---

In May, Sister Katherine "Kitty" Hanley, CSJ, will retire as director of St. Bernard's School of Theology and Ministry in Albany to walk on holy ground.

"Holy Ground" is a new formation program for spiritual directors in the Albany Diocese, co-founded by Sister Kitty and Rev. Thomas Konopka. Sister Kitty has led SBSTM for a decade; Father Konopka, a clinical social worker, is director of the Consultation Center in Albany and sacramental minister for St. Clare's parish in Colonie.

There is a need for more local spiritual directors, the pair said. Sister Kitty noted that people attending the Diocese's Kateri Institute for lay ministry formation, new Catholics joining the Church and others seek spiritual directors to help them "see what God is doing in their lives." Last year, 57 people came to just the Consultation Center for spiritual direction.

"It's wonderful if you're contemplating a life change [or] you've come through a period of stress or growth or come to know God in a new way," said Sister Kitty.

A spiritual director usually meets monthly with directees, who talk about how God is working in their lives as the director listens, reflects back what's being said and asks questions to guide deeper reflection. Spiritual directors can explain different forms of prayer and must have a solid understanding of Scripture.

Sister Kitty knows of about three dozen Catholic and Protestant spiritual directors in the area, but said that, since there isn't a license required to do spiritual direction, it can sometimes be difficult for those looking for a director to gauge whether someone has the right training for the job.

"Just because someone is a priest or religious doesn't mean they have the charism" to be a spiritual director, said Father Konopka, adding that there had only been one course in spiritual direction when he was in the seminary.

"It's an art," he said. "You sit with a person, throw their life up on the wall and say, 'How is God present in all this?' [But] you can only walk with someone as far as you've walked yourself."

St. Bernard's offers an "introduction to spiritual direction" course, but the Holy Ground program will include a practicum and supervision for directors in formation.

The co-founders researched programs offered by Creighton and Fordham Universities and elsewhere. They'll also draw on their own experience. Sister Kitty sees about 10 directees; Father Konopka brings to the table clinical skills in psychology.

The two-year program, which will begin in September, is limited to 16 students. For the first year, the group will meet monthly for prayer and discussion of subjects like listening skills, boundaries, approaches to prayer, discernment and the impact of family on spiritual development.

Listening is key to Sister Kitty. She said a good potential spiritual director is someone who is often approached by others to talk about spiritual things, not someone who complains, "Everybody tells me their troubles."

Father Konopka added: "In our busy, fast-paced world, we've lost the art of listening. We think we're listening to God, and we're listening to our own ego. Our core task [as spiritual directors] is to be deep, deep listeners. We see this in every religious tradition: looking for a master, a teacher. People are searching for the divine."

Each month's Holy Ground session will welcome a different presenter; already confirmed are Sister Eleanor Guerin, RSM; Deacon Charles Hall; Rev. Tony Kall, OFM Conv.; and Sister Christine Partisano, CSJ.

The program's second year will focus on individual and group supervision. Participants will be expected to have two directees with whom they meet regularly; the directors-in-training will bring transcripts of their meetings to discuss how they responded to directees and get feedback.

"It's our call to grow in our spiritual life," said Father Konopka. "I don't know what I would have done without the [spiritual directors] I've had."

The program will be called Holy Ground, Sister Kitty added, because "the ground of your experience is holy ground. It is where God is working."

(To learn more about the Holy Ground program, contact Sister Kitty at 518-489-4431.)[[In-content Ad]]

---