The list below is a compilation of those known to engage in the ministry of spiritual direction, though it is not exhaustive.
If you wish to contact any of these people you should feel free to contact any of these people direct.
Fees: You should discuss with your spiritual director / guide / soul friend whether they usually take a fee for this ministry and what arrangements they make for this. This is an arrangement direct between you and that person.
If you know of others we could add to this list please advise Archdeacon Sonia Roulston on soniaroulston@newcastleanglican.org.au
Name: Rev’d Sheila Bourne (Anglican)
Area: East Maitland
Contact: 4933 4996 | sheilambourne31@gmail.com
About: I have been involved in the ministry of spiritual direction since the mid 1990’s, attending a 4year training course, and regularly attending enabling conferences and teaching sessions from world renowned spiritual leaders in the field. I am a member of the Australian Network for Spiritual Direction (ANSD), was for 13years on the team for the ‘Listen into Life’ course at Kincumber to provide training for those seeking to know if God is calling them to this ministry. Six years ago I received a Diploma in Supervision of Spiritual Directors through the Melbourne College of Divinity, now called Sentir.
Name: Reverend James Cox
Area: Adamstown / RAAF Williamtown
Contact: 0400 721 208
About: Presently I am working as a full time Defence Chaplain with the RAAF and have just been posted to RAAF Base WIlliamtown as the Senior COORD Chaplain for the Base. I have been working full time with Defence since 2014. I am married to Mandy and we have three near adult children and have just settled in to Adamstown and attending Hamilton Baptist Church. I am also an Ordained Baptist Minister accredited under the Baptist Union of NSW/ACT.
I have served in three different Church contexts:
- a traditional Baptist congregation in Katherine, NT, which included opportunities to support two local Indigenous communities.
- A rural Uniting Church at Wandin-Seville
- a community style church in Darwin, NT (Baptist Union), focussed on social justice issues (poverty, advocacy, community development).
- in Darwin I also became a RAAF Chaplain, part time at the Darwin RAAF Base.
- Canberra Baptist Church supporting a ‘live in’ community outreach of the church, ‘Irene’s Place’ (House of Peace).
Spiritual Direction has been an important part of my personal journey over the years offering me a space to meet with a Director on a regular basis. This has given me opportunity for deep reflection inviting me to slow down and open myself to God with the deeper invitation into exploring personal growth and life issues I wish to bring to the space. As a long term recipient of Spiritual Direction I have also become familiar with the skills and discernment of the Spiritual Director and the skills that inform the practice.
I have found Spiritual Direction highly useful in my Chaplaincy work invoking deep and discerning listening skills that often provide for a meaningful engagement with those seeking Chaplaincy support.
In wishing to develop further my Spiritual Direction skills, two years ago I commenced with the ‘Listen Into Life’ program in Spiritual Director training with AECSD (Australian Ecumenical Council of Spiritual Directors). This year I will be a third year and with that comes the need to begin to offer Spiritual Direction and would value any opportunities to be able to begin this journey. I would be keen to find one or two Directees interested in Spiritual Direction.
Name: Rev’d Martin Davies (Anglican)
Area: Stroud
Contact: 4994 5193 | 0425 870 345 | martindavies54@gmail.com
About: Martin Davies has been involved in spiritual direction and retreat ministries since the 1990s. His spiritual accompaniment ministry reflects Benedictine values and practices, particularly regarding a balanced life of prayer, study, and work; lectio divina; solitude and hospitality.
Martin’s attraction to living within Benedictine perspectives was formed initially through monastic liturgy and other participation in the life of his Cistercian neighbours at Kopua Abbey NZ, over a fourteen year period. He is co-founder of the Associates of the monastery. Martin has undertaken formational studies within the monastic tradition. Among these are Mepkin Abbey USA monastic guest program, with a focus on community and leadership aspects of the Rule of Saint Benedict; and an introduction to the Eight Thoughts tradition of Evagrius and John Cassian. Martin later undertook guided study on Aelred of Rievaulx’s Eight Thoughts teaching, at Tarrawarra Abbey, Victoria. His continuing reading includes the Desert Fathers and Mothers; Saint Bernard of Clairvaux; and contemporary writings on prayer, desire, and humility.
Martin has undertaken training in Gestalt therapy, and has familiarity with Myers-Briggs, Enneagram, and Transactional Analysis modalities. He gained a Master of Theology degree in Christian spirituality.
Ordained priest in 1982, Martin served in NZ parishes and as diocesan ministry educator. He co-mentored a two year formation in spiritual direction course in Waiapu diocese. After pursuing further study in continuous spiritual formation of clergy, Martin was Director of St James’ Institute, Sydney 2012-16. He is priest in charge at Stroud.
Fee: Donation according to means
Name: Gail Doolan
Area: The Junction
Contact: gail.doolan@bigpond.com
About: As a qualified spiritual director, my hope is to encourage those seeking personal wholeness to find God in their lives.
