Our Facilitators

Spirit River Community is excited to introduce you to gifted retreat and workshop facilitators, listed below in alphabetical order. Visit this page often to see who will be offering classes in the coming months - this page will be updated on a regular basis.

Kathy Berken, M.A. in Theology

Kathy is an experienced retreat leader, spiritual director, monthly book study facilitator for the Growing in Wisdom: Seeking Deeper Generativity program since 2021, and a graduate of the Forest Dwelling: Spirituality for Our Wisdom Years program at the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas. Kathy also writes monthly columns on spirituality for an Iowa Catholic newspaper. Past life experiences include being a house coordinator for the L’Arche community in Iowa, writing the memoir Walking on a Rolling Deck: Life on the Ark, and being a math teacher. She has two grown children and four grandchildren. A two-time breast cancer survivor, Kathy enjoys learning anything about most everything, riding her bike in the woods, and spending time with family and friends. You can contact Kathy at kathyberken@gmail.com

Sr. Mary Coswin OSB

Mary Coswin OSB grew up in Winnipeg, and has been a Benedictine Sister and member of the Monastery in Winnipeg since 1965. She has enjoyed time teaching junior and senior high school, counseling adolescents, offering youth retreats and spiritual direction to adult seekers as well as training new directors. For a stint of five wonderful years Mary worked in spiritual direction and retreats at Providence Renewal Centre in Edmonton and was a ‘house mother’ for Diakonos House, a residence for first responders who needed a time out. Her most recent ministry was as Director of her community’s Retreat Centre for 23 years; she was blessed with opportunities to welcome and gather people to a safe place for learning, rest and finding meaning in their lives. Currently she engages with Benedictine Oblates of her community, an association of women and men who desire to live Benedictine Spirituality in their daily lives. In her spare time, Mary reads, takes photos, dabbles in card-making, and keeping up with friends over a walk, a drink or a meal.

Kalyn Falk, M.A.

Kalyn Falk, M.A. is the Director of Shekinah: Centre for Deep Listening and the author of I Am Here: Six Postures of Prayer. She began her ministry 30 years ago as the Director of Celebration Company (now called Genesis Studio), a Christian Dance company in Winnipeg, MB. Her love of dance and choreography has led her to a deep appreciation of a robust, embodied spirituality. Kalyn has been honoured to accompany people in spiritual direction and retreats for over 20 years. A graduate of the Prairie Jubilee Spiritual Direction program (2002), she co-directed the Shekinah Formation Program through St. Benedict’s Monastery for two cycles alongside Sr. Mary Coswin, OSB and directed another cycle on her own from 2021-2023. She is consistently delighted by the way God shows up in spiritual direction sessions and is attentive to the skills involved in creating a safe space for people to let down their guard and encounter the Holy. Known as a warm and engaging facilitator, Kalyn also teaches at Canadian Mennonite University in the area of Conflict Resolution Studies, trains with Mediation Services, and is currently studying for her Masters in Psychotherapy and Spirituality. Kalyn lives in Winnipeg with her partner, David.

You can learn more about Kalyn at www.kalynfalk.com

Sr. Teresita Kambeitz OSU

Sister Teresita Kambeitz is a religious educator who teaches in adult faith enrichment programs, writes for the Catholic Missions in Canada magazine and conducts retreats throughout the province and beyond. Her vocation as teacher has been carried out in Swift Current, in Saskatoon at Holy Cross High School and St. Thomas More College, and in Edmonton at Newman Theological College, as well as overseas in summer courses for teachers in the British Virgin Islands, Barbados, Venezuela, Latvia and South Africa. An Ursuline of Prelate, she holds two bachelors’ degrees, two masters’ degrees, a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto and a degree in piano. She grew up in Richmound, Saskatchewan, in the south-west corner of the province, in a family of two parents, four sisters and four brothers. There are twelve teachers in her family.

Fr. Ron Rolheiser OMI

Ron Rolheiser, OMI is a Roman Catholic priest, member of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, and served as president of Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas for fifteen years before retiring in September 2020. Fr. Ron is a theologian, professor, and award-winning author. He holds Bachelor’s degrees from the University of Ottawa and Newman Theological College Edmonton and Master’s degrees from the University of San Francisco and the University of Louvain, Belgium along with a PhD/STD from the University of Louvain. Specializations: systematic theology, philosophy, Augustine mysticism, and spirituality. Apart from his academic knowledge in systematic theology and philosophy, he has become a popular speaker in contemporary spirituality religion, and the secular world. He writes a weekly column that is carried in over 70 newspapers around the world and has published 17 books. You can learn more about Fr. Ron - and read his past and current weekly columns - at www.ronrolheiser.com

Rev. Dr. Don Schweitzer

Don Schweitzer is an ordained minister in The United Church of Canada. Born in Montreal and raised in Kingston, Ontario, he has lived in Saskatchewan for over thirty years. He has a Ph.D. in systematic theology from Princeton Theological Seminary. He has been teaching and writing about Jesus as a member of the faculty of St. Andrew’s College, Saskatoon, for twenty-three years. During this time he has also lectured and taught about Jesus at the Han Shin School of Religion in Seoul, Korea, and at Bishop’s College, United Theological College, and Kerala United Theology Seminary, in India. His publications include three books and a number of articles on Christology. You can contact Don at don.schweitzer@saskatoontheologicalunion.ca