About Us
The purpose of the Epiphany Group is to give mutual support and encouragement, and to foster community among practitioners working from the living tradition of Ignatian spirituality, in order that ministries arising from the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises may flourish in Scotland.
The vision of the Epiphany Group is to be a discerning group of women and men working ecumenically across Scotland; committed in our work in Ignatian spirituality to being a force for transformation, and to being a prayerful and supportive community.
Members of the Epiphany Group
- have completed the full Ignatian Spiritual Exercises in a recognised manner
- have completed recognised training in spiritual direction
- practice as spiritual directors/companions working in a properly supervised manner.
We hold ourselves accountable for the standards of practice which are beneficial to those with whom we work and we adhere to a code of practice.
The Epiphany Group has 53 members at present, living and working throughout Scotland.
Core Group
The Group is led by a core group (sometimes referred to as the core committee) nominated from the ordinary members, who provide leadership. The core group follows Ignatian principles of praying and reflecting together, and making decisions in a discerning way.
These core members volunteer their time to meeting and planning the programme of events, and presenting the annual conference. They write regional reports, contribute to the Annual Report and keep an eye on our finances. They also organise events in their own area.
During events they play a significant part in welcoming participants, being hospitable, and ensuring everything from meals to liturgy runs smoothly.
Task Groups
In addition small task groups work on specific areas of interest. The Epiphany Group code of practice, the process for changing leadership, and the co-ordination of training courses have resulted from detailed work by small groups.
Co-ordination of training courses
The co-ordination of training courses, and the organisation of individually guided retreats is handled by Alison Moody.
Co-ordinator
Overall the work is co-ordinated by Elizabeth South. The Epiphany Group receives an annual grant from the Society of Jesus, which enables the co-ordinator to be remunerated and meets the basic expenses of core group meetings.
Each person is appointed initially for 3 years, with a possible extension for another 3 years. The Co-ordinator is appointed for 5 years. The role of Co-ordinator has recently been reviewed and Elizabeth will serve a further term, with a new person in place by 2012 before she leaves office.
The core committee welcomes suggestions and contributions from members of the Group.
If you would like to become more involved in the work of the core committee, please do get in touch with Elizabeth South or one of the other members. We try to have a reasonable geographical ‘spread’ so there may well be a core group member in your area.
These are the current members of the core committee:
Barbara Buda (Stirling)
Ruth Flockhart (Inverness)
Rachel Inglis (Kirkcudbright)
Judith Irving (Catterlin)e
Claire Starr (Edinburgh)
Ken Webb (Borders)
Trudy Shaw (Edinburgh)
Elizabeth South (Edinburgh)
Gero McLoughlin sj
represents the Society of Jesus on the committee