“Your life, my life, is given graciously by God. Our lives are not problems to be solved but journeys to be taken.” 
―Henri J. M. Nouwen, Spiritual Director

Our relationship with God is similar to any other relationship; only when we invest our time in them do they mature and deepen.  God is ALWAYS trying to get our attention and break through the busyness and distractions.  Often, it is too difficult to notice God’s presence when we are on the “endless treadmill” of life.  We need to step off and make intentional efforts for uninterrupted quiet time.  We need to break the pattern of busyness to make quality time for God.  Isn’t this true of any meaningful relationship in your life?

Spiritual Direction is one discipline to help us grow closer to God and hear God’s voice and desire for us on our journey.

The fast pace of life might seem like a kind of adrenaline rush that feeds you to keep going, but the pace eventually overwhelms us and leads us to live life “on the surface.”  We begin to lose connection to the deeper meaning in our lives.  We may find ourselves constantly putting out fires and questioning “why?”  By making spiritual direction a part of your life as a regular spiritual practice, you will intentionally take the time to Slow Down.  This slower pace often helps us see life through a new lens that allows us to see deeper into our hearts, where God’s voice is often heard more clearly.

Making time for spiritual direction allows the opportunity to take time in a prayerful, sacred space to talk about your life—to have another listen to you.  Spiritual direction is open to ANYONE who wants to form a more disciplined prayer life, a closer relationship with God, and discover where God is calling you—to understand your mission or God-given vocation—on the journey of life. 

 At the Shrine of St. Joseph, our missionary founder, Fr. Thomas Judge, believed every Catholic is an apostle. The Shrine’s mission continues the vision of Fr. Judge—to help form apostles through community and spiritual formation.

 Spiritual direction is an essential ministry in the spiritual formation of each person, a one-on-one ministry that forms apostles one at a time.  We are all called to serve God in some unique way.  Whether you are a priest, religious sister or brother, or part of the laity, God wants us to understand His will for us so we can discover and develop the gifts He’s given us to serve Him.  Understanding God’s will and our purpose requires spiritual awareness and ways to nurture and develop our relationship with God, most importantly through prayer.  Having a spiritual director to accompany us along the way helps us understand God’s voice more clearly.

Spiritual Direction is an invitation to share life experiences, aspects of your prayer life, or how you’ve felt God’s presence or absence in everyday life.  God is in every aspect of our lives, so as you share life experiences, the director merely accompanies you on your journey and is trained to see God’s active presence in your life in ways you may not on your own.  Throughout our journey, we can become blind to God’s presence, and to have another walk with us helps us take notice of how God is present and often leads to a deeper relationship with God, greater knowledge of self, as well as refined clarity in how God is calling you to live out your God-given mission as an apostle—to “BE the Church” and be a Power for Good.

Our mission is ultimately to notice God’s presence and movement in the ordinary parts of our lives so that we can: Be Good. Do Good. Be a power for Good.

Spiritual Direction at the Shrine of St. Joseph

 Spiritual direction is one of many ministries offered at the Shrine of St. Joseph to serve the spiritual needs of anyone seeking to explore and deepen their spiritual life. It is a ministry in which a trained and sensitive spiritual director assists another in deepening their relationship with God. French philosopher and Jesuit priest Pierre Teilhard de Chardin is credited with saying, “We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” Navigating these two points of our existence can be difficult. But with faith, the difficulties and challenges that arise can be lessened. At the same time, the joys we experience can be enlarged, especially when these experiences are shared with other faithful beings on the journey we call life. One of the ways that faith sharing can take place is within the setting of Spiritual Direction. The ministry of Spiritual Direction has its roots in early Christianity and, by tradition, is meant to help the seeker deepen their prayer relationship with their God. Facilitated in an atmosphere of peace, love, acceptance, confidentiality, and hospitality, the spiritual director is meant to serve as a companion to the seeker, understanding that the Spirit is the primary guide in every encounter. Spiritual Direction is open to seekers of all faith backgrounds and walks of life; it’s not strictly for clergy and religious. It is strongly recommended and encouraged for the laity (all) to participate in growing their spiritual life and relationship with God. The missional roots of the Shrine of St. Joseph are to meet the spiritual needs of the laity. Its founder, Fr. Thomas Judge, believed the laity plays a vital role in spreading the faith by serving God in everyday life and using the spiritual gifts given to them to be a witness of Christ. We at the Shrine are here to provide spiritual direction and other ministries to support, encourage, and feed you on your journey. If you feel Spiritual Direction might be for you—perhaps you are making a beginning and feel pulled toward a more spiritually connected life, or even if you’re just a little curious— please feel free to contact the Shrine of St. Joseph in Stirling, NJ for more information. Your call would be most welcome, and we are happy to assist you in any way we can.

Phone: 908.647.0208 Email: RELIGIOUS@STSHRINE.ORG

The following is a list of the Spiritual Directors who are available at the Shrine of St. Joseph:

Palma Anton

Palma is married with two children. She completed her training in Spiritual Direction from the Quellen Spirituality Center in Mendham, NJ (2016) and has been leading workshops and retreats for over ten years. She earned a Master’s degree in Pastoral Ministry from Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology at Seton Hall University and received a Certificate in Catholic Evangelization from St. Paul Inside the Walls: The Catholic Center for Evangelization for the Diocese of Paterson/Seton Hall University. Palma has a special interest in guiding people toward deeper spiritual awareness and helping them discern God’s will through prayer, vocational guidance, workshops, and retreats.

