
Called to be a Spiritual Director
Year 1 Practicum
Registration for 2025-26 will open in the spring.
One Friday evening and Saturday day per month September – May
Friday 6:30pm – 9:00pm and Saturday 9:00 am – 3:30 pm EST
Cost: $2,500
Spiritual Director Practicum
Spiritual Director training at Dominican Center is a three-year education and formation intensive — beginning with Foundations in Spirituality and leading to Practicum I and II — designed to attune you to the movement of the Holy Spirit and prayerful response.
A Spiritual Director holds sacred the many stories heard in a one-on-one relationship or in a trusted group.
The Spiritual Director Year 1 Practicum…
… is filled with contemplative spiritual practices, prayer study, and shared reflection.
… strengthens our ability to stay present.
… attunes our listening to sense how the Holy Spirit is present in our lives and in the lives of others.
… looks to Spiritual Giants to mentor participants during the formation process.
…reminds that the ultimate healer holds up director and directee in all ways.
Using an Ignatian spiritual framework, you are encouraged to find meaning in every moment. You are given space to deepen your relationship with God – the God who loves us into life. Through the process, move closer to uncovering your authentic self that guides the discernment of your calling.
Spiritual Director Practicum Admission Process
- Successful completion of the Foundations in Spirituality course.
- Pay $25 application fee. This action initiates the application process.
- Complete Application forms. Your completed application and required personal recommendations will be reviewed by Dominican Center’s Spiritual Formation Team. You can drop off completed documents at Dominican Center Marywood. Or submit your applications by mail (see postal address below) or email as attachments to programs@dominicancenter.com
- An interview with the Spiritual Formation Team to discern readiness to participate in the Spiritual Director Practicum. Make check out to Dominican Center Marywood.
- An acceptance offer to the applicant.
Please do not register or submit payment for this course without approval from Dominican Center Marywood.
Questions and Information
If you have questions or need more information on how to become a Spiritual Director, please contact programs@dominicancenter.com or call 616.514.3325.
Dates
The 2024-2025 Spiritual Director Practicum Year 1 program meets on Fridays, 6:30pm – 9pm and 9:00am – 3:30pm in person at the Dominican Center.
September 13 & 14, 2024
October 11 & 12
November 8 & 9
December 13 & 14
January 10 & 11, 2025
February 14 & 15
March 14 & 15
April 4 & 5
May 9 & 10
Facilitators

Diane Zerfas, OP
Spirituality Program Coordinator
Diane Zerfas, OP, is Dominican Center’s spirituality program coordinator. She is deeply involved in the center’s spiritual formation programs through the planning and teaching of Foundations in Spirituality and the Spiritual Direction Practicum. She holds bachelor’s degrees in math, chemistry, theology, and education from Aquinas College; master’s degrees in Arts in Religious Studies and in Pastoral Studies; a Specialized Certificate in Parish Life and Administration; and a Certificate in Spiritual Direction. Sister Diane has ministered in many ways, including teaching high school as well as serving as formation director for Grand Rapids Dominicans, initiation and evangelization director at St. Mary Magdalen in Kentwood, Diocesan director of RCIA for the Diocese of Grand Rapids, co-director of Pastoral Life at Marywood, and leadership team member for the Dominican Sisters ~ Grand Rapids.

Anna Bonnema
Spiritual Director, DCM Apprentice, Co-Facilitator
Anna Bonnema is an open-armed Catholic. She is a lover of words and of nature, and is fueled by tea, lattes, and dog snuggles. Anna is wife to a man with a contagious laugh and mom to amazing teenage triplets. She teaches part time at Hope College — including a class by the name The Art of Listening — and runs a peer mentoring program for students who are traditionally underrepresented in the STEM fields. Anna is a spiritual director, and loves the practice of listening well. You can read Anna’s writing on the Live Today Well blog.

Teresa Burns
Spiritual Director, Co-Facilitator
Teresa Burns is the Associate Coordinator for Formation Programs at Dominican Center Marywood at Aquinas and the Associate Coordinator for Liturgical Life for the Dominican Sisters of Grand Rapids. She is an Associate with the Servants of Jesus and is on mission to live their charism of “living as Jesus lived, serving as Jesus served, and loving as Jesus loves.” As a spiritual director, speaker, and faith guide, Teresa invites people to notice the Presence of God within them and around them through “URBeloved ministries.” She desires that every person knows how much they are beloved by God.
Teresa completed the Spiritual Direction Practicum at Dominican Center in 2023. She holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in Religious Studies and Sociology from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids and a Masters of Arts in Pastoral Theology from St. Mary-of-the-Woods College in Terre Haute, IN.
Details
Tuition, Fees + Prerequisite
- Tuition: $2,500
- Application fee of $25 is required.
- Prerequisite: Foundations in Spirituality
- Tuition includes instruction and facilitation by the Dominican Center Formation Team, individual mentoring sessions with a seasoned Spiritual Director, and materials provided before each session.
- Fees do not cover the cost of required textbooks
- Financial scholarships are available – call 616-514-3325 or email programs@dominicancenter.com to request information.
Formation Intensive Held In-person
Dominican Center Marywood at Aquinas College, 1700 Fulton Street, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49506
Located on Aquinas College Campus, find a map here.
More Information
For more information, please visit our Called to be a Spiritual Director page.
Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, gives credit hours to participants completing the Spiritual Director Program at the Dominican Center at Marywood. The Graduate Theological Foundation in Sarasota, FL., also accepts credits from the Dominican Center’s Spiritual Director Program.