“When I accompany someone in spiritual direction,
I feel like I am on holy ground, witnessing a divine encounter.”
– Esther Hizsa, spiritual director.
“Spiritual direction is
the simple gift of sacred presence offered to another
providing a gentle but tenacious encouragement
to open fully to God’s loving Presence
and to co-discern with that person
God’s activity in every aspect of life.”
– from “What Is Spiritual Direction?” by Jeff Imbach
“When we consider spiritual direction, perhaps various ideas and images come to mind. However it does not involve a director telling someone what he or she should do, nor does it involve telling someone how they should feel or believe in any given situation or circumstance. Rather direction requires a considering of possibility, respectful moments of silence, as well as asking honest questions, within the perimeters of living a life of obedience to God. It does not presume to know a specific destination, but can certainly be one of the signposts along the way. The director holds the directee with a posture of openness and trust, all of which is held within the hands of Christ.” – a directee
Esther Hizsa has been offering spiritual direction to women and men since 2008. She has a Master of Divinity degree from Regent College, Vancouver, B.C. (2005) and a Certificate in the Art of Spiritual Direction from SoulStream (2007-2010). In 2013 she was trained to give the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises and is a member of the Jesuit Spirituality Apostolate of Vancouver (JSAV). She meets monthly for peer supervision with other directors in the lower mainland. Esther is also a facilitator in SoulStream’s spiritual formation course Living from the Heart (Lower Mainland) and has led prayer retreats and contemplative gatherings.
What directees say about Esther:
“I met with Esther over several years.Esther has the gift of seeing and observing on several levels, kind of spiritual multi tasking! She could listen to my story, listen to the Holy Spirit, and respond in the context of biblical truth and related scripture. And in so doing, she reflected the heart and face of Christ as well as the movement of the Holy Spirit.”
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“I started meeting with Esther for spiritual direction three years ago. My expectation was that this would be a time of us talking and praying, and then Esther leading me with her wisdom and insights. Yes certainly it is about us talking and praying together, but then we both take time to listen for God’s voice. As we sit together in God’s presence, Esther’s part has been to help me hear and interpret what God may be saying and discover what direction He is showing me. In our sessions, Esther has helped me hear God’s voice in the midst of transition and, more recently, to learn to trust God’s gentle acceptance of me, instead of seeking to find his approval by what I do. Esther has been able to lay aside her own ideas. Any comments she makes are clearly offered as suggestions for consideration and nothing more. Throughout these times, she has been gentle and affirming. Some of the things we have talked about have been very personal, but I have never received anything but love and kindness in response from her. In fact, I would say she has mediated God’s love and affirmation to me in ways I have not experienced before. Working with Esther, I have felt safe and secure that she holds everything we talk about in strictest confidence and that she is skilled and trustworthy as a spiritual director.”
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“I sat beside Esther at an all day workshop where I found her to be a very comfortable person to be with, and so asked her to be my spiritual director. It took reading Margaret Guenther’s Holy Listening: The Art of Spiritual Direction as well as having a few appointments with Esther to realize what an excellent choice I made. I learned from Margaret Guenther that spiritual direction is giving loving attention, being present and being attentive. If your goal is to know yourself and become real in your relationship with God; you will be pleased to have Esther guide you on this journey of new life in God.”
Esther meets with directees in her home in Burnaby (or by Skype). If you are interested in meeting with her you can contact her here.
An Everyday Pilgrim 