The Franciscan Spiritual Center

Mary Erickson came to the Center in July 2006 as the Executive Director. Her background includes thirty years experience working in leadership positions for Sears, FarWest Federal Bank and AT&T Wireless Services. Her educational background includes a Bachelors degree and a Master's in Applied Theology from Marylhurst University. She is a trained spiritual director as well as wife and mother of two daughters.
Sister Guadalupe Medina has a B.A. in Religious Studies/Philosophy and Certificate in Pastoral Ministry/Spirituality from Marylhurst University and from the Mexican American Cultural Center in Texas. Her work has been primarily with the Spanish speaking community in California, Oregon and Washington serving as a Pastoral Associate. She is also a certified spiritual director and trained facilitator in Couples Communication and Pre-marriage preparation.
Sister Emma Holdener is a massage therapist and office manager for the Center: She has her BA in music and got her Oregon massage license in 1996 from the Oregon School of Massage here in Portland. She believes that massage is a way of compassionate care for another person. Among the many benefits are a sense of well-being and deep relaxation.
Sister Mary Jo Chaves is a spiritual director and retreat leader. She has her Masters in Applied Theology, a certificate in spiritual direction and a certificate in supervision of spiritual directors. She is also a certified Veriditas Labyrinth Facilitator. Sister Mary Jo has been doing retreat work and spiritual direction in the Portland area since 1996.
Sister Celeste Clavel is the Business Manager for the Center. She has a Masters of Arts in Teaching from Lewis and Clark College plus a BS in music education from Marylhurst. She taught for 35-years in elementary schools and has been at the Center since October 2005. Presently she is also a minister of music and liturgy at Ascension Parish in Portland.
Marilyn Kirvin has worked as a full-time spiritual director and retreat facilitator since 1997 in the Portland area. She has a Master of Divinity from Weston Jesuit School of Theology in Cambridge, MA, and a Master of Social Work degree. She has worked as a parish Pastoral Associate, director of a Jesuit spirituality ministry, and a pastoral counselor. Marilyn is the mother of two teenage sons.
Joy Wallace, Development Director, started working part-time at the Center in October 2006. In addition to development and marketing work, she conducts parent involvement workshops for educators and conducts project evaluation as a consultant. She has her BS in Sociology from the University of Oregon and Masters in education from Oregon State University.
Adjuncts who are facilitating workshops, retreats and classes: Scott Borison: Scott is a Spiritual Director, scientist, engineer and business leader. He is called to Spiritual Direction as a way to support others in their quest to know God and understand their spiritual identity. Scott is married with 5 children and 5 grand children. He is active at Milwaukie Lutheran Church and is its treasurer. Father Peter Byrne, S.J.: Father Peter is the Assistant for Pastoral and Social Ministries of the Oregon Province of the Jesuits. He was the Pastor of St. Ignatius Parish in Portland for 8 years, and pastor of a number of parishes in the Northwest. He and his co-presenter, Marilyn Kirvin, were the Co-Directors of the Jesuit Spirituality Center, and have given many retreats and days of reflection together. Val Hornburg: Val has her BA and MAT in Education and taught elementary children for 25 years. She works part-time as the special events coordinator for A Children's Place Bookstore in NE Portland. Her primary interests now pertain to the spirituality of adults, with special interest in integrating SoulCollage, labyrinth, Reiki, and retreat work. Val is a trained SoulCollage facilitator and loves sharing this creative and artful form of prayer with people. Terry Jones: Terry is founder of Elderhood Institute, spiritual director and author of several publications related to elders and issues concerning men. D. Min from the University of Creation Spirituality, Oakland, CA. Charles Mantey: Charles is the pastor of Milwaukie Lutheran Church and has long been interested in contemplative prayer. He hopes to create a community of people who will meet for prayer, as well as learn more about the practice as they go through reading and experience. Judith Moran, LMT: Judith has completed extensive training which includes Reflexology, Shiatsu, Swedish and Thai massage. Her other interests include organic gardening and working as a domestic violence victims advocate. Carol Placer: Carol is a Master's level Counselor with 30-years of combined experience as a teacher, guidance counselor, and community counselor. Carol has been a student of Compassion Communication (also known as nonviolent communication) for over 15 years, and offers classes in this model to the local community as well as to students in the graduate school of Lewis & Clark College. She deeply appreciates how this way of communicating supports her in living in alignment with her deepest values and in working to create a world that works for all. Stephen Ristau: Stephen offers spiritual direction at FSC as an independent practitioner with an extensive background in leadership and training in both non-profit and corporate environments. Previously, Stephen served as a family and marriage therapist, and likes to focus on helping baby boomers find purpose in their lives, as well as mentoring men of all ages. He is a trained spiritual director and holds an advanced degree in Human Development and Family Relations. Lola Scobey: Lola is a professional writer and editor, has written two nationally published biographies and has served as a certified Spiritual Director for 15 years. She is also a certified Sustainability Advisor and has led groups engaging the question: "What does a sustainable spirituality look like?" Margaret Townsend: Margaret Townsend has spent over 20 years contributing to life by teaching various body-oriented holistic health modalities. In 1995 she became a trainer for the International Breath Institute. For the last 16 years Margaret has given classes and workshops and has had a private clientele in New York City, Boston, Chicago, New Hampshire, Boulder, Colorado.
Photographs by Brian Kroll