RG Retreats and Events

Ann Marie Jones

Ann Marie Jones serves as the Residential Coordinator for Dawn’s Place in Philadelphia, PA. A former resident and graduate of Dawn’s Place, she brings a unique perspective from the wisdom she has gained through her journey of transformation from victim to healer. Ann Marie initiated and developed a Twelve Step sexual exploitation recovery group. Because of her life experience, Ann Marie has expertise that professional training cannot replicate. She can assist the residents in articulating their goals for recovery and healing and support them in advocating for themselves to obtain effective services.

Ann Steigerwald

Ann Steigerwald spent many years in full-time Christian ministry and missions. Her ministries took her overseas as well as with several US-based Protestant denominations, where she created discernment and assessment processes in support of pastoral development and church planting. Ann received her training and certification in spiritual direction in the Franciscan Spiritual Center – West’s training program and has been acting as a spiritual director since 2020. She also created outdoor programming for the Franciscan Spiritual Center-West, including kayaking excursions. Ann has described spiritual direction as a sacred companionship of others in their exploration of questions of spirituality and meaning,…

April Leffler

April Leffler holds an MA in clinical psychology and has a private practice in Media, PA that focuses on alternative therapies. She is an accredited instructor of T’ai Chi Chih. April believes strongly in the power of the human spirit and offers workshops and presentations on stress reduction techniques, mindfulness, and the mind-body-spirit connection. For more on April, check out her website: www.Seek-Peace.com.

Bethany Weed

Bethany Weed is a spiritual director, yoga instructor, former high school social sciences teacher, aspiring writer, outdoors enthusiast, pursuer of the Mystery.  She grew up Presbyterian and is now a member of a United Methodist church. She has long been drawn to Ignatian spirituality, to finding God in all things and noticing what leads our hearts to expand in freedom. Her areas of focus within spiritual direction include: Ignatian spirituality/the spiritual exercises of Saint Ignatius, somatic spiritual direction/embodiment, nature-based spirituality, deconstructing faith, grief/loss, spirituality of 12 step programs, and social justice as contemplative practice.

Brenna McGinnis

Brenna is an experienced facilitator, program designer, & strategist who builds caring, inclusive, creative spaces where people can move from problems to possibilities. She has worked with JUST Listening since 2021, where she designs and facilitates programming that incorporates playfulness and creativity to foster connection and community. Prior to joining JUST Listening, Brenna developed programs to support clinicians experiencing burnout as a Design Strategist at Penn Medicine’s Center for Healthcare Innovation. She also served as Director of Social Services at Broad Street Ministry where she oversaw the design and delivery of trauma-informed programs providing support to Philadelphians experiencing homelessness and…

Bro. Mickey McGrath, OSFS

In a nutshell, I paint, write, and tell stories- and then travel all over the place telling the stories behind what I paint and write. My first formal art lessons were at the Moore College of Art in downtown Philly, my hometown. They had classes for young people on Saturday mornings which I attended through all four years of high school. The real blessings and life lessons I received there were not just about learning how to make art in a variety of techniques and styles, but discovering beauty in and with other kids who did not look like the…

Carol Martin Johnson

Carol is an Art Therapist and counselor practicing in West Philadelphia.  She recently completed year one at the Seminary of the Wild Earth, receiving a certificate in eco-spirituality, and is about to begin her second year.  She looks forward to where the Spirit might beckon her next.  Carol lives, works and plays in Philadelphia, the city that she loves, where she is actively rewilding her spirituality and finding ways to listen to and connect to the natural world.

Christine Marie Eberle

Christine Marie Eberle passionately connects Scripture, spirituality, and everyday life. She is the author of three books of practical spirituality: Finding God in Ordinary Time, Finding God Abiding, and her latest, Finding God Along the Way: Wisdom from the Ignatian Camino for Life at Home. After a 26-year career as a college campus minister, in 2019 Christine ended her tenure as Director of Campus Ministry at Gwynedd Mercy University to commit to a full-time ministry of writing, speaking, and retreat facilitation. She lives with her husband in Elkins Park, where she serves on the regional advisory council of the Ignatian…

Farmer Margaret Lilley

Margaret Lilley is the farm manager at Red Hill Farm, a sponsored ministry of the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia in Aston, PA. Simply call her “Lilley” – everyone does. Born with a green thumb, she has had a lifelong love for horticulture. “I’ve been fortunate to have the support and encouragement of my family and friends to pursue my love of horticulture,” she said. Lilley spent several years working in a family greenhouse business followed by 15 years with a corporate landscape company based in Aston, Pennsylvania. There she learned and developed a deep respect for the business…

Fritz Haas

Fritz is a Licensed Professional Counselor and a former Director of Wellness Services at Neumann University. He has a passion for working with people who are looking to develop themselves personally, overcome obstacles in their life and learn new ways to live healthier and more fulfilling lives.

