Francisco Paulino, 23, spends Saturday mornings writing, praying, and talking with Andrea Bliss-Lerman, an evangelical Christian spiritual director, at the Lynn Public Library.
(ARAM BOGHOSIAN FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE)
Growing demand for spiritual directors
Here, as across the nation, spiritual directors find more seeking counsel, solace outside church walls
Francisco Paulino, 23, spends Saturday mornings writing, praying, and talking with Andrea Bliss-Lerman, an evangelical Christian spiritual director, at the Lynn Public Library.
(ARAM BOGHOSIAN FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE)
Spiritual direction is a tradition of religious mentorship with roots in ancient Christianity. For centuries, monasteries and seminaries offered direction to clergy and members of religious orders. But the practice is increasingly going mainstream, as more people - Christian and otherwise - seek help exploring their relationship with the divine. Membership in the Spiritual Directors International, the largest such organization in the nation, has increased from about 400 at its birth in 1990 to more than 6,500 today.
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