Retreat Leaders

After earning her PhD in Russian literature from UC Berkeley in 2011, Cameron Bellm traded the academic life for the contemplative life, informed by Ignatian spirituality and Catholic social teaching. Cameron is the author of “Prayer for a Pandemic,” which went viral in the early days of COVID-19. In May 2020 she published A Consoling Embrace: Prayers for a Time of Pandemic, an e-book collection of prayers, with 23rd Publications. Cameron has written many devotionals and is currently at work on her first book, The Sacrament of Paying Attention: Contemplative Practices for Restoring Sacred Human Communion, which will be published by Eerdmans in 2025. She lives in Seattle with her husband and two children.

Father Gregory Boyle is the founder of Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, the largest gang-intervention, rehabilitation, and re-entry program in the world.

Born and raised in Los Angeles and Jesuit priest, from 1986 to 1992 Fr. Boyle served as pastor of Dolores Mission Church in Boyle Heights. Dolores Mission was the poorest Catholic parish in Los Angeles that also had the highest concentration of gang activity in the city.

Fr. Boyle witnessed the devastating impact of gang violence on his community during the so-called “decade of death” that began in the late 1980s and peaked at 1,000 gang-related killings in 1992. In the face of law enforcement tactics and criminal justice policies of suppression and mass incarceration as the means to end gang violence, he and parish and community members adopted what was a radical approach at the time: treat gang members as human beings. 

In 1988 they started what would eventually become Homeboy Industries, which employs and trains former gang members in a range of social enterprises, as well as provides critical services to thousands of individuals who walk through its doors every year seeking a better life.

Fr. Boyle is the author of the 2010 New York Times-bestseller Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion. Followed by Barking to the Choir: The Power of Radical Kinship (2017) and The Whole Language: The Power of Extravagant Tenderness (2021). Most recently, he authored Forgive Everyone Everything, an anthology of writings accompanied by Fabian Debora’s artwork.

He has received the California Peace Prize and been inducted into the California Hall of Fame.  In 2014, President Obama named Fr. Boyle a Champion of Change.  He received the University of Notre Dame’s 2017 Laetare Medal, the oldest honor given to American Catholics. Homeboy Industries was the recipient of the 2020 Hilton Humanitarian Prize validating 32 years of Fr. Greg Boyle’s vision and work by the organization for over three decades.

Fr. Mark Carr, SJ was raised in Wheaton, IL. He attended Marquette University before entering the Jesuits. Since ordination in 2005, he ministered mostly in Jesuit high schools: as teacher and director of campus ministry at Red Cloud High School in South Dakota; as an assistant principal at Marquette University High School in Wisconsin; and as the principal of Walsh Jesuit High School in Ohio. He also served in Jesuit governance with the former Wisconsin Province as the assistant provincial. Currently, he is the executive director of the Jesuit Retreat House on Lake Winnebago, in Oshkosh, WI.

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.

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.

Fr. Jim Flaherty, SJ, is a Retreat Director at Jesuit Retreat House in Oshkosh, WI. He was previously the Director of First Studies and Associate Professor of Philosophy at Loyola University 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, 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).

Jenéne Francis is an aspiring contemplative in action who enjoys adapting and offering the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius for days of reflection and retreats. She finds writing creative non-fiction and short fiction a fruitful spiritual practice. Jenéne recently retired from the Midwest Province of the Society of Jesus after many years supporting Jesuits and lay colleagues who serve retreat houses, spirituality programs, parishes, and as hospital chaplains and other pastoral ministers. Having spent her first career at Procter & Gamble in Product Development and Manufacturing, followed by more than 20 years in Jesuit ministry, Jenéne gets great satisfaction offering her engineer’s head and poet’s heart for “the greater glory of God.”

