Melissa is a formation leader and spiritual director in the Ignatian tradition. She enjoys accompanying others in one-to-one and group spiritual direction, facilitating retreats and serving as a guide in the 19th Annotation of the Spiritual Exercises. Melissa made the 19th Annotation Spiritual Exercises in Everyday Life and completed her formation as a spiritual companion through ISI. She currently serves ISI in Program Development. Melissa holds a Master of Arts in Religion with a specialization in Christian Formation and Catechesis from Trinity Anglican Seminary. She has served for numerous years in parish, diocesan and provincial ministry and leadership and currently as the Director of Children’s, Family and Women’s Ministries at Christ the Redeemer, Fort Worth, Texas. Melissa is a Level 1 and 2 Catechist in Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and is in formation as a Level 3 Catechist. She is continually in awe from the grace of listening to how God invites both the young and the older of us generously into His presence. She and her husband, Roger, live in Fort Worth, TX, and have 3 adult sons and two daughters-in-law. Spending time with family, her dogs, a good book and the stillness and beauty of nature brings joy and refreshment.
The Listening Heart: An Ignatian Formation in Spiritual Accompaniment
The Listening Heart is a two-year formation program offered by the Ignatian Spirituality Institute for those who feel called and desire to enter the ministry of spiritual companioning. Offered online, with a required residency retreat each year, the program invites participants into a sustained process of learning, prayer, reflection, and personal growth.
More than the development of skills, this is a formation of the heart. At ISI formation is experiential, rooted not only in the study of Ignatian spirituality but in the lived experience of prayer, personal reflection, shared conversation, and the practice of spiritual accompaniment.