My name is Bret Lortie and this is my site where you can learn more about my spiritual direction practice. I’ve had many professional roles in life: writer, educator, ordained Unitarian Universalist minister, and military chaplain. I’ve also had an eclectic personal life, from years as a performer and “trad jazz” musician in Chicago to being a volunteer search and rescue pilot with Civil Air Patrol.
I approach spiritual direction knowing the Universe created you well and good, exactly as you are. You’ve been led to a way of knowing and encountering the Divine (however you name that holy unseen mystery that guides each of us), and my role as a spiritual director isn’t to guide you to my way of encountering God, but toward your experience to remind you of that which holds your spirit and life in tenderness, compassion, and strength.
As I complete my graduate work in spiritual direction at Loyola University’s Institute of Pastoral Studies, I’m undergoing a year of supervised “contextual education” and am accepting a limited number of clients on a sliding-scale rate. While spiritual direction is different than pastoral counseling, I hope my long-time experience as a pastor and chaplain will benefit my work as a director for you.
Please use the contact form above to schedule a first session, always free to see if we’re a good fit, or with any questions you might have.
I took the picture in the header at Garden of the Gods. Each of the rock formations has its own identity, representing how a single unity can take many forms, and be known by many names.