Internship in Ignatian Spiritual Direction
Internship in Spiritual Direction in the Ignatian Tradition
This internship is for those who have experienced the transformative effects of the spirituality of St. Ignatius of Loyola in the Spiritual Exercises and feel called to help others experience this quiet, abiding presence in their lives. Interns develop and deepen their capacity to listen contemplatively to the movements of God in the life and prayer of directees. This includes helping directees discern those movements, make large and small decisions in the light of those movements, and foster an intimacy with God. It is the Spirit who brings about such growth in the directee, but well-trained spiritual directors can be an immense help in fostering this life in the Spirit.
Questions you might consider if you are feeling called to this ministry:
- What type of spiritual director have you found helpful in your own journey and what type of spiritual director would you like to become?
- What makes you feel ready at this point in your life to seek out an internship in spiritual direction?
- What are some of your listening strengths and weaknesses?
- What are the graces alive in you from your experience making the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius?
This internship includes:
- 19 Friday morning sessions from 8:00am-11:00am CST on Zoom (13 during the Fall semester and 6 during the Spring semester)
- Directing individuals monthly
- Directing on a retreat
- Regular supervision
- The internship fee for 2023-2024 is $1500.
For more information, including how to receive an application, please contact Lauren Schwer at lschwer@luc.edu or Fr. Mark Henninger, S.J. at mhenninger@jesuits.org
The spiritual direction internship at Loyola is exactly what I was looking for to grow into direction. The structure provided a learning experience beyond academics, and the staff were well equipped and responsive to questions. More than learning the basics of being a spiritual director, I found fellowship with like-minded people who became friends on a journey together. The material is excellent and the support is knowledgeable - I highly recommend it. Rick Mills
Three Views of Spiritual Direction
William Barry SJ and William Connolly SJ
Spiritual direction is concerned with helping a person directly with his or her relationship with God. It may well be that in each of the human problems that the most fundamental issue is the relationship with God and its underlying questions: ‘Who is God for me and who am I for God?’
Maureen Conroy RSM
The primary purpose of spiritual direction is to help people grow in an affective, conscious, and explicit relationship with God. The more deeply these five qualities of relationship – that is, companionship, empathy, care, naturalness, and commitment – exist in the director-directee relationship, the more freely can directees grow in a lively relationship with God through spiritual direction.
Rose Mary Dougherty SSND
Put quite simply, I would describe spiritual direction as an act of prayer. When I say “an act of prayer,” I am referring to those times when we consciously choose to put ourselves in the way of grace, or to enter the sacred space of our True Self, or open ourselves to the Indwelling Mystery of our souls.
This internship is for those who have experienced the transformative effects of the spirituality of St. Ignatius of Loyola in the Spiritual Exercises and feel called to help others experience this quiet, abiding presence in their lives. Interns develop and deepen their capacity to listen contemplatively to the movements of God in the life and prayer of directees. This includes helping directees discern those movements, make large and small decisions in the light of those movements, and foster an intimacy with God. It is the Spirit who brings about such growth in the directee, but well-trained spiritual directors can be an immense help in fostering this life in the Spirit.