ATLANTA-- RUAH, a pilot program on formation in spiritual direction, teaches participants to search within themselves for divine guidance and self-knowledge to enable them to understand how God works in others and help them experience God more deeply.

The two-year, non-archdiocesan program was established in September 1996. RUAH, which means breath of God in Hebrew, is open to all Christians and currently has nine participants.

The six staff members of the program are Sister Barbara Young, rc, director; Carol Hamill and Sister Loretta McCarthy, SBS, co-coordinators of content and format; Sister Susan Arcaro, rc, coordinator of mentoring and supervision; Jim Powers, accountant and financial consultant and Dr. Joy Evans, psychologist and consultant for spiritual companioning. All RUAH staff have served as spiritual directors and completed formation programs in spiritual direction.

Sister Young said that the program tries to teach students to integrate spirituality with all areas of life. "(It is) trying to help them appreciate their spirituality and deep faith beliefs go far beyond prayer and church --that integration of spirituality and life."

Students, she said, are then taught ways to share this ongoing awareness of God with others.

The group meets twice monthly on Saturdays at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Atlanta for sessions involving small and large group sharing and individual reflection time and attends three reflection weekends each year. Sister Young said that participants are required to attend a five- to eight-day directed spiritual retreat before the second year of the course.

The first year of the program focuses on course work where students explore aspects of spiritual discernment, psychology and contemporary spirituality related to Catholicism, read four books and other scripturally based theological materials and write reflective papers. They study sound spiritual traditions of past great mystics and spiritual leaders and learn principles of mentoring and supervision and communication and listening skills.

In the second year of the course students are assigned two persons to whom they give monthly spiritual direction. They share their experiences of God and their responses and problems from giving spiritual direction, using fictitious names for direction recipients, individually with an assigned supervisor and at the Saturday sessions. In the course participants also learn to become aware of their various internal responses to those they direct, and to think how they would feel in given situations.

"The most important (thing taught) is (developing) their awareness within themselves... how God continues to lead them as individuals so that they can realize the truthfulness of that in helping another person," she said. "It's really the spirit of God living within people that we want to bring alive."

The director said that RUAH teaches spiritual directors to help people to discern whether a spirit leading them is from God by helping them to articulate experiences and examine whether that guiding spirit, if divine, is bringing an increase in faith, hope and love.

Sister Young said that persons frequently experience problems from trying to solve the problems of those they are counseling. "They have a tendency to want to solve the problem. They have a tendency to want to jump in like on a counseling session. They have to back off. The spiritual direction is not trying to solve the problems of the person who's trying to come to them for spiritual direction," she said.

Spiritual directors, she continued, may have judgmental thoughts which prevent them from offering assistance. "It's important that the do not be judgmental because that can influence how they respond to the directee. They could end us saying something discouraging."

She said that persons seeking spiritual direction don't need to have a problem but should have a desire for a stronger faith. A director and client, she said, generally meet once monthly in a quiet, reflective place and should allow two sessions to determine their comfort level for working together.

Linda Mitchell, a RUAH student and parishioner working in the OCIA and Altrea programs at St. Pius X Church, Conyers, said she has gained self-knowledge and grown spiritually through the program. "RUAH has been such an intensive spiritual adventure. There are academics involved in the RUAH program but it's all with a spiritual overlay. It is a real spiritual journey," she said. "It really brings us into full awareness of our relationship with God from a personal perspective, thereby allowing us to better understand and relate to other people."

"We've really done in-depth introspection to know ourselves. You've got to know yourself to help other people. RUAH has definitely done that."

Mitchell also said that studying various spiritual teachings in the program has broadened her understanding of spirituality and of the various factors including economic and social background and religious tradition which influence it.

In giving spiritual direction, she said "One of the people I'm working with is not Catholic. She's actually a Presbyterian minister. That's a totally different background than what I'm used to... a whole different faith tradition. She's wonderful and besides that it's a real joy."

Mitchell plans to offer spiritual direction working with catechumens in St. Pius's OCIA program.

Deacon Donald Nadeau of St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Alpharetta, is also a RUAH student and said the introspection in it helped him gain self-acceptance. "There's part of us that's within us that we can avoid -- (that) we spend our life avoiding. Being able to confront God in those very, very deep places within us without ridicule and without criticism with other contemporaries on the same journey has been a very warm experience for me...I'm O.K. just as I am."

He has gained "the ability to help a person discern for themselves what path their own spirituality will take. It's been a gift of discernment."

"I've learned to listen peacefully. I'm not anxious. I don't feel a strong need to respond without hearing and listening," he said.

Deacon Nadeau plans to give spiritual direction at St. Thomas Aquinas.

Applicants for RUAH go through a screening process which examines their knowledge and experience, their plans to utilize the course and recommendations. While there is no requirement that one have experience giving spiritual direction, RUAH seeks students of all ages who feel led by God to the ministry and have a mature faith.

The next program beginning in September this year will meet at Maisha House of Prayer in Atlanta. Sister Young hopes eventually students will have more persons to whom they give spiritual direction and that the program will have more staff members to supervise them.

Tuition is $1995 per year. Course graduates earn a certificate of completion.

Approaching completion of the pilot program, the director said, "We're all very pleased with it (RUAH). We planned well. We met together. The staff worked well together. The program seemed to be a success for people."

"This program has been a real gift from God. It's so perfectly designed. Because it is so perfectly designed it's evident that God's hand is in that," said Mitchell.

For information on RUAH call Sister Young at (706) 654-3460.