WNC Programs: The Art of Spiritual Companionship

A New Program Offering | Why Spiritual Companionship?
Course Description | A Teaching and Learning Community
Course Tuition and Application | Who Should Apply?

Applications Now Being Accepted for the 2008–2009
Art of Spiritual Companionship Course

The Art of Spiritual Companionship is designed to introduce the theory, spirituality and practice of the ancient Christian tradition of spiritual direction. Participants will discern with others their gift for spiritual guidance. Explore holy listening and hospitality, Christian spiritual disciplines, use of Scripture, tools for discernment, the mind-body-spirit connection, and norms of conduct for spiritual companions. Upon completion of the course, graduates may serve as spiritual resources to their faith communities to help others discern the work of the Spirit in their lives.

Why Spiritual Companionship?

Spiritual direction takes a variety of forms, ranging from professional formal relationships to more informal ways of befriending persons on their spiritual journeys. To be a Spiritual Companion means that one offers oneself to another as both a fellow traveler and a guide along the journey of faith. This course is designed to help churches and other faith communities to identify and equip those persons who may have the gift of offering spiritual guidance to others, but who have not had any formal training in spiritual direction.

Upon completion of this course, and having discerned with others their gift for the ministry of spiritual direction, Spiritual Companions will serve as resources in their faith communities for those who desire their help in discerning the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Some of the course graduates may choose to further their training in more advanced programs of study and accountability. This course does not certify people to provide services on a professional basis—including the charging of fees.

Course Description

The Art of Spiritual Companionship consists of fifteen Monday evening class sessions, 7–9 pm, from September through May, and a full day retreat at the beginning of the course. Each session will consist of lecture, discussion, worship and an experiential learning component. A variety of issues are addressed during the year, including such topics as types of spiritual direction, holy listening, Christian spiritual disciplines, forms of prayer, use of Scripture, discernment, forgiveness, healing, and norms of conduct for spiritual directors.

The course is a registered offering of the Cathedral College, which has been providing educational opportunities and transformative encounters for laity and clergy for nearly eighty years.

A Teaching and Learning Community

The course has been designed by an ecumenical team of highly qualified men and women who are themselves spiritual directors in various settings. This community of scholars and practitioners are also the teachers and guides for the learning community that will be formed during the year. Faculty has included:

Marjory Bankson is an author, artist and relational teacher. President of Faith@Work from 1985–2001, she currently produces Faith@Work magazine. A member of Seekers, a Church of the Saviour community, she has been a spiritual director there for 20 years.

Mary Kay Brown is a licensed clinical social worker with 20 years experience in trauma and hospice care. She has taught numerous courses on death and dying, grief and loss, and has served as an adjunct instructor at the University of Alaska teaching social work clinical practices. Mary Kay is currently in seminary studying for the ordained ministry.

Maureen Jenkins is a spiritual director, registered nurse, wife, mother and grandmother. A member of Spiritual Directors International, Maureen recently completed her final residency at the Shalem Institute for their Spiritual Formation Spiritual Guidance Program.

Howard Kempsell is an ordained Episcopal Priest with 27 years of providing Spiritual Direction. His undergraduate background includes pre-med, religion and personality and world religions. He has a Masters in Divinity degree, with an internship in Ministry in Higher Education and a doctorate in Spiritual Direction. His specialties include spiritual direction with students, faculty and staff, individuals with cross-cultural and inter-faith backgrounds, and persons who consider themselves spiritual but not religious. He is able to supplement spiritual direction with energy work.

Jean Milliken is an ordained Episcopal Priest and the Program Director of the Foundations for Spiritual Leadership Program clergy residency program at Christ Church, Alexandria, VA. She is a certified pastoral counselor and spiritual director whose emphasis is healing and wholeness—balancing a healthy body and mind, spiritual and emotional life.

Terri Lynn Simpson is the program manager and assistant director for the Cathedral Center for Prayer and Pilgrimage. She is a certified teacher of Centering Prayer, retreat leader and anam cara—spiritual companion in the Celtic tradition. Terri has over twenty years experience designing and implementing spiritual formation programs for both adults and children. A graduate of Wesley Theological Seminary, Terri is currently pursuing doctorate studies in spirituality and story.

Kathy Spaar is a spiritual director and a long-time educator in spiritual practices and environmental studies. She received spiritual formation training at the Shalem Institute in Bethesda, MD and training in spiritual direction at the Haden Institute in Hendersonville, NC. She is former Director of Religious Education at Little River United Church of Christ in Annandale, Va. where she founded a labyrinth ministry. She leads pilgrimage groups to Ireland and France, and is currently the pilgrimage assistant for the Center for Prayer and Pilgrimage.

Kathleen Henderson Staudt (Kathy) was trained in Spiritual Direction at the Washington Theological Union. As a poet, teacher and spiritual director, she delights in helping people to integrate mind, body and imagination as they explore God's presence in their lives. She teaches at the University of Maryland, Virginia Theological Seminary and Wesley Theological Seminary and is the author of Annunciations: Poems out of Scripture.

Eugene Sutton is Canon Pastor of Washington National Cathedral, and Director of the Cathedral Center for Prayer and Pilgrimage. He is a frequent leader of retreats and conferences throughout the nation on prayer, spirituality, and preaching. In addition to having served in parishes and on college campuses, he was assistant professor of homiletics and liturgics at Vanderbilt University Divinity School, and adjunct professor of preaching at General Theological Seminary. An author of several articles on preaching and spirituality, he is a contributor to the book The Diversity of Centering Prayer.

Course Tuition and Application

To enroll in the course which begins each fall, applications must be received by May 15, and the tuition for the program year is $750. The tuition must be paid by September 15. The Cathedral cannot offer scholarships, but applicants are encouraged to seek financial support from their own churches and faith communities.

Course enrollment is limited, so those interested are encouraged to complete their applications as soon as possible. Applicants will be notified of their status by June 30; and if accepted, a nonrefundable deposit of $250 must be received by July 30 to ensure a place in the fall class. For more information, e-mail tsimpson@cathedral.org, or call (202) 537-5246.

Click here for Application Form
For more information:
e-mail tsimpson@cathedral.org
or call (202) 537-5246

The success of The Art of Spiritual Companionship course will depend to a large extent on the quality of the learning community that will emerge, and that will depend on the regular attendance of each participant. Potential registrants who know that they will have to miss more than two sessions should wait to apply for the course the following year.

Who Should Apply?

Persons gifted in listening to others, grounded in their own spiritual practices of contemplative prayer and Bible study, and seeking ways to make these gifts available to others who seek to discern God’s will for their lives, are invited to apply. Good candidates may have already completed substantial programs in Christian education. They may be lay or clergy, male or female; some may be pastoral caregivers in their congregations, or they may be respected “elders” or people known for their spiritual wisdom, compassion and prayerfulness.