Franciscan Spiritual Direction

Franciscan spiritual direction is rooted in the life and spirituality of St. Francis of Assisi and St. Clare of Assisi, two of the most beloved figures in Christian history. At its core is a vision of God as radically present in all of creation — in the sun, the wolf, the leper, and the simple bread on your table. Francis called all creatures his brothers and sisters, and Franciscan direction carries forward that spirit of kinship with the whole of God's world.

A Franciscan director accompanies you in the practice of simplicity and poverty of spirit — not as deprivation, but as freedom. The Franciscan tradition teaches that the more we release our grip on possessions, status, and control, the more room there is for God to fill us with joy. Direction in this tradition often attends to questions of how you relate to material goods, to the earth, and to those on the margins of society.

Franciscan spirituality is also deeply incarnational. It celebrates the goodness of the body, the senses, and the created world as windows into God. A Franciscan director may invite you to pray outdoors, to notice beauty as a form of revelation, and to see acts of service as a form of prayer.