Alice Camille, M.Div.
Alice Camille, M.Div., studied at the Franciscan School of Theology at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. She’s worked in religious education and parish ministry, and is a nationally known retreat leader. Alice has written or co-written over twenty books including God’s Word Is Alive and A Little Book of Light. She presently works from her home in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
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…
Brenden Dines
Hello, my name is Brenden and I am a second-year AmeriCorps Member serving with the Sisters of Charity this year. During my first year with AmeriCorps, I worked as an outdoor educator for the MetroParks. There I worked with animal ambassadors to bring these animals into classrooms and events for people to see and help spread the MetroParks mission. I have continued to educate myself by getting certifications in Project WILD, and Aldo Leopold Project, as well as a couple of KAEE classes. I am excited to share my passion and love for the environment with all that will listen!
Brother Paul Quenon, O.C.S.O.
Brother Paul Quenon O.C.S.O. has been a monk of the Abbey of Gethsemani for 62 years. His Novitiate formation was under Thomas Merton. His latest book is How to Be, a collection of letters with journalist Judith Valente on matters of mutual interest. His memoir: In Praise of the Useless Life received the Catholic Press award for memoirs. His latest book of poetry is Amounting to Nothing, and a selected volume of poetry is Unquiet Vigil.
Carolyn Cromer
Carolyn Cromer is Director of Ecological Sustainability for the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth. Studies in ecology and forestry led her to manage nature preserves in Kentucky and California, as well as work on programs to improve water quality in Oldham County streams. As executive director of Blackacre Conservancy at Blackacre State Nature Preserve, she led an environmental education program for k-12 students and developed nature-based programming. Carolyn lives in Louisville with her husband and two boys and enjoys planting trees in her spare time.
Cory Lockhart
Cory is a teacher, writer, public speaker, and peacemaker. She is the founder of Hart Communication, LLC. She facilitates classes and workshops for teens and adults on nonviolence and compassionate communication and also helps groups navigate difficult conversations. For nearly three decades, she has taught people of all ages in traditional and non-traditional settings both in the U.S. and internationally. Some of the classes and programs she has written include the 8-week program Cultivating Nonviolence, Harvesting Peace for JustFaith Ministries and the video-based program Seeking the Shalom of the City, for which she also produced the 8 program videos. Cory…
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…
Joetta Venneman, PBVM
Joetta Venneman, PBVM, works in the Office of Social and Environmental Justice with the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth and is a member of her congregational leadership team. She is a former middle school educator and grew up on a dairy farm in rural Iowa. She enjoys hiking, camping, and anything outdoors.
Jonathan Montaldo
Jonathan Montaldo is an editor, writer, and retreat presenter. His renditions of Merton’s work include A Year with Thomas Merton and Bridges to Contemplative Living with Thomas Merton. He has narrated five Merton audiobooks and was the lead editor for: The Intimate Merton: His Life from His Journals.
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…
Julia Gerwe
Julia Gerwe serves as the Interim Executive Director of New Pioneers for a Sustainable Future. An extraordinary force in the field of environmental education, Julia is renowned for her dynamic community-building skills, passion for nature-based learning, and unwavering commitment to advancing sustainability. Julia has served as a New Pioneers member, board member, and driving organizational partner with a passion for connecting collective community well-being to the natural world. Julia previously served as Member Coordinator with the Kentucky Environmental Education Council’s (KEEC), within the State of Kentucky’s Education and Labor Cabinet, EE-focused AmeriCorps program.
Kathleen Coyne, MEDes, EdD
Kathleen’s passion for transformative dialogue began at a grassroots level volunteering as a single mom in a rural British Columbia community. Since that time, she has worked for government in Northern Canada, managed a non-profit in Vancouver’s inner city, worked extensively as a consultant in the non-profit sector and designed and taught Community Leadership and Social Change programs. Kathleen holds a Master’s Degree in Environmental Design and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy focusing on inclusive processes for vulnerable communities. Raised Catholic in a remote indigenous community in Northern Canada, she has found her spiritual home as a meditator…
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…
Kathy Tosney
Kathy Tosney is an experienced Interfaith Spiritual Director and Retreat Director and offers both in-person and online Spiritual Direction and Retreats. Kathy taught Contemplative Prayer Practices or 10 years as a retreat team member for Mepkin Abbey’s “Institute for Contemplative Eldering Retreats”. She is also Mepkin Abbey’s Liaison for their Zip Code Contemplation Program & weekly Online Centering Prayer Sessions. She offers Ignatian Directed Retreats at Mepkin Abbey and Eastern Point Jesuit Retreat House in Gloucester, MA. Kathy offers over Zoom: a “6 Week Individual Ignatian Retreat” which is adapted from the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises. She has a deep passion…
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 twenty 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.
