Presence Editorial Review Panel
To contact an editorial review panel member, send e-mail to:
Lauren Artress
San Francisco, California, USA
The Reverend Dr. Lauren Artress is author of Walking a Sacred Path:
Rediscovering the Labyrinth as a Spiritual Tool (Putnam/Riverhead Books, New
York) and serves as a Canon at Grace Cathedral. In 1996 she created Veriditas, a
non-profit dedicated to introduce people the healing, meditative powers of the
labyrinth. In addition to her ordination as an Episcopal priest she is a
spiritual director and licensed MFT psychotherapist in the State of California,
USA. She received her analytic training in Object Relations and Systems Theory
at The Blanton-Peale Graduate Institute at The Institute of Religion and Health
in New York, New York, USA. Her Doctor of Ministry degree was granted in 1986
from Andover Newton Theological School in Boston, Massachusetts, USA in Pastoral
Psychology.
Wilkie Au
Los Angeles, California, USA
Wilkie Au, PhD, is an associate professor of theological studies and coordinator of the spiritual direction concentration within the Master of Arts program in pastoral theology at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles. His Urgings of the Heart (co-authored with Jungian analyst Noreen Cannon, PhD, Paulist Press) is used widely in spiritual direction and ministry training programs in the US and abroad. Presently, they are co-authoring a book on discernment that integrates the insights of Christian spirituality and depth psychology.
Peter Ball
Ramsbury, Wiltshire, England
Peter Ball is a priest in the Church of England. Now retired, he has a fulfilling ministry in spiritual direction, retreats, workshops, writing and Sunday liturgies in neighbouring village churches. Previously he served parishes in the London diocese and was for six years a canon residentiary and chancellor of St. Paul’s Cathedral. Widowed by the death of Angela in 2004, he has three children and nine grandchildren. His books cover two topics, the adult catechumenate and spiritual direction. His latest, Introducing Spiritual Direction (SPCK, London, England, 2003), is widely available in the United States.
Thomas M. Ball
Spring Arbor, Michigan, USA
Thomas M. Ball is the founding and professor emeritus of the Department of Communications at Spring Arbor University. Tom holds a Doctor of Education degree from the University of Florida and a Doctor of Ministry in Spiritual Direction degree from the Graduate Theological Foundation. He is ordained as a deacon and elder in the Free Methodist Church of North America. He and his wife, Ann, have been married for more than 46 years, and they have one son living and four grandchildren.
Gary W. Barkley
Fukuoka, Japan
Gary W. Barkley, PhD, is Dean of Religious Affairs at Seinan Gakuin University, Fukuoka, Japan, and professor of Church History in the School of Theology. He is an ordained Baptist minister and also serves as associate pastor of Bethany Village Church. In addition to his major field of early church history, Gary also teaches courses on spiritual formation, meditation, and world religions. He has published in the field of spirituality in Japanese and provides spiritual direction primarily in an institutional setting working with students, faculty, and staff. He also speaks and leads retreats for clergy and lay persons in Japan. He and his wife Carolyn have been married since 1978 and have three children.
William Barry, SJ
Weston, Massachusetts, USA
William Barry, SJ, has been a Jesuit for 54 years, a priest for 42. He has a PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Michigan and has taught at the University of Michigan, Weston Jesuit School of Theology and Boston College. He was one of the founders of the Center for Religious Development in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, and is author or co-author of about 15 books. At present he is the co-director of the Jesuit Tertianship Program and gives spiritual direction and retreats. He is also the editor-in-chief of the quarterly Human Development.
Patricia D. Brown
Seattle, Washington, USA
The Rev. Dr. Patricia D. Brown holds a PhD in pastoral theology and practical spirituality and is currently Associate Professor of Christian Formation and Educational Ministry in the School of Theology of Seattle Pacific University. She is an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church, and is executive director of Spiritworks, Inc., a nonprofit that facilitates ongoing spiritual life ministries specifically formulated to help individuals and communities become alive in Christ through mission. Tricia seeks to be open to God’s presence and live in Spirit-filled ways. She is a much sought after speaker, teacher, preacher, and workshop leader on congregational spiritual formation. Her expertise falls in the areas of pilgrimage, catechesis, and great spiritual traditions of the Western church. She is the author of nine books, including Paths to Prayer:Finding Your Own Way to the Presence of God (Jossey-Bass, 2003). She is a frequent contributor to Leader Magazine. She has been married to Dale F. Bauman for more than twenty years. They have two sons.
