Spiritual Direction – Ignatius House Jesuit Retreat Center

404.255.0503retreats@ignatiushouse.orgMonday – Friday 9am – 5pm

Spiritual Direction

Guidance for Deep Listening

Spiritual Direction is conversation with a spiritual companion. A Spiritual Director is not a therapist, but a person who listens and may be able to offer observations about your relationship with God, understanding of God, or how the Holy Spirit may be working in your life. St. Ignatius of Loyola understood the role of a spiritual director as one who helps another grow in relationship with God by listening, offering, and then getting out of the way. Ignatius House honors this commitment.

While On Retreat

During a retreat, you may have the option to meet privately with any of these individuals for a spiritual conversation. If on a silent retreat, this is a permitted time to speak with someone about the burning questions on your mind or stirrings of your soul. Participation is optional and included in the cost of your retreat. Your retreat director will offer instruction about how to sign up and where to meet.

Executive Director

Maria G. Cressler, MTS, is the Executive Director of Ignatius House Jesuit Retreat Center and has served in this role since September 2009. She received a B.A. in Sociology from Georgia State University and a Master of Theological Studies and Certificate in Spiritual Direction from Spring Hill College. Her heart for Ignatian Spirituality has broadened...…

Fr. Jim Fleming, SJ

Director of Mission Outreach

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Retreat Director

Rev. Bill Noe, SJ, the youngest of eight brothers, is a native of Racine, Wis. Before entering the Society of Jesus in 2003, Fr. Bill lived in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area for several years, where he worked as an electrical engineer. Fr. Bill has enjoyed long associations with St. Anselm’s Abbey, a Benedictine monastery,...…

Retreat Director

Andy Otto, MA, is the director of Adult Faith Formation at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Decatur, Ga., a Jesuit parish. He also is a retreat director and spiritual director at Ignatius House. He holds an M.A. in Theology and Ministry from Boston College. Originally from Boston, Andy spent nearly three years as a...…

Retreat and Program Director

Sarah Otto, M.Div., is a Jesuit-trained retreat director and spiritual director who completed her Master of Divinity at Boston College. She studied theology as both an undergrad and graduate student. Her passion has focused on the intersection of faith and justice, which led her to study in El Salvador. Sarah spent a year in the Jesuit...…

Kay Satterfield

Retreat Director

Kay Satterfield, MA, is a Jesuit-trained retreat director and spiritual director on the pastoral staff of Ignatius House. She holds a Masters in Pastoral Care from Fordham University and a Certification in Spiritual Direction from the Spiritual Renewal Center in Syracuse, NY. An Atlanta native, Kay also holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the...…

Apart from Retreat

Schedule time outside of retreat for monthly spiritual direction with any of these directors from our affiliated network. Meetings may occur at Ignatius House or at another location that is convenient for you. All Spiritual Directors are trained in Ignatian Spirituality and may hold certification or licensure in additional fields such as law, behavioral health, mindfulness, or social work among others.

There typically is a cost to support the time of your Spiritual Director. Please consult the individual about what might be appropriate. Some may suggest a voluntary offering of $20-100 per session to Ignatius House, St. Thomas More Catholic Church, or another charity. Others may request a fee paid directly to them. No one is ever turned away due to lack of funds.

Let us help you select the right individual for your goals.

For assistance selecting the best director for your goals, contact Kay Satterfiled or call 404.255.0503.

Margaret (Meg) Albertini is new to Georgia having recently moved from Long Island, N.Y. She is a wife, mother, and grandmother. Her personal spiritual journey has led her on many wonderful and life changing adventures throughout the years. She was awarded a Master of Theological Studies from Augustine Institute, a Bachelor of Arts in Family...…

Susan Arcaro, r.c.

Sister Susan Arcaro, r.c. shares the Mission of the Cenacle Sisters with adults at Ignatius House and in parishes of the Archdiocese of Atlanta as a spiritual director, retreat director, educator and facilitator of faith enrichment programs. She serves as an adjunct lecturer in Spring Hill College’s Certificate in Spiritual Direction program, a two-year program for women...…

Michele Berrell

Michele Berrell is a theology teacher at St. Pius X Catholic High School in Atlanta, Ga. and has been at there since 2002. She teaches the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament. Michle received a B.S. in Education from Georgia State University, and a Masters of Theological Studies and Certificate in Spiritual Direction from Spring...…

Catherine Crosby

Catherine Crosby is a spiritual director/companion, retreat leader, and registered yoga instructor with a lifelong interest in body, mind, and soul connection, bringing all of our God-given selves into whole and holy integration. After almost 30 years in Atlanta, Cathy moved to Greensboro, GA, where she continues to offer spiritual direction, teach yoga, and serve...…

After a health scare in 2018 that demanded a radical shift in her lifestyle, including doctor-prescribed meditation and yoga to calm the effects of chronic accumulated stress and reconnect her with an overworked, ignored mind and body, Kimi found herself diving back into the prayerful practice that once profoundly connected her to God. Within five...…

Bob Fitzgerald served as executive director of Ignatius House from 2002-09, following a distinguished career in corporate law. His stewardship of the Atlanta Jesuit Community and Catholic causes has included establishment of Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit High School, the expansion of Mercy Care in Atlanta, and more.…

