SCHOOL OF SPIRITUAL DIRECTION (CQ ASIA COHORT 1)
Program Distinctives
- 16-Month Focused/Concentrated Program
- Cohort Model (Hybrid: Online/Residency)
- Facilitated by Seasoned Practitioners
- Ecumenically Broad
- Global in Reach (Asian-Focused)
- Contemplative-Evocative in Focus
- Communal in Emphasis
- Group Spiritual Guidance Component
- Mentor-Guided (One-on-one/Group)
- Highly Experiential and Praxis-Driven
- Influenced by the Spirituality and Writings of Henri Nouwen
Program Overview
Basic Application Requirements:
- Bachelor's degree (or equivalent)
- Three recommendations: ministerial, academic, personal
- Basic computer/online literacy
- Clear sense of calling to be a spiritual director
- Application paperwork (with $100 nonrefundable/nontransferable application fee)
- Personal interview (conducted via Zoom web call)
Pre-Requisites:
Program Components:
- A history of being in spiritual direction and currently seeing a spiritual director.
- Basic familiarity with most, if not all, of the following subject matter (formal or informal):
- Introduction to Christian Spirituality, Spiritual Formation, and/or Spiritual Direction
- History of the Church or Christian Spirituality
- Introduction to Spiritual Disciplines
- NOTE: If we determine that you are lacking in exposure to these three areas (above), we would strongly require you to take a special six-week eCourse (Basic Intro Trilogy - BIT) combining all three of our basic intro offerings:
- God's Reality: Exploring the Basics of Christian Spirituality
- In Christ's Image: Exploring the Basics of Spiritual Formation
- Habits of the Heart: Exploring the Basics of Spiritual Disciplines
- Satisfactory completion of SC - Soul Companioning: Intro to SD (4-week online course): This intro-level course should be taken ideally prior to submitting an application. We will only be offering this intro course four times (SC Int'l in Oct. 2023 and three more times during 2024) to accommodate applicants who haven't gone through it yet. Check out our CQ Asia Spiritual Direction Online Courses page for more info on the schedule by clicking HERE!
- Four quarters of online module study: 8 weeks total each quarter (with a pre-formal practicum period after the 2nd quarter and before the 3rd quarter)
- Eighteen program offerings: Two Orientation classes, 8 online module courses (2 per quarter with a 2-week interim period in between courses and a 3-week inter-term period in between quarters) and 6 residency courses (equivalent to 3 courses per residency) plus the pre-formal practicum online course with supervised "Role-Play" and a month-long "Real Play" Dyads praxis
- Two one-week residencies: The opening residency typically runs from Sunday afternoon to Friday noon in a retreat center in the Luzon region of the Philippines. The Closing Residency typically runs from Sunday afternoon to Sunday noon with a whole-day silent retreat incorporated into the schedule.
- Cohort system: 15 maximum participants per cohort section with three anticipated sections
- Total Program Fee: $ 4,350 (inclusive of all tuition/technology fees, and residency expenses [excluding board & lodging and travel]).
- Additional Costs: Books/Course materials and residency travel expenses are the participant’s responsibility. Miscellaneous other expenses are spelled out under the FAQ on Tuition/Fees section.
CQ Asia-SSD Cohort 1 Overview Schedule (2024-2026)
PRE-REQUISITE ONLINE COURSES
- Soul Companioning: Intro to SD (TBD) – 4 Weeks via Moodle SD Online Courses page site (under SSD)
- Basic Intro Trilogy (BIT): Christian Spirituality/Spiritual Formation/Spiritual Disciplines (TBD) – 6 Weeks via Moodle SD Online Courses page site (under SSD)
- NOTE: Special exemptions on a case-to-case basis
Pre-Program Orientation
- Orientation to the CQ Asia-SSD Program (Mid or late September 2024 - TBC) – via Moodle SSD Cohort Commons/Zoom
- Orientation to Online Learning (Oct. 3-5) – via Moodle SSD Cohort Commons/Zoom
- The Art and Ministry of Spiritual Direction (September) – via Moodle SSD Cohort Commons
- Models of Spiritual Direction (September) via Moodle SSD Cohort Commons
- CQ Asia-SSD Learning Community Covenant of Shared Intention
- Three-Part Special Feature Series (Henri Nouwen: CenterQuest Inspiration and Guide)
- Companions in Community (CinC) group experience
- Online Course #1 (Nov. 18-Dec. 14, 2024)
- Contemplative Prayer I: Seeing
- Three-Week Interim Break (including Christmas Break)
- Online Course #2 (Jan. 6-Feb. 1, 2025)
- Contemplative Prayer II: Listening
- Three-Week Inter-Term Break
- Online Course #3 (Feb. 24-Mar. 22)
- Prayerful Discernment I: Foundations
- Two-Week Interim Break
- Online Course #4 (Apr. 7-May 10) - Includes Holy Week Break
- Prayerful Discernment II: Practices
- Two-Week Inter-Term Break
- Online Course #5 (May 26-31)
- Individual Spiritual Direction
- Online Course #6 (June 2-28)
- Supervised "Real Play" Dyads
- (See CQ Asia SSD Practicum Info doc)
- One-Week Break
