Spiritual direction is known as the ministry of compassionate presence.
It is one accompanying another on the journey. It is specifically concerned with helping a person directly with his or her relationship with God. The persons who come for spiritual direction may be a lay person or a priest seeking an on going deeper relationship with God, or a student seeking a way through tough decisions. It may be a person just coming into the faith and seeking a deeper prayer life or someone in a life transition such as moving, a job change, divorce, empty nest or someone facing terminal illness. The quest is the common theme.