Retreat Leaders

Brother Guy Consolmagno SJ, is a Jesuit brother, Director of the Vatican Observatory and the President of the Vatican Observatory Foundation whose research studies meteorites and asteroids. He is a native of Detroit, Michigan, received SB and SM degrees from MIT, and earned his PhD in Planetary Sciences from the University of Arizona in 1978. Along with more than 200 scientific publications, he is the author of six popular astronomy books. In 2014 he received the Carl Sagan Medal from the American Astronomical Society Division for Planetary Sciences for excellence in public communication in planetary sciences.

Philip Cooley, SJ, is a Jesuit in formation serving as a Theology and Spanish teacher at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Milwaukee. He is a trained spiritual director and has facilitated retreats in Ignatian Spirituality for the past three years. After completing his undergraduate degree in Economics at Xavier University in Cincinnati, OH, Phil worked in the Financial Services industry before discerning a call to the Jesuits. Phil enjoys learning languages, making music, football and basketball, and spiritual reading.

Becky is an Ignatian-trained spiritual director passionate about inviting people closer to Christ.  She does this by accompanying people as they navigate deep waters of their faith lives through spiritual direction, writing, retreats, and as founder of Ignatian Ministries.  Becky lives in Baton Rouge, LA, where she meets with men and women of all ages for monthly spiritual direction and leads people through the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. She directs in-person days of reflections and retreats, as well as online retreats to make the Ignatian retreat experience accessible to all.  She is author of two award-winning books: The Inner Chapel and Busy Lives and Restless Souls.  Becky is part of the Archdiocese of New Orleans Spirituality Center teaching staff where she trains spiritual directors in the Ignatian tradition.  She shares life with her husband, Chris, and their three children, Brady, Abby and Mary.   Learn more about Becky’s ministry at www.beckyeldredge.com.

Sr. Linda Fischer is a member of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ from Columbia, PA.  A teacher by profession, Sr. Linda left the classroom in 2005.  Since then she has been involved in full-time 12 Step retreat ministry. Sr. Linda has been a grateful recovering alcoholic for the past 34 years and says she loves facilitating recovery retreats because “she receives every bit as much as she gives.”  She calls her own journey in recovery one of the greatest blessings in her life.

Listen to a talk by Sr. Linda

Rachel Forton holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Relations and Religious Studies from Loras College (Dubuque, Iowa). She served as the Retreat and Communications Coordinator for Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House for six years and completed Ignatian Spiritual Direction Training there before stepping into the role of Women's Ministry Coordinator. She has a passion for helping others find God in all things through spiritual direction and retreat ministry, writing, and editing. Rachel serves on the "Prayer and Care" team of her MOPS Chapter (Mothers of Preschoolers) and finds it a great privilege to minister to women of all ages. Her most recent writings may be found at the Cora Evans website, promoting the cause for canonization of the mid-century mystic, wife, and mother (www.coraevans.com/blog/author/102). Originally from Des Moines, Iowa, Rachel now lives with her husband and young daughter and son in Palatine, IL.

Fr. Jim Flaherty, SJ, is currently the Director of First Studies and Associate Professor of Philosophy at Loyola University in Chicago. Prior to coming to Loyola University, he served as Pastor of Gesu Parish in Milwaukee, WI, after teaching philosophy at Marquette University. He has preached and/or directed retreats for many years at the Jesuit Retreat House in Oshkosh, WI, Demontreville Retreat House in St. Paul, MN, and Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House in Barrington, IL. He has earned an MDiv and MTS in Theology (Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley, CA) and a PhD in Philosophy (New School University in New York City).

A native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Fr. Michael Graham, SJ holds degrees from Cornell College, the University of Michigan and the Weston School of Theology (now, the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry). He entered the Jesuits in 1978 and was ordained in 1988. 

Fr. Graham was Xavier University's President from January 1, 2001 to June 30, 2021. Fr. Graham’s passion for the specifically Jesuit mission of Xavier animated his presidency in multiple ways.  He collaborated with a variety of professionals in the area of Jesuit Mission and Identity to shape and support work to share Xavier’s Jesuit ethos and heart with faculty, staff and students in such a way that its approach to that work is generally regarded as best-in-class.  He helped found a campus center for dialogue that became a crucial hub for inter-religious conversation in the Cincinnati region, and whose work engaged a wide variety of constituencies and topics in areas of justice, sustainability, immigration and more. He likewise championed diversity, inclusion and equity efforts on and off the campus and helped recruit transformative leadership to embed that work firmly within the fabric of the University.  

In his retirement, Fr. Graham looks forward to expanded opportunities for pastoral ministry, especially through various retreats at the Midwest Jesuit Province network of retreat houses, and to assisting Jesuit university trustees and senior executives understand better the Jesuit mission and identity of their schools so as to lead them more effectively and in fidelity to their origins. And, of course, he’ll keep his eyes and ears open for whatever ideas for his future his Provincial Superior may suggest. 

