Being fully online has made the MSD program very convenient for many people. We also recognize that this convenience can also make it difficult to fully disconnect from the activities and responsibilities of daily life.
Therefore, we highly encourage you to be very intentional about building in space prior to and after each class session so that you can prepare your mind and heart to the work of the Spirit in the MSD program. This may include finding a quiet place to rest in silence, to take a prayer walk, or seek God’s presence as you soak in some inspirational music. Some students who live in a bustling home have found it wise to participate in sessions at an alternate location, such as a quiet office or local church.
We ask that everyone have a candle ready for all class sessions. We will light these candles together as we invite the presence of Christ among us.
Each month, the MSD program gathers at 6:30 pm (EST) and lasts for approximately two hours.
Our time begins with the lighting of our candles and a time of centering.
Every few months, we enter into a time of group conversation and sharing based on our Common Reading, which are highlighted on the Reading List.
The group is then divided into smaller peer groups that will meet together for the remainder of the year. We utilize a contemplative approach to group direction, which is often referred to as the ‘Prayer, Share, Prayer’ model. This is a time to hold sacred space for one another, to practice and hone our skills as we learn to listen to God and one another, which is the foundation of our work in Spiritual Direction.
As we end our time on Friday evening and prepare ourselves for the work we will undertake on Saturday, we encourage all participants to hold space in the quiet. For some, this may mean observing silence until we gather on Saturday morning. For those with busy families, this may mean finding some time and space in the quiet.
We gather as one group on Saturday morning at 8:15 am (EST) to share in the Daily Office and the sacrament of holy communion. Class members take turns serving as readers and song leaders. This communion service usually lasts 30 minutes. We recognize that some faith traditions do not allow for online communion. We still encourage persons of those faith tradition to still join us for the prayers, songs, and readings of the Daily Office.
We open the Zoom room on Saturday morning at 8:00 am. Please note that we ask everyone to enter the Zoom room in silence and to observe the silence until the group is formally greeted for the start of the communion liturgy.
Those individuals serving as a leader of the communion liturgy are encouraged to print out the Daily Office for that day that will be sent to them. There is no need for other students to print out the liturgy, as it will be displayed on a PowerPoint presentation to the entire group.
There is a short break after the communion liturgy for approximately 15 minutes, allowing class members to get a beverage and prepare themselves for the day.
Beginning Fall of 2025, we will begin a new schedule for our Saturday gathering for teaching and application.
Class sessions on Saturday will begin at 9:00 am (EST) and will end around 1:30 pm (EST).
The faculty presenter will choose to take two 15-minute breaks or one 30-minute break mid-day.
We ask that everyone keep their video on during class sessions.
However, if you need to take a quick restroom break, you may turn off your video so that we know you are not present with us. Be sure to turn the video back on when you return! Likewise, especially since we are not taking a lunch break, if you need to have some type of snack handy, you may turn off your video so that everyone does not watch you eat.
Please keep these times when your video is off to an absolute minimum. Much of our time is spent having group conversations and being able to see one another during these times is very important.
When the Zoom room is closed at the end of the day, each student should plan to spend 15 minutes in reflection as they fill out a session review survey, which is available on the student portal.
The purpose of the review is two-fold.
First, it allows you to provide feedback on the topic and the presenter. This feedback is vitally important to us as we review the program each year, discerning what changes are needed in the program.
Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, the reflection time of doing the survey will help you identify any themes or questions that will need further reflection, as well as topics you can bring up during your next session with your spiritual director.
The MSD sessions are recorded and will be posted on the Student Portal usually within 48 to 72 hours after class. Although these videos are uploaded to the MSD YouTube channel, they are set to ‘private’ to ensure the privacy of our students. These videos can be viewed on the MSD website. The purpose of the recording is two-fold:
The MSD program covers a great amount of material over the course of two years, which is why it is very important that class members do whatever they can to ensure their participation in each session. However, we recognize that persons called to the work of Spiritual Direction are often very busy individuals, and their professional and personal responsibilities occasionally require absence from the MSD program. For this reason, there is much grace built into the program.
If you are unable to be present for a weekend gathering or part of a weekend gathering, please do the following:
If you find that your personal and professional responsibilities often interfere with the MSD schedule, please don’t hesitate to connect with the Program Administrator to discern what may be the best way to stay connected and engaged in the program while navigating life circumstances. It is our desire to assist you in your journey through the MSD program, and we recognize that each circumstance is unique and will be handled with grace as we attempt to find the best way forward in the program for each individual student as well as our MSD community as whole.
We believe that participation/attendance in the MSD program dovetails with leaning into the commitment to integrity in the life of the spiritual director. By attending the MSD weekend gatherings, participants are not only gaining information and practical application in the work of Spiritual Direction, but also are showing up to hold space for one another on Friday evenings in the work of community with the peer groups sessions.
