Joan M. McCarthy, CSJ, Co-Director

Joan M. McCarthy, CSJ has been ministering in spirituality programs since 1973. The current Program Director at St. Joseph Retreat Center, Sister Joan was one of the first directors at the Retreat Center when the Sisters of St. Joseph of Boston opened it to the public in 1974. In the intervening years, Sister Joan ministered full-time at Gonzaga Retreat House in East Gloucester for approximately seven years; at an ecumenical, residential treatment center in Canada for two years; on the Congregation Formation Team for four years; and in Congregational Leadership for six years. Over the years Sister Joan has led hundreds of four-day to 30-day retreats at numerous retreat centers in the United States and in Wales, Ireland, England, and Canada. During the past five years Sister Joan has co-directed an eight-month weekly Spiritual Direction Internship Program, and a two-year monthly multi-cultural training program in New York. Sister Joan has Masters degrees in Biology and Pastoral Counseling, as well as certificates from full-time programs at the Institute of Religious Formation, St. Louis, Missouri, and the Center for Religious Development, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Eileen A. Moran, Co-Director

Eileen Moran received her Master of Arts degree in Pastoral Ministry with a concentration in Spirituality from Boston College in 2006. Shortly thereafter, she accepted the part-time position of Retreat Coordinator at St. Joseph Retreat Center, adding it to another part-time ministry as Spiritual Care Coordinator with Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program. It is a gift to have the opportunity now to serve full-time as Co-Director of the Retreat Center. An even greater gift is the presence in her life of her children, Michael and Katie Fortunato. Having facilitated retreat experiences in parishes, at Eastern Point Retreat House in Gloucester, MA and with the Chicago-based Ignatian Spirituality Project, Eileen is passionate about providing time and space for the spirituality of the feminine, the marginalized, mothering, fabric arts, meditation and healing touch to be shared.

Sister Joan Duffy,CSJ, Assistant Program Coordinator

After completing a twelve year term as a member of the leadership team of the Sisters of St. Joseph, Sister Joan Duffy, CSJ has been involved in a variety of Retreat Programs over the last two years. Sister Joan is an experienced group facilitator and consultant focusing on discernment of heart as a way of being attentive to God's presence in our life as each day unfolds.

As a facilitator of mornings and evenings of prayers, offered at the Retreat Center as well as the Motherhouse of the Sisters of St. Joseph, Sister Joan companions others as they search for a contemplative way of living deepening their relationship with a loving Creator.

This year, Sister Joan completed a Spiritual Direction Internship Program and will continue to companion others through the ministry of spiritual direction and as a facilitator of Directed and Guided Retreats.

Jean Martin, Administrative Assistant

Jean Martin provides secretarial and administrative support at the Retreat Center. She is married and lives in Scituate with her husband David, twin daughters Isabel and Fiona, and son John.

We also welcome and rely on the assistance of experienced adjunct retreat directors.

Nan Bouché

Nan Bouché is a wife, mother of four and grandmother of one precious baby granddaughter. She holds a Master's Degree in Theology with a concentration in pastoral care and counseling from Boston College. As a board certified chaplain with the National Association of Catholic Chaplains, Nan has many years of ministerial experience in both parish and hospital settings. She is currently involved in per diem and volunteer hospital chaplaincy. Nan is a trained spiritual director who freelances in the area of spiritual direction and retreat work.

Brendan Buckley, OFM Cap

Brendan has been a member of the Capuchin Franciscans since 1971. He is a graduate of St. Anselm College in Manchester, NH and completed his studies for priesthood at Maryknoll School of Theology in Osning, NY. During theology studies he journeyed to Central America where he learned Spanish. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1981. His ministry has been mostly w/ Puerto Rican and Dominican people in New York City. He also worked as a campus minister and was director of the Spanish Catholic Center in Washington, DC, a multi-service center run by the Archdiocese of Washington. Currently he is a parochial vicar at St. Mary of the Annunciation Parish in Cambridge, MA and guardian of St. Benedict the Moor Friary in Roxbury, a house of studies for friars completing their degree programs for priesthood and other ministries. In May of 2006 he received a certificate in Spiritual Direction from the Spiritual Direction Internship Program.

