Supervisors

Maria Eulalia G.Banawis, R.V.M, M.A.

Sr. Lalie is a Religious of the Virgin Mary (RVM) sister of the Philippines. She has a Master’s degree in Theological Studies at Loyola School of Theology, Ateneo de Manila University. She was trained as a spiritual director at the Institute for Spiritual Leadership in Chicago and holds a certificate for Directing Prayer and Retreat at the Jesuit Center for Spirituality in Wernersville, PA. Sr. Lalie has also participated in several supervision workshops under the auspices of the Mercy Center in Madison, CT and the Upper Room Spiritual Center in Neptune City, NJ. For the past 30 years she has been involved in giving retreats and spiritual direction. As part of her ongoing commitment to her continuing professional development, she recently participated in a yearlong program of CenterQuest School of Spiritual Direction last 2018-2019.

Maria Tattu Bowen, Ph.D.

See BIO under “Online/Residency Instructors” section

Paul Burgmayer, M.A.

Paul has an active practice of spiritual direction and supervision both in-person and via the Internet. For the past six years, he has co-taught a class on prayer and contemplation at Kairos-On the Journey, a weekend spiritual formation program in Wernersville, PA. With a M.A. in Holistic Spirituality and certificate in Spiritual Direction from Chestnut Hill College, certificates in Supervision of Spiritual Direction from Together in the Mystery and Mercy Center Burlingame, Paul feels a special calling to working with spiritual directors in training. A long-time high school chemistry teacher, Paul lives in Wayne, PA with his wife. In his spare time, he enjoys gardening with her, woodworking, and writing.

Noel S. Cabigting

Noel is the moderator of a missional community called Companions of the Redeemer (COR) based in Manila, Philippines. He is a psychotherapist by training and currently works as a mental health consultant. Noel has been a spiritual director since 2005 and has been involved in the supervision ministry for the past 4 years. He participated in CenterQuest’s School of Spiritual Direction (Cohort 2) and recently received advance training in supervision at Fordham University. Noel’s interests include: faith de/reconstruction, trauma-informed ministry, compassion-based practice, the LGBTQI+ community, the Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy, spiritual awakening and the spiritual senses, Ignatian spirituality and restorative justice to name a few.

Terry Christenson

Terry has offered spiritual direction, retreats, and classes in contemplative practices and spiritual growth since 2002. She has been a supervisor of spiritual directors since 2008 and is currently on staff with the Together in the Mystery Program helping train spiritual directors to discern and live out their call as supervisors of spiritual directors. She has been married for over 40 years, has grown children and grandchildren. Terry received her spiritual direction training at the Benedictine Shalom Center in Mt. Angel, OR, and earned ministry certification through the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon. She makes her home in Roseburg, Oregon.

Christy Claxton-Brink

See BIO under “Mentors Pool” section

Karen Derr, DMJ, Ph.D.

Sister Karen is a member of the Daughters of Mary and Joseph, an international congregation of women religious dedicated to being a compassionate presence in the world. She received her spiritual direction training through the Masters in Applied Spirituality program at the University of San Francisco. She also holds a doctorate in Counseling Psychology from the University of Southern California. Karen has an extensive background in education, spiritual formation, spiritual direction, retreat work, clinical psychology, workshop facilitation, and congregational leadership. Her supervision training is with the Together in Mystery (TIM) Program. Karen is makes her home in West Los Angeles.

Linda Flynn, M.S., MFT

Linda is a spiritual director, supervisor of spiritual directors, and a marriage and family therapist. She received her training in spiritual direction through the Institute in Retreat/Spiritual Direction at the Spirituality Center, Mount St. Mary’s College in 2005, and her training in supervision from Together in the Mystery in 2020. She holds a masters degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Fuller Theological Seminary. Linda also participated in the leadership of Companions for the Journey at La Canada Presbyterian church. Her interests include art as a contemplative practice, Jungian psychology, Centering Prayer, and ocean kayaking.

Liz Forney, M.Div. (Currently not available)

Liz received her training through the Shalem Institute and has practiced spiritual direction since 2010. She has served as a pastor and retreat leader in congregations in Texas, Atlanta, Tennessee, and is currently serving as the pastor for congregational care at First Presbyterian Church in Charlottesville, VA. She is an instructor with Columbia Theological Seminary’s certificate in spiritual direction, and also the co-author of What is Your Practice, Lifelong Growth in the Spirit, with Dr. Norvene Vest. Particular areas of interest are the intersection of art and spirit and nature. She and her husband David, also a pastor, enjoy life with their two nearly adult children.

