Spiritual direction is the practice of being with people as they attempt to deepen their relationship with God, a prayerful ministry by which one Christian accompanies another as they discern the place and work of God in their life.
The writers William Barry and William Connolly describe it as the “help given by one Christian to another which enables that person to pay attention to God’s personal communication to him or her, to respond to this personally communicating God, to grow in intimacy with this God, and to live out the consequences of the relationship.” Or, as someone put it more pithily, “spiritual direction is a conversation that is going somewhere.”
The Launde Abbey ministry team are always happy to offer spiritual direction to guests whenever possible. This usually means a conversation of up to an hour, in private, with one of our team. We’ll give you space to talk about whatever you need to talk about, we’ll reflect with you on how God might be at work in the circumstances you face and, if appropriate, we’ll also pray with you.
If you think you’d value seeing someone for spiritual direction during your stay, please talk with our Reception team before you come (if possible, when you book). They’ll pass on the details of your booking to the ministry team, and we’ll do everything we can to make someone available.
It can be more difficult to offer spiritual direction after a last-minute request, but we’re almost always able to take a little time to chat and pray with you for a few minutes.