FAQ
Answers to the Most Asked Questions
WHAT FRAMES OF REFERENCE DO YOU HAVE THAT CONTRIBUTED TO
THE FORMATION OF YOUR SPIRITUALITY AND UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE?
When you are searching for a spiritual director it is vital that you find someone who is a good fit for you.
Therefore, on your search it is sometimes helpful to know a little bit about the director and what has formed their faith.
I hope the following gives you some information about my background that may offer you possible connection points.
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- I grew up Catholic and have remained so all of my life. However, I worked at a protestant church in ministry
and administrative positions for 13 years and have close friends from several different Christian denominations.
I appreciate the gifts other Christian denominations have to offer and find my faith enriched by the many parts of
the body of Christ. See the question below on Catholics/Protestants/Seekers for more on this topic.
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- I am a member of a Secular Institute of the Franciscan charism. A Secular Institute is a form of consecrated life in the Church, and
God-willing, will eventually profess the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience. I have also discerned with an active order and a monastic order for extended times in my life making me sensitive to, and supportive of those in vocational discernment.
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- I worked as a behavior therapy aide and teacher of Exceptional children for many years, specializing in children
on the Autism spectrum and understand to a degree the trials that parents of children with exceptional needs face.
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- I have served in positions of leadership and ministry as a woman and am sensitive to the challenges that can accompany this call.
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- I live with Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (a chronic lifelong syndrome) and am sensitive to the
many ways this shapes ones life. While this syndrome does not define me, I have found that those suffering from MCAS and other chronic illnesses do not always have adequate support. Faith is a way that many of us overcome daily challenges and it
can be helpful to have someone who understands this unique perspective.
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DO YOU ONLY SPIRITUALLY
COMPANION CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN'S?
HOW DO YOU RESPOND TO PROTESTANTS AND SEEKERS OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH?
I am a Catholic Christian and love my Catholic faith. I am faithful to the Magisterium and to the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
However, I deeply respect and honor the value of other Christian faith traditions. I welcome and find great joy in spiritually companioning Protestant Christians, those discerning becoming Catholic (RCIA/OCIA), and those who are seeking God and discerning becoming Christians for the first time or returning to the Christian faith. In fact, this is a passion of my ministry and a value of my calling to consecrated life. If I discern that my beliefs will conflict with a part of your journey with Christ, I will let you know up front if I feel that I would be of inadequate support to you and will make recommendations to you of other spiritual directors who will be a better fit.
CAN SPIRITUAL DIRECTION REALLY TAKE PLACE ONLINE?
The short answer is: Absolutely!
Participating in spiritual direction sessions online might sound very strange to you and I certainly understand the hesitation!
Yet more and more people are finding that they can have deep and meaningful sessions online. The Holy Spirit is gloriously
not limited by physical distance, some people even experience greater focus during online sessions.
Online direction can give you added flexibility with time (no travel time, and different time zones creates more meeting time options), consistency (for instance, if you or director moves your direction remains unaffected), the comfort of meeting from your
own sacred space, and a greater level of confidentiality. It can be a reassuring and more freedom knowing that your spiritual director
does not know your church, pastor, neighbor, spouse, etc. and won't run into you at the grocery store!
The best thing to do if you are hesitant is to try it out and see if it works for you. If you find that meeting online does not work for you,
and you are not in my local vicinity, I will be happy to help you find a director in your local area.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I CONTACT YOU?
If you contact me with inquiries about a particular service that I provide you will get a personal email from me
answering your specific questions. If you have questions about starting spiritual direction, you can message me on the website or send me an email and I will get back to you at my earliest convenience. If you think you are ready to schedule an Introduction to Spiritual Direction Session you can do so at any time. The Intro Session is a free time for you to ask questions, meet me, hear about my training and style of direction and for us to prayerfully consider together if we are a good fit as director and directee.
We will end this introduction session in prayer. Then, if after some time you discern that you would like to continue in monthly direction, you let me know and I will send you two forms: an information form and my ethics agreement which outlines my commitments to you. You can then schedule your first monthly session whenever you would like and we will be off on a beautiful journey!
WHY DO YOU ASK FOR DONATIONS AND WHAT DO YOU DO WITH THEM?
Spiritual Direction is a ministry first and foremost, and it should always be treated as such. Each spiritual director must carefully
pray and discern what is right for them and their situation. Many spiritual directors have a job and offer spiritual direction
outside of their regular work hours. This can afford them the ability to offer direction free of donation. Likewise, some churches and retreat centers hire spiritual directors to provide free spiritual direction to people. It's a beautiful gift!
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Early on in my training it was very clear that God was calling me to offer spiritual direction full-time. This means I do not have
another job to support my life, ministry, and religious vocation. My life as a spiritual director works hand in hand with my religious vocation and life of prayer, both feed one another and lift the other up. Your donations help me pay day to day bills, pay off the
debt from my training in spiritual direction, tithe to my local church and community, pay the annual costs of Zoom/website,
support my Secular Institute and offer spiritual direction services to those who cannot afford to donate.
Donating also has the unexpected blessing of proclaiming and investing in our worth in God.
Our soul care and relationship with God is worth valuing, investing in, and fighting for.
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To keep spiritual direction rooted in a generous and ministerial spirit I make the following financial commitments:
- I offer monthly direction on a sliding scale that fits most budgets. Directees are encouraged to pray
about what they are led to donate within that range based on what they are able and led to give.
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- I submit all of my finances to a high level of accountability
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- I never turn away anyone for inability to pay and provide resources for flexible donating and help in finding sponsors.
WHAT IS YOUR CANCELLATION POLICY?
WHAT HAPPENS IF I NEED TO RESCHEDULE?
If you need to cancel or reschedule for any reason, I request that you make your donation
on the day of the originally scheduled session. This donation will be applied to your next scheduled session, making your rescheduled session pre-paid. I have adopted this policy because when I hold time for your session, it prevents others
from scheduling during that time. However, there is no penalty for cancelling and rescheduling.
If you are able to let me know 24 hours in advance about the need to cancel that is helpful, but I understand that
there are times when that is not possible. If you need to cancel your session simply send me an email
and I will cancel your session and you can reschedule when it is convenient for you.
I keep records of donations and attendance so there will always be a record of your balance.