Lawrence Michael Cameron
Monroe, Michigan, USA
Lawrence Michael Cameron earned his B.A. degree in Religious Studies from Albion College, his M.Div. degree from Methesco, his D.Min. from Ashland Seminary and a D.R.E. from Trinity Seminary. Besides being a Spiritual Director he is an ordained minister of the United Church of Christ and an ordained priest with the United Catholic Church. Larry is also a licensed professional counselor and a registered social worker and holds a credential in substance abuse counseling. He is host of a local radio show “Clarity Central.Com” and is a life and career Coach. He is married to Cindy Lou and they have two children and two grandchildren. They reside in Monroe, Michigan. Larry has published two dissertations, one book and several articles.
Philip Carter
Adelaide, South Australia
Philip Carter is an Anglican Priest, married to Helen, and
they have three adult daughters. He has been a parish priest, pastoral chaplain
to a theological college and director of a diocesan retreat centre. In 1996 he
founded the Julian Centre, an independent and ecumenical Centre for Spiritual
Direction and Spirituality. In July 2006 he participated in a two week intensive
training in Supervision for Spiritual Directors at the Mercy Centre, Burlingame,
California, USA. He is currently President of the inaugural Australian
Ecumenical Council for Spiritual Direction which was launched in Melbourne on
June 30 2006.
Jill Hawk Clupper
Tulsa, Okalahoma, USA
Jill Hawk Clupper is an ordained minister of word and sacrament in the Presbyterian Church, USA, and works part time as parish associate in caring ministries at St. James Presbyterian Church in Jenks, Oklahoma, USA. She is the founder and director of Sojourn Training Center in Spiritual Direction in Tulsa, Okalahoma. She has been a spiritual director since 1999 and, since 2001, has trained both clergy and laity in the art of spiritual direction and spiritual formation at Sojourn.
Jill graduated magna cum laude from Phillips Graduate Seminary (Disciples of
Christ), Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1994 with a Master of Divinity degree. She is a
1999 graduate of the spiritual director training program and 2001 graduate of
the faculty training program at HeartPaths Spirituality Centre in Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma, under the direction of her mentor, Rev. Dr. Bob Gardenhire. She
completed a two-week intensive training in supervision of spiritual directors at
the Mercy Center Institute of Contemporary Spirituality in Burlingame,
California, USA, under the direction of Dr. Mary Ann Schofield, RSM. In addition
she is a certified labyrinth facilitator having graduated in 2002 from an
intensive program in labyrinth facilitation at Veriditas, Grace Cathedral, San
Francisco, California, under the supervision and direction of Dr. Lauren
Artress.
Bruce Davis
Marysville, Washington, USA
Bruce Davis attended Whitman College and the University of Washington. He holds a BA in literature, an MD with specialization in family medicine, and an MDiv. He practiced as a family physician for twenty-five years, combining clinical practice with administrative and leadership roles.
In the 1990s, he retired from medical work to enter seminary at Seattle
University. During seminary years Bruce worked as a partner in a consulting team
called SoulTenders that helped boards and leadership teams in corporations
become more intentional about spirituality in the workplace. Bruce has practiced
individual and group spiritual direction since his certification from Seattle
University. He is currently minister of the Evergreen Unitarian Universalist
Fellowship in Marysville, Washington, USA.
Joseph D. Driskill
Berkeley, California, USA
Joseph D. Driskill is Associate Professor of Spirituality, Ronald D. Soucey Lecturer, and dean of the Disciples Seminary Foundation, Berkeley, California, USA.
Dr. Driskill leads students in exploring Protestant spiritualities,
contemplative prayer, Disciples history and the role of spirituality in pastoral
care. He holds ministerial standing with the Christian Church (Disciples of
Christ) in the USA and Canada and with the United Church of Canada. He has
pastored churches in Missouri, Kentucky (USA) and Saskatchewan (Canada) and
served for twelve years as a campus minister in London, Ontario, Canada. Dr.
Driskill’s publications include Protestant Spiritual Exercises: Theology,
History and Practice (1999), Spiritually Informed Pastoral Care (2002), and
Ethics and Spiritual Care: A Guide for Pastors, Chaplains, and Spiritual
Directors with Pacific School of Religion professor Emerita Karen Lebacqz
(2000). He has published numerous articles and chapters in books, including most
recently “Exploring ‘White’ Identity Formation in Pastoral Care and Counseling
Training” in American Journal of Pastoral Counseling (2003).