The practice of engaging in solitude and making time for space in the quiet in-between the Friday evening and Saturday morning sessions gives the opportunity to be present to ourselves and God and then by the very nature of having done so, we now are able to be present one another in communal worship as we open the Saturday session through communion, and present in our learning sessions as we engage with our presenters and in our breakout groups with our peers. Just as the MSD program is an invitation to a way of life, so is each weekend session a rhythmic model to that way of life and is vitally important to health of the community as a whole.
The vast majority of information about the MSD program is communicated through email.
If you have a question or problem, please feel free to reach out to the program administrator or another member of the MSD team. Their contact information is printed on the back page of this handbook and is also available on the ADMIN page of the MSD website. Please allow 24 to 48 hours for email responses. If you have a time sensitive issue, please call or text the Program Administrator.
Recognizing that most of our MSD participants are very busy people often involved with various programs, we understand that people’s inboxes can be very full, which makes it easy to overlook an incoming email. Therefore, we will text any information that we feel is time-sensitive to ensure that all participants are aware of the information. We will keep texting to a minimum. Every effort will be made to send texts as a ‘broadcast’ so that they are delivered individually, rather than as a group text. Please refrain from responding “OK” or other similar messages, so that the sender is not inundated with multiple text responses. If you do not wish to receive texts from the MSD program, please contact the Program Administrator.
We require that all participants in the Ministry of Spiritual Direction program work with a trained Spiritual Director during the two years of the coursework.
In addition, Year 2 class members should also work with a directee.
If you need assistance in connecting with a director or a directee, please contact the program administrator.
The Year 2 program includes a session on the importance of supervision in the work of Spiritual Direction. The Center for Spiritual Formation offers online Peer Supervision sessions, as well as occasional online supervision retreats. Since part of the Year 2 program includes working with a directee, the Year 2 students will participate in several peer group supervision sessions as part of the Friday night experience. They are also encouraged to take part in the seasonal supervision program provided by the Center for Spiritual Formations.
All financial responsibilities are handled through the office at The Center for Spiritual Formation. The website is www.centerformation.org. Invoices are sent out quarterly. Students have the option to pay yearly, bi-annually or quarterly. Please contact the Center Administrator if you would like to investigate other payment options.
A link to the Center’s page for paying your tuition online can be found on the MSD website under the ADMIN tab.
At the end of the two-year training program, The Center for Spiritual Formation provides a Certificate of Completion of the Ministry of Spiritual Direction. We do not ‘certify’ individuals as Spiritual Directors, as we strongly believe that it is the Holy Spirit that certifies individuals for the work of Spiritual Direction. The Center awards 12 CEU’s per year for a total of 24 CEU’s upon completion of the program and fulfilling required criteria.
In addition to general communication about The Ministry of Spiritual Direction, the student portal is the location of all the resources you will need for your coursework during the program.
Be sure to bookmark www.ministryofspiritualdirection.org on your computer’s browser.
You have been given individual access to the Student Portal. However, if you have problems with your personal login or password, you may use the following login information:
Login: msdstudent2025@centerformation.org
Password: msd*2024
A detailed calendar of dates pertaining to the MSD program is available on the Admin Tab of the student portal.
All documents and other materials you will need for the course will be available on the student portal of the website. Every effort will be made to make materials available three weeks in advance of the session. Class members should download those materials to your local computer. You may choose to print those materials or, for those who are comfortable doing so, may view them on your computer screen during the Zoom session.
A list of contact information for the MSD team and other class participants is available on the Admin Tab of the student portal.
Based on the ancient practice of prescribed daily times of prayer, the Daily Office is a liturgy of prayers and scripture readings for morning, noon, and evening. The Center’s Daily Office has been carefully ordered to follow the rhythm of the MSD program, and is available on the LITURGY page of the MSD website.
We recognize that the people called to the work of spiritual direction are often people who already have very busy schedules. Therefore, we have taken a new approach to our reading list.
We have narrowed down our reading list to just a few books each year that are foundational to the work we will be doing together in the Ministry of Spiritual Direction program. Some of these books will be used for our Common Reading Experience, which is a quarterly discussion on a featured book.
The Reading List for the MSD program can be located on the top of each year’s Document Page of the MSD website.
Any other additional readings required for a particular session are provided as a PDF on the MSD website or as a link to an online article. These readings and links are made available one month in advance of that particular session, and are listed on the “Class Prep” Document for each month’s session.
The “Class Prep” document may also contain addition readings on the monthly topic that avid readers may want to investigate; but these additional resources are NOT REQUIRED readings.
To contact someone from the MSD program, please email them directly.
Email addresses are available on the Contact Sheet on the Admin page.
A program of The Center for Spiritual Formation
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