Coordinating Council
The Coordinating Council of Spiritual Directors International is the governing body of the not-for-profit, charitable organization. With the role come fiduciary, visionary, strategic planning, policy-setting and personnel oversight responsibilities.
Nominations for the 2009-2012 Coordinating Council closed on June 30th, 2008.
To learn about the nominations process, click here.
To contact the Coordinating Council, send e-mail to:
Terrence J. Moran, CSSR ‘09
Chair / Stirling, New Jersey, USA
I have been a member of Spiritual Directors International for more than ten years, have attended several conferences, and collaborated in the translation of the Guidelines for Ethical Conduct in Spiritual Direction into Spanish. I have been engaged in the ministry of spiritual direction, retreat ministry, and chapter facilitation in the United States and many other countries across the globe. I am fluent in Spanish, Italian, and French, and I have some knowledge of Portuguese. I bring to the work of the Coordinating Council years of experience with people from a large variety of circumstances, cultures, and spiritual and religious traditions. I have served on several boards--civic, theological, and service oriented. I could help Spiritual Directors International expand its international outreach for I have given retreats and courses in more than thirty countries. I would like to see Spiritual Directors International make the ministry of spiritual direction more accessible to people of different cultures and economic levels and that its membership would better reflect the cultural and religious diversity of our world.
David Liedl, TOR ‘08
Secretary / Minneapolis, MN USA
Serving on the
Coordinating Council of Spiritual Directors International is one of my greatest joys. It connects me more deeply with an international
learning community of faith-filled seekers. Servant leadership is teaching me to keep my ears pressed to the earth, my eyes open, and
my heart attuned to God?s activity around the world and across traditions in wonderful ways I never imagined. In doing so, I trust that
I will be able to assist the organization to respond more imaginatively and faithfully to God's intention for our global community of
spiritual directors. At the local level, I am living my passion for spiritual direction as a Vocation Director for my
Franciscan religious community. My energies are invested in helping young men take the ultimate risk of responding to God?s
invitation in their life.
Miriam Frey ‘09
Treasurer / Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
My life experiences, particularly leaving the close knit Mennonite Church as a twenty year old and then living overseas in Nairobi, Kenya, were my initial preparation for this ministry. The life experiences I bring to the work of the Coordinating Council include leadership, financial management, collaboration, communication, and teaching. The gifts I bring include contemplative listening, a deep appreciation for people of other faiths, cultures and denominations, and a love for the Christian church despite its limitations. My vision for the future of Spiritual Directors International is to build strong bridges between traditions and cultures, as we seek to serve God, the Holy Mystery. I would hope that more people from outside North America will see the value of Spiritual Directors International and join our organization. Spiritual Directors International has a unique opportunity to lead this important ministry by providing resources, inspiration and modeling for spiritual directors around the world as they remain open to the leading of the Spirit.
Ms. Susan B. Loretta, MA ‘10
Miami, Florida, USA
I have a deep love for God and people. I offer to the mission of the
Coordinating Council my experiences in both Latin America and the culturally
diverse communities of faith in South Florida as well as the joys and challenges
of serving more than twelve years as coordinator of a formation program in
spiritual direction and spiritual companionship in an economically, racially and
culturally diverse setting. I have an understanding of how to coordinate time,
space, and events that capture the imagination of participants. I have some
experience working with the media in promoting spiritual direction through
print, radio and television and am able to speak conversational Spanish.
Christopher McCauley ‘10
Los Angeles, California, USA
I bring my gifts in spiritual discernment, strategic planning for
non-profits, and experience in building new models for spiritual organization to
the mission of Spiritual Directors International, which is to serve the world in
tending the Holy. I hope that we will see our role as developing the first
global network to support the spiritual direction world-community.
Jennifer (Jinks) Hoffmann ‘11
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
I was trained in the first-ever training program of Jewish spiritual directors in North America, called Lev Shomea, which means listening heart. Judaism at its very best includes a spirit of curiosity and vibrance, lively debate and argument, earthy, passionate involvement with others and with everyday life, a sense of humor and of the absurd, and a hands-on, heart-on experience of divinity being a part of every moment of life. I aspire to bring these qualities to my new position on the Coordinating Council of Spiritual Directors International.
Although I live in Canada now, I grew up in South Africa, which gave me a consciousness of the light and the dark of the earth and its people at a very early age, an awareness of man’s inhumanity to others of different races, colors and faith traditions. We all have Shadow, aspects of ourselves, sometimes dark, sometimes light, that are not available to our consciousness. My commitment to my own life and to meeting with others is to walk on that paradoxical Shadow boundary, inevitable in all faith traditions. I aspire to bring my learnings from the challenge of growing up in the troubled and beautiful African continent, as well as the difficulties and blessings of my immigration to Canada to my work on the Coordinating Council of Spiritual Directors International.
I am a “God-wrestler,” one who questions and argues with God. I am a God-lover, one who walks my days in a frequent state of reverence and awe, even when I am wrestling. I am a poet, and my poetry, my prayer-in-writing is how I meet God daily. I will aspire to bring my passionate involvement with life to the Coordinating Council of Spiritual Directors International.
Sally Taylor ‘11
Saintfield, Co Down, North Ireland
I am deeply committed to living in this world from a heart turned inside out, imbued with wisdom to understand reality and compassion that reaches across inner and outer boundaries to alleviate the suffering of beings. Spiritual Directors International offers a unique service across boundaries of faith, culture, and geography that I am deeply grateful to participate in on the Coordinating Council. I am involved with Buddhist charitable efforts across five countries, and have engaged in interfaith dialogue as a Tibetan Buddhist practitioner. I bring an international perspective to strategic planning, living as a North American on the island of Ireland in Northern Ireland. I am curious about differences in language across traditions and cultures that we use to describe our common human experience. I am passionate bout the Earth, her sustainability and our universal responsibility as earth inhabitants.