Spiritual Directors for Faculty
To find a spiritual director, look through the following list and see if there are a few directors that sound like they might be a good fit for you. Then contact one, or two, to set up an initial meeting. At that meeting, you can ask the person any questions, such as how she or he does direction. If it seems like a good fit, stay with that person. If you would like to interview a couple of other directors first and then decide, that is also fine. Everyone on this list understands that you may be talking to several directors before you commit to one. Most of the directors on the list work on campus and will not charge for spiritual direction. Other directors on the list who do not work at Notre Dame, but serve as directors in the wider community, may request a fee for direction. If they do, you will negotiate that with them directly.
Spiritual Directors on Campus
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Fr. Nicholas Ayo, C.S.C.
Emeritus Faculty, PLS
I have been a Holy Cross priest for over fifty years and have walked with many people as a spiritual director during those years. In addition to teaching on the PLS faculty at Notre Dame, I served as the Director of Novices for Holy Cross. I see this ministry more as spiritual conversation than direction.
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Fr. Mike Connors, C.S.C.
Associate Professor of the Practice and Director, John S. Marten Program in Homiletics and Liturgics, Dept. of Theology
I am a Catholic priest in the Congregation of Holy Cross. I have some background in spirituality and spiritual direction, pastoral theology, and parish ministry. My approach to direction has probably been most influenced by the Ignatian tradition. I think much of spiritual direction is about careful listening, especially early on.
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Fr. William Dorwart, C.S.C.
Religious Superior Our Lady of Fatima House, Notre Dame
wdorwart@holycrossusa.org
P: (574) 631-2112
A Holy Cross priest ordained in 1980, I most recently worked with the homeless community at André House in Phoenix, AZ after retiring from the Navy Chaplain Corps in 2017. Prior to serving in the Navy, I worked in parish ministry, university campus ministry, and as Director of Novices and Provincial Superior in Holy Cross. Since completing coursework in spiritual direction at the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, California in the early 90’s, it has been an honor to accompany others (young adults to senior citizens) on their spiritual journey.
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Fr. Paul Kollman, C.S.C.
Associate Professor, Department of Theology
I am an associate professor of theology and have been on the faculty at Notre Dame since 2001. I was in parish ministry in the US for three years before starting doctoral studies. I earned my PhD from the University of Chicago Divinity School, and a BA and MDiv from Notre Dame. My scholarship focuses on African Christianity, mission history, and world Christianity, and I have taught and carried out research in Africa and in archives around the world. I previously served as executive director of Notre Dame’s Center for Social Concerns. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, I live in O’Neill Hall. I have served in the formation program for Holy Cross in eastern Africa and as a spiritual director for people in the Notre Dame community for several decades, including Holy Cross religious in formation.
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Sr. Mary Lynch, SSJ
I am a Sister of Saint Joseph from Philadelphia, PA. I have a master’s degree in Holistic Spirituality and Spiritual Direction from Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia. I coordinate the silent directed retreats here at Notre Dame, and I direct silent directed retreats during the summer at my congregation’s retreat house, St. Mary-by-the Sea in Cape May Point, NJ.
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Fr. Frank Murphy, C.S.C.
Faculty Chaplain and Coordinator of Spiritual Direction
fmurphy4@nd.edu
P: (574) 631-5242
I am a Holy Cross priest and have been offering spiritual direction for over twenty years. In addition to coordinating the faculty chaplaincy, I also coordinate the Spiritual Director’s program on campus. I spent two years in training in spiritual direction, and in the guiding of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius and directed retreats, at Loyola House, Guelph, Ontario. After many years in East Africa in pastoral work and in the formation of Holy Cross seminarians and brothers in the spiritual life, I worked as a spiritual counselor at the University of Portland. I have accompanied many people in East Africa and North America in spiritual direction, the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, and I have directed both group and individual retreats. I find that accompanying others at the place where they meet God is an experience of being on holy ground.
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Margie Pfeil
Joint Appointment, Theology Department and the Center for Social Concerns
mpfeil1@nd.edu
P: 574-520-7745
I trained in spiritual direction with the Shalem Institute, with an emphasis on contemplative spirituality, and I have been practicing direction formally with students, staff, and members of the local community for five years. I am a member of the local Catholic Worker community. My husband and I have been participating in ecumenical dialogue for many years, and I have particular ties as a Roman Catholic to the Mennonite tradition.