Maureen Casey, SND

Maureen Casey, SND has been involved in spiritual direction and retreat ministry for over 25 years. She was a member of the retreat team at St. Stephen priory for 17 years. She is currently an associate staff member of Miramar Retreat Center in Duxbury MA. and is co-directing an eight month weekly Spiritual Direction Internship Program in Brighton, MA.

Betsy Conway, CSJ

Betsy Conway, CSJ, MSW - In her work with the formerly homeless who are living with HIV/AIDS, addiction, and/or mental illness, Betsy has seen the healing power of love and community and believes we are called to give and receive it. Trained in social work and immersed in the spirituality of the Sisters of St. Joseph, Betsy likes to explore with others the dance of mystery and grace in our relationship with God.

Patricia Cushing, CSJ

Patricia Cushing, CSJ has over 35 years of experience in the fields of Liturgy, Prayer and Spirituality. She has worked on the diocesan, parish and ecumenical levels. She has ministered in Kansas, Missouri, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. She has given workshops, days of prayer and led retreats on Liturgical Spirituality and Prayer in other parts of the US and in Europe. She also presents courses in "Spirituality in the Marketplace" to businesses in the greater Kansas City area and works with the dying at the Kansas City Hospice House. Patricia Cushing is the Founding Director of the 'Dear Neighbor' Centre for Spirituality and Healing.

Patricia holds Advanced degrees in Music, from Boston University, Systematic Theology/Liturgy from the Weston Jesuit school of Theology, Boston University and St. Paul School of Theology in Kansas City, Missouri. She also is a Certified Spiritual Director.

Anne D'Arcy, CSJ

Anne D'Arcy is a Sister of St. Joseph and a native of Brighton, Massachusetts. She is Associate Director of the Office of Worship and Spiritual Life (formerly the Office of Spiritual Development) for the Archdiocese of Boston. For many years she has visited parishes throughout the Archdiocese leading programs of spiritual renewal. She has preached at retreats and Days of Prayer for various groups, and has served as Spiritual Director as well as leading people in sharing faith and prayer. Sister Anne has a Masters degree in Christian Spirituality from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska.

Maria DiChiappari

Maria DiChiappari is the Director of the Boston College Neighborhood Center in Brighton, Massachusetts. She holds two Master's degrees, in higher education and pastoral ministry. She is passionate about accompanying women on their spiritual journeys, and about social justice and fair trade. She also enjoys travel, and has had the privilege of traveling to developing nations such as Belize and Nicaragua. Maria has completed the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius and has spoken at several retreats on a living spirituality in a busy world. Maria is co-creator with Eileen Fortunato of Sophia's Circle, a women's spirituality group which meets monthly at St. Joseph Retreat Center.

George L. Drury, SJ

After graduating from Boston College High School in 1939, George L. Drury entered the Society of Jesus and was ordained in 1952. For ten years he taught biology at Boston College before being appointed Vice-President for Student Affairs in 1964. From 1969 to 1973 he studied for his STD degree at St. Paul's University in Ottawa, Canada, and upon receiving his degree accepted a teaching position at Pope John XXIII Seminary. In 1975 he was appointed Superior at Campion Residence and Renewal Center in Weston, Massachusetts, and became a licensed nursing home administrator. For 14 years he has been actively involved in spiritual direction at Jesuit retreat houses in Gloucester, Massachusetts, and Weston, Massachusetts, and in Nairobi, Kenya. Since 1994 he has taught Ignatian Spirituality at Weston Jesuit School of Theology in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Joanne A. Fantini, CSJA 

Joanne received her Masters in Pastoral Ministry with a concentration in spirituality from Boston College in 1993.  She has been an associate of the Sisters of St. Joseph for over 20 years. Joanne is schooled in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius with particular interest in the movements of grace as we come to understand our stories through easter eyes.  Joanne works full-time building the matrix of treatment for people suffering from addiction.  Joanne is the mother of 4 adult children who are the delight of her life."