Venue & Fee: Area: Lake Macquarie. Suitable meeting time and venue are negotiated on a cost-free, donation only basis.
Name: Rev’d Malcolm Drake (Uniting)
Area: Newcastle Area
Contact: 4920 9878 | malcomdrake@bigpond.com
About: Rev’d Malcolm Drake, retired Uniting Church minister and retired Psychologist. Trained in the Contemplative tradition of spiritual direction where a major emphasis is on noticing God’s action in one’s life. I have participated in training directors and am a member of Conference of Spiritual Direction (CSD). I attend Adamstown Uniting Church and am on the Spiritual Direction team there. I have regular direction myself and have supervision for my work.
Venue & Fee: I meet my directees in my home at Kahibah and charge $70 for the session.
Name: Rev’d Nerida Drake (Uniting)
Area: Newcastle Area
Contact: 4920 9878 | 0418 697 091 | malcomdrake@bigpond.com
About: Nerida Drake is a retired Uniting Church minister who has been trained in spiritual direction at the Sydney Centre for Religious Development. Nerida sees spiritual direction as a conversation between two Christians where the director seeks to discern the Holy Spirit at work in the directee’s life and to direct the attention and intention of the conversation toward God. The life of prayer is greatly valued in this conversation and the directee seeks to bring an experience from their lives as the focus of the session.
Venue & Fee: I meet directees in my residence and I would usually meet once a month. While cost is negotiable, I would normally charge $70.
Name: Sr June Flynn rsj (Catholic)
Area: Wangi Wangi
Contact: 0477 584 585 | matthewc.lamont@gmail.com
About: I am a Sister of St Joseph, Lochinvar and have lived and ministered at Anawim, our Josephite retreat house for about thirty years, as well as occasional retreats at other centres over those years. Essentially I see my spiritual direction ministry as an invitation to be a listening companion to another person who wants to notice and listen to the way God is present with them in their everyday lives.
Venue: I usually meet with directees at Anawim, 16 Wangi Point Rd Wangi Wangi.
Fee: While $60.00 is proposed as the usual fee for a session, I follow our Josephite custom of accepting whatever the directeee is able to offer.
Name: Matt Lamont
Area: Newcastle Area (Away April to October, happy to consider Skype while away)
Contact: 0477 584 585 | matthewc.lamont@gmail.com
About: Matthew Lamont grew up on Noongar land in Perth and was immersed in the bush of SW Australia by his plant ecologist father. He was also introduced to the practice of Christian meditation at an early age by his mother. Matthew acknowledges the immersion in bush and silence as gifts from his background. A yearning for community in his mid-twenties led Matthew to spend time on the Isle of Iona in Scotland and Holy island of Lindisfarne in northern England learning about Celtic Christianity.
Matthew has lived in Newcastle since 2003 with his wife and three children. He is a partner, father, social worker, spiritual director and artist. Matthew attained a Bachelor of Social Work (Hons) in 1999 and was awarded the annual Department of Social Work prize for his dissertation: Journeying Alongside: Christian spirituality, faith development and liberation theology in social work practice and education. He also completed a Master of Arts with the Broken Bay Institute and was awarded the inaugural Centre for Christian Spirituality Award in Spirituality in 2009.
In 2014 Matthew completed training as a Spiritual Director in the Emmanuel Spiritual Direction Formation Training program in Newcastle. He is a member of the Celtic Community of Aidan and Hilda and the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) both of which emphasise spirituality as a way of life. Matthew is passionate about helping others to discover the riches of Christian spirituality and sharing a vision of unity with peoples of all spiritual traditions and of none.
Matthew draws inspiration from many sources including contemplative Christianity, creativity, connecting to country, spirituality of First Peoples and the growth and development of his family. Favourite pastimes include painting, bushwalking, weight training and following the trials and tribulations of the Purple Haze (Fremantle Dockers).
Fee: At present I charge $60 per hour for a session and am available Saturdays and Wednesdays.
Name: Katherine Lindsay (Anglican)
Area: Morpeth/Newcastle
Contact: 4921 5872 | katherine.lindsay@top.edu.au
About: Katherine Lindsay MA, LLB (Qld), (LLM Newc) is a parishioner in the Anglican Parish of Morpeth. She has been a Benedictine Oblate of the Jamberoo Abbey NSW since January 1998.
She has exercised the ministry of spiritual direction since 2004, and for 15 years until 2017 journeyed with those exploring the vocation of spiritual director as a member of the Program Team in the Listen into Life spiritual direction training program (rpsd.org.au). Her ministries are characterised by hospitality in the Benedictine tradition and deep listening. She has experience in journeying as a soul friend with men and women, lay, ordained and religious. Direction sessions are usually around one hour in duration and are arranged at mutually convenient times during the week or at weekends.
I welcome directees to my home or some other location which is suitable and convenient for the directee.
Fee: Direction is offered at no financial cost to the directee.
