By Stacy Spitler
Dominican Center, or DCM, embodies the Grand Rapids Dominican Sisters’ expression of welcome and invitation to share in the essential elements of Dominican Life: prayer, study, community, and service. These elements inform all our formation courses, programs, workshops, and gatherings. But today we invite you to learn more about Foundations in Spirituality.
As Amanda Dobson returns to the lead facilitator role in 2025-2026, I invited Amanda, Diane Zerfas, OP, Carmelita Switzer, OP, and Mindy Hills to a conversation.
Through their service — and that of so many others — we are blessed to offer this West Michigan-based spiritual formation resource for people of all faith traditions, or none, from around the world through in-person and online offerings.
Making Space for God
Q: Stacy Spitler – A formation course is typically designed to foster growth and development; can you share more about this nine-month formation course at DCM?
Sr. Carmelita – John of the Cross said: ‘If you make space for God, God will come.’ That idea is a core part of Foundations: an invitation to prayer experience. Throughout, people are exposed to different ways of contemplative prayer and encouraged to build their own daily practice. Lectio Divina is introduced at the very beginning because it helps you listen for the Spirit within. Lectio helps people notice God’s Presence and Love.
Amanda – Sister Carmelita says this course is first and foremost about prayer. For many of our participants, this is the first time they have ever been introduced to Lectio Divina or Centering Prayer. Inviting our participants to slow down, quiet themselves and listen to the voice of the Spirit within is truly transformative. It was transformative for me!
About Study & Community
Q: Stacy – Can you share more about Foundations and the Dominican approach to Study?
Sr. Diane – What happens in Foundations starts with accepting the invitation to come inside a circle, to be open to new ways of being and becoming, and to be open to what contemplatives through the ages can teach us. DCM offers us so many study resources and ways of studying. Through this course you learn that God is your friend. We meet contemplatives who walked varied paths to learning and befriending God. This is truly a space where you can grow to trust, celebrate, and enjoy how the Spirit is working in your own, and in others’ lives. Everyone is befriending a community of mentors, teachers, and friends.
Sr. Carmelita – Every class varies. It is as unique as the people in the class and as the contemplatives or mystics they choose to study. Participants suggest new mystics and we invite them in.
Mindy – When we talk about “study,” the head is involved; but one of the touchstones of this course is to “live the experiences” from more of a heart-centered perspective.
Amanda – The beauty of how Sister Carmelita designed this course is that it is both facilitated and held in community. A dynamic community of facilitators presents on the prayer and spirituality of each spiritual giant, inviting rich discussion questions and table shares. This helps our participants to form a community among themselves as they study, learn, and grow together. Probably the number one thing I hear our participants say after taking the course is “I found my people.” And they mean both the spiritual giants and mystics that we study as well as the relationships that form as they study together for nine months.
Sr. Diane – DCM has a deep group of wisdom leaders who are called upon for all formation courses, programs, and workshops. In Foundations, there are different presenters and different mystics every year. This course is always evolving. We are happy to see Amanda return as a facilitator this season.
Seasons of Transformation
What began with a small group of Sister coordinators and facilitators has evolved over two decades. In recent years, it could be characterized as a river, ebbing and flowing, carrying people filled with energy, curiosity, and wisdom along its beautiful way. The river changes with each season, as most natural wonders do.
Q: Stacy – Can you describe the seasons of transformation for you personally and/or within the course itself?
Mindy – When Amanda and I took the course together 13 years ago, Sister Carmelita was facilitating, and Sister Diane was one of the presenters. Ours was the 2012-2013 Foundations in Spirituality class. We were a special class. Of course, every class thinks they are the most special. And they are; that is the beauty of how it is designed. We all met in that class: Sister Carmelita, Sister Diane, Amanda, and me. Truly, the Sisters were our mentors; they became friends.
Sr. Diane – This course impacts people in profound ways. Spirit is always working in our lives, as Mindy and Amanda have showed us as they progressed through Dominican Center formation to serve in their own spiritual direction practices. Today, Mindy is also director of the Center, designing experiences, welcoming participants, and inviting facilitators into the always evolving community.
Sr. Carmelita – I will speak from the role of observer. Like a bird on a branch, I get to overhear the excitement from Sisters who now participate in the class. Amanda and I worked closely together when she was a DCM apprentice and co-facilitated this course with me for three years. She took over as the pandemic hit, and we had to shift to online learning. She has grown this course beyond anything I could have done when I stepped away five years ago.
Amanda – Many of our participants go on to take the Spiritual Direction Practicum and become Spiritual Directors, but not all. Some even repeat the course! I know for me, I first took Foundations in 2007. I had very small children at home, and I was overwhelmed. I dropped out about halfway through, but there was a little seed planted in my heart. I hoped to come back when the time was right. In 2012, I took the course again where I met Mindy. She and I went on to become Spiritual Directors together in the same cohort.
A: Mindy – Because Amanda and I did not know one another before we participated in Foundations, our intentions were aligned to let God work on us, through us, and stay open to the teachers and presenters. We are now at this place in our journeys because of them. The Spirit has transformed us; these two Sisters have helped to lead us forward and remind us both of our gifts. Now through us and our collaborative team, we are blessed to lift the legacy of this ministry of Dominican Spirituality and witness the transformation of others as their faith journeys evolve with love.
To meet the expanding needs of our Foundations in Spirituality course, we have taken a team approach to the way this class is held and taught in community. Last year Geralyn Myczkowiak, Andy Rebollar, and Kimberley Mulder – all certified spiritual directors — collaborated closely. A similar team approach is planned for this year.
Amanda – This course and the loving mentorship of Sister Carmelita truly changed my life. It is a great joy for me to be able to help facilitate this kind of transformation for others.
This story was featured in the 2025 Mission & Ministry: Our Mission is to Love magazine. Learn more and enjoy other articles and photographs from this issue.
