Mayslake Ministries
450 East 22nd Street, Suite 170
Lombard, IL 60148
email: info@mayslakeministries.org
phone: 630-268-9000
Staff | Board of Directors | Directions
About Mayslake Ministries
Formerly known as the St. Francis Retreat House in Oak Brook, Illinois, Mayslake Ministries is a lay based 501.c.3 Not-for Profit organization founded by Fr. Jonathan Foster, OFM, in 1991 as a “retreat house without walls.” For the past twenty years, Mayslake Ministries has served the spiritual needs of Christian/Catholic men and women from all walks of life. Offering a wide variety of spiritual enrichment programs and retreats, Mayslake Ministries provides a tranquil environment for all people who seek a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.
Our Mission:
Mayslake Ministries is a faith-based, lay run 501.c.3 not-for-profit "retreat house without walls" founded by Fr. Jonathan Foster, OFM. Since 1991, Mayslake Ministries has served the spiritual needs of Christian men and women from all walks of life through a variety of enrichment programs, retreats and spiritual direction. Mayslake Ministries provides a tranquil environment for all people who seek a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. |
meet our staff
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our history
Our Past: Mayslake has always played an important role in the spiritual life of the Chicago metropolitan region, with over 250,000 people participating in retreats at the St. Francis Retreat House at Mayslake between 1925 and 1991. In those days, retreats were held each weekend of the year. Activities included lectures, spiritual readings, a visit to the Portiuncula Chapel and prayer.
Retreatants came from all walks of life and found the St. Francis Retreat House and its expansive grounds conducive to mental rest and relaxation. The Franciscans began selling off the acreage of their Mayslake property in the 1930s. The sale of property continued over the years, until 1990, when they announced the pending sale of its remaining 88 acres to a developer. A massive campaign to save the site resulted in passage of a referendum that enabled the DuPage County Forest Preserve District to acquire the site for $17.5 million in 1992. When the St. Francis Retreat house closed its doors in 1991, and Mayslake Ministries, the "retreat house without walls" was born.
How did the current Mayslake Ministries emerge from the St. Francis Retreat House? Our founder, Fr. Jonathan Foster, OFM offers this reflection:
On the last two days of July, 1991, a celebration was held at the St. Francis Retreat House at Mayslake (Oak Brook, IL) to note, sadly, the closing of this grand old dame of American retreat houses. The closing did not come about because the ministry was failing. Indeed, it had entered a promising new age after years of decline. It was financially solvent, burdened with no debt and operating without a subsidy from the parent organization, the Sacred Heart Province of Franciscans (OFM). And, its clientele was once again on the rise.
The Franciscans, facing other intimidating expenses, felt the need to put this piece of prime real estate on the market for what amounted to a large fortune. Fortunately, the property was never developed. The DuPage County Forest Preserve stepped in, bought it, and converted it into a Forest Preserve, honoring not the 70 year history of the Franciscans, but the great coal magnate, Stuyvesant Peabody, who having built it as his dream house lived there just a few months before his untimely death.
Mayslake Ministries was born the day after this celebration, on August 1, 1991. We managed to lease, very cheaply, unused office space at St. Joseph's Parish in Downers Grove, and the defining event was the simple installation of our first telephone number. Fr. Jonathan was the only paid staff member, but he was joined, part-time, a few months later by co-founder, Mary Jo Valenziano.
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Dr. Mary Amore,
Executive Director holds a Doctor of Ministry Degree in Liturgy and a Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies from Catholic Theological Union. Dr. Amore is the author of Primary Symbols of Worship and the Call to Participation, as well as numerous articles in the area of liturgical spirituality. She is a highly sought-after presenter of missions, retreats and workshops in the Diocese of Joliet and the Archdiocese of Chicago. She is a Cardinal Bernardin Scholar and a distinguished member of the North American Academy of Liturgy. Mary and her husband are the parents of two young adults. |
Email Dr. Amore |
| Fr. Jonathan Foster, OFM (founder) is a priest of the Franciscan Province of the Sacred Heart and the founder and former director of Mayslake Ministries. He received his Ph.D. in Adult Education and Development from the University of Chicago and continues to be involved in adult spiritual formati on in myriad levels. Fr. Jonathan has been active as a writer, publishing articles in several journals. He also presents weekend retreats, book studies, and is an experienced spiritual director. |
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Fr. Pat Brennan, Director of Development
Fr. Pat Brennan, serves as the Director of
Development at Mayslake Ministries where he
is also a spiritual director, counselor, adult faith
formation presenter, and mission director.
Fr. Pat holds doctorates in Pastoral Ministry
and Psychology. The author of more than 15 books and articles, Fr. Pat is the director of the National Center for Evangelization and Parish Renewal. Through the Center, he produces a weekly newsletter that contains homiletic reflections. Readers can subscribe to this by sending an e-mail address to contact@ncepr.com.
