The Center for Spirituality and Justice began to take shape in 1979 out of a question: how does the ministry of spiritual direction remain true to itself and, at the same time, relate to the issues of justice in society? The first program was small, with one director and eight participants, all interested in exploring the use of spiritual direction in their ministries. By the third year the team had grown to three members. Justice issues became more and more central as the team began to reflect on national and global news as part of the spiritual direction training.

Over the next twenty-one years there were many milestones. A significant one early on was the development of a tool, called "The Experience Cycle," used to train spiritual directors to become attentive to God's revelation and transforming action in the structural arena of human experience as well as in the individual and interpersonal arenas. As team members became active in the development of the newly formed organization, Spiritual Directors International (SDI), they were able to share this tool with spiritual directors throughout the country and even the world.

As the team has changed in number (as few as two and as many as seven) so has the makeup of the participants in the program. At first the program attracted members of religious congregations. By the third year three lay women registered and the number of lay persons continued to climb, until lay women and men completing the program now exceed one quarter of the over three hundred and fifty graduates.

In the Spring of 2004 the Center for Spirituality and Justice celebrated its 25th Anniversary. The germ has taken root, grown, spread its branches and been blest with abundant fruit.