Reclaiming Men's Spirituality: Spiritual Direction of Men through the Lens of Saint John of the Cross

Reclaiming Men’s Spirituality is a study that investigates men’s spirituality by exploring three research questions: Can a form of spirituality about men be identified and described, how can this spirituality be examined, and what is it that needs to be reclaimed? To answer these questions and at the same time remain committed to the importance of lived experience, this study opted to investigate the lives of men by attending to ten spiritual histories. The study is situated in Malta, and the ten spiritual histories provide access to various features, expressions, and contours that relate closely to men’s being. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted with ten spiritual directors who have men as spiritual directees. Their contribution clarifies the structure of men’s spirituality, the effort required when directing male spiritual directees and the impact generated in the lives of men thanks to spiritual direction. To provide a frame of reference for the examination of all the gathered data, John of the Cross’s spiritual framework has been chosen as the mystical instrument against which men’s spiritualities are studied, leading to richer insights into the operations, motives, goals, and problems of such spiritualities.

Christopher Felix Bezzina holds a BA in social work and an MA in spirituality from the University of Malta. In 2022 he completed his doctoral research in theology and religious studies at the University of Glasgow.



George Pattison is Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity at the University of Oxford and has written extensively on Kierkegaard and modern religious thought. His most recent books are Kierkegaard and the Theology of the Nineteenth Century and Kierkegaard and the Quest for Unambiguous Life.