Katherine Dyckman, SNJM
Seattle, Washington, USA
Katherine Dyckman, SNJM, is adjunct faculty at the School of Theology and Ministry at Seattle University. Active as a retreat and spiritual director, she is co-author of four books, the latest of which is The Spiritual Exercises Reclaimed: Uncovering Liberating Possibilities for Women (Paulist, 200l). In addition, in l983 she and a Jesuit colleague began the first eight-month Nineteenth Annotation Retreat program in the United States (Spiritual Exercises in Everyday Life) which uses the gifts of the laity as directors and administrators.
Jeanne Estella
County Cork, Ireland
Jeanne Estella, formerly of New York City, USA, has been living in Ireland for eleven years. She is affiliated with Myross Wood Retreat House in County Cork as spiritual director and doing some retreat work with a team. Jeanne has a bachelors from Villanova University in Social Science/Psychology, a masters from Clemson University in Education, and a diploma in spiritual direction from Pecos Benedictine Monastery. Jeanne is one of the founding members of All Ireland Spiritual Guidance Association and has served as a regional representative for Spiritual Directors International. Further studies in spirituality include a graduate diploma course in Supervision at Milltown Institute School of Theology and Philosophy in Dublin.
Maike Ewert
Hanover, Germany
The Reverend Maike Ewert is an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hanover, Germany, a spiritual director and retreat leader. While living and working in the USA, Maike trained as spiritual director at the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation, Bethesda, Maryland.
She presently serves at the "Henrietta foundation" in Hanover, one of the largest charitable institutions in Northern Germany. The focus of her ministry is the spiritual care of the terminally ill and dying, their loved ones, and professional care givers. Maike also conducts retreats on meditation and contemplative living, co-directs a spiritual direction training program and works as certified systemic counselor and supervisor. She is especially interested in spirituality as a healing resource for women and men surviving traumatic experience. Maike is a member of "Spiritual Directors in Europe," a network fostering international exchange between spiritual directors within Europe.
Her spirituality is rooted in the tradition of "via cordis'," the way of the heart as laid out by the early desert mothers and fathers.
Maike is married and has three teenaged children.
Bob Gardenhire III
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
Bob Gardenhire, III, is an ordained United Methodist minister working part time as Associate in Membership Care at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA. He is the founder and full time Director of HeartPaths Spirituality Centre. He is a 1985 graduate of the Graduate Program in Christian Spiritual Guidance of the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation in Bethesda, Maryland, USA. He received the Doctor of Ministry degree in Spiritual Direction from Graduate Theological Foundation in 1995. He is a past president of Spiritual Directors International and served on the Coordinating Council for seven years. He was a member of the founding editorial board of Presence. Bob and his wife, Marcy, have been married for 37 years.
Douglas H. Gregg
St. George, Utah, USA
Rev. Douglas H. Gregg, PhD, is an ordained Presbyterian minister and consultant to pastors and churches in areas of prayer, spiritual formation, and spiritual direction. He is president and co-director of Christian Formation & Direction Ministries [CFDM]. He also serves alongside his wife, Catherine, an ordained Episcopal Priest, as Associate Pastor at Grace Episcopal Church in St. George, Utah. He is a certified spiritual director, supervises other directors, and guides the Certificate programs in Christian Formation & Spiritual Direction for CFDM.
Co-author of Inner Healing and Disciplines of the Holy Spirit, Doug has served as a church pastor, teaching specialist for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, director of the Office of Christian Community and Adjunct Associate Professor of Spiritual Formation at Fuller Theological Seminary, and Chaplain and Associate Professor of Religion at
Doug loves to hike and explore the wilderness and has a special love for the
Rev. Dr. Murray A. Groom
Mill Bay, British Columbia, Canada
The Reverend Doctor Murray Groom is an ordained minister in the United Church of Canada, serving Sylvan Pastoral Charge on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. He is a staff member in the Pacific Jubilee Program in Spiritual Formation and Direction in Vancouver, BC and a member of the Advisory Council at the Centre for Studies in Religion and Society at the University of Victoria, Victoria, BC. His doctoral studies (St. Stephen's College, Edmonton, Alberta) included a dissertation on the role of the guide on pilgrimage. His presiding interest in Celtic Christian history continues to fuel his pursuit for connections between northern aboriginal, Celtic and earth-centered religious traditions. He lives in a household that includes his spouse, a grandparent and three children.