Jack Gonsalves

Jack is a 2004 graduate of the Loyola Institute for Spirituality, Ignatian Spiritual Formation Program. He has guided others through the 19th Annotation of the Spiritual Exercises at the Loyola Institute for Spirituality as well as at the Mary and Joseph Retreat Center in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. He has provided spiritual direction and conferences on retreats. Jack received training in spiritual direction through the Institute in Retreat/Spiritual Direction sponsored by the Spirituality Center at Mount St. Mary’s College, in Los Angeles, CA. He received further training in spiritual direction supervision through the Together in the Mystery program conducted by the staff of the San Francisco Theological Seminary. Jack is a musician, singer, and former liturgist and religious education teacher.

Kim Isaak, M.A.

Kim is the Executive Director of Restoration Ministries, a spiritual direction and formation ministry founded by Rev. Jean Leih in 2007 and is based in the Twin Cities of Minnesota, USA. Formed through Ignatian Spirituality of finding God in all things, Kim has been offering spiritual direction since 2009 and completed supervision training with Together in the Mystery in 2018. Kim has a Master of Arts in Spiritual Formation and Leadership from Spring Arbor University, completed a 9-month chaplaincy internship, and has experience and training in Inner Relationship Focusing. Her interests in ministry include healing from spiritual abuse, grief, supporting restoration and wholeness through presence and compassion, women in ministry, and companioning the dying and those who love them.

Craig Lockwood, M.S.

See BIO under “Mentors Pool” section

Patricia Macdonald, M.A.

Patricia is a trained spiritual director, supervisor, professional facilitator, adult educator, and retreat leader. She received her formation in spiritual direction supervision, through attending seminars and workshops led by Lucy Tucker, Maureen Conroy RSM, and Mary Coswin OSB. Patricia also has attended many annual Spiritual Directors International (SDI) leadership institutes focusing on supervision. Having completed training at Faithful Companions of Jesus (FCJ) Center in Calgary and Loyola House in Guelph, Canada, Patricia also facilitates the 19th Annotation of the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises. She has educated, trained, and supervised spiritual directors for many years. Patricia holds a masters degree in psychology and pastoral counseling.

Edith Ontiveros, O.S.U. (Currently not available)

Sr. Edith is a Filipina Catholic religious who belongs to the Australian Province of the Ursulines. She holds an M.A. in Christian Spirituality and Diploma in Retreat and Spiritual Direction from Creighton University, Nebraska. Prior to her appointment at the Center for Ignatian Spirituality in the Philippines, she did an Ignatian Immersion Course in Manresa, Spain in 2013. She used to be the Director for Programs and Retreats at the Center for Ignatian Spirituality where she assumed the multiple roles of a retreat/spiritual director, supervisor, mentor as well as a resource person in the training and formation of future retreat givers in the Ignatian tradition.

Tara Owens, M.T.S.

Tara is the founder and executive director of Anam Cara Ministries, where she has been accompanying others in their journeys with God for 15 years as a trained spiritual director and supervisor. Her deep longing is to see others move toward wholeness with themselves, with God, with their communities, and with the world. Tara holds a Masters of Theological Studies in Spiritual Formation, combined with a certificate in Death, Dying & Grieving, from Tyndale Seminary, and the Advanced Certificate in Supervision from the Graduate School of Religion and Religious Education at Fordham University. Tara is the author of two books, Embracing the Body: Finding God in Our Flesh & Bone (IVP, 2015), and At Play In God’s Creation: A Contemplative Coloring Book (Franciscan Media, 2016), and was the Senior Editor of Conversations Journal for 7 years.

Sinhyang Park, M.A., M.Div.

Sinhyang has an M.A. in Religion and Psychology and an M.Div. degree from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA. She received her training in spiritual direction from San Francisco Theological Seminary and training in supervision from Together in the Mystery program. She directs the Korean Spiritual Direction Program at Eirene Center in South Korea. A practicing spiritual director since 2006 and a supervisor of spiritual directors since 2010, Sinhyang makes her home in South Korea.

James Peterson, Ph.D.

Jim received his training in spiritual direction at San Francisco Theological Seminary (SFTS), graduating in 1998. He also received supervision training there shortly after graduation, and has more recently participated in the Together in the Mystery supervision training program. As spiritual director, he has worked with individual clients, groups, and organizations, and as supervisor, with individual clients and with groups in supervision. He participates on the staff of three spiritual direction training programs in California: at SFTS, Bread of Life in Sacramento, and Mercy Center in Burlingame. Jim is a member of the Presbyterian Church of Sunnyvale, and has served on the Spirituality, Discipleship, and Theology Task Force of the Presbytery of San Jose.

Susan Phillips, Ph.D.

