• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The St. Francis de Sales Association

The St. Francis de Sales Association

A spiritual family for Catholic lay women who desire to live a devout life

  • Home
  • About Us
    • About the Association
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Download Our Brochure
    • U.S. Group Locations
    • Our History
    • Our Founders
    • Our Spiritual Family
    • Our Relationship With the Church
    • How to Join
  • Salesian Spirituality
  • Spiritual Friendship
  • FAQ
  • Brochure
  • Donations
  • Contact Us
  • Salesian Resources
  • Catholic Resources
  • Salesian Quotes for May
  • Member Login
Home > Spiritual Friendship

Spiritual Friendship

A key benefit members of the St. Francis de Sales Association enjoy is the opportunity to develop and maintain life-long spiritual friendships. Fr. John W. Crossin, an Oblate of St. Francis de Sales (OSFS) and former executive director of the Washington Theological Consortium (now deceased), wrote and spoke extensively on the topic of spiritual friendship and shared his insights with us in the following series of essays.

The Experience of Friendship

We experience a joy in friendship. Friends enjoy spending time together. Going to a fall football game together—wearing the right color, cheering in unison, sharing hot dogs, and celebrating victory—speaks of the joy of being with friends. There is a strong emotional quality to friendship. We like being with our friends. […]

Kinds of Friendship

There are different kinds of friendship. Friendships involve different levels of communication and sharing. Friendships can be tremendously enriching. Each friendship may have a different focus and depth. All have elements of attraction and joy. Some friendships are between men or between women; others are between a man and a […]

Spiritual Friendship

Spiritual Friendship

I mentioned Spiritual Friendship in a course I was teaching on spirituality. One of the students shared with me that he had never heard the term. He was intrigued with the concept—it seemed to describe one of his relationships. Spiritual friends are friends with whom we feel we can share […]

Discerning God’s Plan

Discerning God's Plan

With a true friend we can share our hopes and discouragements. It is comforting to have an understanding ear to hear our concerns both spoken–and unspoken. It is good to have a person who can serve as a “sounding board” to whom we can vocalize our ideas that seem new […]

Healing Relationships

Healing Friendships

Friends do not expect us to be perfect-nor do we expect them to be. Sometimes we will share our mistakes and even our deeper faults with one another. This can be a great aid in the healing process in the varied situations of our lives. Friends sometimes have serious differences […]

Patience in Friendship

Patience in Friendship

In life we are always going either backward or forward. There is no standing still. Though we might not notice the subtle changes in our relationships, they are happening. Patience is an important virtue for sustaining growth in our relationships and in ourselves. Daily life provides many opportunities for exercising […]

Gratitude

Gratitude in Friendship

As we come to spiritual maturity, we grow in appreciation of our talents and blessings. We realize that we are not entitled to them. We have not earned them. They are gifts from God. One danger is that we might take things for granted. We can easily perceive that ‘what […]

Primary Sidebar

A Life Filled With Joy

Julianne Jackson, Gulf Shores Group

Listen as Julianne Jackson shares her journey of seeking, discovering and becoming a Daughter of St. Francis de Sales and how … Learn More about Living a Life of Spiritual Friendship and Joy

Download Our Brochure

Brochure about the St. Francis de Sales Association

Download a brochure to learn more about our Salesian spirituality, our formation and our association. It is available in both English and … Download Now about Download Our Brochure

Contact Our Association

Your Name(Required)
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

© 2024 St. Francis de Sales Association. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy


Member, North American Salesian Network

The St. Francis de Sales Association is a private, international association of the faithful created to promote and encourage the personal holiness of its Roman Catholic members and falls under the jurisdiction of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life. Visit our listing in the dicastery’s directory.

 

Need Help?

Contact our web team

The St. Francis de Sales AssociationLogo Header Menu
  • Home
  • About Us
    • About the Association
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Download Our Brochure
    • U.S. Group Locations
    • Our History
    • Our Founders
    • Our Spiritual Family
    • Our Relationship With the Church
    • How to Join
  • Salesian Spirituality
  • Spiritual Friendship
  • FAQ
  • Brochure
  • Donations
  • Contact Us