Carol Fitzsimmons, CSJ

Carol Fitzsimmons, CSJ has 30 years of experience as a Spiritual Director and Retreat Director. She has a Masters degree in Counseling, a Certificate of Study from the Jesuit School of Theology, Berkeley, California, and a Certificate in Spiritual Direction from the Center for Religious Development, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Following 10 years as Team member and teacher in the Sabbatical Program at St. Stephen Priory and Spiritual Life Center, Sister Carol most recently served as Co-Director of St. Joseph Retreat Center, Cohasset, Massachusetts.

Mary Gallagher

Mary currently serves as Pastoral Associate for Outreach at St Agatha Parish in Milton following her work as Pastoral Associate in Middleboro, where she coordinated parish needs for the RCIA process, Liturgy planning and training of ministers, and Adult Faith Formation.

Mary also serves as Spiritual Director for individuals throughout the archdiocese and assists the Chrism Office on the South Shore in areas of spiritual direction. Through these aspects of her life and especially in her roles as wife and mother of four children, Mary continues to be grateful for the presence and activity of God in her life.

Catherine Griffiths, SND

Catherine Griffiths, SND is an experienced retreat and spiritual director who has directed retreats in the United States, Europe, and Africa. Her main focus for over 30 years has been praying with others for healing of memories.

Catherine Hannigan, PBVM

Catherine M. Hannigan, PBVM is a 1987 graduate of the Center for Religious Development (CRD) and past major superior of the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She has served as Director of Continuing Education at Weston Jesuit School of Theology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and has been involved in the ministry of spiritual direction and retreats for many years. She joined the staff of CRD in 1997.

Ellen T. Keane, SND

Ellen T. Keane, SND is a Sister of Notre Dame de Namur. Her ministries have included teaching, administration, pastoral counseling, spiritual direction and retreat work. She was in ministry in Kenya for 12 years. Ellen has been on staff at the Center for Religious Development in Cambridge, MA, where she was engaged in a training program for those who feel called to the ministry of spiritual direction and retreat work. When the Center closed in June 2009, she joined the staff of the Jesuit Collaborative in Watertown, MA.

James Keegan, SJ

James Keegan, S.J. is a Jesuit priest of the New England Province. A graduate of the Center for Religious Development in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Jim was the first graduate to work full-time on its staff, from 1985 to 1989. As a team member and director of Campion Renewal Center in Weston, Massachusetts, in the early 1980s he founded and ran the Light program to train lay people in spiritual direction. From 1990 to 2001 he served at the Archdiocesan Office of Ministry and Spirituality in Louisville, Kentucky. In 2002 he returned to New England as director of Eastern Point Retreat House in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Jim has been a member of the Coordinating Council of Spiritual Directors International and was part of the editorial board that founded the journal Presence. He currently lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he has his own practice in spiritual direction.

Patricia Keefe, CSJ

Since 1976 Pat has been engaged in spiritual companioning through retreat and direction ministry, full time since 1995. She has ministered as well in the fields of education, campus ministry, religious life formation, and Congregational leadership.

Spiritual companioning deepens joy and wonder as we listen more deeply and awaken to the Holy One within our own hearts and discern our response to the Holy within each Word of creation in the communion of life.

Nancy C. Kehoe, RSCJ, PhD.

Nancy C. Kehoe, RSCJ, PhD. is a member of the Religious of the Sacred Heart. She is a Clinical Instructor in Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at The Cambridge Health Alliance, affiliated with Harvard Medical School, a position she has held since 1980. Her area of expertise is religion and spirituality in the clinical context. For twenty-seven years, using a model she created, Dr. Kehoe has led groups on spiritual beliefs and values for adults with psychiatric disabilities. She currently consults with healthcare providers in mental health and geriatric settings, teaching them how to address the religious and spiritual needs of individuals. She has presented at regional, national, and international conferences and published on the subject of religion and psychotherapy. Additional information can be found on her website: www.expandingconnections.com.

