Discernment Resources

Find a Spiritual Director through the Angela Merici Center for Spirituality

The Angela Merici Center will be happy to help you find a spiritual director that will best meet your needs and desires or you may click here for a listing of spiritual directors associated with the Angela Merici Center.

Most spiritual directors in the Louisville area do have a fee that might range from $50-$60 for an hour session.  However, most spiritual directors will offer financial arrangements when needed.

Here are some questions to ask a potential spiritual director:
Please explain spiritual direction to me?  
Why did you decide to become a spiritual director?
What training have you received to become a spiritual director?
Do you regularly see a spiritual director?
What is “supervision” for a spiritual director?  Do you participate in ongoing supervision?  If not, why not?
What happens if we’re not a “good fit”? Am I receiving what I need and desire in our time together?  Do I feel like I am being heard?  Does my relationship with this spiritual director feel like a good fit?

If you have any questions or would like to set up an appointment, please contact the Angela Merici Center for Spirituality at 502-896-3945.

Enroll in the School of Ministry

The School of Ministry is a collaborative approach to the formation of lay ministers and deacons in the Diocese of Kentucky. This two-year course of study located at All Saints Center provides those seeking a better understanding of the many ways of doing ministry and a way to discern their gifts and carry out their ministry.

Content covered in the two programs include: Spirituality, Human Behavior, Hebrew Scripture, New Testament, Church History, Pastoral Care, Community Organization, Asset-Based Community Development, Congregational Development, Ethics, Theology, Outreach, Diakonia, Liturgy, Church System, and Homiletics.

Sessions begin at 5:30 p.m. on Friday night and conclude at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. It is the expectation that all students will remain onsite at All Saints Center for the duration of each weekend, and will attend every weekend of the program.

For more information contact The Rev. Rose Bogal-Allbritten, Director, School of Ministry. Email: rosebogal@gmail.com

Additional Reading

Discernment

Henri Nouwen
In Discernment, Nouwen teaches us how to read the "signs of the times" in daily life in order  to make decisions that are ultimately guided by God. Nouwen emphasizes listening to the  Word of God—in our hearts, in the Bible, in the community of faith, and in the voice of  the poor. Nouwen's thoughts on discernment begin to answer one of the biggest questions  we face: what should I do with my life? 

Listening Hearts

Suzanne Farham
Written to make the often elusive and usually clergy-centered spiritual practice of  discernment accessible to all people, Listening Hearts features simple reflections and  exercises drawn from scripture and from Quaker and Ignatian traditions. 

A Hidden Wholeness

Parker Palmer
"The soul is generous: it takes in the needs of the world. The soul is wise: it suffers  without shutting down. The soul is hopeful: it engages the world in ways that keep  opening our hearts. The soul is creative: it finds its way between realities that might  defeat us and fantasies that are mere escapes. All we need to do is to bring down the  wall that separates us from our own souls and deprives the world of the soul's re generative powers." 
A Hidden Wholeness

Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life

Richard Rohr
In Falling Upward, Fr. Richard Rohr seeks to help readers understand the tasks of  the two halves of life and to show them that those who have fallen, failed, or "gone  down" are the only ones who understand "up." Most of us tend to think of the sec and half of life as largely about getting old, dealing with health issues, and letting  go of life, but the whole thesis of this book is exactly the opposite. What looks like  falling down can largely be experienced as "falling upward." In fact, it is not a loss  but somehow actually a gain, as we have all seen with elders who have come to their fullness. 

The Holy Longing: The Search for a Christian Spirituality


Ronald Rolheiser
In The Holy Longing, Ronald Rolheiser probes the question “What is spirituality?” cutting through the misunderstanding and confusion that can often surround this subject with his trademark clarity. Using examples and stories relevant for today, and with  great sensitivity to modern challenges to religious faith, he explains the essentials of  spiritual life, including the importance of community worship, the imperatives sur rounding social action, and the centrality of the Incarnation, to outline a Christian spirituality that reflects the yearning and search for meaning at the core of the human experience.  

The Sacred Fire: A Vision for a Deeper Human and Christian Maturity

Ronald Rolheiser
With his trademark acuity, wit, and thoughtfulness, Rolheiser shows how identifying  and embracing discipleship will lead to new heights of spiritual awareness and maturity. In this new book, Rolheiser takes us on a journey through the dark night of the  senses and of the spirit. Here, we experience the full gamut of human life, pleasure  and fervor, disillusionment and boredom. But, as Rolheiser explains, when we embrace the struggle and yearning to know God we can experience, too, a profound reunderstanding in our daily lives.