As you can imagine, Ignatian spirituality gives shape and texture to life at the CSTM. One cannot be here without breathing its spirit. Its way of proceeding flavors the mission, an approach to study, a style of prayer, and a focus on service. Ignatius of Loyola, the man who fashioned and articulated this rich tradition, was grounded in the long and deep legacy of Scripture and the Church’s Tradition but honed and styled it out of his own personal experience of God and through his vocation to gather a band of companions who would continue the mission into the future.
One of the perduring gifts of Ignatius’s experience is an approach to spiritual companionship or, as many refer to it, spiritual direction. Ignatius drew deeply on the wise counsel of holy people who could help him sort through the various stirrings of God’s Spirit in his heart in the process of discovering how God’s Spirit was leading him. Although God worked directly and powerfully with him at times, Ignatius never overlooked the wisdom of sharing his interior experiences with a soul friend, another who with love could validate and affirm or who could question and, perhaps, challenge his interpretation of how the Spirit was working.
The academic program at CSTM is rigorous, demanding time and energy. A common challenge for students is creating a daily routine that incorporates the multiple layers of formation – academic, human, spiritual, and ministerial – that together prepare a woman and a man for a life of public ministry. Like Ignatius, meeting with a wise companion to whom she or he can be accountable in this journey of integration is invaluable.
CSTM firmly embraces the tradition of spiritual direction as a centerpiece of student formation, providing various supports to make it accessible to students:
- A group of trained women and men spiritual directors are available to meet with students throughout their years at CSTM.
- Spiritual direction rooms are reserved that provide privacy and quiet.
- CSTM is able to allocate $100 per student once during the course of studies as a support for engaging in this wonderful resource.
Spiritual companionship is a gift to both the director and the one meeting with the director as reflected in the following testimonies:
“Spiritual direction is a place where students at the CSTM can explore how the God they are meeting in their studies is present in their hearts and active in their lives. The opportunity to bear witness to this spiritual integration through accompanying BC CSTM students in direction is a great joy and blessing.”
Sara Janecko Milone – Director
“Spiritual direction has been an integral part of my theological and ministerial education at the CSTM, providing me with a space to recognize, process, and integrate God’s action in the midst of challenging times and my own desires to respond to God’s call.”
Juan Miguel Espinoza Portocarrero – MDiv Student
The gift is there for the taking!