Selection Criteria for the Arrupe Program
In determining an applicant’s suitability for the Arrupe Program, it is expected that he or she will:
- have completed the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius (19th or 20th Annotation);
- demonstrate a love of and a commitment to prayer;
- have a sense of being called to the ministry of spiritual direction in the Ignatian tradition and giving the full Spiritual Exercises and show evidence of their giftedness for this vocation;
- demonstrate a capacity to listen empathically and enter sensitively into spiritual conversation;
- have sufficient life experience to enable them to respond with wisdom to a wide range of people from many different walks of life;
- show an openness to learning from their own and others’ experience;
- give evidence of a committed and mature Christian faith, an openness to struggle, a preparedness to embrace paradox and mystery, a willingness to change in response to the call of God, and an openness to the whole community of faith;
- be committed to the process of ongoing spiritual direction as a directee;
- be ecumenical and embracing of other faith traditions while maintaining a strong commitment to one Christian tradition; and
- be able to build into his or her life the reflective time and space to integrate the learnings of the Arrupe Program.