Spiritual Growth Ministries

SPIRITUAL DIRECTION

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Mission Statement /Purpose

The goal of our Ministry is to help individuals discern how the Holy Spirit is personally leading them. It is our hope that through Spiritual Direction one can recognize that God has a unique and distinct plan for each person's life. God has allowed us different talents, experiences, and vocations so that we can use our gifts to better love and serve others. Our vision is that through personal prayer, meditation, and striving for holiness we may one day attain sanctity. It is the intent of our ministry to help Christians hear God’s calling and ultimately fulfill Christ’s greatest commandment; to love others as he has loved us. (John 13:34)

What is Spiritual Direction?

Spiritual direction is the private guidance which involves the director, directee, and the Holy Spirit. It is a session where the spiritual director will listen with an “ear from the heart” and help the directee tell their story of unfolding grace. The directee meets with the director as a companion to best identify the footprints of the Holy Spirit in every day life. The spiritual director helps establish good prayer practices and or meditation with the directee to form a relationship with God.  Questions and dialogue are interchanged between the director and the directee as they decipher the workings of the Holy Spirit towards a path to a strengthened relationship with Christ. Spiritual Direction is a trusting and confidential relationship established over a period of time so that one can come to a better understanding of God's plan for their life.

History

Spiritual Direction has its roots in early Christianity where the gospels illustrate Jesus mentoring his disciples. We also find that the apostles served as spiritual directors as well. Scripture gives evidence of this in Paul's pastoral letters to Philemon, Timothy, and Titus. The letters are filled with spiritual advice, guiding the recipients into a life of faith and love through Christ. We also find traces of spiritual direction in the lives of Saint Benedict, St. Teresa of Avila and St. John whom also serve as examples of the early origins of spiritual directors that served Christ.

About Us

As a believer of Christ, Cathy Hoover made a pilgrimage with her mother and sister to Medjugorje. Medjugorje’s literal interpretation means, “between mountains” and could honestly reflect the mountains Hoover would have to climb to get where God wanted her to be. While in Medjugorje and throughout her journey she felt God was preparing her for an unexpected change in her life. Several months later, she lost her husband and didn’t know how she would rise above the mountains life had placed in front of her. Guided by the grace of God, she began her quest through spiritual direction to determine what it was that God wanted from her. Feeling a call to pursue an education in Spiritual Development, she became certified as a Spiritual Director at the Loyola Marymount University and Center for Spiritual Development and graduated from Loyola Marymount University’s Catholic Bible Institute.  

Equipped with the tools she needed, she felt it in heart to share with others the new found joy and peace God had blessed her with. In January 2010, Cathy Hoover and an assembly gathered together for a town hall meeting to discuss the possibilities Spiritual Direction could have on our Parish and in the Long Beach community. Having been guided by the Holy Spirit, Cathy Hoover felt a calling to implement a Spiritual Direction ministry at Our Lady of Refuge Catholic Church. After much prayer and discussion with Fr. Ray Morales, it was apparent that there was a need for a Spiritual Director at our parish. On February 12, 2010 a steering committee for a Spiritual Direction Ministry was formed. Like early spiritual directors, the Holy Spirit led Cathy Hoover on a path where she enables others to trust and believe that the trinity is at work in the world and within us today. Her Articles can be found in the Parish bulletin and she continues to help people deepen their relationship with Christ through this ministry.

Spiritual Direction