Conversatio Course

Spiritual direction is the art of listening and guiding a baptized Christian to pursue holiness and intimacy with the Triune God in all aspects of one’s life. The goal of the spiritual life is acquiring Christlikeness. Thus, a spiritual director accompanies a Christian disciple by offering presence, guidance, prayer, and love in pursuit of this goal.

The Conversatio Course is a training program offered through the St Benedict Center to prepare men and women for the ministry of spiritual direction. The Conversatio Course is informed by the Anglican spiritual tradition, though we welcome applicants from any orthodox Christian denomination. We desire to train men and women, both lay and ordained, for the ministry of spiritual direction. The length of the course is 18 months.

The Conversatio Course is endorsed by Archbishop Foley Beach and the Anglican Diocese of the South (ACNA)

Conversatio is a central commitment in Benedictine spirituality that seeks the conversion of one’s whole being to Christ. Conversatio holds a two-fold purpose for our spiritual training program:

  • to promote the classical way of holiness in Christian spiritual direction: purification, illumination, and union with Christ
  • to train men and women for spiritual conversations that seeks the will of God and the guidance of the Holy Spirit

Our Method

Classical Spiritual Direction

St Gregory the Great described the guidance of souls as ‘the art of arts and the science of sciences.’ The healing of souls is a daunting endeavor. The ministry of spiritual direction humbles all who answer God’s calling to this vocation.

Given this high calling, we seek the wisdom of spiritual fathers and mothers from the Church’s history to order our learning.

Look and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. Jeremiah 6.16

The Conversatio Course trains men and women according to the classical practices of spiritual direction. Classical spiritual direction emphasizes aspects of the spiritual life that are often absent in contemporary models. Some contemporary models of spiritual direction place great emphasis on personality assessments such as the Enneagram. While our course incorporates topics such as psychology, personality, and temperament in one’s spiritual life, we will spend much more time with classical spiritual disciplines and doctrines of the Church:

  • Scripture
  • Confession and Repentance
  • Sacramental Life
  • The Wisdom Tradition
  • The Pursuit of Virtue (Asceticism)

Weekend Modules

The Conversatio Course requires attendance at 6 weekend modules. Weekend modules will not be offered through an online learning platform.

Each weekend module begins on Thursday evening at 5pm and concludes by 12pm on Saturday afternoon.

Cohort Learning and Practicum

Each Conversatio Course will be limited to 12 students to facilitate regular interaction with instructors and fellow students.

Students will share learning experiences in smaller groups of three (triads) to grow in the practice of spiritual direction.

After the first four modules of instruction (the midpoint of the program), participants will begin offering spiritual direction under the supervision of the St Benedict Center.

Course Details

  • Total course cost is $2,500 (includes tuition, books, and a cohort retreat).
  • Travel costs will be assumed by the participant and is not included in the total cost of the course.
  • Meals will be provided by the St Benedict Center at all weekend modules.

Apply to the Conversatio Course

  • Visit the Application page for full information, forms, and downloads
  • Applications for the next Conversatio Course will be received from January 1-March 31, 2025.
  • Enrollment will be limited to 12 students.
  • The first Conversatio module will meet on July 31-August 2, 2025