This Beloved of ours is merciful and good. Besides, he so deeply longs for our love that he keeps calling us to come closer…
For now, his voice reaches us through words spoken by good people, through listening to spiritual talks, and reading sacred literature. God calls to us in countless little ways all the time. Through illnesses and suffering and through sorrow he calls to us. Through a truth glimpsed fleetingly in a state of prayer he calls to us. No matter how halfhearted such insights may be, God rejoices whenever we learn what he is trying to teach us.
St Theresa of Avila
Finding God in All Things
The origin of Ignatian-style spiritual direction is Ignatian spirituality, which involves spiritual principles and practices for following Christ developed by St. Ignatius of Loyola in the 16th century.
These practices hone our awareness of God’s presence in our lived experience. Through prayer, discernment, contemplative action, and other ways of attending to spiritual life, our ways of seeing and being in the world become open to transformation. We can become able to see and participate with God in our own healing and in the healing of the world.
St. Ignatius founded the Jesuits, a religious order in the Roman Catholic Church. Today, many people all over the world find Ignatian principles helpful in the deepening of their prayer and faith lives.
Ignatian spiritual direction is accessible for anyone, whether they identify with a religious tradition or not, since we trust that God can be found in all things.
In Ignatian spiritual direction, we believe that “God shares personally with us even when we do not know that this sharing is happening. Life itself communicates God to us.” (Barry & Connolley, The Practice of Spiritual Direction.)
We may at times find ourselves yearning for connection with some deeper reality that we cannot name. Whether we call that reality God, Spirit, Creator or some other word indicating the essence of Divine Love, we can reflect on our lived experience in which God can be found. As we cultivate greater awareness, we become more open to responding to what we hear and to moving into greater freedom and wholeness.
Ignatian Resources
Supervision & Training
After completing my M.A.M.S. in April 2024, I have remained connected with Loyola House, the retreat centre at the Ignatius Jesuit Centre in Guelph, ON, for ongoing supervision and training. I am also a member of Spiritual Directors International and abide by their code of conduct. I am committed to ongoing learning about best practices that support the safety and wellbeing of directees and that improve the efficacy of my practice.
Education
- M.A. Ministry and Spirituality, Diploma in Spiritual Direction
(Regis College, Toronto Schools of Theology, University of Toronto, 2024)
- B.A.Sc. Adult Development
(University of Guelph, 2015)
- Bible School Certificate
(Bodenseehof, Torchbearers International, 2011)
Training
- Trauma-Informed Spiritual Direction
(Workshop with Don Webers of Homewood Health Centre, at Ignatius Jesuit Centre, 2024)
- Spiritual Direction with the 2SLGBTQ+
(Workshop with Tamara Shantz, at Ignatius Jesuit Centre, 2024)
Areas of Interest
- Contemplative prayer, Christian mysticism, sacramental theology
- Mental health, psychology, trauma, attachment
- Chronic illness
- Deconstruction / Reconstruction
- Interreligious dialogue