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The St. James Center for Spiritual Formation 

is a ministry of

Contact the CSF for further information on the Center's mission and programs by writing info AT stjames csf DOT org..

Contact the Websexton with any questions or problems with this site by writing websexton AT stjames csf DOT org.

Last Modified:

January 31, 2008

Copyright 2008, 

St. James Center for Spiritual Formation. 

All Rights Reserved.

About the Center

Christian Formation is a more-than-lifelong process in which God converts and transforms our whole selves, until mind, will, and heart conform wholly to Christ. The mission of the Center is to offer training in the three sides of a faithful life -- spirituality, knowledge and action -- in order to encourage and assist Christians in cooperating with God's transforming work. The Center's primary objective is to provide, through a local Christian community, an ecumenical center for nurturing ongoing faith development and the imperative to do ministry within God's family. A Christ-centered path is our way to wholeness, growth and compassionate service.

Above all, the Center aims to nurture intimacy with the Triune God through individual and group spiritual direction, and to teach modes of prayer, reflection and the practice of contemplative listening for God. To achieve this goal, the Center will train Christians for ministry in their everyday lives, helping them to apply their faith in their daily work and relationships, as witnesses in word and deed. The Center will include a supporting program of theological education, attempting always to attune the mind to the heart.

The Saint James Center for Spiritual Formation was born of a common spiritual hunger and thirst by parishioners of St. James Episcopal Church, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Its mission is to help deepen our awareness and experience of God in Christ in our daily lives and ministries through contemplative living and serving.

The concept for the Center was developed by the Rev. George D. Kontos, the Center’s Executive Director and Sr. Associate Rector of St. James Church. The idea first surfaced in late January 1994 in a paper presented at the annual Vestry Retreat. The Center came to life in 1996 with a founding grant from Trinity Church, Wall Street, New York. In 1997, the Vestry of St. James Church elected to match the Trinity grant and the Center became a reality. We are grateful for the opportunity to share these programs which are made possible through this generosity, and by the guidance of the Holy Spirit.