Michelle Cimaroli, aci’s Hope for Spiritual Direction
“Knowing that we carry our formation as spiritual directors with us in every encounter, I hope that spiritual directors would bring their listening, discerning disposition everywhere they go. People are so desperate to be authentically heard. How much good it would do if all the people we meet were received as we strive to receive our directees.
Group spiritual direction can be a powerful way to cultivate a synodal church, to learn to see how God is moving in others and in the community. I hope that more spiritual directors would be prepared to offer group spiritual direction and make it more known to help make a synodal church flourish.
I hope there’s an increase of spiritual directors from outside the West and that formation in spiritual direction will diversify and help affirm experiences of God that might not typically arise from a western disposition. This could help the church to grow in communion across cultural differences. ”
This month’s reflection is offered by Michelle Cimaroli, aci (she/her). Michelle has been a Handmaid of the Sacred Heart of Jesus for fifteen years and is currently serving as the Director of St. Raphaela Center outside Philadelphia. She is finishing a two-year spiritual direction formation program at the Murphy Center for Ignatian Spirituality at Fairfield University. Michelle is passionate about synodality, encouraging women's pastoral gifts and leadership, and creating spaces of safety, belonging and justice.
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