Meet the Soul Play Team

““Because the Adventures in Grace Pilgrimage is so strongly led by dedicated, passionate and innovative laity I am so proud to be a part of this enterprise that is the best example of the priestly people of God acting priestly that I have ever experienced.””

— Fr. Terry Keehan, Pastor of Holy Family Catholic Community

Laura Field

Laura is a spiritual director, retreat leader, and associate with the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She also is the founder, president, chief communications officer and resident janitor for Home Field Advantage, a “very small” freelance business since 2001.

Laura helped established spiritual direction ministries at Old St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, St. Benedict’s Catholic Church and Divine Word Missionaries.

Since falling in love with Ignatian Spirituality, she regularly offers the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius for people desiring a more intimate relationship with God. Now, she also enjoys combining ministry with her professional work and is offering experiential practices for corporate clients interested in supporting and engaging their employees. Laura earned a BA in Journalism and Economics from Indiana University in 1984 and a Master’s in Spirituality at Loyola University Chicago in 2011.

“Spiritual Companionship … is a gift that we 'think' we give ourselves only to discover it’s our soul’s response to God’s insistent love. Spiritual Direction provides time for deep conversation about 'God Moments' and focused attention on hearing, seeing and feeling God’s grace more often and more explicitly."

Mary Kelly

mary 2.jpg — Retreat Leader,
Spiritual Director

Mary Kelly has a passion for searching for the spirit in the many transitions of life. She has navigated the journey of professional and personal change throughout her life, with a fascination for the soul experience. Mary is currently an Assistant Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences at National Louis University. She is a Spiritual Director and Retreat creator and leader. Her graduate work includes degrees in both Psychology (National Louis University) and Spiritual Studies (Loyola University) and she continues to travel and learn from the likes of Richard Rohr and Parker Palmer. Dr Terry Nelson-Johnson has been her mentor for years and she is delighted to be a part of Soul-Play.

"I believe that Spiritual Companionship … Invites us to explore who we REALLY are…to recognize and embrace the Divine energy that flows through us and connects us to All That Is. It allows us to learn to trust our inner voice and wisdom…to heal ourselves."

Some of Mary’s Retreat topics:

The Journey Retreat for adults on the journey living into a spirituality, fed and informed by trusted voices on the outside while learning to trust more fully their own inner wisdom

Joshua Minden

Speaker,
Content Development, Media Production

Joshua comes to Soul Play bringing his passions for digital media, content creation, and communications to support our media, parish renewal, and hybrid-virtual retreat programs.

As a public speaker, Joshua draws on years of service in Youth and Young Adult Ministry and a deep grounding in Franciscan Spirituality to offer presentations that resonate with audiences of all ages.

dr. terry nelson-johnson

Street Theologian, Educator, Storyteller

Founder of Soul Play

Terry’s art is the written and spoken word. His passion for narrative theology expresses the yearning of 2,000 years to connect our life stories with The Story of the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Through storytelling, poetry, and humor, Terry challenges us to enter more deeply into the mystery of grace, the mystery of spirit, the mystery of God.

Author and leader of the acclaimed Beloved retreat, Dr. Nelson-Johnson works with parents, teachers, pastoral staff and members of faith communities across the country to design and conduct formation programs that encourage, affirm, and inspire. A prolific writer, his reflections and essays have been widely published in local and national publications.

Dr. Nelson-Johnson served on the faculty of the Loyola Academy Jesuit High School for eighteen years and is Founder and Executive Director of Soul-Play, LLC, an experiential, theological, educational enterprise serving congregations, families, schools, and adult retreats. He is Resident Theologian and Animator of Faith at Old St. Patrick’s Church, holds a master’s degree from the Institute of Pastoral Studies, Loyola University; and a Doctorate of Ministry from the University of St. Mary of the Lake. He and his wife Holly are the parents of two children, Ian and Clare.

Mike O'Gara

Mike provides narrative-based experiential offerings with spiritual and theological foundations for congregations, families, schools, and adults through True Self LLC. Significant focus areas for Mike have been Faith and Leadership, Vulnerability, and Reconciliation.

Dan Quinn

Dan supports Soul Play’s live and virtual events as Producer and Technical Director. Dan was critical in transitioning to virtual presentations and retreats during the pandemic and beyond.

Dan also leads the technical team for ongoing virtual Beloved Retreats.