About Us

What is Spiritual Direction?

Christian spiritual direction is a professional ministry when one Christian, called spiritual director, helps another person, known as a retreatant or directee, grow in intimacy with God. This service is customarily provided for a fee.

The director helps the retreatant recognize that God’s love is entirely unconditional. The director helps a retreatant to learn to listen, discern, and respond to what God is communicating to them. When we experience God’s love deeply, we are freed to live lives that mirror that love in service to others.

 

More about the role of a spiritual director, click here.

 

Your Waypoints Spiritual Director

Tom Cashman has been engaged in Ignatian Spirituality for eight years. He was trained to give the Spiritual Exercises in the 3-year Pierre Favre Program at the Jesuit Retreat Center of Los Altos, California. He took the 19th Annotation through SEEL Puget Sound. Tom holds a master’s degree in public administration. He has spent his career in public affairs communications, public issues advocacy and consulting, museum development, education administration, and fundraising.

 

 

Tom serves parishes and retreat centers as a retreat and program presenter on the following topics:

  • Praying with the Parables of Jesus.
  • Presenting contemplative reflections on the seasons of Advent, Lent, and Pentecost.
  • Teaching Contemplative Prayer to lead others to deeper relationships with God.
  • Giving the 19th Annotation of the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius Loyola
  • Providing individualized spiritual direction.
  • Prayer formation to deacons and all Religious

Tom features classical and modern art to enhance all his presentations and to assist the experience of those who learn more profitably by visual examples. 

 

Tom says making his own retreat with the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius
several years ago was life-changing: “I experienced more clearly that
prayer and communion with God is not something an individual initiates.
It is God who takes the initiative and leads the relationship. God seeks us out as God’s valued companions in service to others and the world. My work now is to share this experience with retreatants so that they, too,
can seek to be people for others.”

 

Tom and his wife Rosemary live in Tucson, Arizona, USA.

Tom and his wife Rosemary

Our Commitment to Your Satisfaction

“. . . a knowledgeable director, always providing answers to my questions and different options that allowed me to explore the path that God had for me . . . “ – Student testimonial

Tom Cashman is committed to accompanying you through the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius Loyola and your individualized spiritual direction with excellent, safe, confidential and ethical guidance.  If Tom is not the right fit for you as your retreat director or spiritual director, he is happy to provide you with referrals and contact information for other directors you can interview so you can make sure you find the director that works best for you.


Waypoints Spiritual Direction embraces and adheres to the Guidelines for Ethical Conduct as described in the handbook of Spiritual Directors International, located here: 

 www.sdicompanions.org/docs/guidelines/Flip/guidelines_ethical_conduct.html     

Upcoming Events

Retreat and Presentations Schedule

  • Pentecost Weekend Retreat
    Belfast Jesuit Center, Belfast, Ireland, UK May 17-19, 2024