Australian Ecumenical Council for Spiritual Direction

Liz Anne Smith (Secretary)

Liz Anne is currently Coordinator of the Spirituality and Pastoral Ministry specialisation in the MA Theology at Australian Catholic University, Canberra Campus, where she was Campus Minister and spiritual director for over 17 years.

Liz Anne did her spiritual direction formation at the Institute of Spiritual Leadership in Chicago and her Masters in Pastoral Studies at Loyola University.

As well as spiritual director and supervisor Liz Anne is a primary school chaplain and civil celebrant in the ACT region. She also offers retreats and labyrinth reflection workshops.

Patrick John Wright (Treasurer)

John Auer

John trained in spiritual direction at the Ignatian Spirituality Centre in London and at St Bede’s Pastoral Centre in York (U.K.) after more than 30 years in manufacturing management and consulting. John is a practicing spiritual director who presents, facilitates and supervises interns participating in the GDSD programme at Dayspring, Dianella (WA).

John has been actively involved for more than twenty years in the Christian Meditation Community in the U.K. and Australia. He offers retreats and days of reflection as part of his commitment to the Christian Meditation Community, as well as the Benedictine Monastery’s Spirituality Programme at New Norcia. He teaches at the Maranatha Centre for Adult Faith Formation in Perth offering material on contemporary issues of faith and spirituality.

Judy Backstrom

Judy has a long experience in education within the Catholic tradition, and in later years, creating and facilitating programmes for those living with anxiety/panic disorders. She still conducts a private practice for individuals in that area. Judy has conducted retreats, reflection and prayer days, and is an active member of a Christian Life Community group.

Graduating as a spiritual director in 1999, Judy has been associated with the Loyola Centre of Ignatian Spirituality (SA). Her training and practice is with people of all faith traditions, and she is particularly practised in working creatively (imagery, artwork) with people.

Peter Stuart Bentley

Peter is married with three adult daughters.After ministering for eleven years as an ordained Baptist minister in a couple of parishes, Peter was appointed Director of the WellSpring Spirituality Centre in 2003. His initial formation in spiritual direction was with the WellSpring Centre where he graduated in 1996. He has since completed post graduate studies in Spiritual Direction through the Institute for Christian Spirituality and Pastoral Formation. In 2007, Peter completed a Master of Arts Degree having researched the area of the use of the Arts in a Creative Retreat context. At the WellSpring Centre , Peter is part of the team that supports those in spiritual direction formation and he runs retreats and workshops with a particular interest in the Arts and the Enneagram.

Kate Luxford-Morgan

Kate is an Anglican lay woman and the Program Coordinator for the spiritual direction formation program in the Anglican Diocese of Brisbane . She did her formation in spiritual direction at Wollaston College, Perth WA. Kate’s background is in teaching and the Commonwealth Public Service where she worked with unions and employers to develop cooperative practices and processes in the area of industrial relations, e.g. Best Practice, OH&S.Kate seeks to empower individuals and communities through her work and has a particular interest in emerging trends in spiritual direction. Given the significant distances between places in Australia, she is concerned about spiritual direction and supervision for those living and practising outside of the main centres of spiritual direction activity.

Bernadette Miles

Bernadette has recently taken on the role of Program Director for Sentir (ICSPF).  Sentir offers post-graduate studies in the field of spiritual direction and Ignatian Spirituality and is a registered training institute of MCD.

Bernie trained in spiritual direction and theology after twenty years of computer consulting and business management and has a special interest in formation of apostolic leadership and applying the concepts of Ignatian Spirituality to Organisational Development.

Bernadette was Director of Campion Centre of Ignatian Spirituality (2005 - 2011) and is the National Coordinator of the Arrupe Program which is the Australian Jesuits formation program for Spiritual Directors in the Ignatian Tradition and Givers of the Full Spiritual Exercises. She is also a member of the Executive and teaching faculty of the Institute for Christian Spirituality and Pastoral Formation (ICSPF).

Joan Wright Howie

Joan is a Uniting Church minister and mother of three young children. Joan’s current ministry placement is as Spiritual Formation Adviser for the Uniting Church Centre for Theology and Ministry in Melbourne.

Joan has been in ministry for 10 years and has experience in several city parish ministry contexts. Joan trained in spiritual direction at Wellsprings in Melbourne. She has recently completed her Masters in Spiritual Direction writing her thesis on ‘The embodied experience of grace as maternal embrace’.

Margaret Trevethan

 

Margaret has been a spiritual director since 1992 and trained through the House of Prayer and Spirituality in Townsville, North Queensland.   She has a teaching and  ministry background, a Grad Dip Arts/Leadership (ACU) and a Masters in Theology (UoN).

Margaret was Director of the House of Prayer and Spirituality from 1995 to 2001 and is currently Campus Minister at St Margaret Mary’s College.  Marg now works ecumenically and in the workplace and is involved in retreat work, formation, facilitation, ministry and group supervision, and staff development.   She is married with two daughters and a grandchild.