What is Group Spiritual Direction?
Group Spiritual Direction is a process in which group members deliberately establish accountability and encourage reflection on the state of each other’s spiritual lives, exercising prayerful listening to one another and to God on behalf of each other. This is mainly practiced in a space created for silence, where individuals can practice listening and discernment.
Who: Three conditions are essential for those who participate:
- Willing to be honest about their relationship with God
- Willing to be open about their spiritual journey for the companioning of others
- Exercising prayerful listening and response in the group process
Benefits: How participants can be benefited from GSD?
- Deepen our spiritual intimacy with God and our spiritual community
- Deepen spiritual discernment in our daily life
- More content in our spiritual and communal life
- Gain greater commitment to spiritual practice in daily life
Frequency: How often does the group meet?
- The group will meet bi-weekly, for 5-7 sessions. There will be an orientation session prior to the beginning of the group sessions.
Duration: Each session will last for 1.5-2 hours
Process involved:
Each group is comprised of 4-6 members. During each group session, Paddy will lead a spiritual exercise (such as Lectio Divina, Visio Divina, movie clips, discerning images etc.) and 3-4 members will share for approximate 5 minutes, based on self-reflection of the exercise. Other members will exercise prayerfully listening and discernment before offering a response (companioning).
Platform: Zoom or Live
Suggested honorarium for each session: $150-$200 (CDN)