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Trudy Ahern, SSJ is Co-director of the Upper Room Spiritual Center, Neptune, NJ. She is a certified spiritual director, retreat director, and supervisor with a Masters in Christian Spirituality. She coordinates the Formation in the Spiritual Direction Program. She also offers workshops on dance and religious expression.
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Maureen Christensen, RSM is Co-director of the Upper Room Spiritual Center. A certified spiritual director, retreat director, and supervisor with a Masters in Education, she is part of the core team for our Women's Gathering and Taize prayer. A special interest is introducing the Labyrinth as a walking meditation.
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Maureen Conroy, RSM, D.Min., is Co-director of the Upper Room Spiritual Center, Neptune, NJ. Her ministries include spiritual direction, the training of spiritual directors, giving retreats, and offering workshops on spiritual direction, discernment, supervision and holistic spirituality. Maureen also educates spiritual directors at Creighton University, Nebraska and Milltown Institute, Dublin, Ireland. She has offered workshops in the US, Canada, Australia and Europe.
Maureen's educational background includes a Masters of Divinity, a Doctor of Ministry, two Certificates in Spiritual Direction and numerous certificates in various health and holistic modalities. She is the author of numerous articles and five books, including The Discerning Heart (Loyola Press) and Experiencing God's Tremendous Love (Upper Room).
Maureen's educational background includes a Masters of Divinity, a Doctor of Ministry, two Certificates in Spiritual Direction and numerous certificates in various health and holistic modalities. She is the author of numerous articles and five books, including The Discerning Heart (Loyola Press) and Experiencing God's Tremendous Love (Upper Room).
Maureen Conroy Books:
EXPERIENCING GOD'S TREMENDOUS LOVE Entering Into Relational Prayer
A deeper personal relationship with God requires not only belief in a loving God, but the experience of that love on a felling level. This book guides the reader in discovering, entering into, and experiencing God's tremendous love. By skillfully weaving Scripture, stories and contemporary experiences, Maureen Conroy leads the reader to let go of distorted or limited notions of God, and to open us to experiencing God as a living, loving Person who can transform us. Prayer exercises at the end of each chapter provide practical ways for the reader to enter into this deeper relationship. Maureen Conroy, a Sister of Mercy, has educated and supervised spiritual directors for many years at the Upper Room Spiritual Center, New Jersey and Creighton University, Nebraska. She is the co-ordinator of two developmental programs for spiritual directors at the Upper Room and is also engaged in spiritual direction, retreat work, and adult education. Maureen holds a M. Div. Degree Seminary, a D. Min. degree from St. Mary's University, Baltimore, and is the author of numerous articles and four other books including: The Discerning Heart;Looking into the Well: Supervision of Spiritual Directors; Growing in Love and Freedom and Journey of Love.
JOURNEY OF LOVE God Moving in Our Hearts and Lives
In a book of reflections meant more to be prayed than read through, Maureen Conroy examines the various movements of our hearts and lives that occur as we journey in love with God. This journey is about letting God make a home in our hearts, about our surrendering to God's desire to give us fullness of life. Along the way we experience dark times, periods of grief, toxic shame or depression, but there are also times of light and joy. The author shows how, no matter what our state, each phase is an invitation to experience divine love and mercy. An experienced spiritual director, the author structures each of her reflections around a scripture quote. These reflections are like guided meditations, rich in visual imagery. Each one ends with a four-part way of "being" with God-by pondering the words, sharing experiences with God, listening, and finally responding to God's words of love. Many of the responses include concrete actions to experience afterwards.
With its strong emphasis on praying with the scriptures, this helpful, positive book helps to reflect one's journey with God and live it ore fully. It's meant for individuals growing in their prayer life, individuals who desire scripture to speak more personally to them, and spiritual directors who want concrete tools.
With its strong emphasis on praying with the scriptures, this helpful, positive book helps to reflect one's journey with God and live it ore fully. It's meant for individuals growing in their prayer life, individuals who desire scripture to speak more personally to them, and spiritual directors who want concrete tools.
The Discerning Heart Discovering a Personal God
Many books have been written about St. Ignatius and The Spiritual Exercises but few have discussed Ignatius' classic work from an experiential point of view. In The Discerning Heart,
Maureen Conroy explains how Ignatius' Rules for Discernment can help individuals understand their personal relationship with God. The Rules describe what happens to people when they relate to God in a personal way, and offer guidelines for daily living. Conroy begins with Ignatius’ own conversion and then describes the experiences of contemporary people. Conroy describes how to discover a personal God but also discusses the ways spiritual directors can help people recognize their inner movements. She provides specific examples and case studies that bring out the meaning behind the Rules for Discernment. In addition, a series of questions designed to encourage individual reflection and group discussion, appear at the end of each chapter. Finally, the author offers suggestions for prayer that can help people savor and explore their own spiritual experiences.
The Discerning Heart would be helpful to:
Maureen Conroy explains how Ignatius' Rules for Discernment can help individuals understand their personal relationship with God. The Rules describe what happens to people when they relate to God in a personal way, and offer guidelines for daily living. Conroy begins with Ignatius’ own conversion and then describes the experiences of contemporary people. Conroy describes how to discover a personal God but also discusses the ways spiritual directors can help people recognize their inner movements. She provides specific examples and case studies that bring out the meaning behind the Rules for Discernment. In addition, a series of questions designed to encourage individual reflection and group discussion, appear at the end of each chapter. Finally, the author offers suggestions for prayer that can help people savor and explore their own spiritual experiences.
The Discerning Heart would be helpful to:
- anyone interested in Ignatian spirituality
- those who desire to enter into a more lively experience of God
- spiritual directors who wish to deepen their knowledge of the Rules for Discernment.
- those who train spiritual directors