Spiritual Direction Offerings

Spiritual Direction

While all Harvard Chaplains make themselves available to students for spiritual council and support, some of us have special training in a process of spiritual accompaniment called Spiritual Direction.Typically this kind of work is committed to once a month for about an hour, either one-on-one or in a group. Direction sessions create a safe container to wrestle with the deeper questions of meaning and can be very useful in integrating our highest values with our day to day experiences. While a student at Harvard you are being formed by extensive outer knowledge, but from the perspective of faith you are simultaneously being formed within. Making a commitment to the work of spiritual direction can be helpful in being attentive to this inner formation.

If you are interested in getting started with spiritual direction either individually, or in a group setting please contact one of the Chaplain’s below!

Father Vassilios Bebis, Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church
 

I am honored to offer services as Chaplain to members of the Harvard community and spiritual direction to persons who desire to deepen their relationship with God and grow in their spiritual life. Spiritual direction provides opportunities for self-reflection, examination of conscience, and discernment of God's will in one's life. Participants are encouraged to overcome spiritual challenges through various spiritual practices. They are also encouraged to live out their faith daily by following spiritual practices passed down through generations while adapting them to contemporary contexts. My educational background includes a Th.D in Systematic Theology, and my ministry is focused in Cambridge.

Rev. Sage Cole, Swedenborgian Chaplaincy

I am so pleased to be able to offer both individual and group Spiritual Direction to students at Harvard who are looking to become more attuned to the spiritual dimension of their lives. It has been my experience that the spiritual journey is full of ups and downs, as we seek to discern what truly enlivens us and gives our life purpose, and what is in the way or limiting to our sense of well being and connectedness to all life. Setting aside time to do Spiritual Direction can be a powerful catalyst for growth, a helpful buoy in difficult times, and useful support for the work of being human. I am especially enlivened by group spiritual direction work when people of different traditions and understandings come together to share about the most important things. We can find so much common ground within our differences! My educational background includes an M.Div. from the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, CA and a Certificate in Spiritual Direction from the Haden Institute.

Rev. Barbara Lemmel, Co-Pastor, Harvard-Epworth United Methodist Church

I believe that everyone has callings in life, where that person's particular gifts and joys intersect with the world around them to provide purpose and fulfillment. This calling can shift from time to time, as an individual grows and moves through life’s challenges. It’s my great joy to work as a spiritual director, accompanying individuals and groups as they listen to their own deep wisdom, discern the world around them, and find their truest nature. I’m privileged to help people and groups discern how they can join in what is already being blessed in their lives, and find the “next right steps” in their spiritual journeys.

I am an ordained pastor in the United Methodist Church, and I have been offering spiritual direction for 20 years to persons of all faiths and spiritualities. Currently I serve as co-pastor at Harvard-Epworth Church, and work as one of the Harvard Chaplains. I received my Master of Divinity at Boston University School of Theology and my spiritual director training from Wendy Miller, a professor at Eastern Mennonite Seminary. I’m a trained PCC coach and have taught leadership, spiritual direction groups, and spiritual formation seminars for 20 years around New England and the Mid-Atlantic region.

Tammy McLeod, Cru Chaplaincy, President of the Harvard Chaplains

I am honored to be able to offer spiritual direction individually or in a group context. I serve as a Harvard Chaplain for Cru (international, interdenominational Christian ministry) advising both Christian Impact and its athletic ministry, Athletes in Action. I received a Master of Arts in Spiritual Formation from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and completed a year-long training in spiritual direction from Adele Calhoun, my spiritual director. I love to companion people on their spiritual journeys--to listen deeply and help people discern God's work in their lives. For several years now, I have facilitated grief groups for Harvard students in conjunction with counselors from Harvard University Mental Health Services (CAMHS), and I just completed a Grief Educator certification with David Kessler. My husband, also a Harvard Chaplain, and I have been married for four decades. Together we published the book Hit Hard: Letting Go of What Was-- and Learning to Live Well with What Is after our sixteen-year-old son suffered a traumatic brain injury playing football and became severely disabled for life. Through TV, radio, podcasts, and speeches, we have sought to help others navigate ambiguous loss with greater resilience and meet God in the midst of suffering.