Fr. Pat is the former pastor of Holy Family Parish in Inverness where he served for 17 years. He currently assists on weekends at St. Julie’s Parish in Tinley Park. He co-hosts a weekly radio
program, Horizons, with Dawn Mayer for the past 31 years. The program is heard at 6:30 AM on WIND, AM. 560 and at 11 AM on WYLL, AM. 1160. He is a frequent speaker at conferences around the country and in different parts of the world. Similarly he has offered many parish missions in the past decades. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1973. His most current book is entitled Common Sense Faith, was published by Orbis books in April 2013.
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| Trish Lynch, Office Coordinator |
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| Mary Carroll, Finance Assistant |
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| Guy Sell, Accountant |
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Ellen Tombaugh,
President
Ellen currently serves as the President of the Board of Directors of Mayslake Ministries. A graduate of Loyola University of New Orleans and Louisiana State University of Law, Ellen is employed as the Global Knowledge Manager with the KPMG Advisory Transaction Services practice. She also serves the community on the regional MW Board of Friends of the Orphans charitable organization. Married, with one child, Ellen is a member of St. Joseph Parish in Downers Grove.
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John Kuchta, Vice President
John F. Kuchta holds a BSBA from Bowling Green University and an MBA from the University of Chicago Executive program. John has served as an Insurance Financial Services and Safety executive - Director of Field Operations, CNA Insurance, Vice President of Sales for Kemper Financial Services, Executive Vice President of the National Safety Council International, and Executive Vice President, Banker Multiple Lines Casualty Insurance. John has dedicated the majority of his career to the development of programs to create a safer environment for purchasers of insurance and safety products. John has been involved with Mayslake Ministries since the late 80’s, primarily with retreat ministries. As a current Board member his concentration is on generating revenue for the Ministry through social activities such as the Golf Outing. John is married and is a member of St. Margaret Mary Parish in Naperville.
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James Crawford, Treasurer
James E. Crawford IV has been a Board member for Mayslake Ministries since September, 2010. Jim earned a JD and MBA from Creighton University, practicing law in the State of Nebraska. In business, Jim has served as a Financial Controller, Operational Consultant, and most recently as Senior Vice President of Operations for a mid-size direct marketing company with responsibilities for all client management and operational production. Jim is currently serving on his parish’s Finance Committee, and has held several jobs within three different parishes including Parish Council, strategic planning committee, fundraising committee, as well as the Cub and Boy Scout organizations. Jim is married, the father of young adults, and is a parishioner of St. Mary of Gostyn in Downers Grove.
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Deborah Sakelaris, Co-Secretary
Deborah is a Professional Certified Life and Career Coach, published author and professional public speaker. She is also the owner of Rodas Coaching, LLC, a company dedicated to helping individuals create passion, joy and success in their life and in their career. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism/PR and a Master’s Degree in Business from Ball State University, Deborah began her career at Walt Disney World in Orlando Florida working in Guest Relations and then becoming an assistant to the President. Deborah has over 15 years of progressive experience in training and development with expertise in the areas of coaching, operational management, recruiting, wellness management, and program development. Deborah is married and is a member of St. Cletus Parish. Deborah joined the board of Mayslake Ministries in November of 2011 and is the co-secretary. She also chaired the inaugural charity event, Vines, Hops and Wines, the ministries’ annual wine tasting benefit.
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Mary Kay Vincenti, Co-Secretary
Mary Kay Vincenti holds a Master’s degree in Education in Catholic School Leadership from Marymount University in Arlington,VA and a BS in Business/Marketing from University of Illinois at Chicago. She is the CEO of 121 Creative Communications, a boutique marketing agency that offers marketing, design, website creation, social media, and event management With over 25+ years of marketing experience, Mary Kay has worked in B2B sales and marketing for 10 years, followed by 15+ years in nonprofit marketing and institutional advancement. Married ant the mother of two young adults, Mary Kay is a parishioner of St. Mary of Gostyn Parish in Downers Grove. She became a member of the Board of Directors of Mayslake Ministries in 2010 and is the co-secretary.
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Rick Eckstein
Rick and his wife Carol live in Lisle, IL and have three adult children. They are members of St. Margaret Mary Parish (SMMP) in the Lisle/Naperville area. Rick currently works for CompTIA, a trade association for the computer distribution channel, located in Downers Grove, IL. Rick achieved a Bachelors degree from DePaul University and an MBA from the University of Chicago. Rick is actively involved in a wide variety of ministries at SMMP, such as, Lectoring, PADS, and Business Breakfast. Rick is a Past President of the SMMP Men’s Club. In addition to attending an annual Men’s retreat, Rick recently participated in a one year program to complete the St. Ignatius Spiritual Exercises.
