The Verbum Dei Missionaries quickly touched me by their hospitality–welcoming me in my new role as spiritual director, to share this sacred ground with directees and parish friends who are seeking to be more attentive to God’s Spirit in their lives. And given the extraordinary theological scholarship of the Missionaries and the commission by the Diocese to provide the Institute for Catholic Spirituality and Spiritual Direction, Valley residents no longer need to travel to universities for serious theological study nor to far-off monasteries to find a place-apart for contemplative prayer. It is sacred ground upon which to grow deeper in faith and awareness of God’s movement in every phase of one’s life.