Nancy Hulsebosch is a spiritual director trained in the principles of Ignatian spirituality through Bellarmine’s spiritual director internship program. In her capacity as spiritual director, Nancy meets with individuals for spiritual direction, trains new spiritual directors as a member of Bellarmine’s internship team, and leads day and evening retreat programs both at local churches and at the retreat house. She also serves on the board and as a member of the women’s ministry team at Bellarmine. Nancy has been married to her husband Tom for 36 years and they have four adult children.

Fr. Bobby Karle, SJ is a Jesuit from the Midwest Province and co-founder of Ignatian Spirituality & Yoga. He began practicing yoga in 2009, between serving as a Jesuit Volunteer in Belize and entering the Jesuit order in 2010. During Jesuit formation, he completed a 500-hour yoga teacher training, a Masters degree in Philosophy from Fordham University, and a Masters of Divinity from the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, CA. Bobby was ordained a priest in 2021 and works as an associate pastor at St. Mary Student Parish in Ann Arbor, MI. In addition to serving as a priest, he is also in the Master of Social Work program at the University of Michigan.

Fr. Jim Kubicki was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He entered the Jesuits in 1971, was ordained in 1983, and has served his community as vocation director and assistant to the provincial for formation and Native American ministry. From 1989 to 1995 he worked at the Sioux Spiritual Center, a retreat house for Native people and the center for the Rapid City Diocese’s Deacon and Lay Ministry Formation program. From 2000-03 he was the Assistant Director of Demontreville, a Jesuit retreat house in Minnesota. He also served as Director of St. Francis Mission on the Rosebud Reservation in western South Dakota from 2017-2022.

In 2003 he became the national director of the Apostleship of Prayer, the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, and traveled around the country giving talks, parish missions, and retreats.  He is a regular contributor to the national Catholic media network, Relevant Radio, and appears regularly as well on Catholic radio stations in Nebraska, Oregon and Ohio.  His book “A Heart on Fire: Rediscovering Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus” was published by Ave Maria Press in 2012 and was awarded third place in the category of “Best Prayer and Spirituality Book of the Year” by the Association of Catholic Book Publishers. His second book, “A Year of Daily Offerings,” was published in October, 2016. 

Currently, Fr. Kubicki gives retreats around the country while serving as a spiritual director at the Milwaukee Archdiocesan Seminary. 

Listen to a talk by Fr. Kubicki.

Father Chris Manahan entered the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) in 1993 at the age of 37 after a 15-year career as a newspaper reporter and editor in Minnesota and Iowa. After ordination in 2003 he served two years as a parish priest on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota; spent a year working with Jesuits in the Philippines and northeast India; served eight years on the staff of the Jesuit Novitiate where men discern whether to profess vows; and, for seven years was director of the Jesuit Retreat House on Lake Winnebago at Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Father Manahan currently assists the provincial in caring for Jesuits in the Midwest Province awaiting final vows and for the province’s senior Jesuits who are 70 and older. He lives in the Taylor Street Jesuit Community in Chicago.  

After years as a practicing physician, medical educator, and administrator, Fr. Muccino, now serves as Associate Director of Pre-Health Professions Advising at the College of the Holy Cross. He is also Assistant Professor of Medicine at UMASS Chan Medical School where he directs a course on Health Systems Science.

Throughout his Jesuit life he has also allotted time to pursue his passion for giving preached conference retreats, workshops, and days of recollection to all seeking to grow in their relationship with God.

Rev. Carol Ann Munro is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ.  She has served as a parish pastor, hospital chaplain, development officer, retreat leader and spiritual director. Primary areas of focus for her ministry have been 12-step spirituality, adult faith formation and biblical literacy.   She is currently a volunteer with the Ignatian Spirituality Project, which provides spiritual companioning for people recovering from homelessness and addiction.

Since 2018, and with his provincial’s direction, Roc O’Connor, SJ has been composing and writing nearly full-time. In June of 2020 OCP published his collection of eight new songs, All Shall Be Well: The Hand of God. During the lockdown from COVID he submitted a three year writing project on liturgical spirituality for publication. It twins with his article to be published in Worship magazine, July 2021. 

Listen to a talk by Fr. Roc

Father Pacwa received his B.A. in Philosophy and Theology from the University of Detroit, summa cum laude. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 1976 with the Society of Jesus, as a Master of Divinity and S.T.B. from the Jesuit School of Theology of Loyola University, magna cum laude. At Vanderbilt University, he received his Master of Arts as well as his Ph.D. in Old Testament. He is best known for his appearances on EWTN for over the last thirty years. Fr. Pacwa is a best-selling Catholic author and has written numerous books on a variety of topics about the Scripture and our Catholic Faith to continue to teach us and generations to come. To leave a Legacy means to: bequest, give an inheritance or endowment. That is the singular driving motivation for Father Pacwa‘s fervent desire to reach out and speak to groups of young Catholic adults. Father Pacwa’s vision is to create a “Legacy of Faith” for the next generation of Catholics who strive to grow and mature in their faith and become the future leaders of our Church. Father Pacwa ardently believes that personally reaching out to young adults in an intimate setting where he can connect and answer questions is the most effective way to reach across generational gaps. He reminds us all that through our Baptism we are called to be sharers of the Church’s mission which is to continue the works of Jesus Christ and to make His name known and loved. For more information visit: http://kingsservants.org/legacy-of-faithinitiative.