Ilia Delio, OSF, PhD

Ilia Delio, OSF, PhD, is a Franciscan Sister of Washington, DC, and an American theologian specializing in the area of science and religion, with interests in evolution, physics, and neuroscience and the import of these for theology. Ilia currently holds the Josephine C. Connelly Endowed Chair in Theology at Villanova University and is the author of twenty books, including “Care for Creation” (coauthored with Keith Warner and Pamela Woods), which won two Catholic Press Book Awards in 2009: first place for social concerns and second place in spirituality. Her book “The Emergent Christ” won a third-place Catholic Press Book Award…

Jay Bergen

Jay Bergen is the pastor at Germantown Mennonite Church in Philadelphia, and a volunteer organizer with the Coalition to Abolish Death By Incarceration, a statewide grassroots movement to end life-without-parole sentences.

Joe Diele

Joseph Diele is an ordained minister who has served as a parish priest, hospital chaplain, hospice chaplain, spiritual director, and retreat facilitator. He is a Franciscan in the Episcopal Church and is now serving as an associate pastor in St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church in Brooklyn, New York, where he lives with his family. He is the author of Our Bodies: The Only Way to God.

Jonny Rashid

Jonny Rashid (he/him) is the pastor for West Philadelphia Mennonite Fellowship. He wrote Jesus Takes A Side and is a columnist for Anabaptist World. A father of two, he lives in Philadelphia on occupied Lenape Land.

Joyce McNally

Joyce is a Veriditas certified labyrinth facilitator who guides individuals and groups in walking the labyrinth as a path to reflection, prayer, and inner peace. She also serves as a spiritual director, trained through Oasis Ministries, offering companionship to those seeking to deepen their inner life and discern where the sacred is moving in their everyday experience. Her work is grounded in decades as a Registered Nurse — including years as a Geriatric Case Manager, Hospice Nurse, and end-of-life doula — bringing a steady, compassionate presence to everyone she guides.

Judith Enck

Judith Enck founded Beyond Plastics in 2019 to end plastic pollution through education, advocacy, organizing, and institutional change. Passionate about protecting public health and the environment, Judith teaches the nation’s first class on plastic pollution as a professor at Bennington College, where more than 1,000 students have taken her course. She was recently a Visiting Scholar at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University. Judith has held top influential positions in state and federal government. Appointed by President Obama, she served as the Regional Administrator (Region 2) of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, managing a staff of 800…

Karen R. Johnston

Karen R Johnston is an ICF certified leadership coach located in the Philadelphia area. She brings to her work decades of experience teaching science and directing theater. Through deep listening, presence, and incisive questioning Karen creates space and facilitates a process for clients to do the work of growth.

Kelly Chripczuk

Kelly Chripczuk is a Spiritual Director, Writer, and Retreat Leader. She holds a BA in Biblical Studies and an MDiv from Princeton Theological Seminary. Kelly completed Spiritual Direction training in 2014 and meets with directees in-person and on-line. She is also the author of two poetry collections and a short memoir. Kelly finds contemplative writing practices to be a source of connection that deepen awareness and awaken us to the hidden wholeness that glimmers beneath the surface of existence. She lives on a small farm in Boiling Springs with her spouse, four children, and way too many pets. Visit her…

Linda Vonderschmidt-LaStella

With a BA degree in English and an MA in painting and ceramics, the whole of Linda’s professional life has circled around education and the arts.  She has taught art in formal classroom settings at every level from pre-K to college. Between 1986 and 1991 she had the wonderful opportunity to have a studio, Canticles in Clay, on the grounds of Neumann University.  It was during that time that she was commissioned to create a large ceramic mural “New Life” for the Christian Brothers in their Renewal Center, as well as “The Canticle” at Neumann. In 1997, Linda established Earthsongs,…

Lynn Peterson

Lynn Peterson was drawn to the harp more than 40 years ago and has been playing ever since. Lynn has a BA in Urban Studies from the University of Pennsylvania, a master’s degree (MTS) in Theology from Eastern University, and Clinical Pastoral Education Training from Einstein Hospital and is a Certified Music Practitioner (CMP). She has served as an interfaith chaplain and therapeutic harpist in several hospitals and hospices in the Philadelphia area and teaches adult musicians the art and science of therapeutic music both privately and through the Music for Healing and Transition Program (MHTP). Lynn is a mom…

Mary DeFusco, Esq.

