Mercy Sister Maureen Conroy, known nationally and internationally for her programs and writings on spiritual direction, contemplative spirituality and the healing they bring, will share her insights at major conferences in Atlanta and St. Louis this spring and summer.

At the Spiritual Directors International conference “Cultivating Compassion,” in Atlanta April 28 – May 1, she  will offer a workshop entitled “Love is the Greatest Healer! The Healing Power of Contemplative Presence.”

At the Ignatian Spirituality Conference, July 24 – 17 at St. Louis University, Sister Maureen, author of the highly regarded book on Ignatian Spirituality entitled “The Discerning Heart: Discovering a Personal God,” will speak on the meaning of “contemplative presence.”

Much in demand as a presenter around the country, Ireland and Australia, Sister Maureen said the upcoming conferences present key opportunities to reach those seeking to deeper their prayer life.

“They will definitely benefit people who want to grow in their prayer life by entering into spiritual exercises in their daily life,” said Sister Maureen who is probably best known in our area as one of three co-directors of the diocesan Upper Room Spiritual Center.

Sister Maureen has educated spiritual directors for many years in pathways that will help them lead people into a closer relationship with God. Over the years, she has created and offered programs focused on helping people experience the loving nature of God, often by way of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, completed in 150 and constructed out of the saint’s own growing relationship with God.

In a recent telephone interview, she attributes the wide ranging invitations she receives to universities and spiritual centers to the fact that the Upper Room is “seen internationally as a hub for spiritual direction and spiritual directors.

“We were one of the first to offer training programs,” she said. “Through the years, people have gotten to know my teaching, writing and spiritual direction skills,” said Sister Maureen, who is the author of a number of books on spirituality and spiritual direction including the groundbreaking, “Looking Into the Well: Supervision for Spiritual Directors.”

“This was the first book written on the topic of spiritual directors and is used in many educational programs throughout the world,” said Sister Maureen.

She is working on a new book – “Love is the Greatest Healer” – which will focus on her ongoing exploration into the role spiritual care and nourishment can play in healing. Both of her upcoming presentations will address this topic, she said.

With scientific studies supporting the concept of the healing power of love, Sister Maureen said she will focus on the ways in which a “caring, contemplative presence” can foster deep transformation in the body, mind and heart.

Sister Maureen, who holds a master of divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and a doctor of ministry degree from St. Mary’s University, Baltimore, said both conferences are expected to draw significant turnout.

At the St. Louis conference, between 400 and 600 people are expected from all over the world. The Spiritual Directors International Conference in Atlanta,  is expected to draw about 700 persons.

The number of participants, she said, reflects the fact that “definitely people are looking for a spiritual base for their (lives) and they are seeking out places where they can find that kind of deeper connection with God.”

She theorized that the growing interest is a result of the fact that today “people live such external lives where they feel unconnected. They are looking for the groundedness that can be found in the loving presence of God.

“There is so much pain in people’s lives and spiritual direction is a wonderful ministry that specifically helps people find God in the sufferings and joys of their lives,” she said. “It’s not just like going for therapy it’s bringing in the added dimension of god’s compassionate presence to deepen the healing presence.”

For more information on The Upper Room Spiritual Center, call at 732-922-0550 or visit www.theupper-room.org

For information on the Spiritual Directors International Conference in Atlanta, go to info.sdiworld.org

For information on the Ignatian Spirituality Conference in St. Louis, go to http://www.slu.edu/x37913.xml