Amy Pascucci
Amy Hettinger Pascucci, program director and Piñatas leader with Forest Pals, grew up exploring in the woods near Bernheim Forest. She received a degree in Arts Administration from the University of Kentucky and worked in formal and informal education before also receiving a M.Ed. in Arts in Education at Harvard University, which she followed with a teaching certificate in Waldorf Education. She taught in the Waldorf community in Anchorage, Alaska, for five years. All this experience prepared her for her favorite work yet, raising her daughters, who with their friends inspired the Forest Pals program. Amy loves making music with friends and…
Gracie Nafziger
Gracie Nafziger grew up in Louisville, Kentucky and has always enjoyed the discovery that comes with immersing yourself in nature. She received a degree in Biology at Illinois Wesleyan University and a Masters in Teaching at Bellarmine before becoming a high school Biology and Ecology teacher for 6 years. She has been a volunteer in the Naturalist Program at Bernheim since 2020 and has enjoyed every moment of it. Gracie is looking forward to sharing her fascination for learning about nature with the Forest Pals. She loves hiking, swimming in open water competitions, playing board games with friends, and helping…
Janet Schaeffler, OP
Janet Schaeffler, OP continues the ministry she was involved in for many years in parishes and as Director for Adult Faith Formation for the Archdiocese of Detroit, as she: leads days of reflection/retreats, parish missions, and workshops/presentations facilitates gatherings and retreats for communities of women religious facilitates online courses for the University of Dayton and Boston College serves as a pastoral services team member for RENEW International Janet created and publishes GEMS: a monthly newsletter from an ongoing international best practices study on adult faith formation. The author of hundreds of articles and several publications, some of her…
Jonathan Montaldo
Jonathan Montaldo has been a writer, editor, and retreat presenter. His renditions of Thomas Merton’s writing include A Year with Thomas Merton; Dialogues with Silence; and Choosing to Love the World. He was principal editor of The Intimate Merton: His Life from His Journals. Jonathan served as Associate Director for the Merton Institute for Contemplative Living in Louisville, Kentucky, for which he created Bridges to Contemplative Living with Thomas Merton for small group dialogues and retreats. He served, in tandem, as retreat director at Bethany Spring, one mile from Gethsemani and founded by SCN Mary Madeline Abdelnour. He has narrated five audiobooks of…
Judith Valente
Judith Valente covered faith and values for many years on the national PBS-TV news program Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly. She is also a former staff writer for The Wall Street Journal, having worked in that paper’s Chicago and London bureaus, and is a former reporter for the National Public Radio affiliates in both Chicago and central Illinois. Judith is the author of several spirituality titles including, “How To Live: What the Rule St. Benedict Teaches Us About Happiness, Meaning and Community” and “The Art of Pausing: Meditations for the Overworked and Overwhelmed” as well as two collections of poetry, and a memoir…
Kathleen Duffy, SSJ, PhD
Kathleen Duffy, SSJ is Professor Emerita of Physics and Director of the Institute for Religion and Science at Chestnut Hill College. She is President of the American Teilhard Association, Associate Editor of Teilhard Studies, a biannual publication of the American Teilhard Association, and serves on the Board of Cosmos and Creation. Her current research interest concerns the religious essays of Jesuit paleontologist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin and the relationship of his synthesis to modern developments in science. She has published Teilhard’s Mysticism: Seeing the Inner Face of Evolution (Orbis 2014), Teilhard’s Struggle: Embracing the Work of Evolution (Orbis 2019), an…
Kelsey Lee Cunningham
Born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, Kelsey started her career at age five as a member of the original Louisville Leopard Percussionists. She graduated from the Youth Performing Arts School and went on to earn a teaching degree from Indiana University. For twelve years, Kelsey was the assistant director for the Louisville Leopards, where she taught the Advanced, Beginners, Lite, Steel, and Middle School ensembles. She now conducts independent clinics, camps, and private percussion lessons. When she’s not teaching, Kelsey performs with world-renowned musicians like CJ Vanston, Michael Fitzpatrick, Victor Mendoza, Hannah Ford Welton, Louie Bellson, Hanson, and Ndugu Chancler. She…
Lisa Downs
Lisa Downs has a Masters in Pastoral Studies from Loyola University New Orleans, certification as a Spiritual Director from Nazareth Retreat Center and is a Boundless Compassion Facilitator. She has served in various roles the past seventeen years including Director of Adult Faith Formation, Pastoral Associate, Pastoral Administrator, Spiritual Director, assistant teacher for Spiritual Director’s Internship, and currently is the Director of the Nazareth Retreat Center. She lives in Bardstown with her husband of 40 years and they have three sons, two daughters-in-law and three granddaughters.
Mary Underwood
Mary was born in Louisville, KY but has lived and traveled all over the world. She feels the most alive when she is surrounded by trees and mountains, especially in the fall. You can usually find her running, hiking, or reading, although not all at the same time. Mary strives to lead a life of mindfulness and meditation and has been seriously involved in the meditation community for many years now. Her mission is to assist the evolution of the human spirit by fostering deeper union with the natural world. Mary earned her master’s degree in Philosophy, Consciousness, and Cosmology…
Onyxe Antara
Onyxe Antara is an internationally known facilitator, speaker, and author. Specializing in leading small group experiences, she has facilitated transformational workshops in Thailand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Kenya, and the United States. She is the founder of HeartSpace, a body of work that focuses on using awareness and presence to clear emotional tension in the body. Her unique process invites you to challenge your perceptions and reclaim the stories you tell yourself and others. With a dedication to individual wholeness and integration, Onyxe believes that the end of suffering begins with personal healing and connecting to the divinity within.
Paula D'Arcy
Paula D’Arcy is an author, retreat leader, speaker, playwright, and former psychotherapist. In 2001 she established Red Bird Foundation, which supports the growth and spiritual development of those in need throughout the world. The foundation has twice sponsored WOMENSPEAK, an international conference that honors the woman’s voice as a force of peace and healing in the world. D’Arcy survived the loss of her husband and young daughter in an accident in 1975. She was three months pregnant at the time. Among her bestselling books are Gift of the Red Bird, Waking up to This Day, Winter of the Heart and…
Whitney Wurzel
Executive Director of New Pioneers which promotes sustainability in rural communities to ensure a healthy future for all.