Faculty
Over the course of Stillpoint’s two-year program, interns will be introduced to and work with a breadth of experienced spiritual directors.
NATALIE LARKIN (Year 1)
Natalie completed the Stillpoint program in 2003, when it was called Centerpoint, and has found such joy being a spiritual director ever since. She has been on staff at least 15 years, and is a Deacon with the ELCA (Lutheran Church). Recently retired from teaching special education/at-risk high school students, she is enjoying the space of reading, writing, and creating art. She and her shepherd mix, Lacey, visited assisted living facilities and libraries doing pet therapy before COVID hit. She has engaged in sacred dance and retreat ministry. Natalie is a real nature lover, especially the ocean where she lived for a number of years.
VEL ROMAN (Year 1)
Vel worked in Social Services for 43 years before retiring last year. Vel is a graduate of Stillpoint Spiritual Direction and Stillpoint Group Spiritual Direction Programs. Vel is a graduate of Compassion Based Soul Care: Internal Family Systems as a Model for Spiritual Companions. She is a Certified Veriditas Labyrinth Facilitator and a Certified Trainer in Capacitar practices of Healing and Trauma Recovery, including collective and intergenerational trauma. Vel is a Spiritual Director at the Mary and Joseph Retreat Center in Palos Verdes and has co-facilitated retreats there. Vel enjoys yoga, body prayer, poetry and travel. Vel is active in anti-racism work, particularly within spiritual/religious circles.
RICK SFORZA (Year 1)
Rick is a spiritual director and graduate of Stillpoint's The Art of Spiritual Direction and graduate of Compassion-Based Soul Care: Internal Family Systems as a Model for Spiritual Companions. He worked as a photojournalist for 31 years. During that time, he discovered deeply listening to a subject would help put them at ease and yield better photos supporting his driving philosophy of photography, "every person, place, and thing will reveal the essence of who they are in a single moment." Rick spent 24 years as a military photographer, where he was the mental health coordinator for Airmen returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Here, he realized the potential for healing by listening to those searching for a connection with the divine. He is actively involved with Stillpoint alum Suzanne Edwards-Acton's online affinity group "My Work To Do." The group is designed to "help white people build stamina for discussing racism, systemic injustice, racial healing, reconciliation, and justice in their everyday lives." He practices yoga, and photography, enjoys nature, a good road trip, and plays guitar… "rather badly."
KAREN BASQUEZ (Year 2)
Karen is a retired special education teacher and spiritual director. She serves on both the California and Ghost Ranch faculty of Stillpoint. Karen is also a facilitator and trainer for the Samaritan Woman Retreat that consists of nine meditations based on the Samaritan woman’s encounter with Jesus at the well in John’s gospel. Each meditation is meant to lead you progressively through this story at many levels that will be personal to you. Through this retreat, Karen helps others experience a taste of this process through the use of meditations founded within Biblical, Benedictine, Ignatian and 12-Step spirituality and Jungian psychology.
PETER HULIT (Year 2)
Peter is a lifelong seeker and late-life Episcopalian. He believes we are relational beings in a connected, evolving, non-dualistic world. Finding kindred spirits in gay liberation of the 70s; the epidemic of 80’s; New Age and ashrams in the 90’s; Men’s and Bodywork in the 00’ and settling into Stillpoint and bereavement work in the teens. God appears in many faces and places. Peter currently serves in the Welcome Ministry at All Saints Pasadena. He works with the Beyond Loss Bereavement Program at Glendale Adventist and facilitates online bereavement and care-givers support groups at All Saints Beverly Hills. Peter is involved with programs at Stillpoint and mentors with the ASD1 program. He has a private spiritual direction practice and lives in El Sereno with a husband and a cat.
RAVI VERMA (Year 2)
Ravi is a spiritual director and has worked professionally with churches and lay leaders for over 25 years. Ravi’s passion is to work with individuals and groups to build bridges between parts of ourselves, with others and the cosmos based on our connection to the Divine. Ravi, born in India, now teaches at Stillpoint, and works with corporations, retreat centers, and non-profits on issues of spiritual development. Ravi is a current member of the coordinating Council of Spiritual Directors International, the first global learning network of spiritual directors in history.