- Online Course #7 (July 7-Aug. 2)
- Spiritual Direction Supervision
- Two-Week Interim Break
- Online Course #8 (Aug. 18-Sept. 13)
- Contemplative Theological Reflection
- Three-Week Inter-Term Break
- Online Course #9 (Oct. 6-Nov. 1)
- Group Spiritual Guidance
- Two-Week Interim Break
- Online Course #10 (Nov. 17-Dec. 13 )
- Critical Life Stages
- Four-Week Inter-Term Break (including Christmas Break)
- Inner Dynamics of Transformation (Three-Part Series)
- Practicum I: Group Spiritual Guidance
- Practicum II: Facilitated Group Supervision
- Final Integration
- Spiritual Direction and Social Transformation (4-week course via Moodle SD Online Courses page)
NOTE: For a more updated and detailed information on the Curriculum (Course Descriptions, Online Instructors, Required/Highly Recommended Texts), click CQ Asia-SSD Program Curriculum. To see at a glance the Program Overview in calendar format, click CQ Asia-SSD Visual Calendar.
General Overview Information
PROGRAM PREPARATION:***
- Prior to the start of the Opening Residency, participants are to devote adequate time to prepare themselves before launching into the 16-month) program. This will involve accessing key info in the SSD Cohort Commons (via Moodle) at least three months before the “residency” retreat (including info on textbooks, Moodle orientation, retreat prep, reference resources, etc.).
- The Opening Residency retreat will be held in October 20-25, 2024 (Sunday to Friday - Venue: TBC). The dates for the Closing Residency is set for January 11-18, 2026 (Sunday to Sunday – Venue: TBC). The Closing Residency incorporates a whole-day silent retreat at the beginning. Much preparation is involved prior to the Closing Residency as this will be the culmination of the yearlong program (Group Spiritual Direction, Facilitated Group Supervision, Exit Interview, etc.). Full attendance and participation in both residencies are required to complete the program.
- Each participant is assigned to be part of a small group (4-5 people maximum) under a mentor
- Mentors are present during the opening and closing residencies.
- Mentors check in with each participant assigned to them periodically during each quarter (via email, phone, and/or Zoom web call).
- Mentors conduct a quarterly shared reflection via Zoom with their mentoring group based on each participant’s self-assessment/discernment utilizing the Appreciative Inventory (AI) tool.
- Mentors have access to all the online courses and they monitor the progress of each participant along with the online instructors.
- NOTE: For more detailed explanation of the role of mentoring, check out the SSD Mentoring document.
- Each participant is expected to have a monthly session with a spiritual director throughout the entire program.
- Each participant is expected to have at least two directees by the end of 2nd quarter.
- Each participant is required to see a supervisor once a month from July 2024 to December 2024 (six months).
- Each mentoring group is involved in an ongoing group spiritual direction practice in various forms during both residencies, the online modules and in-between each quarter (via the AI sessions) as participants and/or facilitators.
- Each participant is expected to bring a supervision case and experience facilitated group supervision during the closing residency (to be facilitated by well-trained spiritual direction supervisors).
- NOTE: For more details on the SSD Practicum Requirements, click CQ Asia SSD Practicum Info.
*** If you do not have a strong enough background in the field of Christian spirituality, we suggest the following basic resources you may want to check out for your own reference and study:
RECOMMENDED TEXTS:
- Scorgie, Glen G. A Little Guide to Christian Spirituality. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2007.
- Collins, Kenneth J., ed. Exploring Christian Spirituality: An Ecumenical Reader. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2000.
- Foster, Richard J. Streams of Living Water: Celebrating the Great Traditions of Christian Faith. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1998.
- McGrath, Alister. Christian Spirituality. Cowley Road, Oxford: Blackwell Publishers Ltd, 1999.
- Rolheiser, Ronald. The Holy Longing: The Search for a Christian Spirituality. New York: Doubleday, 1999.
IMPORTANT:
A basic grasp of the history of Christian spirituality is critical to understanding and appreciating the various approaches to spiritual direction that have evolved over the years. We highly suggest, if you are not very familiar with different traditions of spirituality, that you embark in some preliminary reading on this subject. Here are a couple that we recommend:
- Sheldrake, Philip. Spirituality: A Brief History. 2nd ed. West Sussex, UK: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 2013.
- Holt, Bradley P. Thirsty for God: A Brief History of Christian Spirituality. 3rd ed. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2017.