Selene Lau
Spiritual Direction
Companionship for life with God.
What is spiritual direction?
Spiritual Direction is a sacred and intentional practice centred on sharing the details of one’s spiritual journey with a trusted, trained companion. It is fundamentally an experience of soul care, offering a dedicated space where an individual can intentionally cultivate attentiveness to the movement and voice of God amidst the constant currents of their ordinary lives.
In this relationship, the spiritual director acts as a guide, providing a safe and non-judgmental environment for the individual to explore his or her interior landscape. The director assists the directee in noticing and interpreting the holy longings, desires, and discover what lies hidden beneath the surface of their life. A spiritual direction session creates a moment to pause, reflect, and be attentive to God.
Spiritual directors serve as companions and guides along a person’s spiritual journey. As a trained guide, a spiritual director offers the gift of listening and hospitality in a confidential space as director and directee listen together to the nudges and promptings of the Holy Spirit.
“Spiritual direction is a way to pursue God with all our heart and a way to respond to God, who is pursuing us. In direction we gather many threads together. We bring diverse prayers, impressions, and experiences into direction conversations to invite the Spirit of God to reveal themes and patterns, movements and countermovements that affect our spirit and life.”
Jeannette A. BAKKE
What you can expect from our time together:
- A quiet, safe, confidential, and reflective place to meet
- My attentive, listening presence
- Help in noticing and responding to God’s voice and presence in your life
- An opportunity to pause amid the noise of everyday life
- Encouragement, affirmation, and challenge without advice-giving or problem-solving
- Resources for the journey
Together, we commit to this relationship under the guidance of the Holy Spirit as our Director and Guide.
What is the process to begin spiritual direction?
To begin, I like to set up a free introductory 30-minute Zoom call so that we can jointly discern if this is a good fit for you. I’m open to answer any questions you may have. After the introductory meeting, you decide if you would like to begin spiritual direction and schedule a session.
I do meetings on Zoom, and can be available to meet in person if you live in the Montreal area.
The typical rhythm for spiritual direction is once a month for an hour, although there may be seasons where people schedule more frequent or sporadic meetings.
Meet Selene
I am a beloved child of God.
I am a wife, mom of 3 rambunctious boys, and daughter of immigrant parents.
I grew up in the foothills of the spectacular Canadian Rockies, surrounded by a vibrant multigenerational Chinese community. I currently live in Quebec, a French-speaking province in Canada, where I met my husband Jeremy who is Quebecois. My most treasured role is being a mom to 3 wonderful boys. Our home is a wonderful mix of cultures, languages, and foods. We regularly eat dumplings and noodles, as well as baguettes and poutine. We love biking, nature walks and curling up on a couch with a good book.
My story includes navigating ministry burnout, seeking belonging across diverse cultural and linguistic contexts, grappling with identity as a second-generation immigrant and visible minority, and parenting a neurodivergent child. On this ongoing journey, I’m discovering many gifts along the way. I am recognizing that redemption and healing are available in broken places, encountering God’s grace in community and experiencing the joy of being myself.
My path to spiritual direction began after a decade-long season in the desert. After many years wrestling with my faith, I was led to the Renovaré Institute in 2018, where I discovered that a deeper and richer with-God life could be a reality. I was met there by a loving and patient community of sojourners that reflected God’s goodness and presence. Being companioned and lovingly embraced on my own faith journey is what moves me to offer the same hospitality and companionship to others in their faith journey. My desire is to offer a safe space for others to be seen and heard, and discover for themselves a deeper knowing of God.
I have two decades of Christian ministry experience, serving in various roles across Canada. I currently serve as a campus chaplain, online mentor, teacher at my local church, and faculty member of the Renovaré Institute of Christian Spiritual Formation. I have a Master of Arts degree in Spiritual Formation, and a Spiritual Direction Certification from Portland Seminary. I am a member of the Anam Cara Peregrini community of spiritual directors.