John F. Kerr, CFX

John F. Kerr, CFX was a high school teacher and principal for 21 years at Cardinal Hayes High School in The Bronx, New York, and at Xavier High School in Middletown, Connecticut. He served for 12 years in leadership in his congregation, during which he resided at the Xavieran Brothers Generalate in Rome, Italy, and London, England. He has a Masters degree in Theology from the University of Notre Dame, and an MTS from the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley, California. From 1992 through 2004 he was a staff member at St. Stephen Priory Spiritual Life Center in Dover, Massachusetts, where he was a retreat director, theology teacher and spiritual director. A native of Boston, Massachusetts, Brother John currently leads retreats, works in adult education, offers spiritual direction, and is involved with prison ministry.

Judith LoGerfo

Judith LoGerfo has served as a Lay Ecclesial Minister for over 20 years in parish, campus and hospital settings in the Archdiocese of Boston. She received her Masters Degree in Educational and Pastoral Ministry from Emmanuel College, a Master of Theological Studies from the Weston Jesuit School of Theology and is a board certified Chaplain ( National Association of Catholic Chaplains). In 2004 Judy completed her internship in the Spiritual Direction Initiative.Currently she focuses on Spiritual Direction, Adult Faith Formation and Retreat Ministry with a particular interest in Ignatian Spirituality. Judy and her husband are parents of four adult sons and are active members of their parish, St. Paul in Harvard Square, Cambridge.

Dorothea Masuret, CSJ

Dorothea Masuret, CSJ, presently serves as the Director of the Office of Lay Ecclesial Ministries in the Archdiocese of Boston. She received a Master's Degree in Pastoral Ministry from Boston College's Institute of Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry Program with a concentration in spirituality. Dorothea delights in being with people in their quest for God and who are open to God's revelations in their daily lives.

Gene Merz, SJ

Eugene F. Merz, S. J., has offered spiritual direction and retreats based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius and has given Ignatian Spirituality workshops around the world for laity, priests and religious men and women. His years of ministry within the Society of Jesus, in the diocese of Des Moines, Iowa, and at the Center for Ignatian Spirituality, Marquette University, have focused upon the spiritual renewal that was encouraged by Vatican Council II. Gene holds graduate degrees from St. Louis University. He is the coauthor, with Carol Ann Smith, SHCJ, of the widely acclaimed book Moment by Moment: A Retreat in Everyday Life (2000), which makes the retreat process of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius available to a wide audience for use in homes, parishes and many other settings. Moment by Moment won First Place for First Time Author in the 2001 Catholic Press Association Awards. He is also the coauthor, with Carol Ann Smith, SHCJ, of Finding God in Each Moment (2006).

Kathryn O'Connell Cleary

Kathryn O'Connell Cleary holds a Master's degree in Pastoral Ministry from Boston College. She worked in parish ministry for 20 years, in the role of Pastoral Associate and Director of Liturgy and Music. From 1992 until 1998, Kathryn was a member of the Retreat Team at St. Stephen Priory. Presently she offers Spiritual Direction as well as Directed and Guided Retreats on a freelance basis. She is a certified Energy Healing Practitioner. Kathryn is married, and has recently and joyfully become a grandmother.

Tom Pearson

Tom Pearson has been a life-long New Englander. Throughout that life he has experienced the presence of an expressive God, overflowing with the abundance of life. For Tom, poetry has been one key means of God's expressiveness. A first career in education, spanning more than twenty-five years of teaching, helped Tom to develop love and knowledge of poetry, as well as his skills at thinking and talking about it. Now firmly entered upon a second career in legal and social services on behalf of the poor, Tom has continued to be formed by poetry, which helps him reflect on God's expressiveness found in his daily experiences. He is happy to share some of those experiences during the day of reflection.

