Heart House

 Wayne-Daniel Berard, Ph.D., the Beginning Companion of Heart House, is Professor of English, Director of Spiritual Life and Chaplain of Nichols College, Dudley, MA.  He is a Peace Chaplain, an interfaith clergyperson commissioned by the Peace Abbey, Sherborn, MA. and a former Franciscan seminarian. An adopted child, his discovery as an adult of his Jewish birth-parentage led to years of on-going Torah study with Rabbi Alan Ullman’s School for Judaic Studies, Newton, MA.   His publications include the award-winning chapbook The Man Who Remembered Heaven and When Christians Were Jews (That Is, Now), subtitled, Recovering the Lost Jewishness of Christianity with St. Mark’s Gospel. Wayne-Daniel is a husband, father, grandfather, and a member of B’nai Or, a Jewish Renewal community in Newton, MA and The Emmaus Community of Bridgewater, MA.   

 Rosa M. Buffone, MA, LMHC, RMT, is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Reiki Master Teacher and Weight Management & Lifestyle Consultant. Her holistic approach to health and wellness integrates the foundational principles of psychodynamic theory, energy work, and spiritual development. Rosa is deacon of the Ecumenical Catholic Communion, soon to be ordained a priest.  She is a member of the Holy Spirit Catholic Community of Wellesley, MA.

 Christine Cassidy, MA is a psychotherapist with a focus in holistic counseling.  She is particularly interested in the use of sacred and wisdom texts in psychotherapeutic process.  In addition to her private practice, Christine works as a family therapist at a residential site for adolescents with mental illness. She is a wife and mother, and a member of St. Mary’s Parish, Mansfield, MA, the Emmaus Community, Bridgewater, MA, and B’nai Or, Newton, MA.

 Ron Ingalls is married to Sheila and has two grown daughters.  A Newton North High School English teacher for 31 years (retired) and a former Roman Catholic priest, Ron served 11 years in the Diocese of Harrisburg, PA. He is chaplain to the Holy Spirit Ecumenical Catholic Community of Wellesley, MA, member of the Emmaus Community, Bridgewater, MA, and is a CITI married priest. “Currently still studying and reading Theology, Science, and Jewish and Christian Scripture.”

 Mary Lahaj, MA is the first Muslim Chaplain at Simmons College, advisor to Groton School, and serves on the executive board of the Center for the Study of Jewish-Christian-Muslim Relations at Merrimack College.  An accomplished speaker for over 25 years, she received the “Promoting Peace Through Dialogue Award” (2005) from the Boston Dialogue Foundation. An American-born Lebanese, whose family founded the oldest mosque in New England (1964), Mary studied the history of the Middle East at Harvard in a post-graduate course and then earned a Master’s degree in Islam & Christian/Muslim Relations at the Hartford Seminary (1992).  In connection with Harvard’s Pluralism Project, she participated with other scholars in the first edition of “On Common Ground,” (1995), and a few years later, awarded an affiliate’s grant to research an American Muslim wedding.  Pioneering a new profession for women in religion, she is one of the first (if not the only) Muslim women to complete four units of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE), after being accepted into the selective Residency program at Brigham & Women’s Hospital (2008).

 Julie Leavitt, ADTR has taken her love of dance, creativity, and deep respect for people into a variety of directions. She has been a birth doula, helping deliver babies since 1989. She works as body-centered psychotherapist and body-centered spiritual director for individuals and groups. She has taught dance/movement therapy in the Lesley University Graduate School since 1988.  Julie is especially honored by the power of life cycle events. She has facilitated and created rituals such as weddings, baby namings, funerals, and led Jewish religious services with an emphasis on meaningful, personal, and embodied spirituality. In spring 2003, Julie was honored with the title, Eshet Hazon, Women of Vision, by her community, B'nai Or of Boston. Julie is the Artist-in-Residence for Lev Shomea, a training program for Jewish Spiritual Directors at Elat Chayyim Jewish Retreat Center.