Brad Hamrlik has served as a spiritual director since 2004 while earning his Certificate in Spiritual Direction at Loyola University in Chicago as a Jesuit in formation. He made the 30-day Silent Retreat form of the Spiritual Exercises and has led others through the 19th Annotation Retreat in Everyday Life form. Brad has served Ignatius...…

Suzie Hawkins is a wife and mother of four. She holds a B.Ed. and a M.Ed. from the University of Georgia. Additionally, she has a Masters degree in Christian Spirituality and a certificate in Spiritual Direction from Loyola University Chicago. Suzie attends St. Michael Catholic Church in Gainesville where she meets with directees both in-person...…

Kathy Hoffman began her vocation as a high school teacher, and after taking a 20-year break from classroom teaching to raise three sons, she sensed a call to return to the profession she loves. In the time away, her passion for teaching and her love of the scriptures found expression in ministry as a lector...…

Rizza Bella Hohenstern

Rizza Bella Hohenstern has a Certificate of Spiritual Direction and Masters of Pastoral Studies from Spring Hill College. Her family immigrated to Milledgeville, GA where she grew up in a traditional Filipino home. A “cradle Catholic,” she first encountered spiritual direction through her own discernment journey in her mid-20s. Because of spiritual direction, Rizza Bella’s...…

Maureen Ingalls

Maureen and her husband, Bob, have 6 adult children and 12 beautiful grandchildren. As a stay-at-home mom raising her young children, Maureen embraced the spirituality of “the little way,” recognizing the holy in the “ordinary”. In 1998 she returned to school, receiving a Masters in Theological Studies from Spring Hill College in 2001 and a...…

Mary Maio, MTS, CSD, graduated from Spring Hill Jesuit College in 2019 with a Master of Pastoral Studies and Certificate in Spiritual Direction. In 2022 she earned certification as an Enneagram Coach under the guidance of Ginger Lapid-Bogda, PhD. In Mary’s private practice, she accompanies others through the Spiritual Exercises, leads group spiritual direction, and...…

Paula Whatley Matabane

Paula Whatley Matabane is a spiritual director and ordained itinerant elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME). She is minister of prayer and visitation, and coordinator of church archives at Turner Monumental AME in Atlanta. She researched and wrote an expansive history of that church. Paula’s experiences in ministry include teaching and preaching, evangelism...…

Julia Maloney is a native of Georgia. She has been a Registered Nurse for 37 years and currently works with Impaired Professionals who are in recovery. Julia is a graduate of Kennesaw State University with her Nursing Degree and Spring Hill College with a certificate in Spiritual Direction. As a Lay Cistercian from The Monastery...…

Carl McColman is a contemplative writer, retreat director, and spiritual teacher. His books include The Big Book of Christian Mysticism, Answering the Contemplative Call, Befriending Silence, and Unteachable Lessons. He blogs about the spiritual life at carlmccolman.com and co-hosts the Encountering Silence podcast. Carl and his wife Fran co-direct the RCIA program at St. Thomas More Church in Decatur. Carl is a life-professed Lay Cistercian...…

Marian Monahan is a spiritual director, retreat facilitator, and religious educator. She holds a certificate in pastoral studies from Loyola University, New Orleans (LIMEX) and a certificate in spiritual direction from the Ruah program (2002). She earned her B.A. in religious studies and has been trained as a professional life coach through CTI, Coaches Training...…

Frank Mulcahy has a Certificate in Spiritual Direction and a Masters in Theological Studies from Spring Hill College, Mobile, Ala. Much of his spiritual formation has been in the Ignatian tradition but he is also very familiar with Cistercian / Benedictine spirituality. Frank provides spiritual direction to a number of individuals and has given 5-...…

Lisa Persons graduated from Candler School of Theology with a Master of Divinity in 1996 and then worked as a hospice chaplain and with the mentally ill in downtown Atlanta. An associate of Green Bough House of Prayer since 1996, she delights in companioning others as they seek to deepen their experience of the Holy...…

John Schwenkler

John and his wife Alice-Marie moved to Decatur from Virginia in 2019. He trained as a spiritual director in a two-year program called Ruah at Richmond Hill, an ecumenical monastery in Richmond, Va. He was a member of the faculty for the following six years, leading retreats on discernment, spiritual growth, and handling shame. John’s...…

Alison Umminger Mattison

Alison Umminger Mattison is a writer, professor, wife, mom, and ecumenical Catholic whose mid-life spiritual crisis led to her vocation as a spiritual director. She loves the arts, and works individually and in retreats to bring imaginative meditation, collage, photography, and other artistic media into the faith lives of her directees. God’s creative energy, shared...…

Bev Sauer

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Jackie Sullivan

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Begin Your Silent Getaway

Let us help you choose the right retreat experience.

Staff can assist with choosing the right retreat, understanding what to expect, making payment arrangements or other questions you may have. We look forward to welcoming you.

404.255.0503

Contact us

retreats@ignatiushouse.org

Monday - Friday: 9 am - 5 pm