Douglas S. Hardy
Kansas City
Douglas S. Hardy, PhD, grew up in
Wil Hernandez
Los Angeles, California, USA
Wil Hernandez, PhD, works for The Leadership Institute in Southern California, USA, in partnership with the Denver-based Spiritual Formation Alliance. He also serves as the director of Community Formation at Evergreen Baptist Church of Los Angeles, California, USA. In addition, he teaches a course on the spirituality of Henri Nouwen at Fuller Theological Seminary and at the Center for Religion and Spirituality at Loyola Marymount University.
Patrick Howell, SJ
Seattle, Washington, USA
Patrick Howell, SJ, is the former dean of the School of Theology and Ministry at Seattle University and has taught spirituality and pastoral theology in the ministry programs at Seattle University. He writes a regular column in the Faith and Values section of The Seattle Times and has given several presentations throughout the Greater Seattle region on ecumenism, religion and public life, spirituality in a time of crisis, and so forth.
In addition to serving on the editorial board of Presence, he is also on the editorial board of Studies in Jesuit Spirituality. And he is the founder and editor of the Seattle Theology and Ministry Review, a journal that features articles on ministry, ecumenism, spirituality, and interfaith dialogue.
Fr. Howell’s publication record includes his two major books Reducing the Storm to a Whisper: the Story of a Breakdown (Thomas More Press, 1985; new edition Ulyssian Press, 2000) and A Spiritguide during Times of Darkness (Sheed & Ward, 1996).
Dwight H. Judy
Evanston, Illinois, USA
Dwight H. Judy, PhD, is an ordained United Methodist minister. He currently serves as Associate Professor of Spiritual Formation, Director of Doctor of Ministry and Spiritual Formation Programs for Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois, USA. He was instrumental, with other faculty members of Garrett-Evangelical, in creating the United Methodist Certification in Spiritual Formation.
Dwight is author of four books: Quest for the Mystical Christ: Awakening the Heart of Faith; Christian Meditation and Inner Healing; Embracing God: Praying with Teresa of Avila; and Healing the Male Soul: Christianity and the Mythic Journey.
He has been married to Ruth for over 35 years. They have two sons.
James Keegan, SJ
Gloucester, Massachusetts, USA
James Keegan is a Jesuit priest of the New England Province. His major interests are doing spiritual direction and directed retreats, and training and supervising directors. Jim is a graduate of the Center for Religious Development in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, and was the first graduate to work full time on that staff—from 1985 to 1989. For four years before that he was a team member and director of Campion Renewal Center in Weston, Massachusetts. It was there that he founded and ran the Light program to train lay people to do spiritual direction. In Louisville, Kentucky, USA, from 1990 to 2001, he was part of the team of the Archdiocesan Office of Ministry and Spirituality. In 2002 he returned to New England and is currently on the staff at Eastern Point Retreat House in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Jim has been a member of the Coordinating Council of Spiritual Directors International and was part of the editorial board that founded the journal Presence. He enjoys cooking, bicycling, and Beethoven.
Valerie Lesniak
Seattle, Washington, USA
Valerie Lesniak is an Assistant Professor of Spirituality at the School of Theology and Ministry, Seattle, Washington, USA. Before coming to Seattle University in 1999, Valerie held a teaching fellowship in spirituality at the University of London, Heythrop College, London, England. She also taught at the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA, and the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California, USA, where she received her PhD. She has been involved in spiritual direction work for over twenty-five years. She often conducts workshops and retreats on contemplative practices from the east and west. Her current research interest centers on the aesthetic dimensions involved in the practice of spiritual direction.
Fr. Matthew Linn, SJ
St Paul, MN, USA
Matthew Linn, SJ, (as a team with Dennis and Sheila Linn) has focused on integrating physical, emotional, and spiritual healing. He is a member of the Association of Christian Therapists and has advanced graduate degrees in sociology, spirituality, and theology. Since 1970 he has taught courses and given retreats on healing in over fifty countries. Ordained in 1973, he currently lives with Jesuit novices in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA, where he trains spiritual directors in the Five Year Sacred Ground program. Matt, Dennis, and Sheila have written 21 books translated in over 20 languages, (all in Spanish) and with over a million copies in English.
