There will be a Week of Accompanied Prayer at Guildford Cathedral from October 8-13, hosted by the Spiritual Directors Network.

This week is for anyone in whatever place they may be on the spiritual journey. If you sense a longing to deepen your life in God, a desire to make sense of your faith journey or wishing to find different ways to pray then this week may be for you.

Not many of us have the time nor the resources to stay at a retreat house, but this week brings the retreat to you in your everyday life. It starts with a gathering at the cathedral on Sunday, October 8 at 4pm for an initial introduction and then everyone will meet a prayer companion. Everyone will then commit to pray for half an hour a day for the week and to meet daily, at a mutually agreed time and in absolute confidence, with their companion to talk about their experience in the prayer and suggested scriptures.

On Friday, October 13, there is an informal service and refreshments at 7.30pm at a venue to be announced, with the opportunity to hear and share if you wish what the week has been like. If several people in our part of the diocese want to apply, then we can arrange for prayer companions to meet here rather than having to travel to Guildford.

Margaret Bowers, a member of St George’s Church, writes: “I’m very excited to introduce this to you since it was one such accompanied week that opened for me prayer and closeness with God in ways I hadn’t previously experienced nor been taught before. It also led to my training as a Spiritual Director or Companion as someone who journeys alongside others as they too discover a lived experience of God more and more in their everyday lives.

“Certainly, after such a week I felt affirmed in the unconditional love of God, encouraged, supported, surprised, and energised in my spiritual journey and learned a truth that still holds today, which is that when we intentionally set time aside to be with God then God delights in drawing close to us in unexpected and wonderful ways.”

Below you can download an application form to be sent to woapguildford@hotmail.com but if you wish to ask Margaret Bowers anything please contact her at margbowers@aol.com.