For Those Who Want to Learn or Deepen the Practice of Group Spiritual Direction
Whether you are new to Group Spiritual Direction, wish to explore it further, or are seeking support and guidance for forming a group, please consider joining us for this virtual workshop on Zoom. Participants will experience Group Spiritual Direction (GSD) each day with an experienced facilitator and deepen their contemplative grounding for this prayer practice through authentic sharing and faithful listening.
Participants will immerse themselves in our virtual spiritual community as they experience Group Spiritual Direction and explore their own call to this ministry. Through live experiential learning, presentations, small GSD groups, and prayerful silence, participants will steep themselves in the contemplative grounding which is the heart of this ministry. Presentations will include an introduction to the practice of Group Spiritual Direction, as well as introductions to the themes of prayerful listening, spiritual community, discernment, and intercessory prayer. Each person will have the opportunity to experience and practice this listening/ sharing process which aids depth, trust, and healing. Together, participants will discover how this process can transform the world.
This workshop will be offered live on Zoom with experienced staff present. The first part of our time each day will be in the full group with presentations from the staff and some experiential exercises. The second part will be in small listening groups facilitated by experienced staff members. The groups will follow the Group Spiritual Direction process that Shalem teaches, which is based on the book Group Spiritual Direction, by Rose Mary Dougherty. All of this will be woven in prayer!
Because both the teaching and small groups are foundational to the group spiritual direction practice, it is essential that participants commit to participating fully in the entire workshop.
In preparation for this workshop, please consider preparing a quiet, private, sacred space in your home that will support your prayerful participation in this workshop. It is important that participants are available for each of the workshop’s teaching and small group sessions.