Who We Are

Judy Backstrom has been a spiritual director for many years, is a retreat facilitator and a supervisor of peers. She is also part of the team which conducts Adelaide’s Spiritual Direction Formation Program. Judy often includes creativity, images and dreams to assist with people’s transformative journey, and has a particular interest in accompanying and supporting people ‘on the margins’. She brings a depth of life experience to her ministry and enables people to recognise their inner graces. 

(Contact: judyback51@gmail.com) 

Stephanie Brabin is a wife, mother and grandmother, a trained spiritual director, supervisor of spiritual formation students and an experienced retreat guide and a giver of the Spiritual Exercises. She has an extensive background in pastoral care support in the health care sector. Stephanie has a desire to accompany others on their spiritual journey in deepening their relationship with God and themselves. 

(Contact: stephanie.brabin@internode.on.net)

Wayne Brabin is a trained spiritual director, giver of the spiritual exercises and an experienced retreat facilitator with an extensive human resource and human development background.  He has received his training, formation and experience In the Ignatian Spirituality charism in Australia, Spain and Hong Kong during the past 25 years. His interests are in offering spiritual nourishment and leadership support to those working in education and parishes, and for individuals by offering retreats, prayer reflection options and spiritual direction.  Wayne is married with 4 adult children and 7 grandchildren.

(Contact: wayne.ignatianheart@gmail.com)

Val De Brenni a Covenant Josephite, is a trained spiritual director, giver of the Ignatian Exercises and supervisor of spiritual directors.  She is the Director of the Archdiocese of Adelaide Spiritual Directors’ Formation program.  She has extensive experience in education of both children and adults and has a special interest in the spiritual formation of teachers and leaders in Catholic schools. Val offers both themed retreats as well as silent, directed retreats and prayer/reflection days. Married to John she has two adult children and two grandsons.  

(Contact: val.debrenni@hotmail.com.au)

Judy Foster is a wife, a mother and nanny of five, and a retired primary teacher. She is a trained spiritual director and has been a member of Christian Life Community (CLC)for over 40 years. Judy seeks to find God in all things and has a love of nature and quiet moments. She has a desire to walk with others on their journey of a deepening relationship with God and themselves as they explore the deepest and most revealing of all questions, ‘Who actually am I?’ 

(Contact: judyannemac@gmail.com)

Angela Hazebroek is a giver of the Spiritual Exercises and Spiritual Direction face to face and via technology. Angela offers monthly reflections, retreats and an on-line course on the mystics. Her practice is based on the interconnectedness of all beings and our call to be co-creators with Love in an awesome evolving cosmos. Angela is married with two adult daughters and four grandchildren. 

(Contact: angelaandjack@gmail.com)

Annette Heinemann is a trained spiritual director and a giver of the full Spiritual Exercises having been formed through the Arrupe programme in Melbourne.  She has a background in health care, chaplaincy, parish ministry, and in the formation of men and women for ministry in the Adelaide Archdiocese.  Annette has a particular interest in accompanying people who are seeking God in the story of their circumstances in life particularly those who are ill or facing life changing events. 

(Contact: adhein23@icloud.com)

Anne Maloney is a trained spiritual director and giver of the First Spiritual Exercises. She has adult children and grandchildren. Along with a background in a wide range of parish ministries her interest is outreach involvement, with a desire to creatively accompany people, from all backgrounds, individually and in retreats, to seek and respond to God through the ‘extra….ordinary’ experiences of everyday life. 

(Contact: candamaloney@bigpond.com)

Chris McCabe is a mother and grandmother and a trained spiritual director. She is an experienced facilitator of reflection day and weekend experiences for women and youth group leaders. She has a background in education and experience in pastoral care in a hospital setting and also for the homeless and marginalised. She is interested in helping others explore and deepen their spiritual selves and has a passion for developing and nurturing the faith of young people. 

(Contact: chris.mccabe08@gmail.com)

Rev’d Deirdre Ragless is a trained spiritual director and an ordained Anglican priest working in the Adelaide Anglican Archdiocese. During Deirdre’s training as a nurse, the combined physical, mental, spiritual and social aspects of a patient’s wellbeing were foundational in her continuing formation in pastoral care, chaplaincy, theology and spiritual direction. Her desire is to accompany people with their varying desires with an open and caring heart. 

(Contact: d2.ragless@gmail.com)

Sr Rita Ruzzene SJBP belongs to an International religious institute known as the Pastorelle Sisters.  She is involved in Spiritual direction and has been giving the Spiritual Exercises to laity and religious, after having completed the Arrupe programme and the Siloam course at Heart of Life in Melbourne in the mid nineties.  Rita is fluent in English and in Italian. She comes from a background of Pastoral Ministry in Parishes over many years and believes in the value of being available at grass roots, within parishes-with Spiritual direction, Reflection Days, Retreats in Daily life for individuals or as a member of the Prayer Companion Group.

(Contact: srr@pastorelle.net.au)

Lesli Townsend is a trained spiritual director who assists in the Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide Spiritual Director Formation Program. She is also an artist and pastoral care worker focusing on facilitating creative art experiences for people facing loss.  Her background of raising a family and ministering in cross-cultural contexts has given her an interest in spiritual formation for people involved in cross-cultural ministry and for people living in a time of transition. Her desire is to accompany people as they seek to explore and deepen their relationship with God and learn to know themselves in the midst of life as it happens.

(Contact: lesligulubaliyato@gmail.com)

If you wish to make contact with any of our group of companions, please do so by emailing them direct on their contact emails shown above.