What is Spirituality?

Spirituality is about the extraordinary depth of our ordinary lives: our experience of God and how to discern the best shape our lives can take. All this is both uniquely personal and integral to the life of Church as a whole. Spirituality helps us to live and see well. It is part and parcel of what it is to live as Christians – and indeed as human beings.

The term Spirituality encompasses everything to do with our experience of God, an experience which comes by living in a relationship with Him, this relationship is grounded in prayer. The Spiritual Formation Team help to encourage, in many different ways, our practice of praying.  This is how we move from  knowing about Christ, to knowing him personally in a relationship.

Portsmouth 2023

What is the purpose of having a spiritual practice?

Within church there have been and are many styles of spirituality, all of which involve prayer and our experience of life. The task of The Spiritual Formation Team is to encourage and support ways of praying and reflecting which support our lives, the Church community and world in which we live.

“In prayer we attend to God and let God help us to find our best ‘agenda’. This might include asking for help, saying sorry and especially giving thanks. But prayer is primarily attending to God, however we go about it. We attend to God as a reality in our lives. Here presence, intimacy and listening matter, however we go about the wonder gift of prayer. For prayer is at one with our extraordinary ordinary lives, and with our lives as a whole.”

The Spiritual Formation Team offers to:

Connect individuals with their own fully trained personal Spiritual Director.
Facilitate ‘Weeks of Accompanied prayer’ in a parish setting.
Offer ‘Open Door Retreats ‘ an established nine week programme in Ignatian spirituality for small parish groups.
Offer retreats for specific liturgical seasons, or groups such as Parish Pastoral Councils, or Evangelisation Strategy teams. Mostly delivered on Zoom.
To support and help people in developing a prayer practice which is sustainable through the challenges of life.
Produce a newsletter ‘Spirituality News’ three times a year covering opportunities for retreats, events, conferences, continuing professional development for Spiritual Directors both from within and from outside the diocese . There are articles on different ways of praying, praying in different monastic traditions and seasonal prayer aids.

To accompany people on their spiritual journey, the Diocese has developed a spirituality team. The team is made up of ten spiritual companions who initiate and develop projects to support people in their spiritual practice.

Weeks of Accompanied Prayer

A week of accompanied prayer offers participants an opportunity to spend six days without the cost or difficulty of leaving home, but in as much of a retreat setting as they can establish in their daily life
After an opening meeting on Sunday afternoon, each person is assigned to a Spiritual Director and asked to meet with them either in person or on Zoom each day from Monday to Friday for 30 -45 minutes at a time which suits the individual. Nothing else is expected of participants other than to commit to half an hour of personal prayer each day and to bring a notebook, a bible and an open mind. God is indeed a ‘God of surprises’, and he will honour your willingness to take part in the week.
Each meeting is confidential and the prayer guide will suggest helpful scripture passages, poetry, images and many different ways of praying, all with the aim of establishing or re-establishing an ongoing prayer habit which suits the individual and can be sustained.
After a Week of Accompanied Prayer, if requested, the team can help to establish small ongoing faith sharing groups as part of the international fraternity of Christian Life Communities.

For more information contact spirituality@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk

Open Door Retreats

An opportunity to undertake a retreat ‘in your daily life’.
A nine-week programme of two hours each week in which groups of up to 10 meet, share and grow in faith and companionship. Sessions led by a trained leader are experiential and based on the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius of Loyola. Option for ongoing spiritual direction after the retreat.
Available ‘in parish’ or online via ‘zoom’.

For more information contact spirituality@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk

Spiritual Direction

Through the ministry of sacred listening, the Spiritual Director

Accompanies another person to help them to see more clearly how God is working in their life.
Supports that person in their personal growth with God as they live out a deepening relationship with him.

Spiritual Direction is for any adult who wishes to deepen their relationship with God at whatever stage in their life.

Who are our Spiritual Directors?

Spiritual Directors’ may be lay people, clergy or religious. They are people who take nurturing their own spiritual life seriously and will have undertaken specialist training in this area and receive direction themselves.   It is their privilege to welcome those they accompany at whatever stage they are in their journey with God.

Finding a Spiritual Director

Step One         Email:- spiritualdirectorsnetwork@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk

Step Two         A phone conversation will take place to find the best match and take into consideration any preferences

Step Three      Contact is made with a suitable and available Spiritual Director

Step Four        Meeting arranged between potential Director and Directee.

For more information contact spirituality@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk

What we hope to achieve by our support

Personal spiritual growth through the provision of a safe and non judgemental environment, through tailored individual accompaniment  to foster a deep and abiding love of Our Lord.

I have found healing and growth in exploring areas of my life in which I did not recognise or understand where God was.

I have found joy in new ways of praying tailored to me and my life.

A wonderful experience in which I encountered Christ as a friend.

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Would you like to receive our regular newsletter focussed on all things 'Spirituality'. Our newsletter includes stories, commentary articles, training opportunities and events.

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Do you have any Questions?

Please do be in touch with the team if you have a particular question or need further information about how we can support you.

Contact us at spirituality@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk

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