Hopeful Imagination reflective centerpiece

In a workshop about the Hopeful Imagination, Mary Rose Bumpus, RSM, invited sixty-five spiritual directors to imagine a place where God meets us. Diverse answers included:

“in Benaroya Hall during a concert”
“when I receive a host during communion”
“in the shower”
“in the prison where I listen to people”

Together we explored ways our imaginations are a vehicle of hope in our journey toward and relationship with God or Ultimate Reality.

Mary Rose Bumpus, RSM, teaches at Seattle University’s School for Theology and Ministry. She is the author of the recent Presence journal article about the hopeful imagination as well as the Spiritual Directors International imprint book, Supervision of Spiritual Directors: Engaging in Holy Mystery. To read her Presence journal article online, follow this link.

My peer supervision group decided to learn together by participating as a group in the Hopeful Imagination workshop. Not only was it deeply satisfying to learn together as a peer group, but also inspirational to see many old friends and meet new colleagues. I highly recommend attending educational events for spiritual directors as a group, to support spiritual directors’ on-going education.

Many thanks to Carolyn Hickman and the Ignatian Spirituality Center for sponsoring the workshop for spiritual directors in the Northwest area of North America. Special kudos to the spiritual directors who drove from British Columbia to join the mostly Puget Sound community for a meaningful day of learning, sharing and cultivating hope through the imagination.

Mary Rose Bumpus, RSM, teaching

L-R Christine Betz Hall, Al Roehl, Joan Henjum, Carolyn Hickman, Jackie Leksen
Carolyn Hickman (from the Ignatian Spirituality Center) talks with Northwest spiritual directors.