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Spiritual Director Via Email Or Phone?


Carson

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Hello! Carson here. I'm very interested in meeting with a spiritual director to further my discernment. Unfortunately, I'm not able to meet with any face-to-face right now. Is there any that I can speak with through email or maybe phone for free? Thanks!

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MarysLittleFlower

I would simply ask the director! I think in the old days people wrote letters... I wouldn't put such person stuff on email or even phone but maybe write a letter?

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  • 2 weeks later...
Spem in alium

If your parish has vocations resources, perhaps check with them - also, you may like to talk to your parish priest. Otherwise, your diocese's website will likely have information about who you could contact,. I know some directors are willing to work via Skype also.

I would also personally be hesitant to send personal information, particularly relating to spiritual matters, via email, but it's really up to you and the director. :)

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I would recommend starting by calling your diocese and asking for a list of spiritual directors.  Most dioceses have such a list and are willing to share.  See if there are any in your area and call them up to ask about virtual Spiritual Direction, each spiritual director has their own perspective on this.  I obviously don't know your situation and don't want to make any assumptions, but if you are pursuing spiritual direction to help with your discernment, I would encourage you to make spiritual direction a priority and see if there's any way for you to do it face-to-face.  I think virtual SD can yield the same outcome, but you miss out on developing a warm and friendly rapport that's lost in e-mail.  Good luck in your search!

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Also some spiritual directors are willing to come to you - so that might be an option if you can find someone in your area that doesn't mind visiting with you in a place that's accessible for you. 

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I would simply ask the director! I think in the old days people wrote letters... I wouldn't put such person stuff on email or even phone but maybe write a letter?

​That actually sounds really cool! I love writing letters!

If your parish has vocations resources, perhaps check with them - also, you may like to talk to your parish priest. Otherwise, your diocese's website will likely have information about who you could contact,. I know some directors are willing to work via Skype also.

I would also personally be hesitant to send personal information, particularly relating to spiritual matters, via email, but it's really up to you and the director. :)

Wow, I didn't even think about skype! That would probably be my best alternative.

I would recommend starting by calling your diocese and asking for a list of spiritual directors.  Most dioceses have such a list and are willing to share.  See if there are any in your area and call them up to ask about virtual Spiritual Direction, each spiritual director has their own perspective on this.  I obviously don't know your situation and don't want to make any assumptions, but if you are pursuing spiritual direction to help with your discernment, I would encourage you to make spiritual direction a priority and see if there's any way for you to do it face-to-face.  I think virtual SD can yield the same outcome, but you miss out on developing a warm and friendly rapport that's lost in e-mail.  Good luck in your search!

​Thanks! I've checked with my diocese, and the problem is is that there aren't any spiritual directors close to where I live, or even nearby. The closest one is quite a while away.

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Normally, SDs prefer that you meet them in person, at least initially. After that, they can sometimes be open to contact over the phone or skype etc. However, it is dependent on the individual person, circumstances and the director. Your parish priest would probably be the best person to advise you for the time being.

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My spiritual director is a religious sister from a community I was discerning with until we realised that my disability would make it impossible for me to manage with them. By this point the community and I had become good friends and they were interested in my vocation even though it couldn't be with them, so their vocation director offered to be my SD. We communicate almost entirely by e-mail as I live so far away from them now. However, the correspondence did come out of a face-to-face relationship, and I visit a couple of times a year. I don't know how it would work if we'd never seen each other. I think the best person to ask would be your priest, as others have said, or to contact your nearest retreat centre and consult them - they must have known other people who don't live within easy reach of an SD.

 

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AccountDeleted

I'm with spem in alium on this - if you really can't do face-to-face, then Skype is a great alternative. I have had quite a few different types of interviews via Skype and the immediacy of response and the actual sight of the other person makes it much better than simple emails. Good luck.

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Hello! Carson here. I'm very interested in meeting with a spiritual director to further my discernment. Unfortunately, I'm not able to meet with any face-to-face right now. Is there any that I can speak with through email or maybe phone for free? Thanks!

​I would skype or you could call but if you want him to understand you to the full you should visit him/her .

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