Academics

All of my professional life has been focused on spiritual formation, theology, spiritual direction, and making Christian spiritual classics "usable" for contemporary spirituality. My formal theological education has included a master's degree in Catholic theology from Marquette, Ph.D. in World Religion (majoring in Christianity) from Columbia University/Union Theological Seminary (New York City), post-doctoral studies in Christian Spirituality-Spiritual Direction at the Graduate Theological Union (Berkeley, CA) and Jewish Studies at Jewish Theological Seminary (New York City).

 

I began as a spiritual director in 1975 while I was on the faculty of the major seminary for the Archdiocese of San Francisco (St. Patrick's Seminary) and part of the spiritual direction staff of the Institute for Spirituality and Worship of the Jesuit School of Theology (Berkeley, CA). I have taught at Neumann College for more than 25 years and during this time also was adjunct faculty at The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC and at St. John's Graduate School of Theology in Collegeville, MN. I am also an Associate of the Monroe, Michigan branch of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

 

I was part of the founding faculty of the Neumann College graduate program in pastoral counseling and spiritual direction. In 2005 I was president of the International Society for the Study of Christian Spirituality. My teaching has flowed into my writing, for example Spirituality and Personal Maturity (1989 and 1996), Women's Spirituality: Resources for Christian Development (1986 and 2nd ed. 1996).

I have been part of the Neumann Community since 1990 when I assisted in the creation and design of Neumann's spiritual direction program. As associate professor of spirituality and religious studies, I teach in the pastoral counseling and spiritual direction tracks. Courses I have taught are: Theory and Practice of Spiritual Direction I & II, Theological Foundations, Discernment and Developmental Models of Spiritual Growth. I also coordinate the spiritual direction practicum and oversee the student program for the certificate of advanced study in spiritual direction supervision.

 

My educational background includes a B.A. in theology from Immaculata College, an M.A. in religious studies from Villanova University, a diploma in theological studies from Regis College, the Jesuit dimension of the Toronto School of Theology, and a Ph. D. in religion from Temple University.

 

My current areas of scholarly interest are Spirituality of Clare of Assisi, the establishment of the Poor Clares in America, and the contemporary practice of spiritual direction.

Rev. Wallace Fletcher, Jr.
Adjunct Faculty, Pastoral Studies
B.A., Sterling College
M.A., Union Theological Seminary
M. Div., Princeton Theological Seminary
D. Min., Lutheran Theological Seminary
610-828-2270
dialoguecenter@comcast.net

Rev. Wally Fletcher, D.Min., is Executive Director of The Dialogue Center for Counseling and Consulting in Plymouth Meeting, PA. He has extensive training and experience as a therapist, consultant, educator and non-profit executive. He has taught Group Dynamics, Spirituality of Organization and other courses in Pastoral Counseling at Neumann College for ten years. He is an ordained Presbyterian clergyman and served as pastor of a small rural congregation before entering specialized ministry. He is a board certified psychoanalyst as well as a Fellow in the American Association of Pastoral Counselors. He is also a member of The International Society for the Psychoanalytic Study of Organizations. He has published an article on "Group and Group Dynamics" for the second volume of The Encyclopedia of Christianity and is a regular contributor on pastoral themes for Lectionary Homiletics, a national journal for preachers.

James A. Houck
Assistant Professor, Pastoral Studies
B.A. Messiah College
M. Div., Asbury Theological Seminary
M.S., Loyola College, MD
Ph.D., Loyola College, MD
610-358-4227
HOUCKJ@neumann.edu

Jim Houck earned his Ph.D. in pastoral counseling from Loyola College in Maryland. He currently serves as an assistant professor of pastoral studies and clinical coordinator for the department. In addition to having provided pastoral leadership in various settings, Dr. Houck is also a licensed professional counselor in Pennsylvania, and holds professional memberships in the National Board for Certified Counselors, the American Counseling Association, and the International Association for Near Death Experiences. His research interests include grief and bereavement, trauma, spiritual and religious coping, after death communication and near death experiences.

 

"For me, the field of pastoral counseling is an on going professional and personal integration of clinical psychology with pastoral, theological and spiritual issues. Students come to understand that it is within this integration that we are being transformed by God's grace working in and through us as pastoral counselors."

Sr. Suzanne Mayer, I.H.M.
Associate Professor, Pastoral Studies
B.A., Immaculata College
M.S., Villanova University
M.S., Neumann College
Ph.D., Loyola College, MD
(610)-361-2292
mayers@neumann.edu

Sister Suzanne Mayer, a Sister of the Immaculate Heart, has a long-standing history with Neumann College. She graduated from the pastoral counseling program in 1990 and then went on for her doctorate in pastoral counseling from Loyola College in Maryland. Having taught eight years as an adjunct in the pastoral care and counseling program, she moved into position as a full-time professor five years ago. Sister has also taught graduate and undergraduate courses at Immaculata University and St. Charles Borremeo Seminary. She has and still serves on dissertation committees at Immaculata and Loyola in Maryland.

All this is the most recent in Sister's career in education, beginning as a lay teacher in the primary grades and moving up through elementary and secondary education. Currently, along with her teaching and advising, Sister has a small pastoral counseling practice, consults with and for various groups of women religious, and gives lectures, retreats and days of recollection and is published in areas such as development and growth, women's roles and issues, the integration of spirituality and psychology and formation for religious growth.