ESDA New Member Reception

This is an event for ESDA’s New Members. We invite you to join our online reception, allowing you to learn more about the association and to meet our team.

ESDA Community Life Event- June 2023

This Community Life event will focus on small group interaction for spiritual directors with spiritual directors. The conversations will be guided by a reflective prompt–lectio divina, visio divina, a personal reflection, or a relevant topic to our ministries with directees. All spiritual directors are welcome whether ESDA members or not.

A Conversation with Michel Hendricks

Why does spiritual transformation seem fleeting? And why do Christian communities often seem shallow? Michel Hendricks asked these questions when he met neurotheologian, Jim Wilder, and discovered what's been missing from his church community and spiritual life.

2023 ESDA Gathering

Our 7th annual ESDA Gathering was held at the Franciscan Renewal Center in Phoenix, Arizona. The title was Gathering is Holding the Soul: Exploring God's Design for Transformation.

Our 2024 Gathering, February 25-29, will also be at the Franciscan and our theme is The Stories We Believe: Uncovering Shame in Spiritual Direction. Registration will officially open in July 2023. We hope you will join us!

Deepening Self Awareness - How Our Enneagram Patterns Influence Our Practice

This online Seminar with Marilyn Vancil focused on how we, as Spiritual Directors, can be more fully present to our directees and to God. We explored the Enneagram’s unbounded invitation to draw closer to the center of God’s love while reimagining how we are called to move into our spiritual direction practices with greater freedom and authenticity.

Creating a Formational Retreat Experience

Do you have a desire to offer a formative retreat experience? Have you hesitated wondering where to begin? Do you offer retreats and are looking for a fresh perspective? These are some of the questions we explored with Mindy Caligure, co-founder and team leader at Soul Care. We explored together the various ways to create a deep and rich experience for others.

A Conversation about Deconstruction

What does it mean to deconstruct one’s faith? Is this a dangerous 21st century trend or is there something valuable about pulling apart one’s belief system? This seminar explored common experiences of deconstruction and how you can be present with directees who may be questioning the foundations of their faith.

A Conversation with Sharon Brown: Using Story as a Tool for Discernment

During this virtual event we explored the role of story in discernment with the author of Sensible Shoes and fellow ESDA member, Sharon Garlough Brown.

Life in the Body Virtual Event Series : Session 3 - Pictures of Hope in the Church

In this session you will hear from church leaders who are experiencing the movement of the Spirit in their church bodies--in all its glory and messiness. Their stories can cast a vision for what is possible and renew hope as you move into God’s call in your church relationship.

Life in the Body Virtual Event Series : Session 2- Honoring Relationships

This session explored how you can be spiritually healthy and loving in your church relationships while responding to God’s call, whether that is to stay, pursue change or leave your current situation.

Life in the Body Virtual Event Series : Session 1- An Honest Conversation About Church

In this session we honestly explored what it can feel like to be disconnected or frustrated by church. Acknowledging the truth gives us a place to begin dialoguing with God about what we do from here.

ESDA Virtual Event: The Long Range Effects of COVID

Dr. Genalin Niere Metcalf explores the effects of our collective and prolonged societal trauma, complicated by politics, polarization, racial unrest, vaccine controversies, and personal loss.

ESDA Virtual Event: Spiritual Direction and Diversity: Tools for Greater Sensitivity

Without awareness, understanding, and training in intercultural encounters we can easily close the doors that we desire to open. ESDA Members Brenda Darby & Ellen Kuo shared tools for greater sensitivity.

ESDA Virtual Event: Tools of Discernment

Father Mark Thibodeaux, has written on discernment and Ignatian spirituality, and shares tools that can help us and our directees in the discernment process.

ESDA Virtual Event: Guiding Directees from Head to Heart

In this session, Dr. Betsy Barber will discuss tools that encourage directees to explore the meaning and emotional context of their lives.

ESDA Virtual Event: Styles of Direction

Fr Ryan Bradley discusses direction styles from a historical perspective, in relation to other contemporary forms of one-another ministries, and how our personal giftedness can play a role when we meet with directees.