Are you looking for someone to accompany you on your spiritual journey, to offer guidance, support and tools for deepening your relationship with God? The spiritual directors on our list are willing to come in to The Star to do directed retreats, depending on timing and availability. You can also book regular spiritual direction sessions with a director. Contact information for the directors can be found below or contact us at 780-459- 5511, programs@starofthenorth.ca for more information.
BEV BUNKER
I began doing spiritual direction in 1995 after completing the Pacific Jubilee Spiritual Direction Program. Over the years, I have taken various courses in psychology, conflict resolution, the Work of Byron Katie, and recently I have begun studying the Compassionate Inquiry program with Dr. Gabor Maté. These forms of inquiry help to uncover core issues, emotions, and false beliefs that have obscured connection to self and thus blocked a deeper relationship with one’s spiritual tradition/path. They have been important to me and I am motivated to share them in a compassionate, gentle, and balanced way in spiritual direction.I am a professional oil painter/teacher, now semi-retired. I paint florals, portraits and landscapes in a realistic but slightly loose style. I also paint still-life subjects in a trompe l’oeil style with precision in both color application and brushwork.
Contemplative prayer and centering prayer have been important to my spiritual journey and I have also learned various meditation practices through Zen Buddhism. I have led meditation workshops privately and in various locations. To contact Bev, please call The Star at 780-459-5511 or email admin@starofthenorth.ca
Education:
Pacific Jubilee Spiritual Direction Program – 1993 to 1995
Newman Theological College – 1987 to 1993
Ignatian Spiritual Exercises – 1990 to 1992
Anamcara Soul Companion through Sacred Art of Living Centre – 2020 to 2023
This program included:
“I don’t know Who — or what — put the question, I don’t know when it was put. I don’t even remember answering. But at some moment I did answer Yes to Someone — or Something — and from that hour I was certain that existence is meaningful and that, therefore, my life, in self-surrender, had a goal.” ~ Dag Hammarskjöld
LESLIE CROWLEY
As a retired Prison Chaplain, I have learned that it is important to tell one’s story, and it is invaluable to tell it more than once. As a spiritual companion I listen compassionately and without judgement to both the narrative and the divine through the lens of “God with us”, to offer support in discovering the truth of who one is in God. We listen together to where God is gently and lovingly inviting his beloved on their sacred path. I have had the privilege to companion people in prison on their journey towards deepening their relationship with God, developing their prayer life and discernment process in their pursuit of healing and growth since 2006. I studied theology at Newman College, Clinical Pastoral Education at Alberta Hospital, taken many workshops in restorative justice while attending the Restorative Justice Conferences, and was certified as a Spiritual Director at CenterQuest in Pasadena California in 2014. You can contact me via email at: leslie.crowley@wildcattech.com.
SHERRY DAHL
As a spiritual director for 14 years, I hold a Master of Arts in Spirituality from St. Stephen’s College. I am a graduate of the Presence Program of Providence Renewal Centre and have training in several energy healing modalities, as well as being a facilitator of family system constellations. The Enneagram is one of my passions, having studied extensively with the Enneagram Institute of Stone Ridge, New York. More recently I received a certificate in grief counselling from Taking Flight International and I am currently studying to become an end-of- life guide. A life-long member of the United Church of Canada, I describe myself as having Christian roots and Cosmic branches, with a spirituality deeply centered in embodied awareness, interconnectedness and wholeness. In my work, I seek to cultivate holy ground so that eternal Love, Light, and Wisdom can be discerned in the particulars of your unique story. Please call 780-459-5511 to arrange a meeting with Sherry.
ELIZABETH DANYLUK
I believe everyone has trustworthy wisdom that guides, empowers and transforms. Two time-tested disciplines that support this movement are therapeutic yoga and spiritual development. These disciplines nurture the relationship of body, mind, emotions and spirit.
Therapeutic yoga offers ways of being grounded in the body through practices such as movement, breath, meditation and contemplation. Opportunities arise to listen to sensations, thoughts and feelings and meet them with compassion. Yoga also supports regulation of the nervous system, and an overall sense of well-being.
Spiritual formation study and practices, including spiritual direction, supports fostering the desire to remember and befriend innate goodness, both inwardly and in relationship with others. Encountering the Divine roots from a grounded approach gives space for cultivating presence and purpose amidst uncertainty.
I strive to create welcoming spaces with a sense of playfulness and curiosity. Sessions are available online or in person, for individuals or groups.
You can reach me via email at elizabethdanyluk1@gmail.com
DEBBIE DOORNBOS
“To ‘listen’ to another’s soul into a condition of disclosure and discovery may be almost the
greatest service that any human being ever performs for another,” (Douglas V. Steere).
One of my great joys in life is to journey with others as we explore together God’s footprints in that person’s life. I feel that I hold space at these times for a fellow journeyer to allow their soul, their inner teacher and guide, to be heard and validated. It is, for me, a deep and respectful listening—a soulful listening where the person being listened to can share their everyday lives and experiences with all its joys and sorrows, ups and downs, trusting that is held safely. We are all on this amazing journey and we need each other to be able to see more clearly, to understand more deeply, and to discover more profoundly the beauty of who we are and where God/Holy One is both present and leading us.