Susan, executive director of New College Berkeley of Berkeley’s Graduate Theological Union, is a sociologist, professor of Christian spirituality, and a spiritual director. She teaches at San Francisco Theological Seminary (spiritual direction), New College Berkeley (Christian spirituality and the social sciences), Fuller Theological Seminary (spiritual formation), and Regent College (practical theology). Her great love is meeting with people for spiritual direction and for supervision. Her books that address spiritual direction are Candlelight: Illuminating the Art of Spiritual Direction and The Cultivated Life: From Ceaseless Striving to Receiving Joy.

Frank Rogers, Ph.D.

Frank is a spiritual director, supervisor, retreat leader, writer, and professor of spiritual formation at the ecumenical and inter-faith Claremont School of Theology. He has taught and written in spirituality, contemplative practice, and compassionate social engagement for over 25 years, and is the author of Practicing Compassion and Compassion in Practice: The Way of Jesus. As the Co-Director for the Center for Engaged Compassion, he offers and teaches compassion-based approaches to spiritual direction and supervision.

Deb Steinkamp, M.A. (Currently not available)

Deb has been a spiritual director for 11 years, having received her training at the Mercy Center in Burlingame, California, and her supervision training through the Together in the Mystery program. She has actively sought supervision for many years and has been part of a peer supervision group in Abbotsford, BC, Canada. She is also an active member of the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) Pacific Northwest Conference Spiritual Directors network, a group dedicated to ongoing training for directors and to providing spiritual direction for ECC pastors. Prior to becoming a spiritual director, Deb earned an M.A. in Family Therapy at Azusa Pacific University. Deb and her husband Dick have three adult children and six grandchildren.

Malisa “Missy” Stewart (Currently not available)

Malisa (Missy) is a trained spiritual director in both The Art of Spiritual Direction and Group Spiritual Direction. She received her training from Mercy Center, Burlingame and has practiced for over 12 years. Her supervision ministry formation was with Together in the Mystery in partnership with San Francisco Theological Seminary. She facilitates group spiritual direction, soul care groups, contemplative prayer retreats as well as one-on-one direction and supervision. Missy and her husband Larry have been married for 45 years and have 4 married children and 13 grandchildren. She is a working partner in their family corporation and in her free time plays golf or spends time with her grandkids!

Mary Anona Stoops (Currently not available)

Mary Anona is an ordained pastor in the PC (USA) and trained as spiritual director among a community of Benedictine sisters. She has served congregations in Australia, New York, Tennessee and Nebraska and currently serves as Pastor for Adult Spiritual at North Decatur Presbyterian church, as a spiritual director, and as part of the leadership team for the Certificate in Spiritual Direction program at the Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, GA. Mary Anona loves exploring and adventure and is convinced that the greatest adventure of all is the journey into the inner landscape of the soul.

Deb Turnow, M.A.(Currently not available)

Deb is a trained spiritual director, supervisor for spiritual directors, teacher, retreat leader, and blogger. A former therapist working with survivors of sexual abuse, she used to run a two-year spiritual direction program as well as offer various classes in spiritual formation as a staff member of a megachurch. Deb has a master’s degree in spiritual formation and leadership from Spring Arbor University in Michigan. She also went through the Spiritual Guidance program at Shalem Institute and received additional training in supervision for spiritual directors from the Together With the Mystery program held at San Francisco Theological Seminary in San Anselmo, California. Deb is the founder and executive director of Kavanna House, a spiritual formation center based in York, Pennsylvania.

Sharon Wada, M.A.

Sharon is co-director of Sustainable Faith, a non-profit dedicated to the well-being and spiritual formation of leaders. She received her spiritual direction training through the Mercy Center in Burlingame and her supervision training through Together in the Mystery. She holds a masters degree in Cross-Cultural Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary. Her areas of interest include multi-ethnic issues, leadership development and Ignatian spirituality. She has ongoing experience in the formation of new spiritual directors and particularly enjoys offering supervision. Sharon has been married to Jon for over 30 years and they love hanging out with their three sons and daughter-in-law.

Daniel Daesyop Yi, Ph.D.

Daniel received his training as a spiritual director from the Mercy Center in Burlingame, CA and as a supervisor through the Together in the Mystery program. He has been on the staff of the Diploma in the Art of Spiritual Direction program of San Francisco Theological Seminary since 2006. He earned his Ph.D. in Christian Spirituality at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA. Aside from giving spiritual direction and supervision, he is working in a Korean immigrant church as an English Ministry pastor for young adults as well as a lecturer in seminaries (both English and Korean). Daniel and his wife Soran have two daughters who are in college in California.