Spiritual Formation at Luther Seminary

Nourishing Your Spirit while Attending Seminary

In the midst of your academic studies, it is all too easy to forget to take time to simply slow down and tend your personal spiritual well-being. We want to provide opportunities throughout the semester for you to step out of the hectic schedule and simply be in the presence of others seeking to deepen their connection to God. Here are some resources available to you.

What is Spiritual Formation?

Spiritual formation describes a whole host of practices or disciplines that enable us to grow in our relationship with God. Some of the traditional practices include prayer, spiritual reading, Sabbath-keeping, and spiritual direction.

The first three disciplines are ones you are most likely familiar with. The fourth, Spiritual Direction, may be new to you. It is one we want to lift up this year as an opportunity for you.

What is Spiritual Direction?

Spiritual Direction is a growing spiritual discipline in which pairs an individual who has been trained in the art of Christian listening with a small group of persons interested in enhancing their spiritual lives. There is also a program available for those of you who have an interest in trying group spiritual direction. All you need to do is find 4 or 5 others who are interested and available at a common time; then contact the Office of the Dean of Students.

How do I find a competent Spiritual Director?

That’s where we want to help. You have several options:

Group direction: We have enlisted qualified and trained spiritual directors who are willing to provide group direction at no cost. If you are interested in this option, you need to recruit 4 or 5 companions who would commit to forming a group with you and contact the Office of the Dean of Students  (phone ext. 229).  A staff person will match your group with one of the volunteer directors.

Individual direction: The following organizations offer individual spiritual direction which you may arrange on your own. Most of these have a fee of $50-55 an hour but most also say they will negotiate the rate based on ability to pay.  Some have agreed to provide individual spiritual directions to students at no cost.

• Sacred Ground Center for Spirituality, 1890 Randolph Avenue, St. Paul (adjacent to St. Cate’s), 651-696-2798, www.sacredgroundspirit.org
• Christos Center for Spiritual Formation, 651-653-8207, info@christoscenter.org
• Benedictine Center, 651-777-7251, benedictinecenter@stpaulsmonastery.org
• City House, 612-929-8736, www.city-house.org

Other practices: The Benedictine Center also offers its space for a quiet time apart as does the Lake Wapogasset Lutheran Bible Camp at Avery, WI, www.campwapo.org. Contact Loren Teig at loren@campwapo.org for scheduling at Camp Wapo.

Most of the centers listed above offer a wide range of other spiritual practices as well. For instance, the Benedictine Center has a Taize prayer service on the third Friday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Larpenteur Ave. E, St. Paul.

Taize prayer services are also offered at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, two blocks from the Luther Seminary campus. .