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Tami Schmitz
Associate Director, Pastoral Care, Campus Ministry
I have been in Campus Ministry at the University of Notre Dame for over 20 years. My ministry has mostly focused on spiritual formation and pastoral care. I have worked mainly with students, but have also served as a spiritual resource for several areas of campus including ACE, the Remick Leadership Program, Moreau Seminary, the Center for Social Concerns, the M. Div program, the McGrath Institute for Church Life and the Mendoza College of Business. I welcome the opportunity to serve as a spiritual guide no matter where someone finds themselves on the journey of faith. I have particular experience in the areas of grief and discernment and I am trained in Ignatian Spirituality. I received my certification in Spiritual Direction from Creighton University and my master’s degree in Pastoral Studies from Loyola University, Chicago. I consider accompanying others as they recognize God’s hand in the different rhythms of their life.
Spiritual Directors in the Wider Community
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Robert "Biff" Weidman
St. Peter Claver Catholic Worker community
rweidman@hotmail.com
P: (574) 339-5866
I’ve offered spiritual direction for the past 25 years. Much of my work has been in urban ministry. Since 2007 I’ve shared in the life of the Catholic Worker community here in South Bend. Though Mennonite in background, I‘ve enjoyed meeting with directees from many denominational traditions. Since 2002 I’ve been deeply involved in Bridgefolk, a grassroots movement of “sacramentally-minded Mennonites and peace-minded Roman Catholics”. It was through Bridgefolk that I met my wife, Margaret Pfeil, who teaches theology at Notre Dame. I also have a strong interest in Benedictine spirituality, and I am an oblate of St. Gregory’s Abbey in Three Rivers, MI. I received training in spiritual direction at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, IN. Areas of special interest include: finding and following a personal calling, discernment in daily life, spiritual practices in the everyday, cultivating compassion, simplicity of life, spiritual renewal at midlife and beyond.
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Mary C. Gallagher
Retired Chaplain
pilgrimmcg@gmail.com
Fee: A donation you can affordSpiritual Direction, for me, is walking with another on their spiritual journey. This involves assisting another in deepening one’s awareness of the spirit at work in and around them through reflection on their life, beliefs, concerns and joys in an environment of acceptance. As a Catholic Christian, wife, mother of seven adult children, grandmother, nurse, certified chaplain and trained spiritual director, I bring my life experiences as lived out in these roles on this journey as a fellow pilgrim. Since I live within walking distance of the campus, meetings are usually in my home.
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Joshua Strickler
joshua.strickler@hotmail.com
Fee: What you can affordAs a spiritual director, my desire is to journey alongside you and help you find where God is working in your everyday life. I am a Protestant Christian who grew up in the Pentecostal tradition, but I have spent most of my adult life in non-denominational or Reformed churches. I am a worship leader by training but have a passion for theological aesthetics, theology and culture, and spiritual formation. I work in the business world by day and offer spiritual direction during the evenings and weekends. Having spent much of my adult life in dual roles (unpaid church work while working a full-time job), I enjoy helping people see where God is working in their lives in the many contexts in which they find themselves.
I have a Certificate in Spiritual Direction from Christos Center for Spiritual Formation, an M.A. in Theology and Culture from Northwest University, and a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies from George Fox University.
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Sr. Mary Ann Uebbing, C.S.C.
Spiritual Director/Retreat Director/Supervisor
muebbing@cscsisters.org
P: (574) 284-5792
Fee: Negotiated with directeeI have worked as a spiritual director for over thirty years. I have been on the staff of the Holy Cross Sister’s retreat House at St. Mary’s campus, served as a spiritual director for a sabbatical program sponsored by Notre Dame, and done spiritual direction and retreat work with our Asian and African Holy Cross men and women. I have directed people from many backgrounds: married men and women, single people, college students, people from many Christian backgrounds, as well as priests, sisters, brothers, and seminarians. I have a master’s degree in Theology and Christian Ministry and have served as the director of religious education and RCIA in a parish. My life has also led me to live and work in Israel and Uganda.
As a spiritual director, I see that my role is to discern together how God is inviting the directee to a deeper relationship with Him. I offer affirmation and encouragement as well as challenges to be transparent and open before God, that is, to see more clearly the truth about oneself as both gifted and weak, and intimately loved by God. It is my hope that the directee experiences a profound encounter with God and comes to a greater clarity about one’s personal mission of being who God created him/her to be in this life.