Name: Sr Christine O’Connor
Area: Mayfield West
Contact: 0412 044 785 | Christine.O’Connor@ssjl.org.au
About: I am a Sister of St Joseph from Lochinvar with a background in teaching and pastoral care. I trained in Spiritual Direction at the Sydney Centre for Religious Development for four years part time, and graduated in 2002. Last year I returned to Newcastle after seven years in the Kimberley region of WA where I worked among our indigenous people and part of that ministry was spiritual direction. I have been with the sisters of St Joseph for almost fifty years so that gives you an idea of my age! I live in Mayfield West and I see people at my unit because this is very convenient for me.
Fee: $60 is the normal fee for spiritual direction but I am happy to negotiate if this is not possible for some people.
Name: Sr Lynette Pearce rsj (Catholic)
Area: Lochinvar/Taree
Contact: 4930 9641 | 0439 364 303 | lynette.pearce@ssjl.org.au
About: I belong to the Congregation of the Sisters of St Joseph of Lochinvar. I graduated as a spiritual director in the Ignatian style of spiritual direction, from Sydney Centre for Religious Development, in 2001.
Venue: I travel to Taree each month for this ministry; and would be prepared to travel to an appropriate venue if it was needed. Otherwise, I see people at St Joseph’s Convent, New England Highway, Lochinvar…the entrance being opposite the traffic camera.
Fee: I am happy for people to make a donation as they are able. And if they are not able that is perfectly fine with me.
Name: Fr Roger Sharr (Anglican)
Area: Maitland
Contact: 4934 6070 | rogersharr2@gmail.com
About: I have been a spiritual director for over 20 years and have been in direction for all of that time. I think the ministry of spiritual direction is basically about listening – to what the directee says, the influences on him/her and the counsel they have already received. “Listening” may be a thin word for the reality of what spiritual direction actually is; listening could also be used to describe pastoral care, for instance. But listening to the directee when the issue is spiritual is vastly different, and different issues arise – does this person have a life-giving view of God or is this person dealing with a god who demands her pound of flesh? Has the directee seen they are worshipping a false god? Have they explored the relationship between their experience and the God they believe in?
My ministry has been more or less divided between academia and pastoral work as a parish priest. I have been Chaplain of Trinity College and the Univ. of Melbourne, parish priest of North Fitzroy and Clifton Hill in Melbourne and, for ten years, pp. of St. James’ Morpeth in Newcastle. For nearly ten years I was Director of Ordinands, Warden of Wollaston College and Director of the Spirituality Centre in the Diocese of Perth. While in Perth I ran the Residential Programme for Spiritual Directors, and in NSW I lectured in Medieval Church History, Liturgy and Spiritual Direction at St. John’s College.
I negotiate a mutually suitable time to meet with the Directee before our first meeting.
Fee: I didn’t charge anything for this ministry when I was in receipt of a stipend. I now charge $20 per hour. At present I have 4 Directees.
Name: Rev’d Ann Watson (Anglican)
Area: Erina
Contact: 4365 1065 | 0427 135 771 | Revd.Ann@bigpond.com
About: My experience and training began with two units of Spiritual Direction for Pastoral Counselling Diploma in 1999. I became a member of Australian Network of Spiritual Direction and attended a number of workshops. In 2010 I began a 4 year course in Contemplative Spiritual Direction and completed the course in 2013 and a member now of CSD.
Since then I have had a number of directees including clergy in local ministry on the Central Coast. Contemplative Spiritual Direction places the emphasis on the directee’s experience and how God is working quietly and gently with them. It enables a new understanding of their experience and deepening their relationship with God.
Venue: The venue is the Founders Chapel Holy Trinity Anglican Church 92 Serpentine Road Terrigal.
Fee: I have not charged a fee and usually meet between Tuesday and Thursday in the afternoons.
Name: Rev’d Roger Zohrab
Area: Newcastle
Contact: 4959 7016 | 4921 3595 (w) | 0418 438 649 | roger.rzohrab@bigpond.com
About: Roger has been involved in spiritual direction for many years and brings to this ministry insights gained from listening to how the Spirit and life experiences provide challenges and opportunities for transformation.
He was ordained in Bathurst Diocese and has been a priest in this Diocese since 1988. His ministry has been primarily parish based but has also served as a school chaplain and is presently the chaplain and pastoral care coordinator at John Hunter Hospital. Roger assists in the Clinical Pastoral Education programs based at the hospital.
Roger’s main sources of spiritual guidance have included the older writings of Scripture, Desert Fathers and Mothers, Benedict, Ignatius and of our Anglican heritage. The spiritual insights of Jung, Kelsey, Leech and Nouwen continue to colour his discernment as does the use of Myer Briggs and the Enneagram. It is his hope that people are able to discern the love and encouragement they need as they follow Jesus into life.
Venue: I have usually seen people here at the hospital but am open to other venues. A suitable time is my mutual arrangement.
Fee: I have never entered into a financial agreement regarding direction but have encouraged directees to make a thank offering to missions.