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Bill Mersch
Bill Mersch holds a degree in chemistry from University of Illinois, and has worked in various capacities throughout the chemical industry as a chemist, Technical Manager, and Vice President and General Manager. Bill is the founder and owner of Mersch Consulting, Inc. In his professional life, Bill has travelled extensively across the globe presenting papers and addressing the issue of water supply in problem areas of our world. Bill became a member of the Mayslake Ministries Board of Directors in January 2012. Married, and the father of three young adults, Bill resides in Downers Grove and is active in the PADS program at St. Mary of Gostyn Parish. Bill is a native of Rock Island, Illinois.
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Guy Napier
Guy Napier is a former marketing executive and consultant with Fortune 100 companies, and has been actively involved in charitable activities throughout his career. He holds a BS in Finance from Ohio State University and an MBA from Xavier University. He is a past President of Mayslake Ministries Board. Guy, a convert to Catholicism, has helped his local parish wherever he has lived, having served on Parish Finance Committees, as a Eucharistic Minster, and in other parish groups. Currently, he is on the Stewardship Committee for St. Peter Church in Geneva, IL.
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Mary Kay Slowikowski
Mary Kay founded the Social Justice Group at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, where she opened the Food Pantry that still exists today. She is a member of Old St. Pat’s where she heads up the Encore Group and has brought a Speakers Series to Darien where she is now the Chairperson of the Darien Chamber Board. Mary Kay is the author of the Future Woman and Managing Multiple Priorities seminars which have over 50,000 graduates and is also the first female motivational speaker to appear nationally in her own Emmy-nominated PBS special. She has received many awards such as “The Influential Woman of the Year” and the DuPage Pads Award of Excellence. She is a master storyteller and veteran of business who uses personal stories and proven techniques to teach and inspire. A former victim of crippling panic attacks and agoraphobia, Mary Kay was once unable to leave her home – now she speaks in front of thousands. She is an internationally known speaker and CEO of her own company, Slowikowski & Associates, offering Leadership, Team building, Key Note Presentations, and Sales programs to their clients nationwide. Mary Kay Slowikowski is married and the mother of young adults and she became a member of the Board of Directors of Mayslake Ministries in 2012.
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Connie Wilson
Connie received her Bachelor of Music Education degree from Wichita State University. She attended the Diaconate Liturgical Program in the San Bernardino Diocese and completed her Liturgical Certification through the Diocese of Joliet. A member of the National Pastoral Musicians, Connie serves on the steering committee of the National Pastoral Musicians Joliet Chapter and also on the Central Music Advisory Staff of the Archdiocese of Chicago. Connie is married, the mother of two young adults and a parishioner of St. Thomas Parish in Naperville. She joined the Board of Directors of Mayslake Ministries in 2012.
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Driving Directions to Mayslake Ministries 450 E. 22nd Street, Suite 170:
630-268-9000
Please note that we are on EAST 22nd Street which is north of Yorktown Mall and runs parallel to Butterfield Road. (Please don't confuse it with the 22nd street that Butterfield Road runs into which becomes Cermack Rd further east). We are situated between Highland and Meyers across from the Target by Yorktown Mall.
Link to pdf of Directions
From the North
Take I-355 South and exit east at Butterfield Road
Turn left at Highland Avenue and proceed north 22nd Street.
Turn right on 22nd Street for three blocks past Greek Islands Restaurant to stop light at North Lake Road and turn left.
Right turn into first parking and proceed to next parking lot to CorpTrav Management Group Building
450 E. 22nd Street is on the North side of the street.
From the South
Take I-355 North and exit east at Butterfield Road
Turn left at Highland Avenue and proceed north 22nd Street.
Turn right on 22nd Street for three blocks past Greek Islands Restaurant to stop light at North Lake Road and turn left.
Right turn into first parking and proceed to next parking lot to CorpTrav Management Group Building
450 E. 22nd Street is on the North side of the street.
From the East
Take I-88 and exit north at Highland Avenue
Proceed north on Highland Avenue to 22nd Street (This is north of Yorktown Mall)
Turn right on 22nd Street for three blocks past Greek Islands Restaurant to stop light at North Lake Road and turn left.
Right turn into first parking and proceed to next parking lot to CorpTrav Management Group Building
450 E. 22nd Street is on the North side of the street.
From the West
Take I-88 west and exit north at Highland Avenue
Proceed north on Highland Avenue to 22nd Street
Turn right on 22nd Street for three blocks past Greek Islands Restaurant to stop light at North Lake Road and turn left.
Right turn into first parking and proceed to next parking lot to CorpTrav Management Group Building
450 E. 22nd Street is on the North side of the street. |
