Written by: LaShonda Lewis 

I enjoyed interviewing Pastor Jacqueline K. Duhart about her life’s accomplishments in civil rights activism and her path to becoming a Spiritual Director through The Chaplaincy Institute. Here is what she has to say in a couple of questions. You can listen to the full podcast on our YouTube Page.

Q1: Can you explain what a Spiritual Director is as if you’re speaking to someone who has no knowledge of the topic and how somebody may know if they need a Spiritual Director in their life? 

J: So, what is your understanding of the word spirit? 

L: Spirit, to me, would be someone or something that somebody may believe in. Sometimes I hear it interchangeable with the word God or higher power. 

J: OK, well, thank you for sharing that understanding. So spiritual direction is being with a person to deepen their understanding, deepen their intimacy, deepen their knowing of their God, and deepen their understanding of this sense of having a higher power. So a Spiritual Director would accompany them. Be a companion to someone who’s on a journey to understand. They got to understand the divine and understand the universe, I think, of spirit as that which gives life. Spirit that infuses and helps us breathe. I’m going to be kind of like your guide, your support, as you undertake the journey into understanding mystery, to understanding life, to understanding spirit.

Q2: So, how did you discover your path to becoming a Spiritual Director? As you said previously, you were a counselor. Did you feel called to pursue the spiritual direction path, or was it something that fell in your lap? Something you stumbled across?

J: No, I served the church. I was a parish minister for 10 years. And when I decided to retire from that work, I had learned some things about myself. I had learned that I really like being with people as they are unfolding, unpacking their understanding of God or their understanding of spirit or their understanding of Buddha. However, they understand their God. I really enjoyed being with people as they were, having that ah-ha moment. I don’t believe in God, but I do believe that there is something quite astounding about the universe, that there is a mystery…

To listen to the full podcast, visit our YouTube page! https://youtu.be/BEUuLRbFO5c