My greatest formation has been in relationship and originates in my family. I come from a devout Filipinx Catholic family, where Marian devotion and attention to the whole community of saints was part of our daily rhythm. My family immigrated in the time of the Marcos, Sr. dictatorship and the People Power resistance. I am grateful to be formed by a lineage where prayer is a part of resistance that is acted on tangibly.

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Formally, much of my education, training, and spiritual community has been in the Ignatian (Jesuit) tradition, including the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises. I also wrestle with the colonial history of the Catholic Church and Jesuits in particular, negotiating a history of liberationist teaching and radical resistance (even against the Church itself) alongside the ongoing injustices and Eurocentric culture of a lot of the Church and Jesuit tradition. I believe the beauty, the lament, and the ongoing wrestling are critical and formative parts of my own spiritual identity.

 

I have a Master of Arts in Theology & Culture from The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology, a non-denominational Christian, independent graduate school that emphasizes learning in relationship and trains practitioners to explore narrative, trauma, and identity. This included Clinical Pastoral Education as a chaplain in a Veterans Affairs hospital and a major regional hospital.

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Beyond formalized spiritual care, my professional work has included direct service with people experiencing and exiting homelessness, faith-based community organizing, dialogue facilitation, and a short stint in arts and culture journalism. I currently work in training workplaces around grief readiness. These experiences have all solidified my conviction that change work happens in collaborative community and requires a keen practice of deep listening to ourselves and others.