Our Facilitators
Spirit River Community is excited to introduce you to gifted retreat and workshop facilitators, listed below in alphabetical order. Visit this page often to see who will be offering classes in the coming months - this page will be updated on a regular basis.
Kathy Berken, M.A. in Theology
Kathy is an experienced retreat leader, spiritual director, monthly book study facilitator for the Growing in Wisdom: Seeking Deeper Generativity program since 2021, and a graduate of the Forest Dwelling: Spirituality for Our Wisdom Years program at the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas. Kathy also writes monthly columns on spirituality for an Iowa Catholic newspaper. Past life experiences include being a house coordinator for the L’Arche community in Iowa, writing the memoir Walking on a Rolling Deck: Life on the Ark, and being a math teacher. She has two grown children and four grandchildren. A two-time breast cancer survivor, Kathy enjoys learning anything about most everything, riding her bike in the woods, and spending time with family and friends. You can contact Kathy at kathyberken@gmail.com
Sarah Donnelly, M.Div.
Sarah celebrated 30 years in ministry in 2024. She is a spiritual director, retreat facilitator, and served as the Director of Programming at Queen’s House Retreat & Renewal Centre in Saskatoon SK for 7 years prior to the retreat centre closing in August 2024. In October 2024 Sarah launched her own small business: Spirit River Community – A Retreat Centre Without Walls, www.spiritrivercommunity.org. She is a graduate of St. Peter’s Seminary (M.Div.) in London, ON and received her spiritual direction training through The Haden Institute: Spiritual Direction in the Jungian Mystical Christian Tradition. Sarah is also a graduate of the Forest Dwelling Program, Oblate School of Theology, San Antonio, studying the Spirituality of Aging. Following this program, Sarah and Nancy Phillips (Program Coordinator) co-created a two-year online program called Growing in Wisdom: Seeking Deeper Generativity, www.growinginwisdom.ca where she serves as Program Administrator. You can learn more about Sarah at www.sarahdonnelly.ca
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Rev. Mary C. Earle
Mary Earle is an Episcopal Priest, Author, Poet, Retreat Leader and Spiritual Director.
Until her retirement, she taught classes in spirituality for the Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas. Mary has authored ten books; the subjects include the spirituality of living with illness, rule of life, Celtic Christian spirituality, the Desert Mothers, and Julian of Norwich. Her latest is a book of her poetry. She also has contributed a chapter to the new anthology Wisdom of Our Elders.
Mary has offered presentations and retreats in a variety of ecumenical settings, including conferences of the Academy for Spiritual Formation, Spiritual Directors International, the International Thomas Merton Society, Oblate School of Theology and hospice organizations. She has written articles for a variety of journals, including Presence: the Journal of Spiritual Directors International, Radical Grace, Reflections, and The Lutheran. She was included in the Living Spiritual Teachers project of Spirituality and Practice. Currently Mary is serving as a core faculty member for two sister programs, Forest Dwelling: Spirituality for Our Wisdom Years offered through Oblate School of Theology, and Growing in Wisdom: Seeking Deeper Generativity which is a Canadian-based online program - both are two-year formation processes exploring the spirituality of aging. You can learn more about Mary at https://www.marycearle.com/
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Jean Epp-Gauthier
Jean is a retired elementary and high school teacher. During her teaching career, she taught Visual Arts and English as an Additional Language, among other classes. For a number of years, Jean has had a keen interest in mandala-making as a journey in self-exploration, and healing, not to mention a moment of fun and relaxation in a sometimes troubled and hectic world. She has led mandala workshops with students, teachers, seniors, and cancer survivors.
Kalyn Falk, M.A.
Kalyn Falk, MA, is a spiritual director and an Instructor for the Conflict Resolution Studies program at the University of Winnipeg in partnership with Canadian Mennonite University. She was involved in the Shekinah Formation Program in spiritual direction for the past 10 years, at first as a co-Director alongside Sister Mary Coswin, and then serving as Director from 2020 to the fall of 2024. Kalyn has been honoured to accompany people in spiritual direction and retreats for more than 20 years. Her hope is to create spaces where people can learn and practice processes of deep listening in order to become more fully themselves, transform their relationships, and restore their connection to the Sacred. Kalyn lives in Winnipeg with her partner, David.
