Spritual Companionship

Spiritual direction is an ancient tradition. Its purpose is to nurture personal relationships with the Sacred in daily life through dialogue and practices that open people to the leading and healing power of the Holy Spirit. Spiritual directors are trained and experienced in sacred conversation. By listening attentively, they are often able to help open you to God’s actions in your life. Reflecting the wisdom they hear and encouraging trust and response to callings, they hold you in prayer for God’s grace and guidance.

Inquiry

Paying greater attention to the spiritual dimension of life may generate new zest for living, the discovery of a calling or a future opened to new possibilities.

One-on-One Spiritual Direction

One hour one-on-one sessions are held with a Center director. In the context of spiritual companioning, directees share life stories and gain insights using techniques of inquiry, mindfulness and prayer. Spiritual directors help point to those issues and instances in a person’s lives that open them to the leading and healing power of the Holy Spirit.

If you are interested in exploring one-on-one spiritual direction, please contact us. A preliminary meeting with a Center director will be scheduled. In the preliminary meeting, more about spiritual direction and fees will be discussed (fees generally range from $50-$100 per session depending on the individual’s financial resources). For more information, contact Tammy Roeder at 312.798.2350 or tammy.roeder@oldstpats.org.

Group Spiritual Direction
In addition to one-on-one spiritual direction, the Center also offers group spiritual direction, spiritual practice and study groups, and retreats.

Meet the Directors

Terry Nelson-Johnson, D. Min.

“I believe that spiritual direction…
…..means coming to know ourselves as Beloved here on Earth, which is our destiny. A favorite poem of mine is by Raymond Carver called Late Fragment. It captures my experience of and passion for spiritual direction and companionship:

And did you get what you wanted from this life even so?
I did. And what did you want?
To call myself Beloved, to feel myself Beloved on Earth.

The process of coming to know ourselves as Beloved is a treacherous adventure that should not be traversed alone. To accompany another human being in the direction of Beloved is a privilege beyond description. Let us walk, tell stories, laugh, weep, pray and re-discover the wonder of it all together.”
—Terry Nelson-Johnson

Terry Nelson-Johnson, D. Min. is a street theologian, educator, and companion on the journey. He served on the faculty of the Loyola Academy Jesuit High School for 18 years and is currently the Director of Faith Formation at Old St. Patrick’s Church in Chicago. He holds a Master’s from the Institute of Pastoral Studies, Loyola University; and a Doctorate of Ministry from the University of St. Mary of the Lake. Terry and his wife Holly have two children, Ian and Clare.

Bridget Sperduto

“I believe spiritual direction is…
…the journey into ever deepening relationship with the One who is always inviting us into theMORE.  Through spiritual direction we awaken to the more of who we are in relationship to ourselves, each other and God who is our constant companion in, with and through all of creation. ”
–Bridget Sperduto

Bridget Sperduto has more than 10 years experience tending to the spiritual awakening of adults and children of all ages.  Currently, she is the Program Coordinator of The Well Spirituality Center in LaGrange Park where is teaches, offers spiritual direction, facilitates retreats and plans the programming. In addition, Bridget is a certified Reiki Practitioner, Prayer Counselor and minister to the dying.  She also is a wife, mother of four, former Catholic school teacher, and an associate of the Congregation of St. Joseph.

Karen Skalitzky

“I believe spiritual direction is…
…a way of bringing us back home to ourselves. It gives us space in our lives to hear our own inner wisdom and invites us into a deeper knowing of God. Being a companion on that journey and listening to other people’s stories is a great privilege.”
–Karen Skalitzky

Karen Skalitzky is a graduate of the Institute of Spiritual Companioning in Wilmette. An educator by trade, she works as a Reading Specialist and coaches teachers and principals in both underserved and high achieving public schools. She holds a MA in Literacy Education from the University of Michigan and is the author of A Recipe for Hope: Stories of Transformation by People Struggling with Homelessness as well as several published essays.

Sister Marybeth Martin, PHJC

“I believe that spiritual direction…
…is about finding God in the circumstances of life.  It is listening to your life for evidence of God’s care.  Together we might listen for God’s direction (clear or not), listen to make sense of your life, listen for what blocks your awareness of God’s love, listen to help make decisions, listen for the place of inner stillness. ”
—Sister Marybeth Martin, PHJC

Marybeth Martin is a member of the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ, an international congregation of women religious.  She completed a two-year training program in 2001 with the Institute of Spiritual Leadership and a year-long internship at Claret Center in spiritual direction. She is a full-time spiritual director and retreat leader in the Chicago area. Marybeth has experience with young adults, those in 12-Step recovery, and  various religious backgrounds.

