What is Group Spiritual Direction?
Spiritual Direction allows individuals to deepen their awareness of God in their lives and experience God’s love with their spiritual companion. In Group Spiritual Direction, participants act as each other’s spiritual companions. They listen attentively to each others’ life encounters, allow the Spirit of God to work through them, and help others tend to their souls by offering support and prayerful response to the sharing. In this way, Group Spiritual Direction is a prayer. We talk to God and listen to God.
Why participate in Group Spiritual Direction?
God is always reaching out to us, but we may not be aware of His presence. God can also work through any of us without our awareness. If you have ever asked “Where is God in this?”, then Spiritual Direction may be what you need to help you notice God in your life circumstances. Group Spiritual Direction allows participants to enjoy God’s promptings and the fellowship of others who are also seeking God on their spiritual journey. There is joy in the experience of sharing spiritual encounters without judgement, and being listened to carefully and deeply!
What happens in Group Spiritual Direction?
Participants are spiritual companions for one another. Companions take turns to be the Seeker while others are Listeners. Seeker shares his/her story and enjoys the attentive listening of others. Listeners listen to the Seeker with a contemplative heart. In silence, they pay attention to God’s stirrings and allow the Spirit to intercede for them. Listeners then offer messages and support to the Seeker after that experience. In Group Spiritual Direction, the messages prompted by the Spirit are seldom directed to the Seeker alone. Often, we are not aware of our own challenges in our spiritual life or we may not be able to articulate them. The messages from the group give insights to individual Listener for his/her own spiritual direction and growth. In the process, participants are all drawn closer to God.
Facilitators for our Group Spiritual Direction help companions stay focus on the process. Meet our facilitators:
Sister Eileen Power, CND
Eileen Power, a member of the Congregation of Notre Dame of Montreal (CND), has engaged in education and faith development for many years. As a teacher, Chaplaincy Team Leader, retreat facilitator and spiritual director, she continues to learn and grow along with those with whom she is graced to journey. She has an MDiv from St Michael’s College, University of Toronto and a Diploma in Spiritual Direction from the Haden Institute.
Therese Lee
Therese is an active seeker of truth. She spent years studying mathematical truths and has a PhD from University of Waterloo in Combinatorics and Optimization. She was later captivated by the truth in faith and began passionately organizing WHY@Breakfast events. For several years, she was a member of the Steering Committee of Christians Together Waterloo Region, an ecumenical gathering of Christian communities in Waterloo Region for exchange of ideas and for common service. Therese earned a Certificate of Pastoral Ministry from St. Peter’s Seminary in London, Ontario in 2018. She completed the Spiritual Direction program from the Haden Institute in 2022.
Meeting Times:
We are excited to offer Group Spiritual Direction again in Fall 2025! Our companions will meet online on September 27th, 2025 for an introduction, followed with bi-weekly sessions starting on October 18th. The schedule and topics are as follows:
Meetings always start promptly at 9:30 AM and end before 11:30AM.
Who may join us?
If you long for a deeper sense of God’s presence in your life and you sense that sharing this quest with other like-minded individuals may help you build a dynamic relationship with God, then you should prayerfully consider joining our Group Spiritual Direction. We ask participants to commit to four consecutive meetings so that companions may be comfortable to share their stories.
How to join us?
If you are interested in joining our Group Spiritual Direction, please send email to whyatbreakfast@gmail.com to indicate your desire to tread on this spiritual journey to talk and to listen to God. Further information will be provided at that time.
WHY@Breakfast 