Mary DeFusco, Esq., served as director of training for the Defender Association of Philadelphia until her retirement in 2025. She was responsible for the initial training of all new attorneys as well as the continuing legal education of experienced public defenders. DeFusco has served as the Defender Association’s representative on the Oversight Committees of the Philadelphia Treatment Court and the Project Dawn Court. DeFusco, along with representatives of the Court and District Attorney’s Office, was instrumental in the creation of these internationally renowned courts, which integrate drug treatment and sexual trauma recovery within the criminal justice system. DeFusco is also…

Mary Lou Pappolla

Mary Lou began the Hospice Program at Delaware County Memorial Hospital and co-facilitated a bereavement support group and a cancer support group. She is actively involved in advocacy issues.

Maryanne Williams

Maryanne Williams has been a Yoga practitioner for over 50 years.  She was the President of the Arden Yoga Group.  Maryann has taught Yoga in the Wellness Programs of St. Francis Hospital, Wilmington, the Adult Programs for the New Castle County Parks and Recreation, and in Wellness programs offered through large corporations throughout northern Delaware.  Her gentle spirit immediately helps to calm body, mind and spirit.

Melissa Berkey-Gerard

Melissa is a spiritual director and movement chaplain in Philadelphia who seeks the Spirit in all places– in nature, collaborating in community, struggling for justice, slowing down to walk at the pace of a toddler. She creates space for others to listen deeply to what matters most to them and to live from that place. Alongside her spiritual direction practice, she offers workshops and retreats, and facilitation for both faith communities and nonprofits. Melissa is a graduate of Eastern University (BA), and Princeton Theological Seminary (MDiv), and received her spiritual direction certification through Kairos School of Spiritual Formation. She has…

Naila Francis

Naila Francis is a certified grief coach and death midwife, an ordained interfaith minister, a poet, and an accomplished writer. As the founder of This Hallowed Wilderness, she helps people transform their relationship to grief and loss through one-on-one coaching, workshops, presentations, rituals and community grief tending. Naila is also a co-founder of Salt Trails, a Philadelphia collective normalizing grief through community rituals, and a recipient of a Leeway Foundation Art + Change Grant, A former journalist, she found her way to the vocations of companioning others through grief and dying after suffering several personal losses in her own life,…

Patricia Platt

Patricia M. Platt, a long-time resident of Aston and a graduate of Neumann University, is excited to be part of the FSC Aston staff as registrar. She has had extensive education in the Franciscan charism and has enjoyed directing a parish Bible study group and volunteering for various needs of the Sisters of St. Francis. Pat is retired from her previous work in health care administration as director of pediatric residency and as director of family residency and medical practices for Crozer Keystone Health System.

Renee Eells

Renee Eells, LCSW, is a therapist in private practice in West Chester, PA. She has practiced for the past 25 years assisting people in transition, and those with mood, emotional and adjustment issues, including grief and loss. Renee believes in the fundamental wholeness of the individual, and seeks to support each client in their desire for wellness. Renee has her BA from Villanova University and her MSW from City University of New York – Hunter College. Renee co-facilitates the Women’s Awareness Salon because she is energized when women gather to restore and refresh together.

Rhonda Hershey Ike

Rhonda Hershey Ike is the founder and creator of EarthArtYoga, a creative endeavor that aims to explore the intersection of nature, art, movement, and breath. A large part of her work is ephemeral, honoring and celebrating the constant fluctuations in nature and in ourselves. Rhonda is very interested in the changes that occur over time and the impact the viewer has on the work.

