Cynthia Bourgeult is a modern-day mystic. Episcopal priest, writer and internationally known retreat leader. She divides her time between solitude a her seaside hermitage in Maine and a demanding schedule travelling globally to teach and spread the recovery of the Christian contemplative and Wisdom paths. Cynthia is a core faculty member at the Center for Action and Contemplation.
Joan Chittister is one of the most influential religious and social leaders of our time. For 50 years she has passionately advocated on behalf of peace, human rights, women’s issues and church renewal.
Paula D'Arcy is a writer, retreat leader, conference and seminar speaker. She is President of the Red Bird Foundation, which supports the growth and spiritual development of those in need as well as those invested in the opening of the heart and the healing of this world.
Ilia Delio OSF is a Franciscan Sister of Washington, DC and American theologian specializing in the area of science and religion, with interests in evolution, physics and neuroscience and the import of these for theology. Ilia founded the Omega Center which has an exploration of the divine as an awareness of God’s loving, dynamic presence. This is a holistic vision–integrating spirituality, science, and contemplation–and open to all faith traditions.
Kerrie Hide is an Australian woman who enjoys silence, gardening and pondering mystical texts, and has been a spiritual director for 35 years. Currently she enjoys writing, and giving retreats.
Barbara A Holmes is a spiritual teacher, activist, and scholar focused on African American spirituality, mysticism, cosmology and culture.
James Martin SJ, a Jesuit priest, editor at large@Americamag, author of "Learning to Pray" and "Jesus: A Pilgrimage," consultor to the Dicastery for Communication@VaticanNews
Caroline Myss is a five-time New York Times bestselling author and internationally renowned speaker in the fields of human consciousness, spirituality and mysticism, health, energy medicine, and the science of medical intuition. Caroline established her own educational institute in 2003, CMED (Caroline Myss Education), which offers a diverse array of programs devoted to personal development and draws students from all over the world.
John O’Donohue was a priest, poet and philosopher living in Ireland. His legacy directs our search for intimacy to crucial thresholds: tradition and modernity, past and future, life and death, the visible and the invisible world. At the heart of John's awakened beliefs was the premise that ancient wisdom could offer desperately needed nourishment for the spiritual hunger experienced in our modern world.
Daniel O’Leary was an Irish priest with a deep interest in the ‘sacramental imagination’ in all spiritual endeavours. The website promotes adult spirituality celebrating the vision of Incarnation which reveals the divine presence in all people, all life, all creation. The website invites you to embark on a journey of transformation for personal spirituality, for the quality of your lives. It is also devoted, throughout, to discussing the role of the Church and sacraments in protecting and deepening this catholic vision.
Christine Valters Paintner PhD, OblSB, REACE is the online Abbess of Abbey of the Arts, a Benedictine oblate, and the author of several books on monastic spirituality and creativity, as well as a poet, photographer, spiritual director, pilgrim guide, and teacher.
Jan Richardson is an artist, writer, and ordained minister in the United Methodist Church. She serves as director of The Wellspring Studio, LLC, and has traveled widely as a retreat leader and conference speaker. Known for her distinctive intertwining of word and image, Jan’s work has attracted an international audience drawn to the welcoming and imaginative spaces that she creates in her books, online blogs, and public events.
Ron Rolheiser OMI is well known as speaker. His retreats and workshops have inspired many. Along with his academic knowledge in systematic theology and philosophy, he is a popular speaker in the areas of contemporary spirituality and religion and the secular world.
Richard Rohr is a globally recognized ecumenical teacher bearing witness to the universal awakening within Christian mysticism and the Perennial Tradition. He is a Franciscan priest of the New Mexico Province and founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation (CAC) in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Fr. Richard’s teaching is grounded in the Franciscan alternative orthodoxy—practices of contemplation and self-emptying, expressing itself in radical compassion, particularly for the socially marginalized.
Monica Brown is one of Australia's most highly respected Christian composers and workshop facilitators, a teacher with additional studies in spirituality, pastoral guidance, liturgy and creative arts. Monica is the founding director of Emmaus Productions and also the creator and editor of liturgy website Liturgy Ritual Prayer.
James Finley is a contemplative practitioner and clinical psychologist, he helps seekers who desire to live a contemplative, whole life. Drawing from his experience as a former monk and spiritual directee of Thomas Merton, Jim offers trustworthy guidance for the spiritual journey through this website, online courses, occasional retreats, and the Center for Action and Contemplation.
Joyce Rupp OSM is well known for her work as a writer, international retreat leader, and conference speaker. She is the author of numerous bestselling books, including Praying Our Goodbyes, Open the Door, and Fragments of Your Ancient Name. Fly While You Still Have Wings is among her publications earning an award in the spirituality books category from the Catholic Press Association.
Mary Southard CSJ uses her artistic skills to assist us in engaging creatively with creation. “May you see images which spark your energies of hope, passion for life, and the power of your own gifts to create with others a world that works for all.”
Macrina Weiderkehr OSB entered Eternal Life in early 2020. Macrina used the image of Windows as openings to life, providing scenic views for inspiration. “If you come to my window I hope you will find the blessing of a scenic view that inspires you. Perhaps it will be a supportive message from my blog, a poem, a quote or a prayer. It could be the discovery of a good book to read, or a movie to view.”
Bairbre Cahill has a particular interest in the spirituality of family life with a firm belief that it is in the bits and pieces of our everyday lives that we encounter God. She is a published writer, a speaker and trainer with a strong background in Ignatian spirituality and experience in spiritual direction.
Eckhart Tolle is widely recognized as one of the most inspiring and visionary spiritual teachers in the world today. His profound yet simple teachings focus on the significance and power of Presence, the awakened state of consciousness that transcends ego and discursive thinking. Eckhart sees this awakening as the essential next step in human evolution.
Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr Bauman AM, Senior Australian of the Year 2021, is an Aboriginal elder from Nauiyu and a renowned artist, activist, educationalist, writer and public speaker. A committed Christian (she was baptized in the Catholic Church at age 15) Ungunmerr-Baumann is admired throughout the Territory for the leadership and commitment she has shown, promoting education within Aboriginal communities and ensuring that Aboriginal people have the opportunity to become qualified teachers and manage their own schools. In 1998, she was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia, for her services to Aboriginal education and art. In 2002 she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the Northern Territory University in recognition of her leadership and example in the fields of Aboriginal education and the visual arts, and for her contribution to the general community in the Northern Territory.