By Fr. Dwight Longenecker, National Catholic Register - What is the role of a spiritual director? The spiritual director is part counselor and (if he is a priest) confessor. The best term I have heard for spiritual director is “soul friend.”... A soul friend is a person to whom you can confide your fears, your longings and your desire for spiritual growth. He or she may be more advanced than you are, but that is probably a question not worth asking because the answer is so complicated.