Rich Hoffman

Sharon Browning

Sharon believes that listening justly is foundational to all personal and social change and transformation, and that Love is the fiery core of it all. She has worked with JUST Listening since 2007, helping to build and promote its offerings and managing its many volunteer programs. She is the former Executive Director of Philadelphia VIP, the hub of pro bono legal services in Philadelphia. and served as Adjunct Faculty at the University of Pennsylvania Law School teaching both Professional Responsibility in Public Interest Practice and in the Clinical Program. She was a consultant for the American Bar Association Standing Committee…

Sr. Anne Amati Hedwig, OSF

Sr. Anne Amati is a person of enormous learning, experience, insight, and understanding. Throughout her retreats and previous ministries and as ongoing formation minister, Sr. Anne uses her profound gifts to share the Franciscan charism and inspire Franciscan lives. Learn more at: https://osfphila.org/meet-our-sisters/meet-sister-anne-hedwig-amati/

Sr. Clare D’Auria, OSF

Sr. Clare is a program presenter and spiritual director. For half of her over fifty years in ministry, Clare has served in retreat work, offering spiritual direction, directed and conference retreats, as well as numerous workshops in Franciscan spirituality. Clare previously served as a staff member of the Franciscan Pilgrimage Programs in Assisi, Italy. Her other ministerial experience has included congregational and provincial leadership, secondary and collegiate education, and a variety of additional administrative roles both within and outside of her congregation.

Sr. Jean Ustasiewski, OSF

Sr. Jean offers guided reflection during Contemplative Mornings, leads the Franciscan Solitude Experience, and promotes social justice by coordinating interfaith events with mission-aligned faith communities and community organizations. Previously Sr. Jean served the congregation as the director of its associate program, Franciscan Companions in Mission, and as a pastoral counselor and school guidance counselor.

Sr. Joan Brown, OSF

Sister Joan Brown, OSF, Co‑Founder and former Executive Director of New Mexico-Interfaith Power and Light, is a Catholic Franciscan sister whose farm roots, justice work, and integral ecology studies ground her lifelong commitment to Earth care and community organizing. Inspired by Thomas Berry and Teilhard de Chardin, she helps awaken a deeper sense of wonder and responsibility for our Sacred Earth.

Sr. Julia Keegan, OSF

Sr. Julie a program presenter and helps with hospitality, Spiritual Direction, and Directed Retreats. Her past ministries included a Cardiovascular Clinical Nurse Specialty, teaching nursing at Neumann University, hospital administration, and data analysis in the Development Office of the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia.

Sr. Kathleen Parisi, OSF

Sr. Kathy’s ministry is “about finding ways to have people get to know us—to know the congregation. We say we’re in relationship. How do we show that to people?” For Sr. Kathy, the way is simply to be present to the folks with whom she comes in contact, whether it be by phone, mail, or in person. That presence takes many forms, but one of her great joys is giving tours of the motherhouse for a visiting individual or a group. To learn more, see:https://franciscanlife.blogspot.com/2013/10/meet-sr-kathleen-parisi.html

Sr. Marie Angela Presenza, OSF

Sr. Marie Angela is responsible for designing, marketing, coordinating and implementing all programs at the Franciscan Spiritual Center – Aston. Marie Angela has extensive professional experience as an educator and administrator and has been involved in programs at parishes in which she ministered. She brings a heart filled with warmth and hospitality and an eye for design that makes our Spiritual Center decor speak the language of God simply by being.

Sr. Mary Walsh, OSF

Sr. Mary’s ministry includes spiritual direction and directed retreats. With an MA in Pastoral Counseling, she is certified in spiritual direction, has served as a supervisor for spiritual direction at Neumann University and is a Focusing Trainer. She has experience in elementary education and parish ministry and has a strong desire to support others in various prayer modalities that will open their heart to God.

Sr. Meaghan Patterson, SSJ, M.Ed., MSW

Sr. Meaghan V. Patterson is a Sister of St. Joseph of Philadelphia who serves as the Executive Director of Dawn’s Place in Philadelphia, PA. She has a background in teaching and administration in Philadelphia and a surrounding suburb. She taught both younger and older elementary students before entering administration where she worked with various stakeholders of the school, participated in development and fundraising opportunities, and coordinated community partnerships. Sr. Meaghan interned with a small non-profit in Chester County, PA where she worked with women who have or were about to experience homelessness. Her educational background includes a degree in English…

