Spiritual Directors
Marian Durkin, CSA
Marian Durkin is a Sister of Charity of Saint Augustine.She has been a Spiritual Director since 2005 when she was certified in the Ignatian Spirituality Institute at John Carroll University. Presently, she is on the leadership team of her congregation. “Being a spiritual director is a blessing in my life. To listen contemplatively to another’s journey is a privilege and an honor.”
Syndie Eardly
My spiritual practice has included meditation, prayer, readings, retreats, and the creation of personal rituals for healing and growth. These practices have saved my life, becoming as important to sustaining me as food and water. While other mundane realities of my life have faded from memory, the richness of the experiences I have had in my prayer life, and the transformative events that have taken place at the heart of my ritual and retreat practices, live on in me as powerful and empowering realities. One evening, an attendee at Centering Space prayer said to me, “Prayer is the most powerful tool we have.” I feel that my life is witness to that truth, and find tremendous joy in sharing that reality with others through my work at Centering Space and in my daily life with everyone I encounter.
Deb Griest
I developed a deep personal relationship with God in a most unlikely place – in the business world. I was a leader and executive coach for most of my professional career. As I struggled to live out my faith in the workplace I was drawn first to my knees and then to the stories of great servants and people of God – missionaries, saints, mystics, spiritual writers. I discovered the incredible depth of God’s love for us and I began to experience the spiritual growth process. I love helping people find God wherever they are planted. It is incredible to journey with people in spiritual direction as they discover more and more of God and of themselves. I have a passion for helping people move beyond knowing about Christ to experiencing Christ for themselves.
Carol Kandiko, CSA
Learning to live in the loving presence of God is my current gift and challenge as well as accepting the rollercoaster ride of aging with graciousness and humor. I am still and always growing in wonder and delight at life’s idiosyncrasies. I love sharing spiritual insights with others, planning prayer experiences, and keeping the facility of Centering Space open and welcoming.
Mary Beth Marquard, HM
I use a wholistic approach to spiritual direction. I believe in the mind, body, spirit connection. With my pastoral ministry experience and my master’s degree in counseling from John Carroll university, I feel I can help facilitate a balance in others as they journey toward wholeness and holiness.
Rev. Delmarshae Sledge
Spiritual direction developed for me in the context of an historic monastery as a member of an intentional community with a ministry of prayer, racial reconciliation, healing, and spiritual development. Learning the value of having a personal rule of life and a personal rhythm of spiritual practices was a priceless gift.We all have seasons when spiritual reading, meditation, journaling, and practicing silence are acts ofease and joy. In those times, a spiritual companion will listen with us as we discern how to live faithfully into each new revelation. There are also seasons of debilitating dryness. Still, God is always near. These are times when we need someone to watch and wait and listen with us, until we can see and hear and feel God’s presence with us. For me, companioning persons on the journey of spiritual awakening, formation, and transformation is a privilege.