Non-silent Recovery Retreat for Women & Men in the Language of Al-Anon
To love others includes giving each person implicit permission to exist in his or her present condition. We will explore the traditions of the 12-Step Fellowship together, seeking renewal in freedom for acceptance.
Msgr. Terrence Richey, of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, has worked in parishes in the L.A. area since his 1964 ordination. Over the last 20 years, he has chaired a group offering intervention and support to clergy and religious who suffer from substance abuse. A seasoned retreat director, he is in residence at St. Basil's Church in Los Angeles.
Assisting
Fr. Kevin Ballard, S.J. was born in San Francisco and raised in a traveling military family, joined the Society of Jesus in 1972 and was ordained in 1985. His ministry, mainly in parishes, has also included community organizing, high school teaching, and retreat work. Three years in Kathmandu, Nepal were a highlight and delight. His ongoing interest in Ignatian Spirituality has entailed directing the Spiritual Exercises in their various forms. Since 1981, the blessings of the 12 Steps have been key to life and work. Judaism has been an ongoing inspiration. He is blessed to live sober, one day at a time, since 1981. Kevin is recreated by languages, bird-watching and "staring into space!"
Fr. James Flynn, S.J. was born in 1942 in Los Angeles, CA and attended St. Charles Grammar School in North Hollywood. After graduating from Bishop Garcia Diego High School in Santa Barbara in 1960, he matriculated at Santa Clara University. On September 8, 1961, he entered the Society of Jesus at Los Gatos.
After the normal course of training at Los Gatos, Fr. Jim majored in philosophy and English at Gonzaga University, graduating in 1967. He taught at Loyola High School, Los Angeles from 1967-1970, and after theological studies at the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, he graduated with an M.Div. in 1973. He was ordained a priest on June 15, 1973. That same year he completed a Master's Degree in English at Loyola University, Los Angeles. More about Fr. Jim
Ms. Mary Peterson, a wife, mother, grandmother, artist, spiritual director and perpetual seeker, was trained at Spiritual Directors Institute, Mercy Center, Burlingame. She believes that all is a gift, and although sometimes painful, when unwrapped contains a piece of our becoming more real and authentic.
Sister Stephanie Still, P.B.V.M., is a trained Spiritual Director with a ten-year private practice in San Francisco. She was formally trained in the Spiritual Direction three-year training program at Mercy Retreat Center in Burlingame. A Sister of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (San Francisco) for nearly thirty years, Sister Stephanie has also had ministry experience as a high school principal and teacher, in leadership roles, and as a Communications officer for her Congregation. She is currently the Vocation Director for the Sisters of the Presentation. Sister Stephanie is a California native and has lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for most of her life. As a Presentation Sister, she is committed to those made poor and to the sustainability of all creation. She deeply believes in the importance of contemplation and of developing an awareness of the sacredness of life in order to be a balanced and intentional presence in the world.
Fr. Duc Vu, S.J., a software engineer before joining the Jesuits, was ordained in 2002 and served in a parish until 2007. An M.F.A. in Creative Writing reflects his interest in life as story. He likes to explore the creative dynamic among stories human and divine, as well as the fascinating dialectic between our corporeality and spirituality.