Al Gustafson is a spiritual director, retreat leader and creator of the online prayer chapel at Old St. Patrick’s Church. He is founder of the Career Transitions Center of Chicago, a not-for profit-organization serving the needs of those who are unemployed and in the throes of job transition. He serves on the board of the Institute for Catholic Bioethics at St. Joseph University in Philadelphia. He holds a doctorate of Ministry from Catholic Theological Union as well as degrees in accounting and theology.

No Biography Yet!

Brad Held entered the Society of Jesus in 2006 and ordained to the priesthood in June 2017. He was born and raised just outside of Milwaukee, WI. He attended Marquette University in Milwaukee, which is where he discerned a call to priesthood and came to see the Jesuits as the path through which he was to answer that call. Since entering the Jesuits he has studied at Fordham University and Boston College. He has taught at Red Cloud High School on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and Marquette University High School in Milwaukee. Since June 2019, he has served as Pastor of Holy Rosary Mission, which encompasses the nine Catholic Churches on the Pine Ridge Reservation.

Listen to a sample of Fr. Held's retreat talks below:

Ruth Hoenick is a Spiritual Companion who facilitates 12 step retreats throughout the United States. Ruth has been actively involved in both AA and Al-Anon.  She appreciates the work of spirit in the exchange of sacred stories. She is Chair Emeritus of the Board of Directors at the Jesuit Retreat House in Oshkosh, retreat coordinator and current board member. She completed the Camino Ignaciano in Spain in 2022.  Ruth is a spiritual companion who brings the gifts of respectful listening and honest presence to individuals who desire courageous exploration of their sacred stories.

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.

Sharon is a long-term transplant from North Carolina, calling Chicagoland home for 32 years. She is a spiritual director, supervisor and retreat leader, formed in the Ignatian tradition at Loyola University Chicago. She is an experienced nonprofit leader and companions people who wish to deepen their relationship with God. She is trained in giving the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Sharon is a supporter of the Ignatian Spirituality Project, a Bellarmine Ignatian partner that accompanies people recovering from homelessness and addiction to encounter God’s love, hope and healing through spiritual retreats and weekly reflections. Sharon and her husband have three adult children.

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.

Since August of 2017, Fr. Macke has been the Jesuit Mission Coordinator at the Jesuit Spiritual Center in Milford, Ohio. He works on Conference Retreats, privately directed retreats, and coordinates the Spiritual Direction Internship to train spiritual directors. From 2011 until 2017 he was Executive Director of the Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House in Barrington, IL.

Previously, Father Macke had served as the Secretary for Pastoral Ministries and Jesuit Life for the Jesuit Conference of the United States in Washington, DC for six years. Prior to joining the Conference, Macke worked in Alaska for 17 years, devoting eight years to the Holy Spirit Center in Anchorage, Alaska, where he served as its executive director for six years.

Father Macke entered the Society of Jesus in 1963, earning a BA in classics and a Master of Divinity, both from Loyola University of Chicago. After his ordination in 1973, Macke went on to receive a MA in counseling psychology from Loyola, and a D. Min. in pastoral psychotherapy from the Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois.

Fr. Macke has also served in Jesuit formation as the vocation director for the Chicago Province of the Society of Jesus from 1989 until 1993.

Erin Maiorca has been the Executive Director at Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House since 2019. She first attended a retreat at Bellarmine as a high school senior making a Kairos retreat. She fell in love with Jesus on that retreat. She went on to receive her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Illinois, and a Culinary Arts Degree from the Washburne Culinary and Hospitality Institute. She spent 20 years active in her parish and working in corporate America. She held positions in hospitality management, training, and communications nationally and globally for a fortune 500 company. She had a calling however, to serve the people of God in a different way. In 2012 she began a new chapter at Bellarmine serving as the Associate Director. A long-time student of the Ignatian traditions, she entered the Spiritual Direction internship program in 2016. Erin’s hobbies are cooking, reading, day-hiking, and kayaking. She and her husband Tom reside in Glenview, Il and have two adult sons.

