministry without having completed this course, while continuing their formation through the study of St. John of the Cross. The course is available online, free of charge. It comprises 240 hours of video instruction, offering an in-depth commentary on five books by St John of the Cross.
Final Assessment and Discernment
Towards the end of the second year, participants are invited to undertake a personal assessment of their experience of the programme. A questionnaire is provided to help them reflect upon their formation, personal growth, development in the ministry of spiritual accompaniment and readiness to continue exercising spiritual direction.
Participants are also invited to submit a four-page personal essay reflecting upon their formation and experience during the programme.
Finally, each participant has a 20-minute personal meeting with the programme director. This meeting provides an opportunity to review the participant’s experience of the formation, discuss their development in spiritual direction and consider their readiness for the continued exercise of the ministry.
The final discernment is therefore not based simply upon completion of a number of hours. It takes into account the participant’s formation, spiritual maturity, participation in the programme, practical experience, capacity for discernment and emerging ability to accompany others responsibly.
Certificate in Spiritual Direction
Successful completion of the two-year programme, together with an affirmative discernment of the participant’s call and readiness for the ministry of spiritual direction, culminates in the award of a Certificate in Spiritual Direction from the School of Mary.
The certificate signifies completion of the School of Mary’s formative programme and a positive discernment of the participant’s readiness to undertake the ministry. It should not be understood as merely an academic qualification, but as the fruit of a two-year process of spiritual formation, practical preparation and personal discernment.
The Aim of the Programme
The ultimate purpose of the programme is to form spiritual directors who can accompany others towards a deeper relationship with Christ.
Spiritual direction is not principally the transmission of advice, techniques or spiritual information. It is an accompaniment of the person’s relationship with God and of the work of grace in his or her life. For this reason, the spiritual director’s own life of prayer, spiritual maturity and fidelity to the Catholic faith are indispensable to the ministry.
The programme therefore seeks to form spiritual directors who are able to listen attentively, discern prudently, accompany patiently and serve humbly, while remaining conscious that it is Christ who is the true director of every soul.
The two years bring together personal spiritual formation, theological and spiritual instruction, practical formation, supervision, mentoring and discernment so that participants may progressively become capable of accompanying others with humility, fidelity, prudence and charity.
Costs of Program Per Student
- Total cost of two-year program $4,600, not including books, personal travel and meals for in-person days.
- The School of Mary runs on a slim margin and yet will not turn away students in financial need. We invite students who may be able to give more than these modest costs to consider giving more, and we invite those with financial barriers to request assistance from The School of Mary team.
Location and Schedule
Our target date for the program’s schedule, which will be added to this website, is the first week of July, 2024. By then, we hope to have a good sense of the number of participants. We intend to begin the first course, Solid Foundations in Spiritual Life (in-person), in September, 2024. In-person courses will be held at Bishop Snyder High School on designated Saturdays starting at 8 am and ending by 2:30 or 3 pm so that those with Saturday afternoon liturgical commitments can attend to these.
Ongoing Formation
Ongoing formation is offered through quarterly meetings, providing spiritual directors with continued support in their ministry and a space to address questions, difficulties and challenges as they arise.
Next Steps
Please email us with any program questions at: LisaMcGowan@schoolofmary.org