About Us

Calendar

Retreats

Contact Us

Directions

Prayer Resources

Support JRH

Register

Home

Summer Schedule of Director Availability Scroll down for director bios.
June 21-28 8-day retreat	Carl Bonk, S.J., Patrick Cleary-Burns,  Jack  Dister, S.J., and Mary Ann Spangler, H.M.
June 24-26 Weekend retreat	Carl Bonk, S.J., Liz Cotter, Jack Dister, S.J.,  and Mary Ann Spangler, H.M.
July 5-12 8-day retreat	Carl Bonk, S.J., Rita Carfagna,  and Jack Dister, S.J.
July 8-10 Weekend retreat	Carl Bonk, S.J., Rita Carfagna,  and Jack Dister, S.J.
July 13-20 8-day retreat	Carl Bonk, S.J., Jack Dister, S.J.,  Marian Durkin, C.S.A. and Rev. John Vrana
July 15-17 Weekend retreat	Carl Bonk, S.J., Jack Dister, S.J.,  and Marian Durkin, C.S.A.
June 21- July 22 30-day retreat	Carl Bonk, S.J., and Jack  Dister, S.J.

Rev. Carl Bonk, S.J. is a native of Detroit, Michigan who entered the Society of Jesus in 1960 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1982.  He has served at Walsh Jesuit High School, where he was treasurer and part-time teacher, and at St. Ignatius High School, where he taught theology and coached baseball.  He has served on the staff of Jesuit Retreat House and Loyola of the Lakes Jesuit Retreat House.  Most recently he served as pastor at Ss. Peter & Paul Church in downtown Detroit. 

---

Rita Carfagna has been married for 30 years and is the mother of four grown children. She has been an active parishioner at St. Dominic Parish for most of her life. She is a graduate of the Ignatian Spirituality Institute at John Carroll University in Cleveland and has been practicing her ministry of spiritual direction for the past three years. In addition to providing general spiritual direction, Rita leads parishes through 9 week Ignatian retreats and accompanies individuals through the 30 week Spiritual Exercises in Everyday Life. As a witness to the power of the Spiritual Exercises for bringing about inner conversion, Rita is passionate about spreading the Good News of the Kingdom of God through the good news of the Spiritual Exercises.

---

Patrick Cleary-Burns is the Executive Director of Itinerant Retreat Leaders, Inc.  He is a graduate of the Ignatian Spirituality Institute at John Carroll University and holds a BA in Theology and MA in Pastoral Ministry, both from Boston College.  Pat is an independent spiritual director and retreat leader.  He directs A Time for Discernment � 8-day directed retreats focused on discerning God�s dream for our lives, Listening for the Heartbeat of God � a weekend celebration of Celtic spirituality, and New Year�s Eve retreats in Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Virginia and New Mexico.  Pat and wife Jeannie live in South Euclid and are members of Saint Malachi Parish. You can learn more about Pat�s ministry by visiting www.patclearyburns.net.

---

Liz Cotter is a certified spiritual director who directs individuals as well as facilitates faith-sharing groups on retreat.  She received her certification in spiritual direction from the Ignatian Spirituality Institute at John Carroll University in University Heights, Ohio.  In addition to being the mother of three grown children and active parishioner of St. Christopher Parish in Rocky River, OH, Liz currently serves on the Board of Directors at Jesuit Retreat House.

---

Rev. Jack Dister, S.J. was recently assigned to be a retreat director at Jesuit Retreat House.  He draws upon extensive pastoral ministry experience, having served at St. Therese's Retreat Center (Columbus, OH),  Loyola of the Lakes Jesuit Retreat House (near Akron), Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland), and University of Detroit Mercy.   He has served nine years as Provincial Assistant for Retreat Houses and for Social Ministry for the Detroit Province of the Jesuits.  Earlier he spent many years in teaching and administration at John Carroll University (near Cleveland).

---

 

Sr. Marian Durkin, C.S.A. received certification in spiritual direction from the Ignatian Spirituality Institute of John Carroll University.  A member of the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine, Sr. Marian has co-directed a weekend retreat for gay and lesbian Catholics annually since 1999. In previous ministries Sr. Marian was a teacher and administrator in the Cleveland diocesan schools for almost 30 years and after leaving the school system did ministry with persons who were HIV-positive for 15 years.  In 2001 she was elected to the leadership team of her congregation where she served for 8 years. 

 

---

 

Sr. Mary Ann Spangler, H.M. is a sister of the Humility of Mary, an educator and trained spiritual director, with a certificate from the Ignatian Spirituality Institute of John Carroll University.  She has created retreats for parishes and school faculties for over 20 years and facilitated Busy Student Retreats on college campuses for 14 years.  The focus of her ministry is on spirituality, discernment, transitions in life, and faith development. 

 

---

 

Fr. John Vrana is a native of Cleveland and was ordained as a priest for the Diocese of Cleveland on May 20, 1967. After two years of parish work he was assigned to teach at Saint Mary Seminary in Cleveland. In preparation for that work he studied at St. Paul University in Ottawa, Canada and at the Katholike Universitet te Leuven in Belgium where he earned the degree, Doctor of Sacred Theology. During his eighteen years on the seminary faculty he also served as Spiritual Director. After the seminary assignment he returned to parish work both as an associate and as pastor. He has served as a director for retreats at JRH and elsewhere and continues to serve as a spiritual director for priests, women religious and laity.