Jill Manton
Ashburton, Victoria, Australia
Rev. Jill Manton is the director of formation at the WellSpring Spirituality Centre in Ashburton, Victoria, Australia. She is a retreat leader, spiritual director and supervisor, with a keen interest in spiritual formation. As an adjunct lecturer, she established and taught the spiritual formation program for ordination candidates at Whitley Theological College, Melbourne, Australia, for ten years and was at the same time the founding director of the WellSpring Spirituality Centre, a position she held for ten years. She has had wide experience as a parish minister (Baptist tradition) and always been actively engaged in ecumenical affairs. She is an executive member of the Institute for Christian Spirituality and Pastoral Formation associated with the Melbourne College of Divinity. Through her involvement with the Institute, she has been engaged in establishing and developing the MA in Spiritual Direction and the MA in Spirituality. She is a member of the Australian Ecumenical Council for Spiritual Direction and through that body has contributed to the production of a booklet on National Standards for the Formation of Spiritual Directors and an Australian Code of Ethics for Spiritual Directors. She is an executive member of the Victorian Council for Christians and Jews and has an active interest in inter-faith relations and dialogue and in the development of interfaith spiritual direction. Jill has three adult children and two granddaughters and enjoys spending time with them all. She is recently semi-retired and living in a rural setting close to the sea, but close enough to the city to keep involved in the various aspects of her ministry mentioned above.
Susan S. Phillips
Berkeley, California, USA
Susan S. Phillips, PhD, is executive director of New College Berkeley, an affiliate of the Graduate Theological Union, dedicated to Christian education and spiritual formation for everyday life. Susan is a sociologist, and much of her writing—including the CHOICE Award-winning book The Crisis of Care:
Affirming and Restoring Caring Practices in the Helping Professions (with
Patricia Benner)—and teaching relate to the sociology of care, which is a focus
of her diverse interests in the social sciences, Christian theology and
spirituality, and spiritual direction. As a trained spiritual director, Susan
works with individuals and groups, teaches and writes in the field, and serves
as supervisor for other spiritual directors. She is a member of the faculty of
the Diploma in the Art of Spiritual Direction program at San Francisco
Theological Seminary and regularly teaches courses in spiritual theology at
Fuller Theological Seminary and Regent College (Vancouver, British Columbia,
Canada). Susan also serves as part of the in-residence faculty of the Graduate
Theological Union, on the adjunct clinical faculty at the School of Nursing of
the University of California at San Francisco, and on the editorial board of
Radix magazine.
Susan Rakoczy
Cedara, South Africa
Susan Rakoczy, IHM, PhD, is a theologian, spiritual director and writer. She is on the staff of St Joseph's Theological Institute, Cedara, South Africa where she lectures in spirituality and systematic theology and is an honorary professor in the School of Religion and Theology of the University of KwaZulu-Natal. She has published widely in South African, European and North American journals; her most recent book is "In Her Name: Women Doing Theology" (Cluster Publications, 2004).
Dr.
Nancy Reeves is a clinical psychologist, spiritual director, and author in
Jan Richardson
Winter Park, Florida, USA
Jan Richardson, an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church, is the director of The Wellspring Studio, LLC, a creative ministry that offers sustenance for the journey through retreats, workshops, books, art, and spiritual direction. Jan serves as Visiting Artist at First United Methodist Church of Winter Park, Florida, USA, and is a faculty member of the Grünewald Guild in Leavenworth, Washington, USA. Her books include Sacred Journeys: A Woman's Book of Daily Prayer; Night Visions: Searching the Shadows of Advent and Christmas; and In Wisdom's Path: Discovering the Sacred in Every Season. Jan recently established Wanton Gospeller Press, through which she offers her artful, handcrafted books. She is an oblate of Saint Brigid of Kildare Monastery, a Methodist-Benedictine community in St. Joseph, Minnesota, USA.
Patricia Roberts
Arequipa, Peru
Patricia Roberts holds a master’s degree in sociology from the University of Houston and a master’s degree in religious education from Saint Thomas University in Houston, Texas, USA. She also has a certificate in spiritual direction from the Cenacle in Houston. She is commissioned to teach lectio divina, centering prayer, and the Prayer of Forgiveness by Contemplative Outreach Ltd. and Bio-spiritual Focusing from the Institute for Bio-Spiritual Research. She has been studying Taoism for more than twenty years with Chungliang Al Huang. Patricia travels to North and South America as well as Europe offering her program, “The Dance of Life,” which combines lectio divina, centering prayer, and Tai Ji.