You can learn more about Kalyn at www.kalynfalk.com
Sr. Teresita Kambeitz OSU
Sister Teresita Kambeitz is a religious educator who teaches in adult faith enrichment programs, writes for the Catholic Missions in Canada magazine and conducts retreats throughout the province and beyond. Her vocation as teacher has been carried out in Swift Current, in Saskatoon at Holy Cross High School and St. Thomas More College, and in Edmonton at Newman Theological College, as well as overseas in summer courses for teachers in the British Virgin Islands, Barbados, Venezuela, Latvia and South Africa. An Ursuline of Prelate, she holds two bachelors’ degrees, two masters’ degrees, a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto and a degree in piano. She grew up in Richmound, Saskatchewan, in the south-west corner of the province, in a family of two parents, four sisters and four brothers. There are twelve teachers in her family.
Rev. Caroline Penhale Lukacs
Rev. Caroline Penhale Lukacs, ACC, is a vocational minister with the United Church of Canada and the founder of ClearMoment Coaching. With over 30 years of experience in human services, Caroline combines her love of ritual with her love of coaching. She is dedicated to supporting clients as they gain clarity and foster resilience, helping them connect with a deeper sense of peace and purpose. You can learn more about Caroline at www.clearmoment.ca
Nancy Phillips
Nancy is a Spiritual Director, Retired Nurse, Grandmother, Retreat Director, and Benedictine Oblate who finds solace in green spaces. She is a graduate of the Shekinah: Formation in Spiritual Direction program and graduate of the Forest Dwelling Program, Oblate School of Theology, San Antonio, studying the Spirituality of Aging. Nancy is the Program Coordinator and curriculum developer of Growing in Wisdom: Seeking Deeper Generativity, www.growinginwisdom.ca and lives in Winnipeg MB.
Fr. Ron Rolheiser OMI
Ron Rolheiser, OMI is a Roman Catholic priest, member of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, and served as president of Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas for fifteen years before retiring in September 2020. Fr. Ron is a theologian, professor, and award-winning author. He holds Bachelor’s degrees from the University of Ottawa and Newman Theological College Edmonton and Master’s degrees from the University of San Francisco and the University of Louvain, Belgium along with a PhD/STD from the University of Louvain. Specializations: systematic theology, philosophy, Augustine mysticism, and spirituality. Apart from his academic knowledge in systematic theology and philosophy, he has become a popular speaker in contemporary spirituality religion, and the secular world. He writes a weekly column that is carried in over 70 newspapers around the world and has published 17 books. You can learn more about Fr. Ron - and read his past and current weekly columns - at www.ronrolheiser.com
Richard Rosin
Richard is the founder of Richard Rosin Funeral Director Ltd., a full-service funeral company specializing in Green Burials, Home Funerals, and online educational events. Keenly aware of environmental concerns, his board activities with the Green Burial Society of Canada have led to co-founding Green Burial Manitoba. It aims to encourage and provide resources to cemeteries, funeral directors and families to make better choices in their environmental legacies. Winnipeg's Friendliest Undertaker™ is active in the community including board membership with the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra, the Manitoba LGBT Chamber of Commerce, and past Council president of Grace Lutheran Church. When relaxing, you can find Richard enjoying the trailer with his four dogs (in order of equal cuteness) - Addi, Lola, Joey and George.
Shawn Sanford Beck
Shawn is currently a Spiritual Exploration guide at St. Andrew's College in Saskatoon, and has recently begun a new ministry as GreenSpirit Chaplain with the United Church of Canada. He has been involved with eco-spirituality and green theology for the past two decades. From urban full moon ceremonies, to off-grid earthen prayer, to extensive work with druidic and other creation-centric traditions, Shawn has sown the seeds of eco-spiritual practice wherever he goes!
You can check out some of Shawn's writing here: https://ecosophian.wordpress.com/about/ , here: https://www.johnhuntpublishing.com/christian-alternative-books/our-books/christian-animism , or here: https://darcyblahut.ca/prairie_rune.html
Rev. Dr. Don Schweitzer
Don Schweitzer is an ordained minister in The United Church of Canada. Born in Montreal and raised in Kingston, Ontario, he has lived in Saskatchewan for over thirty years. He has a Ph.D. in systematic theology from Princeton Theological Seminary. He has been teaching and writing about Jesus as a member of the faculty of St. Andrew’s College, Saskatoon, for twenty-three years. During this time he has also lectured and taught about Jesus at the Han Shin School of Religion in Seoul, Korea, and at Bishop’s College, United Theological College, and Kerala United Theology Seminary, in India. His publications include three books and a number of articles on Christology. You can contact Don at don.schweitzer@saskatoontheologicalunion.ca