Marjory Zoet Bankson
Marjory Zoet Bankson is a seasoned retreat leader and spiritual guide from Church of the Saviour in Washington, DC. Author of Call to the Soul, Creative Aging, Stalking the Spirit and The Soulwork of Clay, Marjory is also a potter.
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…
Rev. Adwoa Lewis-Wilson
Amma adwoa Wilson is an Episcopal priest and an Oblate of the Order of Julian of Norwich (a contemplative Order in the Episcopal church), with experience in the fields of psychology and education. Her work includes parish ministry, inter-congregational spiritual formation, retreats, and spiritual companionship with individual and groups. Adwoa believes that contemplative practice among those who suffer personal and systemic trauma will be the essential guide for transformative social justice and spiritual growth among the whole people of God. She is excited to explore this spirituality theological and with those she serves.
Robin Hebert
ROBIN HEBERT is a pastoral counselor, spiritual director and retreat leader, and co-author of When Women Pray and When Wisdom Speaks. She serves Our Lady of Wisdom Catholic Church and Student Center as marriage ministry coordinator where she also offers her skills in spiritual direction by leading students and parishioners in a deeper walk with God. She speaks locally, regionally and nationally on themes of Catholic spirituality. Robin is past national president of Theresians of the U.S. and has been a member of her Open Heart community for forty years. She considers her involvement in community an indispensable gift and…
Sandra Hartlieb
Sandra Hartlieb is an actor, author, storyteller, and educator, who specializes in Christian creative arts. Through first-person dramatic storytelling of women in the Bible, she will inspire and motivate you to accept your calling in Christ. Sandra is the author of Holy Boldness: Unlocking the Mysteries of Women Who Encountered Jesus and In Hot Pursuit: 7 Keys to Unlock True Happiness. Both are available on Amazon and at Sandra Hartlieb events. Sandra has a BA in Communication and Theatre from Indiana University, and a Certificate in Lay Ministry from Notre Dame University. Her dramatic performances of Biblical women from the…
Sharon Gray, SCN, PhD.
Sharon Gray is a Sister of Charity of Nazareth. She has been a certified spiritual director for over 30 years, having conducted training programs for spiritual directors in Chicago at the Claret Center, Racine Center in Wisconsin and Nazareth Retreat Center, Kentucky. As well she has conducted training sessions in Bangalore, India, consisting of in-person and zoom sessions. Sharon holds Master degrees in Theology and Education, as well as a Doctorate in Music. She has taught at Ohio Northern University, University of Wisconsin, Spalding University and Catholic Theological. Having various publications both in the U.S. and India, she has served…
Sheryl Kujawa-Holbrook
Sheryl A. Kujawa-Holbrook, EdD, PhD., an Episcopal priest, is professor of practical theology, spiritual formation, and Christian history at Claremont School of Theology with almost forty years of experience in theological education. Published widely, some of her recent books include Hildegard of Bingen – Essential Writings and Chants of a Christian Mystic (Skylight Paths, 2016); Pilgrimage – The Sacred Art. Journey to the Center of the Heart (Skylight Paths, 2013); Injustice and the Care of Souls: Pastoral Care in Marginalized Communities (Fortress Press, second edition, 2023.) She is on the board of Stillpoint California, an organization devoted to forming spiritual…
Whitney Wurzel
Whitney Wurzel is the Executive Director of New Pioneers for a Sustainable Future. Her 20-year career in environmental education includes serving as Education Director at Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest, park ranger at both Congaree National Park and Wind Cave National Park, and Public Information Coordinator at the South Carolina Energy Office. Whitney holds a B.A. in English with a concentration in environmental writing from Queens University of Charlotte, and she conducted her Master’s work in Earth and Environmental Resource Management at the University of South Carolina. A native of Clermont, Kentucky, Whitney now lives in rural Nelson County with…