John Phalen, CSC

Father John Phalen was ordained a priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross in 1974. He attended Stonehill College in North Easton, Massachusetts, and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1970; a Master of Theology from the University of Notre Dame in 1973; and pursued additional graduate studies at Fairfield University. Currently Fr. Phalen is President of the Mariological Society of America and a member of the Hispanic Ministry Committee of the Congregation of Holy Cross. He is a Faithful Friar of the Cardinal O’Connell Assembly of the 4th Degree Knights of Columbus and serves as a member of the Province Investment Advisory Committee of the Congregation of Holy Cross. He has preached missions around the world. Father Phalen has served as President of Holy Cross Family Ministries since 1996. While serving the Hispanic community in the South Bend area, Father John founded La Casa de Amistad Youth Center, which has served the needs of the Hispanic population since 1973. Father Phalen has served as Vicar for Spanish-speaking in South Bend, Assistant Novice Director in Waterford, New York, Pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel parish in Brooklyn, and Associate Director of Vocations. He has been a member of the Board of Trustees of Stonehill College and the Board of Family Rosary, as well as the Provincial Council of his Province. He has served as a leader in various community organizations, such as East Brooklyn Congregations, Central Brooklyn Churches and Brockton Interfaith Community.

Rev. John Sassani

Born and raised in Swampscott, MA, John Sassani is a priest of the Archdiocese of Boston. He studied at Saint John's Seminary in Brighton, MA, the Pontifical Liturgical Institute in Rome, and Creighton University in Omaha, NE. Currently, John is the pastor of Our Lady, Help of Christians Parish in Newton, MA and an adjunct staff member
of the Office of Worship and Spiritual Life for the Archdiocese of Boston.

Kathleen Short, CSJ, MA, LADC (Level 1)

Kathleen Short, CSJ is an experienced retreat director and spiritual director. She is also a pastoral counselor, a licensed drug and alcohol counselor, a holistic practitioner, and a nationally certified massage therapist. Sister Kathleen brings a wealth of experience to her programs. She has offered Twelve-Step Spirituality retreats for over 20 years. Sister Kathleen offers massage therapy at St. Joseph Retreat Center in Cohasset, Massachusetts, and in many other settings. She is a member of the Credo Liturgical Dance Company of Boston, Massachusetts.

Judith Talvacchia

Judith Talvacchia is a married Roman Catholic lay ecclesial minister who has offered spiritual direction and programs in spirituality for over 10 years. She is a graduate of Weston Jesuit School of Theology and is a Board Certified Chaplain. She served as a chaplain for 9 years at Mary Immaculate Nursing/Restorative Center in Lawrence, MA.

Lenny Tighe

Fr. Leonard Tighe is a priest of the Archdiocese of Boston. He has been a parish priest, hospital chaplain and for several years has been actively involved in adult faith formation. Still involved in hospital ministry, he has given many retreats to priests, religious and others in the United States,Canada, and Central America.

Jane Tyler

Jane Tyler is trained as a spiritual director and is available to meet with individuals and groups of all affiliations throughout Metro Boston. Additionally she leads refreshment days/weekends for individuals and groups in Eastern Massachusetts and places "away". Jane's work is based in her experience of God's abundance in desert places and in nature as well as in truth seeking as a means of becoming "free". Jane has raised two young boys to young men as a single mother and has recently welcomed a puppy, Gracie Moon, into their home.

Dorothy Welch, CSJ

Dorothy Welch, CSJ, M.A., M. Div. is experienced in Spiritual Direction, and sees the Directed Retreat as a singular time for movements of grace. Her Master's degrees are from Catholic University, and Jesuit Weston School of Theology. Previous ministry includes co-directing Cohasset's Retreat House, pastoral ministry, teaching and administration. S. Dorothy is grounded in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, influenced by the work of Thomas Berry, and prophetic voices of women and men. She facilitates groups in appropriating the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises for daily life, and directs retreats in New England and other states.