 Joe McCool, Ph. D.: Having studied in Rome during Vatican II, Joe obtained a Licentiate in Sacred Theology at the Gregorian University and was ordained to the priesthood in St. Peter's in December 1965.  After leaving the canonical priesthood in January 1970, he married Mary Jane MacKinnon in August 1971.  They have two sons, one a musician/actor and the other political scientist, both of whom Joe describes as “college teachers with a spirituality that refreshes me.”  Joe graduated Boston University in May 1976 with a Doctorate in Counseling Psychology.  Licensed as a Psychologist and a Marriage and Family Therapist and Board Certified in Couples' and Family Psychology (ABPP), he has been in private practice since January 1979. Currently he is a Presider/Member of two small faith communities, Holy Spirit in Wellesley Hills and Emmaus Community in Bridgewater both of which emphasize community participation in the creation of worship.  A special interest is the confluence of biopsychosocial health and spirituality.

 John McDargh, Ph. D. is Associate Professor at Boston College, adjunct professor at BC School of Theology and Ministry, and Focus Trainer at Focusing Resources, teaching as well at the Mass. School for Professional Psychology.  His research interests include the psychological study of religious development; the integration of spirituality and psychotherapy; contemporary psychoanalytic theory and theological anthropology.  John is widely published and has won numerous awards for his work in psychology and religion.  He is a member of the Episcopal Parish of St. Paul, Newton, MA.

 Bill Milhomme, MA, is Director of Volunteer Services for the Mass. Department of Corrections.  A historian, Bill has researched and written extensively on Catholic history, as well as the history of Massachusetts and of his home town of Foxboro.  A former speaker for the Office of Spiritual Development (Boston Archdiocese), Bill is a Spiritual Care Volunteer at Caritas Hospital, Norwood, MA.

 Joe Shea, MBA: MATS, When Joe attended his first retreat with college students and heard their stories, hurts, and struggles, he knew in his heart he was seeing “a generation in need.” This and other experiences led Joe to the conviction that he was being called to minister full time to this generation. Subsequently in 1999, Joe left his career of twenty years as an Engineering Program Manager and Consultant to serve college students full time. Joe sees Jesus as the “way the truth and the life.” He seeks to follow Jesus while proclaiming “good news” in the way Jesus did, with “gentleness and respect.”   

Daniel Sheff is a physician who practices internal medicine and rheumatology, and is a graduate of A Society of Souls’ program in Kabbalistic Healing, a training in healing and spiritual awakening.  A graduate of Devennen Leadership Training Institute 2, he has become a core member of its staff as a teacher, shamess and soul-catcher, bringing many gifts to their collaborative work.  Daniel has been a lay leader of Shabbat and holiday services, and recently founded a worship community in the greater Boston area.

 Hanna B. Sherman, MD is an organizational consultant and educator who works with organizations and leaders to foster authenticity and service in work. She helps leaders integrate insights from diverse wisdom traditions with their own inner truths, leading to deeper understandings of professionalism, leadership, and organizational change.  Hanna is a member of the founding cohorts of cross-professional facilitator training with Parker Palmer and the Center for Courage and Renewal, and of the healthcare leadership institute Leading Organizations to Health.  She serves as course director on professional renewal for the American Academy on Communication in Healthcare and chairs the American Academy of Pediatrics’ special interest group on physician wellness.  Hanna’s central focus on professional identity and integrity grew out of her direct observations of burnout among professionals and leaders in the course of her work as a practicing pediatrician, medical director of the Boston Children’s Hospital’s telephone care center, and committee leader in the American Academy of Pediatrics. She makes extensive use of reflective practice to help professionals approach their work with greater insight, integration, and sustainability. In 2005 she developed a curriculum for medical students on mindfulness, self awareness, and relational capacity as part of a research study at Harvard Medical School on professional formation. She speaks and writes regularly on leadership development, professionalism, and humanism in medicine.

 LamaTsering Ngodup was born in Tibet in 1954 and lived in exile in Nepal and India  where he was educated. Since 1983, he has been living in the West teaching Buddhism and guiding meditation practices.  He has translated and interpreted for over 90 meditation masters and accomplished scholars from all schools of Tibetan Buddhist traditions (Nyingma, Gelukpa, Sakya, Kagyu).  His main linage is Karma Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. He has taught and travelled to most of the European countries, Canada and many other continents. Kunsig Shamarpa Rinpoche, one of the highest lineage holders of the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. endorsed him as LAMA, a term used to mean spiritual guide, and advised him to teach and guide in the path of Tibetan Buddhism and to share his knowledge and experiences.