Called to be a Spiritual Director
Year 1 Practicum
Registration for 2025-26 is open!
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.
Details
Dates
The 2025-2026 Spiritual Director Practicum Year 1 program meets on Fridays 9:00am – 3:00pm in person at the Dominican Center.
- September 5 & 19, 2025
- October 3 & 17
- November 7 & 21
- December 5 & 19
- January 9 & 23, 2026
- February 6 & 20
- March 6 & 20
- April 10 & 24
- May 1 & 15
Tuition, Fees + Prerequisite
- Application fee of $25 is required.
- Prerequisite: Foundations in Spirituality
- Tuition is $2550. Scholarships and payment plans are available. Please download this form and submit it with your application if you wish to apply for them.
- Tuition includes instruction and facilitation by the Dominican Center Formation Team, individual mentoring sessions with a seasoned Spiritual Director, and handouts provided before each session.
- Tuition does not cover the cost of required textbooks.
- Email programs@dominicancenter.com with any questions.
- 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.
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 below. 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.
- Apply for scholarship if desired.
- Complete registration.
Practicum Overview, Applications, and Recommendation Forms
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.
Registration
Register for 2025-2026
Only register if you have received a letter of admission from the Dominican Center. Scholarships and payment plans can be arranged, download and submit this form to programs@dominicancenter.com and await word before registering.
