Linda Anderson is an Oblate of St. Paul's Monastery who serves as the Director of Faith Formation at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish.

Steve Arnold, Ph.D. is a chaplain at St. Anthony Senior Living and a spiritual director. His doctoral work is in adult education and educational gerontology.

Mary Boespflug is the national director for the Ministry of Mothers Sharing, a ministry of St. Paul’s Monastery.

Mary Ann D. Carolin, MEd, MA, is a widow, mother, grandmother, and a certified spiritual and retreat director. She has extensive experience is spiritual development and loss and grief issues. Mary Ann is affiliated with Contemplative Outreach and a member of Spiritual Directors International.

Michael Dennis Browne is professor emeritus of English at the University of Minnesota, where he taught for thirty-nine years. His most recent publications include Give Her the River, a picture book with paintings by Wendell Minor (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2004); Things I Can’t Tell You, poetry (Carnegie Mellon University Press, 2005); and What the Poem Wants, essays on poetry (Carnegie Mellon, 2008). Browne’s poems have been published in many magazines and anthologies, and his awards include fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Bush Foundation, the Jerome Foundation, and the McKnight Foundation. Two of his collections have won the Minnesota Book Award for poetry. As a librettist, he has written many texts for music, working principally with composer Stephen Paulus. Their post-Holocaust oratorio, To Be Certain of the Dawn, was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in music by the Minnesota Orchestra and issued as a CD in 2008. Some of the best-known short choral works by Paulus and Browne include “The Road Home,” “Pilgrims’ Hymn,” “Hymn for America,” and “Hymn of the Eternal Flame.”

Jaci Bush is an Oblate of St. Paul's Monastery and a faculty member of the School of Business for The College of St. Scholastica. She volunteers in the music ministry of the Monastery and also serves as a facilitator of a women's faith sharing and Scripture study group.

Fr. Michael Byron is associate professor of theology at the Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity of the University of St. Thomas. He is also pastor of St. Cecelia’s parish.

Kathleen Cahalan, Ph.D., is professor of theology at Saint John’s University School of Theology∙Seminary in Collegeville, Minnesota. Her most recent book is Introducing the Practice of Ministry (Liturgical Press, 2010). She is currently teaching a course on contemporary spiritual practices.

Rev. Lisa Cressman, D. Min is an Episcopal priest who currently serves the parish of St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Basswood Grove. Lisa is also a spiritual director and retreat leader.

S. Joanne Dehmer SSND is a spiritual director on the staff of the Loyola Spirituality Center.

Bernie Evans is associate professor of Christian ethics at Saint John’s School of Theology*Seminary.

S. Mary Forman OSB is a member of the Monastery of St. Gertrude, Cottonwood, Idaho; currently she is Associate Professor of Monastic Studies and Theology at the School of Theology-Seminary, Saint John’s University, Collegeville, MN and is also the Chair of the undergraduate Department of Theology, College of Saint Benedict-Saint John’s University. She is an author, retreat director and teacher of Benedictine monasticism.

Darrin Francis is East Metro Program Manager for CommonBond Communities’ Advantage Services. He is responsible for individual services and family and youth programs for the families at the Trails Edge Townhomes community, next to St. Paul’s Monastery. He has master’s degrees in social work and public administration, and he is a former City Administrator.

S. Meg Funk OSB is past prioress of Our Lady of Grace Monastery in Beech Grove, Indiana, and a popular teacher and retreat leader. She has written books on the Christian contemplative tradition, including Humility Matters, Thoughts Matter, and Tools Matter, and most recently Lectio Matters: Before the Burning Bush.

S. Paula Hagen OSB is a member of St. Paul's Monastery, a national retreat leader, and the co-founder of Ministry of Mothers Sharing.

Jeff Kaster is Adjunct Professor of Theology at Saint John's University School of Theology*Seminary and Founding Director of Youth in Theology and Ministry.

Rt. Rev. John Klassen OSB is the tenth Abbot of Saint John's Abbey and the Chancelor of Saint John's University.

Mary Martin is a spiritual director and a hospital chaplain. She holds graduate degrees in theology, counseling psychology, and library science and has been in direction herself for over twenty-five years.

S. Jacqueline Leiter OSB is a member of St. Paul’s Monastery and a teacher in St. Paul.

Clem Nagel is a poet whose work has been published in various national and local publications.

Elizabeth Nagel is a writer, poet,
and fine arts photographer.

Frank Rivas is an artist from Minneapolis working with religious themes, drawing on his deep religious roots and formal theological training. His current project includes creating photographic images that reflect his study of the psalms and their meaning for the contemporary person. An exhibit of that collection will be at the monastery in September 2011.

David Sagula is a licensed psychologist and management consultant. He is also a member of the Confraternity of St. Gregory’s Abbey and has conducted numerous contemplative prayer retreats and workshops.

Meredith Schifsky is a member of the leadership team for Contemplative Outreach Minnesota and a teacher of Centering Prayer.

Jim Smith is director of faith formation for St. Margaret Mary Parish in Golden Valley, Minnesota.

Barb Sutton is Adjunct Professor of Theology is Associate Professor of Theology at Saint John's University School of Theology*Seminary and the Associate Dean for Ministerial Formation and Outreach.

Peggy Thompson is a teacher and retreat leader in arts and spirituality. She is known in the art community as Margaret Carroll.

Peter Watkins, M.Div. is a high school teacher of twenty years, author, musician, spiritual director, and little-league soccer coach. He is presently in the midst of raising three sons. Peter is a member of the Benedictine Center’s spiritual direction team.

Katy Wehr studied Christianity and the Arts at Regent College, Vancouver and has two CD's: The Smell of Rain and In Others' Words. Song samples and more information can be found on iTunes and www.katywehr.com. Katy is also the Associate for Children's and Family Ministry at Church of the Cross in Hopkins, MN.

S. Mary White OSB is both a licensed psychotherapist and a skilled teacher of Christian meditation. Her works draws on the wisdom of the world’s great spiritual traditions as well as her extensive background in psychology and sociology. Email Mary.

Paul Witmer is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, serving a Disciples of Christ congregation (Covenant Christian Church) in Urbandale IA. Paul is a graduate of the Spiritual Direction Preparation Program with the Franciscan Spirituality Center in LaCrosse, WI and serves as Spiritual Director, focusing largely on 12-step recovery and contemplative prayer. Paul also serves as co-coordinator of Contemplative Outreach of Central Iowa and presents workshops on centering prayer and other contemplative disciplines.