Sr. Mercedes Rojo, OSF

Sr. Mercedes Rojo, OSF, is a Sister of St. Francis of Philadelphia. She is a psychotherapist, spiritual director and retreat facilitator. She is passionate about bringing her faith and her experience of God’s presence in the here and now to all her encounters with others, helping them believe that they are loved and cherished by God and called to incarnate the Divine Spark that lives within each one of us. As a Franciscan, she loves nature, believing as St. Francis did that Creation is God’s first Book of revelation. Mercedes loves to be in touch with nature and has several…

Sr. Pat Smith, OSF

Pat Smith, OSF is a Sister of St. Francis of Philadelphia. She studied theology at St. Bonaventure University in Olean, NY and canon law in at the University of Ottawa in Canada, and has taught at the University of Notre Dame, the Catholic University of America, and Neumann University. Pat has published several books, her latest being This Really Happens, God-with us in Everyday Life. She has worked in various others ministries; one of her favorites was serving in a parish in the Camden diocese for 10 years. She also delights in comedy, humor and laughter!

Sr. Regina Ryan, IHM, Ed.D.

Sister Regina is a member of the religious congregation, Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Academically, she earned an undergraduate degree in French, and theology a Master of Theology, and a doctorate in Educational Administration and Supervision.   Her professional experiences include teaching eighth grade in various elementary schools, secondary school theology and French, high school administration, and serving as a fulltime faculty member in the Education Department of Immaculata University.  Most recently Sister completed a thirteen-year term as head of Villa Maria Academy High School, PA.  Currently she serves as an adjunct professor in the Education Department of Villanova…

Sr. Rose Mary Eve Holter, OSF

Since 1980, Sr. Rose Mary Eve has been involved in the ministries of spirituality, storytelling, liturgical music and the Dances of Universal Peace. She has master’s degrees in spirituality and education and creates and offers retreats to adults and children.

Susan Long

Susan Long is a Mindfulness Facilitator and has been a student of meditation and mindfulness for over 10 years. The practice of mindfulness has helped Susan to awaken to the power and beauty of the present moment. Susan facilitates Living Mindfully workshops for individuals and in small group settings. She has led reflective book studies and seminars. Susan has a teacher’s heart and enjoys sharing these practices with individuals and groups as her service to help people engage in the world authentically and meaningfully.

Susan Maule

Susan Maule has been a student, practitioner and teacher of the healing arts for over 25 years. Though she has studied shiatsu, Integrated Awareness, shamanism and various forms of hands on energy healing, her true focus is sound. Susan is a Certified Master Vibrational Sound Teacher and Practitioner of SomaEnergetics with David Hulse. She has studied with John Beaulieu of BioSonics, Joule L’Adara of Sounding Circles and the Sacred Science of Sound with Jeralyn Glass. Susan is also a practitioner of The Path to Heal which she combines within a sound session. ​Susan uses a variety of instruments in her…

The Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia

The Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia are a community of Catholic women who commit their lives to God as followers of Sts. Francis and Clare. We strive to live in loving relationship and service with all people and creation. We are dedicated to bringing hope and joy to those in need by promoting justice and peace with emphasis on human rights and environmental concerns in our daily encounters.

Val Hornburg

Val is a spiritual director associated with the Franciscan Spiritual Center – West, a sponsored ministry of the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia.

Valarie Kaur

Valarie Kaur is a renowned social justice leader, lawyer, award-winning filmmaker, educator, innovator, and best-selling author of See No Stranger. She is the founder of the Revolutionary Love Project, where she leads a movement to reclaim love as a force for justice. Valarie burst into global consciousness when her Watch Night Service address went viral with 40 million views worldwide. Her question — “Is this the darkness of the tomb, or the darkness of the womb?” — is a beacon for people fighting for our future. Continue reading this bio at: https://valariekaur.com/about/

WindWave

Bear (Chris McNichol) & Chie (Rich Hoffmann) met in 2004 as young parents in Media, PA.  They first enjoyed working together to create the award-winning short film “Fridays at the Farm”, and its companion films including “A Morning with Amy”, for which Bear contributed solo flute music. They went on to create many films together, including Bear’s starring roles in Chie’s 2014 Giant Screen children’s movie “Watermelon Magic” and more recently in the “Gotta Getta Bucket” videos promoting composting in Media.   In the summer of 2023, Chie stumbled upon Bear’s original recording session from 2007.  The last track was a forgotten flute-crystal bowl collaboration…