Fr. Ernie was born and raised on the Canadian Prairies. After several years bumming around university campus, he finally heard the Lord’s call to religious life and priesthood. He was ordained in 1978, and spent his first years of ministry at the Oblates’ seminary in Boston. In 1985, he was sent to be pastor of a multilingual and multicultural parish in Montreal.
Over these years, he was drawn deeply into the mission of retreat work and spiritual direction. In 1991, he had the opportunity for a sabbatical in spirituality at the Gregorian University in Rome. Subsequently, he undertook a six year period of formation in spiritual direction at the Ignatian Spirituality Centre of Montreal. In 2000, he was invited to become the Executive Director of that same Centre.
           Fr. Ernie’s rich experiences in Montreal, combined with a retreat given to the priests of the Archdiocese of Denver, gave rise to the dream of an Oblate Spirituality Center in Denver. This dream became a reality last Fall when he was sent to become the founder and Executive Director of the Lanteri Center. These first few months have been filled with many graces!

Fr. Greg Cleveland, O.M.V.

           Fr. Greg joins the Ignatian Center from Boston, MA, where he served the last seven years as Rector and Novice Master at Our Lady of Grace Seminary for the Oblates of the Virgin Mary. He is a native of Chicago and graduated from the U. of Illinois. After college, Fr. Greg headed in the direction of a career in business as a market manager for a Midwestern railroad. After experiencing God’s call to priesthood in 1987, he joined the Oblate seminary in Boston. He was ordained in 1995 with an M.A. in Spiritual Theology. His thesis was “The Experience of Wholeness and Integration in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius.” He was then assigned to parish work in New Jersey with a wide range of ministries to the poor, disabled and imprisoned. He obtained certification in Spiritual Direction from the Center for Spiritual Development in New York City before heading to Boston to work in seminary formation. Fr. Greg enjoys helping people to God through retreats, parish missions and individual spiritual guidance.        

Albert Starkey

           Al was born and brought up in New England where he attended a diocesan seminary for four years and received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in sociology, psychology and organizational psychology. He was an executive and an independent consultant with a practice focused on individual growth and development. As a way of deepening his work with individuals, he trained for over six years in Jungian psychology and received his certificate as a spiritual director from The Mercy Center in Colorado Springs.
           After a six month writing sabbatical on an island off the west coast of Ireland during 1999, he and his wife, Susan met a community of Carmelite hermits and entered formation with them as lay contemplatives. They subsequently lived and worked with them for 13 months at their monastery in County Sligo, Ireland where Al offered spiritual direction and days of recollection while also providing professional support to two local dioceses and a Catholic University.
           As a spiritual director, Al’s gift for deep listening and his belief in the uniqueness of each person as an expression of God, encourages people to discover the felt presence of God in their lives and to courageously follow the particular, often subtle, path on which God is leading them. Al and Susan have two grown sons, and live in Evergreen, Colorado, with their two Siberian huskies.

Bonnie Vanni

           Bonnie was born and raised on a farm in Iowa. As a registered nurse with a BSN degree, she has been helping others to heal for a long time. Though she has worked with all ages, her specialty is Pediatrics. She is married and has three grown children.  While raising her family, she continued to pursue a call to attend and graduate from the Denver Catholic Biblical School from 1996-2000, and from Stephen Ministry training in 2000-2001. She has volunteered as a mentor to single, pregnant women, and has served as a board member for Mother House, a shelter for expectant mothers. She has also felt honored to be able to travel to developing countries as a medical missionary. She has been blessed to make numerous mission trips since 2000, to regions of Asia, South East Asia, Africa and South America.
           Bonnie has been actively involved in the healing prayer ministry since 1999. From 2002-2005, she was involved both as a participant and coordinator of Formation For Healing Ministry at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Denver.   She obtained training in the ministry of spiritual direction at Our Lady of Guadelupe Abbey in Pecos, New Mexico, where she also became a Benedictine Oblate.
            Bonnie’s deep love for the Lord impels her to share the gifts she has received. She has a sincere desire for all to know and experience His mercy, compassion and healing touch.