SpiritualDirection – Saint Anne Catholic Community

Spiritual Direction

Spiritual Direction is an ancient tradition. Its main purpose is to help you deepen your relationship with God by journeying alongside a trained director who has been called into this special ministry. In one-on-one, meetings you have sacred time to explore your personal relationship with God by discussing how you experience, or don’t experience the movements of the Holy Spirit in your life.

Our spiritual journey can be mysterious and difficult to navigate at times. During a meeting you can speak about anything going on in your life that you wish to bring, and you will be closely listened to with an ear for discerning how is God showing up in your story. The Spiritual Director is trained and experienced in sacred listening and will hold the space you share in prayer for God’s grace.

Helps those searching for relevance in God.
Assists individuals in articulating their God experiences.
Supports those who are experiencing life’s transitions when it feels like God is distant.
Provides a safe place for people to have their stories heard.
Is open-ended on the individual’s needs.

Spiritual Direction does not tell you how to act or what to do, rather it helps shine light on the aspects of your life that you bring forth. It is not psychological counseling or psychotherapy.

Who walks with you on your journey?

All of our spiritual directors have completed rigorous internships in Spiritual Direction. Meetings are typically held once a month for about an hour. Financial contributions are arranged between you and your director. They generally range between $35 to $100 per session, depending on your circumstances. No one is turned away due to financial ability.

If you are interested in exploring spiritual direction, please send an email to Spiritual_Direction@stannebarrington.org or leave a voice mail message at 847-620-3056 to find out more. An initial conversation can help you discern if this journey will benefit you. If so, then a determination of which director is best suited to meet your needs will be made and a mutually agreeable time and meeting place will be set up between you and your director.

The Spiritual Directors function independently from the Saint Anne parish staff to ensure confidentiality. If you have any questions, please contact Fr. Rodolfo Ramirez at rramirez@stannebarrington.org or 847-382-5300.

Meet Our Spiritual Directors

Paul Horcher

I am grateful to be part of the Spiritual Direction Team. I have been a parishioner at Saint Anne basically my entire life. I have been married to my wife Lisa for 36 years, have 6 adult children and 3 grandchildren. I have been sitting with people in spiritual direction for 10 years.

I completed a 3-year spiritual direction internship in the Ignatian tradition at Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House in Barrington Hills. I am very familiar with Ignatian spirituality. I am a seeker and I have been involved in a number of formation and self-discovery journeys over the last 25 years including:

• Graduated from the Archdiocese Called & Gifted Lay Ministry
• Served as a minister of care in the hospital for 20 years
• Participated in numerous retreats and mission trips for juniors and seniors in high school
• Studied spirituality at the Catholic Theological Union
• Completed an extensive study of St. John Paul II‘s Theology of the Body with the Theology of the Body Institute in Pennsylvania
• Researched extensively aspects of men’s spirituality
• Completed the 2-year Living School through the Center for Action and Contemplation
• Continuing a deep dive in nature, discovering its gifts for our wholeness, and delving into dream work

I long to help people uncover their true self and discover how desperately they are loved. My perspective is God’s love is all encompassing and can be found in every situation. God desires our healing and wholeness more than we can imagine and continuously beckons us to it and uses all of creation to do so.

Carol C. Pankros

I am grateful to be a part of both Holy Family and Saint Anne Spiritual Direction ministry. I welcome you into this journey where God’s loving presence is leading us in conversation and prayer.

Several years ago, I met with a Spiritual Director and it changed my life.

I was so grateful to have had the experience of discovering how God was an intimate part of my daily life. He is here for us even when we don’t see or hear Him. I am grateful to walk with others as we experience God’s love and care.

This life journey is what brought me into Spiritual Direction: the desire to listen and encourage others as they walk in their journey with God. I call our sessions “holding space” with someone centered and grounded in God’s love. I offer our time together to be a confidential listening resource for whatever feelings you may be experiencing.

My Spiritual Direction training has been with Bellarmine Jesuit House in Barrington, IL in their three year program with ongoing resources. My practice is centered in Ignatian tradition. Over the years, I’ve been involved with several church ministries, of which the richest of my experiences were those that involved forming relationships centered in faith.

I am a member of Holy Family Parish, married to my husband, Paul. We have two daughters, two son in laws, and 6 grandchildren. I am retired from my career which provided me so much enjoyment on both a professional and personal level.

I welcome everything that comes to me today.

Fr Thomas Keating, from the “Welcome Prayer”

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