Father Francis Duffy

Fr. Francis Duffy is a priest of the Diocese of Paterson.  He has served as an assistant pastor and pastor in several communities.  He has served as Director of both the Diocesan Transitional Diaconate for pastoral formation and as director of an evaluation program for newly-ordained priests.  He has been sharing a holistic-spirituality process for formation at several seminaries in India and has been a spiritual director for priests and lay men, and women.

Father Luis de la Cuadra, S.T.

Fr. Luis is a priest of the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity.  He has been trained in Spiritual Guidance in the An Croi program at the Shrine of St. Joseph and received his diploma in Spiritual Guidance from the Jesuit Milltown Institute in Dublin, Ireland.  He provides spiritual care for those in recovery in the Shrine of St. Joseph’s I Thirst Recovery Program. He specializes in human development and brings this knowledge to his spiritual direction.  Fr. Luis is available to provide spiritual direction for anyone in need, especially those who speak Spanish.

Alfred Pach

 Al is a certified spiritual director and graduate of the ‘An Croi' Spiritual Guidance Program. He received a diploma in Spiritual Guidance from the Jesuit Milltown Institute in Dublin, Ireland. Al received his Master of Divinity from the Union Theological Seminary in New York City and has had training in chaplaincy.  Al also provides retreats, workshops, and small group, faith-sharing programs.

Audrey Byram

Audrey is a wife, mother of three adult children, and small business owner. Audrey Byram was raised in the Catholic faith and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from the College of St. Elizabeth, Convent Station, New Jersey. She has over 30 years of 12 Step Spirituality experience and is a commissioned spiritual director of the Quellen Spiritual Center in Mendham, New Jersey. Additionally, Audrey has completed certificate training courses in recovery coaching and ethical considerations for recovery coaches through the Center for Addiction Recovery Training (CCAR), Hartford, Connecticut.

Jerilynn Prokop

Widowed and the mother of three adult daughters, Jerilynn Prokop is a spiritual director who received her training in the Catholic Spiritual Mentorship Program offered by the Holy Family School of Faith Institute in collaboration with the Apostles of the Interior Life in Kansas City, Kansas. More recently, she completed a three-year Master’s-level program in Spiritual Theology offered by the Avila Institute for Spiritual Formation. Jeri is also a graduate of the Certificate in Catholic Evangelization Program at St. Paul Inside the Walls: The Catholic Center for Evangelization for the Diocese of Paterson, where she currently serves as office manager.

Marie Santana

Graduated with a certificate in Spiritual Direction from the ‘An Croi Wisdom Institute’ -Dublin, Ireland. She then did the Spiritual Exercises in Daily Life (19th Annotation) at Loyola Jesuit Center in Morristown, NJ. Marie has created, composed, and given the Spiritual Exercises in an 8-Week Program format, which until now is offered only at Loyola Jesuit Center, Morristown, in English.  In 2018 she took the Ignatian Immersion Course (an intensive 6-week program on Ignatian Spirituality, the life of St. Ignatius, and the Spiritual Exercises) at Cova Manresa in Spain. Ms. Santana retired after more than 30 years of corporate experience working with AT&T International. She earned her Masters in Human Resources and Organization Development from American University in Washington, DC. Marie is available to provide spiritual direction in both English and Spanish.

Moya Keating

Moya is a spiritual director, grief counselor, and recently retired hospice chaplain. She trained in spiritual direction at One Spirit Learning Alliance in New York and was an instructor there for over ten years. She continues to supervise spiritual directors in their diverse ministries around the country. Raised Catholic and steeped in Celtic spirituality, she brings her love of poetry and the seasons of nature to her work. With reverence, she is dedicated to meeting people where they are, open to seeking hope in the midst of difficulty. Moya is available during the day or evening, in person or via Zoom.

Josefa López

Josefa is a widow and mother of three adult children.  She received her training in Spiritual Direction from Casa Kino and CPAL, San Diego, CA and Christianity and Justice-EIDES, Barcelona, Spain.  She holds a certificate as an ITHIRST Spiritual Companion (ITSC) from Seton Hall University and received formal training to provide spiritual care to individuals with addictions, as well as to support and accompany their families in the process.   

Josefa made the Spiritual Exercises in Daily Life (19th Annotation) at Loyola Jesuit Center in Morristown, NJ in 2006. In November 2021, she took the Ignatian Immersion Course—an intensive 7-week program on Ignatian Spirituality, the Life of St. Ignatius and the Spiritual Exercises at Cova Manresa, Spain.  Mrs. López has a special interest in the Enneagram and is a candidate to receive a certificate from Casa Kino; Escola Ignasiana and; Enneagrama and Enneagram Coaching Center.  Josefa is bilingual and available to provide Spiritual Direction in either English or Spanish.