Janet Ruffing, RSM
New York, New York, USA
Janet Ruffing, RSM, PhD, is a member of the Sisters of Mercy and a Professor in Spirituality and Spiritual Direction in the graduate School of Religion and Religious Education at Fordham University in New York City, USA. She earned her doctorate in Christian Spirituality from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley and is the author/editor of more than 60 articles and four books, including Mysticism and Social Transformation. She was one of the founders of Spiritual Directors International and has been mentoring spiritual directors since 1984.
Joyce Rupp
Des Moines, Iowa, USA
Joyce Rupp is an international speaker, retreat director, and a "spiritual midwife." Her ministry includes writing, conferences and spiritual direction. Joyce is the award-winning author of numerous books on spiritual growth. Her professional education includes degrees in English, Religious Education, and Transpersonal Psychology. Joyce is a member of the Servants of Mary community and a volunteer for Hospice. In 2004, she received U.S. Catholic's national award for furthering the cause of women in the church.
Gordon Self
Alberta, Canada
Gordon Self is vice president for mission, ethics, and spirituality with Caritas Health Group in Alberta, Canada. He works in the areas of sponsorship with the Alberta Catholic Health Corporation (ACHC), ethics, mission integration, relationships with the larger community (for example: faith-based facilities, educational as well as social service groups) and facilitates various groups within Caritas. In addition to his Caritas responsibilities, Gordon mentors pharmacy students at Creighton University in Nebraska, USA, assisting them to develop and form ethical reasoning skills. Previously, he worked with St. Joseph's Residence in Winnipeg, Canada, where his responsibilities as director of spiritual care and mission, included coordinating spiritual care for residents, families and staff, providing mission in-services and leadership training, and co-chairing the mission and ethics committee. Prior to joining St. Joseph's Residence, Gordon was a Mission Leadership Fellow at Mercy Medical Centre in Iowa, USA, and a chaplain at St. Boniface General Hospital in Winnipeg. Gordon also has extensive experience in spiritual direction and has written about spirituality of work and organizations. He received his Master of Divinity from the University of Winnipeg.
Marcus G Smucker
Bird-in-Hand, Pennsylvania, USA
Marcus Smucker, PhD, professor emeritus at the Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary and currently adjunct professor at Eastern Mennonite Seminary, teaches courses in Christian spirituality and conflict mediation. He is a spiritual director, does training and supervision in spiritual direction for The Kairos School of Spiritual Formation. He is a graduate of Eastern Mennonite University (BA), New York Theological Seminary (STB), Union Theological Seminary in Virginia (ThM), and The Union Institute (PhD). He is a graduate of the Shalem Institute of Spirituality and a Fellow with the American Association of Pastoral Counselors.
Rabbi Jacob Staub
Wyncote, Pennsylvania, USA
Rabbi Jacob Staub is a Reconstructionist rabbi. He serves as Professor of Jewish Philosophy and Spirituality at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Wyncote, Pennsylvania, USA, where he established and now directs the Program in Jewish Spiritual Direction. He is the author of The Creation of the World According to Gersonides (Brown Judaic Studies, Scholars Press, 1982) and the co-author of Exploring Judaism: A Reconstructionist Approach (Reconstructionist Press, 2000). His poem "Facing You facing Me" received honorable mention in the 2005 Presence poetry contest. Other poems have been published in Zeek, Ashe:Journal of Experimental Spirituality, Response, and White Crane Journal.
John Stuart
Melbourne, Australia
John Stuart has been working in area of spirituality for over forty years, initially as a priest in the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne and then as a counselor in the alcohol and other drug field. He has been a spiritual director since 1988. John is a graduate of the Institute for Spiritual Leadership in Chicago, Illinois, USA, and has a masters in pastoral studies from Loyola University Chicago. He is currently a team member of The Living Well Spirituality Centre in Melbourne and president of The Australian Network for Spiritual Direction.
Steven Sturm
Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
Steven Sturm is minister at the Waialua Christian Church in Hawaii, where he and his wife Blossom have served for thirty years. His spiritual direction training came through the Diploma in the Art of Spiritual Direction (DASD) program at San Francisco Theological Seminary, where he is a DMin candidate. Steve has an MS in Counseling Psychology, and teaches "Spiritual Dimensions in Counseling" at Chaminade University.
