Meet our Spiritual Directors

Spirituality is about our relationship with God, Who loves us. It involves our experiences of the Sacred, our faith, our prayer life, our search for direction, our going deeper, and the meaning and purpose of our lives. Christian spirituality moves us toward embracing our humanity as incarnational and becoming trustable to God as disciples, reaching out in love and service.
 
A spiritual director can be helpful in deepening our spiritual journey. In spiritual direction we meet (usually monthly) with a qualified, trained director who assists us with focusing on our relationship with God, God’s presence and action in our lives, and our response to the mystery of unconditional love Jesus so convincingly offers. There are spiritual directors available to the St. John XXIII community who can meet with us. In some cases, virtual meetings are available.
Rev. Koudjo K. Jean-Philippe Lokpo, MCCJ
Pastor, St. John XXIII Parish

To contact Fr. Jean-Philippe, visit our Staff Directory page

Fr. Jean-Philippe is pastor of St. John XXIII Parish, guiding the unification of St. Mary and St. Nicholas, and splitting his time between their campuses. He was born in Togo (West Africa) and was ordained a priest in 2012. He studied at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. He is a Comboni missionary and served in South Africa from 2011 to 2019, working in Assumption Parish near the border with Mozambique, one of the largest rural parishes in the diocese. He then did a Spiritual Renewal course in Rome. He was assigned to the North American Province in 2021, then installed as pastor at St. John XXIII effective July 1, 2022. In addition to English, Fr. Lopko speaks French, Italian, and a South African language.
Fr. José Manuel Sanchez Ortiz
Associate Pastor of St. John XXIII Parish

To contact Fr. José, visit our Staff Directory page

Fr. José was born in Cardenas in the Diocese of Tabasco (Mexico) and was ordained a priest on August 21, 1999. He is a Comboni Missionary. He studied theology at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. He served in Mexico (1999-2005), in the Province of Central America (2006-2015), again in Mexico (2015-2019), and then had a sabbatical in Rome (219-2020). He was assigned to the North American Province from July 1, 2021. He speaks English, Spanish, and Italian. Fr. Jose does spiritual direction in English and Spanish.
​Deacon Chris Murphy
Pastoral Associate

To contact Chris, visit our Staff Directory page

Chris serves as a pastoral associate at St John XXIII Parish. He coordinates pastoral care and liturgy for the parish. He was ordained a deacon in 2014. He has been a spiritual director for over ten years.  He recently retired from Loyola University Chicago where he was trained as a spiritual director with an emphasis in the Ignatian tradition. He coordinated the long form of the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius at Loyola while also directing faculty and staff each year in this eight-month retreat. He has his Master of Divinity (01) and Master of Social Work (87) degrees from Loyola University.
Brian Anderson

Contact Brian at 206.941.8507 or brian@fatheringtogether.org

Brian is a husband and the father of 2 daughters. Brian has been a social worker in Anchorage, community organizer in Seattle, and interfaith chaplain at Loyola University. He co-founded Fathering Together (and wrote the book) to empower dads to live an emotionally and spiritually connected life with their families and communities. By using servant-leadership as a model, Brian has helped dozens of dads build new bonds and connections. Learn more at www.fatheringtogether.org. In 2016, Brian obtained his Masters in Pastoral Studies and certification in Spiritual Direction in 2021 from Loyola University's Institute for Pastoral Studies.
Patty Ballard

Contact Patty at 773.852.0979  or pattijoballard@gmail.com

Patty completed her training in spiritual direction at Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House in Barrington where she directs individual retreats in the summer months and leads consultations during the school year. She is the mother of three adult children and the grandmother of twins. She has been an Oblate of St. Scholastica Monastery in Chicago for over thirty years. Patty has been a primary level teacher for most of her career and has also served in a variety of ministerial capacities. She has a B.A. in Religious Studies, Social Welfare, and Education as well as an M.A. from Mundelein College, and an M.A. from Northeastern Illinois University in Reading/Literacy. She has studied at Loyola University's Institute in Pastoral Studies, the Catholic Theological Union, and the former Institute for Spiritual Leadership. Patty is interested in nurturing the spiritual life of children, helping adults recognize the movement of God's spirit in everyday life, and coming to terms with loss and new life.
Julie Berggren

Contact Julie at 847.338.1139 or julieKberggren@gmail.com

Julie has been a certified spiritual director since 2004 and is an experienced retreat facilitator and leader of prayer. She has a special interest in grief work and has facilitated grief groups for many years. Julie is the former Director of Pastoral Care at Holy Name Cathedral. She received her initial training in spiritual direction from the Institute for Spiritual Companionship and further training at Loyola University Chicago, receiving an MA in Spiritual Direction and Spirituality. She is board certified with the National Association of Catholic Chaplains and serves as a chaplain at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago. She is a Secular Franciscan and an associate member of the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart. Julie is happy to meet with directees in person or via Zoom.
Judy Borchers

Contact Judy at 847.421.0740 or judyborchers@me.com

Judy was for 45 years a member of the Benedictine Sisters of Chicago. She served as chemistry teacher and then principal of St Scholastica HS in Chicago. She trained to become a spiritual director at the Institute for Spiritual Leadership in Chicago and went on to serve in that capacity while she was employed as the Executive Director of the Patrick and Anna Cudahy Fund, a WI family foundation. Since retirement she has been active in St. John XXIII parish in Evanston where she is a Stephen Minister and volunteers in a variety of capacities. She currently lives in Wilmette, IL. 
Katie Dorner

Contact Katie at 773.658.9552 or presenceandreverence@gmail.com

Katie finds great joy and privilege accompanying others in spiritual direction. Katie holds a Masters of Arts in Theology and Ministry and a Master of Social Work from Boston College, and completed a spiritual direction internship in the Ignatian tradition through Loyola University Chicago. She is steeped in Ignatian Spirituality and animated by the charism of the Sisters of St Joseph. Katie has been a Campus Minister in high school and university settings, and most recently worked on staff with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. As a trained spiritual director and certified yoga instructor, she founded a holistic wellness practice called Presence and Reverence. Katie is available to meet with directees in person or virtually, and speaks conversational Spanish.
Susan Garthwaite

Contact Sue at 847.344.9384 or smgart@comcast.net

Susan is a spiritual director, spiritual writer, prayer group leader, and retreat facilitator in the Chicago area. For many years, she was a medical physiologist and project team leader working on new medicines for cardiovascular disease. Besides her numerous scientific papers, she has published on spiritual direction in Presence and on spirituality, especially the wisdom of women mystics, in Spiritual Life. She is author of St. Hildegard: Ancient Insights for Modern Seekers. Sue did her spiritual direction training at Mt. Carmel Spiritual Centre in Niagara, Ontario, and has an M. A. in Spirituality from Loyola University Chicago. She has been doing spiritual direction in the parish for nearly 20 years. She occasionally directs the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius in everyday life and serves as a spiritual director supervisor.
Sharon Krone

Contact Sharon at 847.921.7373 or skrone@luc.edu

Sharon is in her final year for a Certificate in Spiritual Direction at the Institute for Pastoral Studies at Loyola University Chicago. She has led spiritual formation groups through guided meditation and lectio divina, and has facilitated numerous retreats over the past 10 years. She volunteers with the Ignatian Spirituality Project, a ministry to individuals exiting homelessness and addiction, facilitates their bi-weekly reflection circles in a Chicago community shelter, and helps lead their women's overnight retreats throughout the year. She has a MS degree in Community Counseling from Loyola University Chicago and a BA from Northwestern University.  She lives with her family in Wilmette.