Joyce Rupp, O.S.M., international speaker and retreat director, describes herself as a “spiritual mid-wife.” Her ministry includes writing, national and international speaking, and companioning others as a spiritual guide. Joyce is co-director of The Institute of Compassionate Presence and teaches conferences on the topic of compassion. She is the author of over twenty popular books on such topics as loss and grief, midlife, a memoir about her 450-mile walk across Spain, and several books of poetry, including her latest: My Soul Feels Lean: Poems of Loss and Restoration.
Joyce is a transpersonal psychologist, a member of the religious community Servants of Mary, and has been a volunteer for Hospice. She currently mentors a young girl at the Children and Family Urban Movement. Joyce resides in Des Moines, Iowa.
David A. Kelly, C.PP.S. is Catholic priest of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood. He has worked for Kolbe House at Assumption, a parish-based jail ministry of the Archdiocese of Chicago, since 1985. For more than thirty years he has worked as a chaplain in Cook County Jail and Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center. He has had experience working in jails/prisons in Ohio and Florida.
In 2000 David Kelly, along with other members of his religious congregation, began the Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation (PBMR) as a safe place for those who have been impacted by violence and conflict. The Precious Blood Center of Reconciliation reaches out to the one who has been harmed, the one who has done harm and the community. PBMR also strives to be a resource to other groups and communities who seek reconciliation. David Kelly is also active in Peacemaking Circle training.
David Kelly received his B.S. in Bio-Chemistry from St. Joseph’s College and a Master of Divinity, a Master of Arts in Cross Cultural Studies and a Doctor of Ministry (D.Min) from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. His doctoral thesis is entitled: “Responding to Violence among Urban Youth: a Restorative Approach.”
He has been trained and certified as a mediator from DePaul University and has received training in the restorative practice of Peacemaking Circles. He has published articles and spoken on reconciliation, restorative justice and jail/detention ministry.
