The staff of advisors and instructors is a collaborative body, who come from many faith traditions: Catholic, Episcopalian, Lutheran, Baptist, Methodist, and others. They are all dedicated to serving in this ministry of helping form new spiritual directors.
Mary Kay has worked in pastoral ministry in the Catholic Church for more than 45 years. She received a Master’s degree in Religious Education in 1982, and her Doctor of Ministry in 2017 from Seattle University. After she graduated from the Souljourners in 2005, she joined the staff and is currently a part of the Souljourners Leadership team and the Sophia Center staff.
Sr. Marcia Ziska has been a member of the Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica since 1974. She received a masters in Christian Spirituality from Creighton University and a professional certificate in spiritual gerontology from the Johnson Institute. A retired certified hospital chaplain, she has served her community in pastoral care, vocation and formation work, and as associate director of the Sophia Center. She was privileged to coordinate the Rome Renewal Program for English-speaking Benedictine women worldwide from 2003-2010. She served four years on the National Religious Vocation Conference Board and eight years with the American Benedictine Formation Conference Core team. Currently she is the vocation director for the monastery, a spiritual director, and a member of the leadership team for Souljourners, a formation program for spiritual directors. Sr. Marcia enjoys making jelly to give as gifts and to sell in the monastery gift shop. You can also find her making lemon meringue pie and lemon curd from the fresh Arizona lemons sent by her sister, Barb.
Sr. Patricia ministered as a teacher for many years in Missouri and Kansas and also worked at Keeler Women’s Center (another ministry of the Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica). She is a graduate of the Souljourners and currently serves as part of the Leadership Team. Sr. Patricia also currently serves as Community Formation Director and offers spiritual direction. She enjoys art, being outdoors, arranging flowers for the chapels, working with the bees, and making various kinds of rosaries for Monastery Goods.
Bernadette “Bernie” Graves lives in Kansas City, Missouri. She is a graduate of the New Wine Lay Ministry Formation program and participated in parish ministry for many years. She graduated from Souljourners in 2013 and was an intern with the program from 2015-2017. She is presently serving on staff.
Sarah Dunne Pickrell is a spiritual director, visual artist and yoga practitioner based in Kansas City, Missouri. She has worked in a variety of nonprofit and spiritual spaces including social work, conservation, education, community-building, and, most recently, project management for the national office of the Presbyterian Church (USA). Sarah is committed to the intersections of spirituality and justice with anti-oppression work sculpting her theology. In her free time, you’ll find her on an adventure with her partner, Nick, hiking the woods in her backyard, cooking, playing with her two rescue terriers or making a mess in her art studio.
Nick Pickrell is a 2020 graduate of Souljourners. He has a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts from UMKC. Nick is a seeker and has been heavily involved in church through the years. He lived and worked in the Cherith Brook Catholic Worker House where he remained for five years and currently serves as a trustee. He is the founding pastor of the Open Table, a socially progressive church that is committed to liberation and healing, which is part of the Presbyterian Church USA. He has over fifteen years of experience doing anti-poverty and anti-racism work, and is presently a real estate agent in the Kansas City area.
Donna Kehoe graduated from Souljourners in 2018 and served as an intern in the program until joining the staff. She earned a master’s degree in English Literature and worked for more than thirty years as an adjunct faculty member, writer, and editor. Donna has been active in local church ministry for many years, leading small groups, mentoring youth, and offering spiritual direction. She is passionate about the ways the Spirit is present and active in all of life.
Sr. Mary Pat is a member of the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, Kansas. Mary Pat studied at Gonzaga University and earned a master’s degree in Christian Spirituality and a Certificate in Spiritual Direction from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. She is a spiritual director and retreat leader and enjoys Jungian psychology, dream work, and Christian contemplative and meditative practices.