Father Robert W. McChesney, SJ, has accompanied war refugees, military veterans, and survivors of sexual violence and child abuse as chaplain, pastoral counselor, and retreat guide for more than thirty years, paying particular attention to the intersection of Ignatian spirituality and mental health in the healing of traumatic injury. McChesney has served with the Jesuit Refugee Service in the Middle East, at a federal immigration detention center in Los Angeles Harbor, and as national director in Washington, DC. He is a frequent speaker at workshops and conferences regarding soul repair in trauma recovery and is a member of the Georgetown Jesuit community in Washington, DC.

His latest book: The Soul Also Keeps the Score

Carol Ann Munro is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ.   In her 43 years of ministry, Carol Ann has served as a parish pastor, hospital chaplain, development officer, retreat leader and spiritual director. She is active in 12 step recovery in both AA and AlAnon, is a member of the Women’s Ministry Team at Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House in Barrington, and a volunteer with the Ignatian Spirituality Project, which provides spiritual companioning for people recovering from homelessness and addiction.

Mark Kwaku Nimo comes from Ghana in West Africa. He is married to Mercy and has three daughters. Mark earned a Masters in Pastoral Studies from Catholic Theological Union in May, 2006 and an Ecumenical Doctor of Ministry in May 2012. He currently serves as Director of Faith Formation at St. Moses the Black Parish and Augustus Tolton Catholic Academy in the Archdiocese of Chicago. Through his involvement in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, Mark has ministered in over forty-five countries worldwide on all continents.

For a period of ten years, Mark served as the representative for all Anglophone African countries on the International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services (ICCRS) office in the Vatican. Mark spent 6 months on the Island of Malta, for his discipleship training school (DTS) with the International Catholic Programme of Evangelization (ICPE) in 1990. After his training, he spent two years as a lay missionary in Uganda, East Africa working in discipleship training schools at the Emmaus Center (Luwero) and doing ministry to people with HIV/AIDS.

Fr. Roc O’Connor, SJ has served as a member of the Bellarmine Ministry Team since October, 2021. He also leads the children’s choir at St. Mary’s, Buffalo Grove for Wednesday morning Masses. Currently, Roc is also working on a book for adults regarding deepening our participation at liturgy. In 2020 OCP published his collection of eight new songs, All Shall Be Well: The Hand of God. 

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.

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.

Father Keith Romke is a priest of the Diocese of Rockford whose ministry centers on helping people encounter the overwhelming love of God in their daily lives. Ordained in 2011, he brings a heart full of joy, a passion for evangelization, and a gift for connecting with others.  Whether he's leading worship with his guitar or reflecting on God's grace in a quiet moment, he uses music to open hearts and draw people into deeper relationship with Christ.

Fr. J. Michael Sparough, SJ is a retreat leader, poet, story teller and spiritual director at the Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House in Barrington, IL. 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. For 10 years he trained spiritual directors at Loyola University-Chicago. 

A prolific writer and speaker, Fr. Michael has published books, poems, CDs, and DVDs on prayer, discernment, and the sacraments with America Media, Franciscan Media, Paulist Press, Liturgical Training Publications and Audible. His latest co-authored book, published by Loyola Press, is What’s Your Decision? An Ignatian Approach to Decision Making. 

Fr Michael is also the President of Heart to Heart Catholic Media Ministry. His 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!

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.)

Vinita Hampton Wright recently retired from a 32-year career as a book editor, the last 22 years at Loyola Press (Chicago), a Jesuit ministry. She is the author of various books, fiction and nonfiction, and has been leading workshops and retreats for 20 years on writing, creativity, the intersection of creativity and spirituality, prayer, and Ignatian spirituality. She received her certificate in spiritual direction from Loyola University, Chicago, and has a growing practice now during her retirement. Her books on creativity and spirituality writing--The Soul Tells a Story (IVP) and The Art of Spiritual Writing (Loyola Press)--continue to help writers in their vocation.