Spiritual Direction at Ruah
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What is Spiritual Direction
Spiritual direction concerns your relationship with God – observing God’s movement through the circumstances of your life, considering how to respond, and growing in trust that you are indeed a dwelling place for God’s Spirit. Commonly understood, spiritual direction is:
In age-old practice of one person listening to the heart of another; two persons centered in as they seek the intention of the Spirit.
A time for the seeker to share how one experiences God’s presence or action in one’s life and what seems to be blocking responsiveness to God’s movements. A relationship through which the seeker opens oneself to accountability for spiritual practice, especially prayer.
An opportunity for receiving suggestions which the director deems suitable.
It is a way of being guided to develop one’s journey toward wholeness. A person in spiritual direction usually meets with a guide every four to six weeks.
For an ongoing monthly direction with a Certified Spiritual Director, please use the following appointment request form. -
Our Spiritual Directors
My name is Jeanette Easley, Director of Ruah Spirituality Center. I have been an active "missionary disciple" in the Catholic Church for the past 42 years. Missioned in Ecuador, Peru, & Colombia for five years and ministered in the formation and development of Base Christian Communities. I earned my certification in Spiritual Direction and my M.A. in Religious Studies at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio. In 1988, I went from missionary work to parish ministry in the Archdiocese of San Antonio, Texas. For years I served two large parishes as a Pastoral Administrator, taught in the Diaconate Formation Program, and Oblate School of Theology Lay Ministry Institute, and led many workshops and retreats in spiritual leadership formation in parishes throughout the Diocese. My greatest passions are adult faith formation, spiritual direction, and leading/directing spiritual renewal retreats; especially silent, contemplative retreats. In the ministry of Spiritual Direction, I focus particularly on Ignatian Spirituality, Carmelite Spirituality, Incarnational Spirituality, and companioning individuals as they seek to respond to God's invitation toward contemplation and union. The Ruah Spirituality Center is here to remind us all that "God's first language is silence".
My name
is Patricia Valderrama, a full-time Spiritual Director at the Ruah Spirituality Center. In my role, Iam dedicated to nurturing the growth of Ruah’s Hispanic ministry. My desire is to bring to the Latin community the same spiritual fruits that have profoundly enriched my own life through spiritual direction. As a spiritual director, I am dedicated to providing compassionate and memorable care for retreatants and those seeking spiritual support. Trained in Ignatian Spirituality, I focus on compassionate listening as a way of building trust and guiding individuals who need support through times of emotional pain, helping them grow in their relationship with the Divine. My professional background is in finance and tech support, but I also embraced my development as a Spiritual Companion alongside my professional journey. I earned a spiritual direction certificate from St. Thomas University in Miami, FL, in 2018, and began facilitating the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola part-time. Over the past six years, I have also maintained a private practice as a Spiritual Companion, and, earlier this year, completed the 19th Annotation Retreat Practicum at St. Raphaela Center in Haverford, PA. My collaboration with the MorningStar Renewal Center in Miami has been very important in my ministry as well. I was thrilled to be able to move to Houston in August to fulfill my dream of working full-time as a spiritual director. I believe that every experience in my life has prepared me for this role, but mostly the prayer time I have spent with my Lord, discerning where he was leading me in the second half of my life. I enjoy silence, prayer, and reflection. I also enjoy walking, reading, cappuccinos, and the arts. St. Ignatius of Loyola and the Blessed Virgin Mary are my cherished saints. Jesus, of course, is at the center of everything. 
Denice Foose, Spiritual DirectorMy name is Denice Foose. I am from Lake Jackson, TX. The opportunity to serve as a spiritual director at Ruah Spirituality Center is a wonderful privilege. I've always had a passionate interest in spirituality. Accompanying others in their sacred journeys is a unique honor. My ministry at Ruah is the culmination of prayerful discernment and years of training, resulting in certificates from the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation in Washington, D.C., and the Academy for Spiritual Formation in Nashville, TN. My ministry as a professional hospital chaplain, years in management within chaplaincy departments, and providing leadership for diocesan hospital chaplaincy and lay training programs have combined to form a solid foundation for this unique ministry. I enjoy a meaningful personal and social life. I'm gifted with a loving and supportive family and am also blessed with many friendships. Personal time is often devoted to reading historic and contemporary books on spirituality and exercising. Saint Teresa of Avila has been particularly inspiring in my journey, and Psalm 131, a brief but compelling song of quiet trust, is a personal favorite. To sum up, listening patiently to the sacred stories of others and offering occasional comments lies at the heart of Ruah's gravitational pull to me. If I can be a safe, sacred space for others to “land”, then my ministry has been fruitful.