Spiritual Direction

We are grateful that our campus is also home to a vibrant Jesuit community, who is trained in Ignatian Spirituality and eager to serve students. Our multifaith staff of chaplains each draw on their own traditions to walk with students on their faith journeys. Even in a season of being a dispersed community, learning remotely to help fight a pandemic, all of these faith leaders are willing, able, and eager to connect via phone or zoom. Email them to set up an appointment and a way to connect.

Spiritual Direction with a Jesuit

All Xavier students are invited to consider the practice of spiritual direction, which is a spiritual conversation with a Jesuit or another minister on campus, in order to grow in prayer and to discern where God is present and working in one’s life. Typically, a person would meet with a spiritual director for 50 minutes to an hour each month.

If you are interested in learning more about the possibility of meeting with a spiritual director, feel free to contact any of the directors listed below.

 Fr. Eric Sundrup, S.J., is the pastor of Bellarmine Parish on the campus of Xavier University. He is a graduate of Xavier University, class of 2003. Before returning to Xavier in 2019, he was an associate editor and director of audience development at America Media in New York. As a Jesuit, Eric has worked in media, secondary education and Hispanic Ministry. Eric was trained as a spiritual director at Loyola University Chicago and the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, California. For Eric, spiritual direction is about accompaniment. He describes spiritual direction as an opportunity to walk alongside someone as they journey with God. As you walk along together, the director and directee can point out important markers and explore them. Often at different points in the journey the directee begins a conversation directly with God, Eric happily drops back a few paces to allow that crucial conversation the space it needs. It is a privilege to be able to witness people connecting more directly with God. Eric offers direction in English or Spanish. sundrupe@xavier.edu

Multifaith Staff

Tala Ali, Muslim Chaplain - alit@xavier.edu

Rabbi Jennifer Lewis, Jewish Chaplain - lewisj40@xavier.edu

Rev. Nelson Pierce, Jr. - Baptist Chaplain - piercen@xavier.edu