With respect to my background, my spiritual life is lived within the context of my Roman Catholic faith. I am a graduate of Newman Theological College, the Haden Spiritual Direction Program and the Sacred Art of Living and Dying Anamcara Apprenticeship. My training includes Christian mysticism, Jungian psychology, Ignatian spirituality, the Enneagram, spiritual suffering, and world religions. I have a special interest in journeying with others through times of transition. Some of my greatest teachers are my husband, children and grandchildren as they provide me with many life lessons. debbiem.doornbos@gmail.com
PAT JAMESON
I have trained in the gentle art of spiritual direction at Providence Renewal Centre Edmonton, the Jesuit Centre in Guelph, Ont. and with Louis Savary author of “The New Spiritual Exercises: In the Spirit of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin.” I am a retired Massage Therapist. Nurtured in the Anglican tradition, I am interested in eco-centered spirituality, leading meditations and retreats. For many years I have been a companion supporting those seeking a deeper, richer relationship with God as they embrace their own stories, helping them see that God has been waiting for them all along with love and grace. You can contact me at: patcher@shaw.ca.
DAN JELINSKI
The spiritual path consists of many twists and turns, mountains and valleys, stops and starts, light and darkness. Sometimes, you simply need to talk with someone who is familiar with this terrain; a fellow traveller, a spiritual companion who can offer support and guidance, helping discern the way forward. Traversing your inner world with a spiritual director, an anam cara/soul friend affords the opportunity to safely explore the presence of God in your life. Everything in your story belongs when it comes to listening deeply to the musings of your soul.
Experiences and training programs that have fashioned and informed my role as a spiritual director/soul friend:
I welcome inquiries and extend an invitation, honouring all spiritual paths. I create a safe, inclusive space where seekers are free to talk about things that matter. I can be reached at 780-721-1240 or email: dan@wisdomspeaks.ca
"The longest journey is the journey inside."
SHELLY KING
As I see it, the purpose of spiritual direction is to see more clearly the ways in which God is at work in our lives, to more fully experience God’s love and to grow in our ability to respond. Many things hold us back, but “it is for freedom that Christ has set us free” and we often discover greater freedom through the process of telling our own story in the presence of another who will listen and reflect with us, trusting in the guidance of the Holy Spirit. That is what I hope for when I receive spiritual direction and what I desire for those whom I am privileged to accompany. I received my training at the FCJ Christian Life Centre in Calgary and at St. Beuno’s Jesuit Spirituality Centre in Wales. I am currently a facilitator with The Studion School of Spiritual Direction hosted at Star of the North in St. Albert. I can be contacted via email: shellydking@gmail.com.
ARCHBISHOP SYLVAIN LAVOIE, OMI
Archbishop Sylvain has been journeying with people on their spiritual path for over 40 years. During that journey he has gained a lot of wisdom that he has expressed in a book on Indigenous ministry (Drumming From Within) and two on addictions awareness (Walk A New Path and Together We Heal). His method of spiritual accompaniment is to listen to the story, affirm the person, prayerfully discern the movement of the Spirit in the person’s life, connect faith and scripture with life, and provide gentle direction for moving forward towards healing and greater wholeness. Archbishop Sylvain can be contacted by email: sylvainomi@icloud.com.
LUCIE LEDUC
With a compassionate, listening presence Spiritual Direction provides support with tools for discernment, growth in self-awareness, deepening prayer life in relationship with God for helping others on their spiritual journey. I see Spiritual Direction as assisting another to hear the Spirit’s guidance within themselves to authenticate, integrate, and nurture growth as human beings fully alive in God. I have enjoyed accompanying people on their spiritual journey since 2009.
Education:
I presently work as the Executive Director of Star of the North Retreat Centre. email director@starofthenorth.ca.
PATRICIA MACDONALD
Patricia is a trained and experienced spiritual director & supervisor, retreat leader, and professional facilitator. Patricia spent seven years as director of the Presence Spiritual Direction Program. She is also trained with several years’ experience to journey with those who wish to experience the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises. Patricia can be contacted through her email: patamac30@gmail.com.
For counselling services:
Dr. Caroline Deutsch enjoys helping people achieve new insights and possible ways of coping with challenges in a healthy way. Originally from Ireland, she is down to earth, authentic, with a sense of humour. She will work with you to ’unpack’ what is going on in your life with patience and kindness. Through psychological counselling she help clients improve their physical, emotional, spiritual and mental health. Her focus is to connect with them to establish a working relationship that thelps them discover, explore and grow through the therapeutic approaches and conversations. Dr. Deutsch is a Registered Psychologist, with a Doctorate (PhD) in Theology and a Doctorate (PsyD) in Psychology. Visit her website at www.stalbertpsychology.com.