THELEAVEN.ORG | VOL. 44, NO. 27 | FEBRUARY 24, 2023
LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE
Dan and Stephanie Jacobson were two of 75 people that gathered at Savior Pastoral Center in Kansas City, Kansas, on Feb. 13-18 undergoing spiritual mentorship training. The program, originally run by the Apostles of the Interior Life, is now run by the Holy Family School of Faith Institute.
Former students return to instruct new class of
SPIRITUAL MENTORS
By Joe Bollig joe.bollig@theleaven.org
and graduated in 2017 to become spiritual mentors themselves. “Having the benefit of someone who was trained to help you hear the voice of the Lord in your life acted as a fuel for changing our lives and deepening our relationship with the Lord,” said Laurie. “That’s why we’re massive fans of the program.” They returned this past residential week as spiritual mentorship program alumni to help train the current group of 75 people — or sixth cohort — to also become spiritual mentors.
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ANSAS CITY, Kan. — If you’re going to make that 10-hour drive from Lexington, Kentucky, to northeast Kansas in the dead of winter, you’d better have a pretty good reason for doing so. That’s what Laurie and Brian Henderson did, and it wasn’t for barbecue or to celebrate the Chiefs’ Super Bowl win. The Hendersons braved the miles and weather to attend a residential week of prayer and study, Feb. 13-18, for the Spiritual Mentorship Program at Savior Pastoral Center in Kansas City, Kansas. They had always been active Catholics, but some 10 years ago, the Hendersons felt an interior “push” to seek something more. “It was natural to seek spiritual direction,” said Laurie. “I’m not wise enough to think I should advise myself. I’ve lived in Texas, upstate New York, northern Virginia and
He had a dream LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE
From left, Karen Broom, Sara Kun and Nikki Frerker discuss what they’re learning in their spiritual mentorship training in a breakout session on Feb. 15. Kentucky, and it was difficult to find someone who was trained as a spiritual director or mentor.” Laurie’s brother, Father Brian Nolan in Baltimore, told her about
the Spiritual Mentorship Program in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, something unlike anything else he’d ever heard of before. The Hendersons signed on to the program
The catalyst of what would be the Spiritual Mentorship Program occurred in 2009, while Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann was on a hot, humid bus ride during one of his infrequent trips to Rome. Returning from the Three Fountains, the traditional site of St. Paul’s >> See “AT HEART” on page 4