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If you've been drawn to the Enneagram, you're probably seeking something good: to understand how God made you. The Church has her own answer to that desire — charisms (spiritual gifts) — and discerning yours may be exactly what you've been looking for.
People reach for the Enneagram because they want to understand why they respond to life the way they do, where their strengths come from, and what they're here for. That desire — to know yourself so you can love God and others better — is beautiful and good. St. Augustine prayed to know God and to know himself — in that order and together.
So if you've taken the Enneagram, loved it, and then heard from a Catholic friend that it's probably not the best place to go to learn about yourself, this page is for you. Not to make you feel bad about it (there's no shame here, just education!) but to show you what is problematic about the Enneagram, and to introduce you to something even better that will lead you into so much richer territory for self-discovery.
The Church has not formally banned the Enneagram, and you'll find faithful Catholics on both sides of the conversation. But there is one significant statement you should know about. In 2003, the Pontifical Councils for Culture and Interreligious Dialogue published Jesus Christ, the Bearer of the Water of Life, a reflection on New Age spirituality. It mentions the Enneagram by name, cautioning that when it is used as a means of spiritual growth, it "introduces an ambiguity in the doctrine and the life of the Christian faith."
That word — ambiguity — is the heart of the concern. The question isn't whether a nine-type diagram can ever be interesting or useful. It's that the Enneagram's origins and spiritual framework sit outside Christian teaching, and treating it as a map for the soul can blur lines that really do matter.
If you're weighing what this means for you personally, that's a worthy conversation to have with your pastor or spiritual director — they know you, and this is exactly what they're for. What we can offer is the other half of the answer, the half that usually goes missing: if not this, then what?
Here's what we've noticed after years of walking with people through situations like this: when Catholics reach for the Enneagram, they are usually after more than a personality type. They're asking deeper questions — Who am I? What am I here for? What do I have to offer? They want to know that God made them on purpose, with particular gifts, for particular work.
The Church has a framework for exactly that. They're called charisms: spiritual gifts given by the Holy Spirit to every baptized person, for the good of others. This isn't a niche devotion that some people love and others reject — it's straight from the Catechism:
You already have at least one charism and most people have several. And here's the practical difference that makes knowing your charisms so life-changing: a charism is a gift to use, not a label to identify with. Discerning your charisms ends with you serving people in ways that bear visible fruit, which is a very different destination than just "knowing your number."
A fair question at this point: "So are all personality tests bad?" No — and it helps to sort the tools by what they actually measure to evaluate them:
| Tool | What it looks at | For Catholics |
|---|---|---|
| The four temperaments | Your natural disposition — a framework with a long history in Catholic formation | Widely used in Catholic circles for natural self-knowledge (we love this one too) |
| Myers-Briggs, CliftonStrengths, Working Genius, etc. | Natural preferences, talents, and working styles | Natural-level tools; helpful for what they are, but don't get to the spiritual heart of things |
| The Enneagram | Nine personality types, often presented as a spiritual growth path | The 2003 Vatican document raises doctrinal cautions about this in spiritual use |
| Charism discernment | The supernatural gifts the Holy Spirit has given you for others | Rooted directly in Scripture and the Catechism (CCC 799–801) |
Notice the pattern: even the best personality tools describe your natural makeup. That's worth knowing — self knowledge does help us grow - but it's like studying the instrument and then never seeking what music it can play. Charisms are the supernatural layer that no personality test considers: not how God built you, but what He has empowered you to do for the people around you.
Unlike a personality test, charism discernment doesn't end when you get your results — it ends when you're using your gifts and watching what God does with them. But it usually starts in a familiar way:
No background knowledge is required — the PDF report you get at the end of the assessment explains everything in plain language. And if you'd rather read before you take anything, our free guide to all 24 charisms is a great first step.
God has already given you everything you need to live your purpose. The charism assessment helps you put names to it — so you can stop guessing and start serving.
The Church hasn't formally banned it, but the 2003 Vatican document Jesus Christ, the Bearer of the Water of Life cautions that using it for spiritual growth "introduces an ambiguity in the doctrine and the life of the Christian faith," and many trusted Catholic teachers advise caution. For your own situation, talk with your pastor or spiritual director, or err on the side of healthy caution and skip it.
For natural self-knowledge, the four temperaments have a long Catholic history. For the deeper question — what God made you for — the Church's own framework is charisms, and discerning yours is a path grounded in both Scripture and the Catechism (CCC 799–801).
A personality test describes your natural makeup. A charism assessment looks at the supernatural gifts the Holy Spirit has likely given you for serving others. Different layer, different question — and only one of them tells you what you're equipped to do for the Church and the world.
No. The assessment requires no background and explains your results in plain English. If you'd like to read more first, start with the free guide to the 24 charisms or our overview of what the 24 charisms are.