Significance of Spiritual Direction in Diocesan Priestly Formation

Abstract

Priestly formation plays a vital role in the training of Catholic priests. Spiritual direction offers great assistance in priestly formation towards one’s personal, spiritual and pastoral life. In the priestly formation, spiritual development has not received the attention it deserves. Today, it is a challenge to find a suitable, trained director for spiritual direction. There are studies that affirm that seminarians complained of a lack of effective spiritual guidance and prayer experiences during the formation period. Many seminarians do not show interest in spiritual direction because they are not aware of its usefulness. A spiritual director can be an invaluable resource for a person seeking to grow in holiness and knowledge of the spiritual life. Many diocesan clergy today face difficulty helping people with prayer and spiritual life. In this background, there is a need for a study on the significance of spiritual direction for the diocesan priestly formation. The present article aims to provide guidelines for a spiritual director to be implemented in diocesan priestly formation, including an understanding of spiritual direction, its needs, goals, and challenges. The relevance and recommendations of spiritual direction for the diocesan priestly formation are discussed.