This landmark work traces the transformation of one of Christianity's oldest practices across the turbulent decades of the twentieth century.

Drawing on deep archival research, interviews with more than forty students and teachers in the first training programs, and sixteen years of lived practice, Paul Burgmayer brings a researcher's eye and a director's heart to a story that has never been fully told: how spiritual direction went from the margins of one faith tradition to the ubiquitous practice we see today.

From the mid-century renewal movements to the emergence of ecumenical direction and the development of training programs from one-to-one mentoring, this book illuminates the forces, figures, and faith that shaped modern spiritual accompaniment.

Essential reading for spiritual directors, those learning the practice, and anyone interested in the recent history of contemporary spirituality.

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