What’s your spiritual journey?

I grew up Catholic, loving the ritual elements of mass, like singing, playing handbells, offering the sign of peace, and eating donuts after mass. I thought about becoming a nun at least three times in my life and realized a life of obedience and chastity wasn’t for me.

For 16 years, I was taught by the School Sisters of St. Francis and the Jesuits. Their commitment to community, integrating different wisdom traditions into their practice, and living for a mission appealed to me. And because I was a terrible decision maker, St. Ignatius’s Spiritual Exercises and art of discernment spoke to my soul.

Over the years, my spirituality grew to be too big for one religious tradition. When I came out as lesbian, I struggled to be part of the Catholic tradition, which saw me as less than fully human.

So, I call myself spiritual with ritual elements sprinkled in.

Where did you train to become a spiritual director?

I earned my spiritual direction certificate from the Siena Retreat Center’s two-year training program. Based in the Universe Story and inclusive spirituality, it involved peer supervision, practicum, and integration work.

You say you’re committed to your own growth. What does that mean?

I meet with my own spiritual director monthly, and I work with a peer supervisor to support my professional development as a director and facilitator. I’m currently earning my MA in Counseling for Ministry at Loyola University Chicago’s Institute for Pastoral Studies.

You have a PhD? In what?

My PhD is in rhetoric, writing, and technical communication from Purdue University. I was a leading expert in prehospital communication, and I consulted with fire departments and EMS agencies to improve report writing education before switching paths into spiritual direction. My full CV is available online.

12 Step programs were part of your healing. Can you say more?

Therapy helped me realize I grew up in a high-functioning alcoholic household, and I struggled with co-dependent behavior and tendencies. I was a member of Al-Anon and CoDA, and even though the research on codependency and 12 Step work is varied, I found elements of both programs to be useful.

Photographer: Alex Rodriquez