He will be teaching courses in Christian Spirituality at Hawai'i Theological Seminary. Steve has a limited spiritual direction and pastoral counseling practice in Honolulu. He occasionally writes articles for religious journals and speaks at retreats.
Steve actively participates in the outdoor life that the islands afford, and
views the natural world as a lens through which to glimpse the beauty of God.
Stephen Truscott, SM
Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Stephen Truscott, SM, is a Marist priest and Director of the Fullness of Life Centre in Perth, Western Australia. He is a graduate of the Institute for Spiritual Leadership, Chicago and has a M.P.S. degree from Loyola University, Chicago, USA. He is trained in professional supervision and has an Associate Diploma in Welfare Work. Stephen is deeply committed to the psycho-spiritual growth of people. He assists individuals, groups and organisations through his extensive experience in counselling, spiritual direction, professional supervision, retreats, vocational assessment, professional development seminars and personal growth workshops.
Jane E. Vennard
Denver, Colorado, USA
Jane E. Vennard, MDiv, is ordained to a special ministry of teaching and spiritual direction in the United Church of Christ. She is adjunct faculty of prayer and spirituality at the Iliff School of Theology. In addition, Jane is a spiritual director in private practice, teaches classes in a variety of ecumenical settings, and leads retreats nationally. She is the author of numerous articles and five books: Praying for Friend's and Enemies (1995), Praying with Body and Soul (1998), Be Still: Designing and Leading Contemplative Retreats (2000), Embracing the World: Praying for Justice and Peace (2003), winner of the Colorado Book Award, and A Praying Congregation: The Art of Teaching Spiritual Practice (2005). Jane lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband Jim.
Andrew Walker
London, UK
Andrew Walker is an Anglican priest who is currently director of the London Centre for Spirituality in the UK. A trained psychosynthesis counselor and supervisor, he has worked in the field of Ignatian spirituality and spiritual direction since 1990. His books Journey into Joy and Spirituality in the City are both published by SPCK. He enjoys cooking, gardening, films, and fiction.
Rabbi Zari Weiss
Seattle, Washington, USA
Rabbi Zari Weiss was ordained from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in May 1991. Rabbi Weiss is the new rabbi of Congregation Bet Chaverim in Kent, a Reform congregation serving South King County. She is also passionately interested in and committed to the intersection of Judaism and the pursuit of justice, and recently launched Rodef Tzedek: The Center for the Pursuit of Justice. Rodef Tzedek will work to support efforts in the community around issues of justice.
Rabbi Weiss also serves as a teacher and a spiritual companion. As a spiritual companion, Rabbi Weiss guides Jews in their efforts to explore and deepen their relationship with G-d, their prayer life and their Jewish spiritual practice. Rabbi Weiss is one of the instructors in Lev Shomea, a national program training Jews in the art of spiritual direction.
Rabbi Weiss is the immediate past Co-President of the Board of the Women's
Rabbinic Network. She is the Chair of the Committee on Rabbinic Spirituality,
and served for several years as a member of the Spiritual Leadership Task Force
and the Wellness Committee of the CCAR. Rabbi Weiss is married to David Levy, a
professor at the University of Washington Information School
Ann Roberts Winsor
New York, New York, USA
Ann Roberts Winsor, PhD, works in the Grants Program at Trinity Church Wall Street
where she is in charge of grants for projects in spiritual formation and
development throughout the United States. She was ordained in the Episcopal
Church in 1983 and has a PhD in biblical interpretation from the Graduate
Theological Union in Berkeley, California, USA. Most of her spiritual direction
training was received at Mercy Center in Burlingame, California. She has been
married to Bob Winsor for forty years and has five grown children and seven
grandchildren. She is a swimmer and an opera buff.
Wendy M. Wright
Omaha, Nebraska, USA
Wendy M. Wright holds a PhD. from the University of California at Santa Barbara and is currently Professor of Theology at Creighton University and holds the John C. Kenefick Faculty Chair in the Humanities. She also teaches regularly in several graduate ministerial programs including Creighton's Christian Spirituality Master's program and the National Methodist Academy for Spiritual Formation. She is co-host with Dr. J. O'Keefe of the Creighton University Podcast "Catholic Comments."