Welcome Our New Executive Director

Exciting changes are happening at the Spiritual Life Center! As you know, our programs have been growing in leaps and bounds. Our collaboration with Hartford International University is expanding and contributing in positive ways to that growth. Oscar has been very attuned to this process and last February, the Board of Directors announced that he would like to relinquish his responsibilities as Executive Director so that he can concentrate fully on programming, as well as deepen his prayer life and spend more time in spiritual practices. Oscar has led this organization with a profound sense of stability, and gentle, sure guidance that has strengthened us in many ways. We are grateful that he will remain an integral part of the Center in his new role as Program Leader.

Since that announcement, the Board and a Search Committee have been prayerfully interviewing candidates for the new role of Executive Leader, to manage the administrative aspects of the Spiritual Life Center: fundraising, communications, and financial/budget to name a few. We are very pleased to announce that Nanc Benben has accepted that position! Her first “official” day with be August 1st. 

Many of you are familiar with Nanc – she has been a vital part of the Spiritual Life Center for over ten years as a student, internship teacher, and supervisor. About six years ago, Nancy also led the Discernment Committee, helping to guide the community through a year-long process of deep listening, to consider what SLC was being called to on the next phase of its journey. This was a Spirit-led, community process that provided key pillars of the foundation on which we stand today. You can hear about Nanc in an excerpt of a video Meet Nanc produced by Courtney Canfijn. You will also get a chance to meet with her in the fall as we embark on a series of Community Conversations. Stay tuned!

The Board of Directors would like to thank the Search Committee, Pamela Morrison-Wolf, Marianne Policastro, Steve Thibeau, Lisa Hudkins, Andree Grafstein, Dorothy Goulart, and Nancy Janiszewski for all their hard work in this process – we know it wasn’t easy. We are deeply grateful.

This is an exciting time for the Spiritual Life Center. We are about to celebrate our 40^th anniversary –a major milestone. Our gathering on September 11^th, from 2:00-5:00 in the main dining room of Holy Family, will be a time of looking back and celebrating all we have been and exploring the possibilities to come. Spirit has been guiding us all these years and will continue to guide us as we embark on this new phase of our community’s journey.
 
We look forward to welcoming Nanc to her new role on August 1. In the meantime, please contact us if you have any questions or thoughts you would like to share. You can reach us at the following email addresses:
[email protected]  [email protected] or [email protected]

Blessings to all!