Mary Hogan

“I believe that spiritual direction…
… is a celebration of the unique and deeply personal relationship with God that each one of us has and that has an infinite capacity to grow. It is a gift to companion others as they expand their awareness of Spirit. Spiritual direction is a sacred space where reflection and prayer bring clarity to the profound presence of God.”
—Mary Hogan

Mary Hogan earned a Masters in Pastoral Studies and an advanced certificate in Spiritual Direction from Loyola University. She also holds a BA in Psychology from Illinois State University. Mary is a vice president at Genesis Underwriting Management Company in Chicago.

Phil Jackson

“I believe that spiritual direction…
…is an inward journey where we examine the realities of our life. We travel past the snares of our cultural conditioning and beyond our résumé to our deep motivations.  We seek who we really are at our core. Rather than direct as if I am an authority on your life, together we use your personal insights to become aware of how God is present in your daily challenges and how best to use your gifts. Then we look for the sacred Truth at your center. Living from your personal truth enables you to live more purposefully, more contentedly, and more fully. Spiritual Direction is companionship with what is literally the adventure of your lifetime.
—Phil Jackson

Phil Jackson is a Spiritual Companion who focuses on men’s spirituality. He and his wife live in Park Ridge and have four children, ages 16-26. Phil has been an electrical engineer and a sales consultant, and for a decade enforced his telecom patent. He is devoted to Centering Prayer and has spent over 40 days at St. Benedict’s Trappist Monastery in silent retreats or in study with Father Thomas Keating. He has worked with the poor in the Caribbean and is active in Richard Rohr’s Men as Learners and Elders. Phil is commissioned by the Institute of Spiritual Companionship and is also enrolled at the Catholic Theological Union.

Al Gustafson

“I believe that spiritual direction…
…implies that the person seeking it is going somewhere, and wants to talk to someone on the way. Spiritual direction also implies the talk will not be casual and aimless, but helpful in finding the way. It is not about ideas, but about our experience of the One we call God. I have been blessed to have had understanding people to talk to on my way as I seek to act as a companion to others on their journey.”
—Al Gustafson

Al Gustafson began his professional life in business, transitioned to non-profit work and then to work in the church. His spirituality is heavily influenced by the Ignatian tradition, and he is trained as a spiritual director by Jesuits. He has a Doctorate of Ministry from Catholic Theological Union. Al is married and has three children.

Laura Field

“I believe that spiritual direction…
…is a gift that we give ourselves and only later to realize that we were just responding to God’s insistent love for us. For me, spiritual direction is a deep conversation about God’s spirit in my life. In spiritual direction, I hear, see and feel God’s grace. Because of it, I look for and notice God’s grace more often.”
—Laura Field

Laura Field is a lay leader of Old St. Patrick’s Church’s acclaimed Beloved Retreat since 2002. She is nearing completion of her Master’s in Spirituality at Loyola University in Chicago. Laura transitioned a career in corporate communications with Fortune 500 and smaller companies into a thriving self-owned PR firm. A single woman in her mid-40s, Laura understands the deep longing for wholeness that informs the life of singles. Laura earned a BA in Journalism and Economics from Indiana University in 1984.

Juliet Beriou

“I believe spiritual direction…
…is a call to awaken to who we truly are. As one follows this call to a deepening awareness of Spirit, all of life becomes imbued with meaning. We truly begin to live what we are: joy, peace and–above all–love. To all seekers, I echo the words of Eileen Cady, who said, “Be at peace, and see a clear pattern running through your lives. Nothing is by chance.”
—Juliet Beriou

Juliet Beriou holds a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Iowa. After a career in business she became a Secular Franciscan, and received spiritual direction training with the Franciscans. She is now a spiritual companion, retreat director and a life coach. Juliet and her family lived, worked
and studied in Latin America, where she dedicated herself to social justice. She is married and has three adult daughters.

Richard Beeman

“I believe that spiritual direction…
…seeks to evolve a sense of the Presence of God within self and all others. In spiritual direction, we deepen our understanding of our core of goodness and our interdependence with every living organism. We examine everything in the heart of our everyday experiences. We uncover and begin to understand our own strengths and weaknesses, and we observe and integrate moments of joy and contradiction.

With a movement toward a contemplative attitude we begin to fathom our sharing in the Divine life. And ultimately, we come to an authentic self-knowing, which is at the same time a knowing of God. By examining our “wild and precious lives” thoughtfully and intentionally, we are able to dance in the “Garden” of balanced restlessness and peace.”
—Richard Beeman

Richard Beeman is a Life Coach/Spiritual Companion, graduate of the Coaches Training Institute and student at the Institute of Spiritual Leadership, where he served as member of the Board of Directors from 2000 – 2003. He is also a retired executive from the advertising, broadcast, publishing and paper industries. Richard earned a BA in Communication Arts from Notre Dame in 1955. He is a lay minister at Old St. Pat’s in Chicago and Mission San Antonio on the Pala Reservation in California. Dick has been involved as an Inner City Mentor in the Pilsen community in Chicago since 1999, and as a Life Coach/Spiritual Companion at Dominican University, River Forest and at the Career Transition Center
in Chicago.