Sheila Laughton is a retired military officer who served on active duty from the end of the Vietnam Era to 2000 and was deployed to Saudi Arabia during the First Gulf War. With a military spouse, an active duty son, and a very civilian teenager, she is well aware of the challenges of military life from multiple perspectives. Sheila is especially interested in helping veterans of any era, currently serving soldiers and all of their family members to integrate life experiences and heal memories which negatively impact their lives today. Her goal is to speed the reintegration process and assist individuals and families create a new normal. She has also worked with college students and abused women.

Sheila has a Masters Degree in Theology with a Certificate in Spiritual Direction from Saint Catherine University and a Counseling Degree is from Creighton University in Omaha, NE. Her interests include active participation in the Minnesota Center for Democracy Warrior to Citizen Campaign, Healing of Memories Workshops and women veteran initiatives. In her leisure time she enjoys reading, writing, and enjoying nature.

Tom received his spiritual direction training at Christos Center for Spiritual Formation. He was raised Roman Catholic, but has been Lutheran (ELCA) most of his adult life. He has integrated the best of his Catholic and Lutheran traditions. He has been shaped by prolonged immersion in Benedictine, Carmelite, Ignatian, and Franciscan spirituality.

Since 2002 he has served as executive director and now director of program development for City House, a non profit that connects the mainstream and margins of society for mutual spiritual growth and transformation. He has worked extensively with leaders across all sectors, including pastors, serving as both spiritual director and / or executive coach. Tom's special interest is encountering God in "the Other".

Nancy Loyd is a native Minnesotan who grew up in Bloomington and continues to live in the Southern Suburban area. She is married and the mother of two teenage children.

Nancy received her MA in Theology along with a Graduate Certificate in Pastoral Ministry from St. Catherine University in 2005.  Her spiritual direction training was also through St. Catherine University.

Nancy has years of experience in parish work as a pastoral minister and has also worked as a grief counselor with a local hospice. She has extensive history working with those journeying through illness, grief and loss, depression and anxiety, and transitions of all types. Her passion is helping others to slow down and hear the “still, small voice” of God. She loves to hear people’s sacred life stories and to help them name and claim how God is working in and through their lives.

 

Kay Vander Vort is the first laywoman to have joined the staff of Loyola Spirituality Center in 1985. Trained in spiritual direction at the Wayzata Cenacle, she earned her Masters Degree in Theology St. Catherine University. In 1997 the St. Catherine Theology department appointed her Director of the Spiritual Direction Graduate Certificate program. She teaches courses in Discernment, Introduction to Spiritual Direction and Issues in Spiritual Direction. Some of Kay's special interests in working with others in spiritual direction include the Enneagram, dreams, life transitions, the Spiritual Exercises and Centering Prayer. Her spirituality is influenced by Vatican II

In 1994 Kay was presented an award by the Commission on Women of the Archdiocese of Minneapolis/St. Paul for her involvement in "Walking with women through spiritual direction and coordinating the Theological Insights Program at St. Catherine University." Kay has co-edited a book: Walking in Two Worlds: Women's Spiritual Path

In her words:
My "call" to become a spiritual director grew out of my experience of making the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola. In the Exercises I learned to pray with scripture which later led me to study scripture on a graduate level. The early training for spiritual directors at the Wayzata Cenacle was a one-to-one tutorial with a Cenacle sister. Later as the training for spiritual directors grew more formal, I became one of the teachers.

Perhaps an early indicator of what has become my passion is my joy in story. As a child I loved to read and see movies. Movies, plays and good books are still a favorite pastime as well as having one-on-one conversations with friends, children and grandchildren. In spiritual direction I am blessed by listening to life stories.

The gift of spiritual direction seems even more precious to me these days as I observe the communication changes brought about by technology. Spiritual direction offers the opportunity to spend at least one hour each month to explore the spiritual in one's life as well as other aspects that are part of the human journey. This is in vivid contrast to modern communication which so often consists of "sound bites."