Listen to a talk by Fr. Pacwa.

Michael Pederson, SJ is currently teaching environmental science & sustainability at Arrupe College of Loyola University Chicago.  In addition to his teaching, Michael is an academic advisor, spiritual director, and leads a CLC. He is a former landscape laborer, high-school biology and psychology teacher, soccer coach, and 5th grade teacher.

Fr. Mark Scalese, SJ is currently the religious superior of young Jesuits in the First Studies Program at Loyola University Chicago. Prior to that, he spent 15 years at Fairfield University in Connecticut, where he was a tenured professor in the Film, Television and Media Arts program and the director of campus ministry. Born and raised in Scranton, PA, he taught elementary school art before entering the Society of Jesus in 1987. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1997.

John and Leah Sealey made two commitments in 1989. The first was the sacrament of marriage. The second was a two year journey with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC) in Belize. Together, with fellow JVs, they attempted to practice the four components of the program: keeping faith, doing justice, building community, and living simply ... a practice that continues to this day!

Currently, John works on the provincial staff with the Midwest Jesuits coordinating international ministries. Leah is a spiritual director (trained at Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House) and convenes MKE Spiritual Directors. They live in Milwaukee and parent three young adult children.

Fr. Michael Sparough, SJ is a retreat director and spiritual director at the Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House in Barrington.  He holds an MFA from the Yale School of Drama and a Doctor of Ministry from St Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, IL. He is the founder of Charis, a national Jesuit retreat ministry for young adults in their 20s and 30s, and has trained spiritual directors at Loyola University-Chicago.  

A prolific writer and speaker, Fr. Michael has published books, CDs, and DVDs on prayer, discernment, and the sacraments with Franciscan Media, Paulist Press, Liturgical Training Publications, Loyola Press, and Heart to Heart. He is seen regularly on Shalom World Catholic Television and is heard regularly on Sacred Heart radio in Cincinnati and WSFI Catholic Radio in greater Chicagoland. 

His latest co-authored book is What’s Your Decision?  An Ignatian Approach to Decision Making and is published by Loyola Press.  

Fr. Michael’s weekly video homilies can be seen online at www.HtoH.US.

Listen to a talk by Fr. Michael.

The ministry team and other trained Spiritual Directors lead the spiritual direction of retreats and programs at Bellarmine.  

No Biography Yet!

Rev. Tho Vu, SJ, is the youngest child born into a large family in Bien Hoa, Vietnam 1984. At the age of six, he and his family immigrated to Omaha, Nebraska. After graduating from a local high school, Fr. Vu enrolled at Omaha’s Creighton University, earning a BS in EMS, and was an active paramedic. Following graduation, he entered the Jesuit Novitiate in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in 2007. In 2009, Fr. Tho completed graduate studies in philosophy and theology at Saint Louis University and the Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, Missouri. For his Regency period of Jesuit formation, he taught Scripture and held various extracurricular positions at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School-Twin Cities in Minneapolis, MN. In 2014, Fr. Tho became a pastoral associate at Saint Thomas More Catholic Community in Saint Paul, where he helped parishioners in their sacramental preparations. In addition, he was a director of RCIA and helped create a young adult group at the parish. In 2015, Fr. Tho was assigned to Boston College, Boston, Massachusetts, at the School of Theology and Ministry to complete his theology requirements by earning M.Div. and Th.M. degrees. Following completion of those graduate degree programs, he was ordained to priestly ministry in June 2018. Since 2022, his current assignment has been as a Chaplain at Loyola University Chicago. His Jesuit formation has included extensive travel to several underdeveloped countries to help extend medical care. Since then, he has continued to travel abroad; this summer takes him to Bolivia for an immersion trip for Loyola University medical students. As well as his ministry at the campus chapel, he is a chaplain in a university-sponsored student resident hall and participates in various other student organizations. He serves on several committees, one of which is the Ramblers Brotherhood Project, a student success initiative at the university. Fr. Tho speaks several languages, including Vietnamese, French, and Spanish.

Fr. Tom Weston, SJ, entered the California Province of the Jesuit Order in 1965 and was ordained a priest in 1978.  Currently based in Oakland, CA, he has devoted most of his priestly life to counseling and retreat work with alcoholics and other addicts.  In addition to his Twelve Step work, he was part of a team that taught English to ministry students in Thailand and Vietnam each summer.  “Wherever he is, Fr. Weston sees the power of God working in people’s lives, but perhaps most acutely in his recovery work:  ‘People get well.  People come back to life.  Families come back together,” he says.  ‘It’s the Resurrection—and you see it all the time.’ ” (Tyson, Gail.  “Helping Others Find Sobriety.”  Mission 2008 Summer:  pg. 7.  Print.)