Eddie O’Connor
Canterbury / Christchurch
Chaplaincy, Church Leadership, Creativity and Spirituality, Interfaith, Men's spirituality, Mental Health, Spirituality of ageing
Contemplative, Covid Vaccinated, Ignatian Spiritual Directors, Leads Retreats, Teacher of meditation in the Christian tradition, Welcomes LGBTQI+
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Religious background
Like many people in my generation, my religious background is wide-ranging. I was baptised in the Catholic Church before my family moved to the Anglican Church when I was a teenager. After leaving home, I moved away from church and faith and described myself as an atheist until a spiritual crisis in my early 30s led me to Buddhism, meditation, and a 10-day silent retreat.
My contemplative experiences opened up Christianity in a way I hadn’t conceived before. I’m thankful to the World Community for Christian Meditation for helping me find my way back into the Christian faith during this period. In 2020, I was appointed Director of Sister Eveleen Retreat House in Christchurch, where I stayed for three years. During this time, I facilitated many silent retreats and trained as a Spiritual Director in the tradition of St Ignatius of Loyola.
Today, I’m a chaplain at Burwood Hospital, where I help people navigate sickness, death, and loss. I also see a small number of Spiritual Direction clients, usually on Sunday afternoons. I attend St Saviour’s Anglican Church in Lyttelton, where I serve as the Vicar’s Warden.
Approach to spiritual direction
Spiritual Direction is an enormous privilege for me. When a person embraces their spiritual path with openness and curiosity, the results are often surprising and exciting, never a waste of time. My approach is founded on both my experience with the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius and my practice of contemplative prayer.
I have a big heart for people who feel spiritually homeless, as my journey has moved through a variety of spiritual perspectives and theological positions.
At the heart of any spiritual practice is the assumption that God is at work in us at all times; our job is to help facilitate that work. In the Spiritual Exercises, St Ignatius encourages Directors to be like the centre of a balance, neither overtly influencing a person’s journey, nor remaining passive. A person coming to me for direction can expect me to be calm, empathetic, and affirming, but also honest. My goal is to hold a light up for people and help them see the road ahead, particularly when the way is dark or unclear.