My own life has been the crucible for my work with transitions. It grieved me when my children left home, particularly when my oldest son, Mark joined the Peace Corps, served in Africa, and later decided to live and work there. After the "empty nest," I experienced divorce. I lived alone for 10 years. I married again. Nurturing relationships with adult stepchildren and stepgrandchildren as well as cherishing my own four children, their spouses and my 15 grandchildren is an important part of my spirituality. I am looking more closely at the transition of aging as I and my friends see the decades slipping by.

In 2010 I celebrated 25 years of working at Loyola. There has never been a day that I didn't want to do The Work!

Joanne is a native Minnesotan, having grown up in St. Michael. She and her twin brother are the youngest in a family of six children. Her years with the School Sisters of Notre Dame have spanned a wide variety of activities and ministries. With extensive skills in teaching and training, she also has wide-ranging pastoral experience in parish and retreat settings. Joanne began spiritual direction ministry over thirty years ago.

Since 1994 she has been a team member at Loyola, where she has conducted retreats and served as spiritual director for a large and diverse clientele. The depth and width of her experience, coupled with her easy presence and inquiring intelligence enhances her professional qualifications as a spiritual director.

Joanne received a Masters Degree in Ministry from Seattle University, after receiving training in Spiritual Direction at the Center for Spiritual Development. She has also trained in Bio-Spiritual Focusing through the Institute for Bio-Spiritual Research.

Joanne's ministry is often taken up with themes around grief, issue at mid-life, aging and death and dying. Besides teaching in the spiritual direction program at Sacred Ground in St. Paul, she is also a supervisor for spiritual directors in training through Creighton University.

Being creative, imaginative and artistic are important to her, and they find expression in activities like watercolor, photography and jewelry making.

Approach to Spiritual Direction
"Spiritual direction is an on-going process, something I've learned in my own spiritual development and especially in serving as a spiritual director for others. There are no short cuts to spiritual growth, and it takes careful attention to the geography of our experience as the place where God is revealed. I'm always attentive to how the Holy Mystery of God's presence is being revealed in the stories people I direct tell me. Together we look for hints of God's presence and where God is leading this person to reach deeper, more integrated life. A true sign of spiritual growth for me is seeing people grow is a self-affirming love that overflows in selfless service of others."

David grew up in the peaceful rolling farm land of central Minnesota. A contemplative lifestyle and a love for the land have stayed with him throughout life. He studied English literature and theology in college, received a Ph.D. in English from the University of Minnesota, and went on to teach literature courses for several years. During this time, he was also a Benedictine monk. Today, his daily practice and interests include key components of Benedictine spirituality: lectio divina, centering prayer, the psalms, contemplative living, intentional communities, and environmental stewardship. He received his spiritual direction training at the Christos Center for Spiritual Formation.

David also has experience with 12 Step spirituality, men's spirituality, workplace spirituality, body prayer (yoga, Qigong, Tai Chi) and life transitions. He is a member of a contemplative Benedictine community of lay people in St. Paul. Other interests include spending as much time outdoors as possible (hiking, biking, camping, canoeing, gardening, being in nature), land monitoring for the Minnesota Land Trust, cooking, movies, and the arts.

David especially enjoys leading a Contemplative Nature Retreat each fall and spring.

Other services:

Qigong: Healing and Meditation: David is trained in a Chinese healing and meditation system called "Spring Forest Qigong", which combines gentle movements with healing techniques. He has also studied Kundalini Yoga and Tai Chi, from which he developed "meditative movements," a way of praying with our bodies.

Mind Body Bridging: a system that helps rest overactive or obsessive thoughts with thought mapping practices and  sensory awareness. Allows for rapid healing  and a calm, natural approach to solving problems by accessing the true self (the level of self always connected to the Divine).

Basic Psych-K  (psychology + kinesiology) is used for accelerated growth, integration, and balance. It is a mind-body-spirit balancing system that combines basic muscle testing (kinesiology) with questions that access the subconscious mind. Many people have found this to be a simple, profound and exciting way to uncover self-sabotaging beliefs and to heal, balance, and redirect ourselves on all levels.