Still Together: The 2026 Annual Gathering of the Journey Center Association
Please join us for our 11th annual gathering, this time in beautiful Santa Cruz, California. The wonderful Villa Maria del Mar retreat center is on the beach- you can watch surfers from the dining room! (Check out the video tour on their website: https://villamariadelmar.org ). We will gather for 3 nights/4 days to experience the beauty of Creation, the blessing of being in-person with our loving community, and the wonder of the Holy in everything. The planning team for this retreat is the members of our JCA board (Emily, Paldrom, Pam and Joanna) plus our gifted musician, Mark Medin. In our morning sessions together, we explore the meaning of stillness in community and the contemplative life. There will be plenty of free time to continue deepening our relationships as we enjoy the lovely California coast, delicious meals and time for fun. In addition to the 3 nights/4 days gathering, we invite Executive Directors and Associates to arrive a day early to experience our tradition of a peaceful contemplative retreat day.
The annual gathering begins on Tuesday, February 24 at 4:00 pm and ends on Friday, February 27 at 2:00 pm. The extra contemplative retreat day option for Members and Associates begins on Monday, February 23 at 4:00 pm through 4:00 pm on Tuesday the 24th when the annual gathering begins.
If you would like to stay additional nights at the retreat center, either before or after the gathering, please contact Villa Maria del Mar directly (https://villamariadelmar.org) and let them know you are a part of the JCA group.
There are a variety of options and discounts available for this 4 day/3 night retreat, please check the appropriate boxes on the registration form for your total amount due (this includes room, all meals, retreat materials, etc.). Your total will appear at the bottom of the form. You may pay the full amount now or make a deposit. Note that discounts apply to groups that pay annual fees to JCA- contact Joanna if you have questions about this.
New this year: Are you able to make an additional donation so that others, who may have trouble attending due to cost, can join us? If you are able to contribute, please add your donation to the registration form. We appreciate your support of the community in this way!
Please register each attendee separately and indicate whether you are making a partial payment (minimum $250 to register) or full payment, and the amount you are paying at this time…thank you!
Facilitators
Joanna QuintrellSpiritual Director, Journey Center Online Executive DirectorJoanna Quintrell serves as the Executive Director of the Journey Center Association. It was in the year 2000 that she found herself in a spiritual crisis and first learned about spiritual direction, a gift that was life-changing and heart-transforming for her… no one had ever taught her how to nurture her own inner life with God. Joanna began her training as a spiritual director in 2003 (trained at the Mercy Center, Burlingame and the Center for Spiritual Direction in Chicago). She served as the founding director of Journey Center Santa Rosa in California through 2016 and then established the Journey Center Association in 2017. She has been the co-director of the Association’s 2-year Spiritual Director Formation Program since 2009. In addition to the joy of holding sacred space for others, Joanna loves organic gardening, hiking, traveling and grand-parenting. She and her husband live in Santa Rosa, California.
Paldrom CollinsSpiritual Director, JCA Board MemberPaldrom’s first introduction to religion was with her parents as a young child in the First Baptist church in Oklahoma. But by the time she was in high school, her mother was studying Theosophy and her father had announced his agnosticism. She spent years seeking enlightenment first as a Tibetan Buddhist nun, then through the non-dual Advaita-Vedanta lineage of Ramana Maharshi. Now returning to her Christian roots, she, like T.S. Eliot, has found:
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.She now offers spiritual direction and writes and speaks about spiritual life, contemplation, and finding refuge in ordinary experience.
She lives with her husband in California’s San Francisco Bay Area.
Her work explores spiritual longing, devotion, disillusionment, and the unfolding experience of being human.
Emily ConwaySpiritual Director, JCA Board MemberEmily Conway is a writer, spiritual companion, host and facilitator of contemplative practices, workshops, and retreats. She is particularly passionate about companioning those who feel that their lives’ narratives fall outside the traditional ones society often assigns us. Emily’s writing and offerings reflect her belief in the utmost importance of the interior and intentional life. Her desire is that her writing and work help others discover their own inherent wholeness.
You can find her writing at https://www.emilyconway.org.
- Mark Medin
- Pam Carraher
Still Together: The 2026 Annual Gathering of the Journey Center Association
Please join us for our 11th annual gathering, this time in beautiful Santa Cruz, California. The wonderful Villa Maria del Mar retreat center is on the beach- you can watch surfers from the dining room! (Check out the video tour on their website: https://villamariadelmar.org ). We will gather for 3 nights/4 days to experience the beauty of Creation, the blessing of being in-person with our loving community, and the wonder of the Holy in everything. The planning team for this retreat is the members of our JCA board (Emily, Paldrom, Pam and Joanna) plus our gifted musician, Mark Medin. In our morning sessions together, we explore the meaning of stillness in community and the contemplative life. There will be plenty of free time to continue deepening our relationships as we enjoy the lovely California coast, delicious meals and time for fun. In addition to the 3 nights/4 days gathering, we invite Executive Directors and Associates to arrive a day early to experience our tradition of a peaceful contemplative retreat day.
The annual gathering begins on Tuesday, February 24 at 4:00 pm and ends on Friday, February 27 at 2:00 pm. The extra contemplative retreat day option for Members and Associates begins on Monday, February 23 at 4:00 pm through 4:00 pm on Tuesday the 24th when the annual gathering begins.
If you would like to stay additional nights at the retreat center, either before or after the gathering, please contact Villa Maria del Mar directly (https://villamariadelmar.org) and let them know you are a part of the JCA group.
There are a variety of options and discounts available for this 4 day/3 night retreat, please check the appropriate boxes on the registration form for your total amount due (this includes room, all meals, retreat materials, etc.). Your total will appear at the bottom of the form. You may pay the full amount now or make a deposit. Note that discounts apply to groups that pay annual fees to JCA- contact Joanna if you have questions about this.
New this year: Are you able to make an additional donation so that others, who may have trouble attending due to cost, can join us? If you are able to contribute, please add your donation to the registration form. We appreciate your support of the community in this way!
Please register each attendee separately and indicate whether you are making a partial payment (minimum $250 to register) or full payment, and the amount you are paying at this time…thank you!
Facilitators
- Joanna QuintrellSpiritual Director, Journey Center Online Executive Director
Joanna Quintrell serves as the Executive Director of the Journey Center Association. It was in the year 2000 that she found herself in a spiritual crisis and first learned about spiritual direction, a gift that was life-changing and heart-transforming for her… no one had ever taught her how to nurture her own inner life with God. Joanna began her training as a spiritual director in 2003 (trained at the Mercy Center, Burlingame and the Center for Spiritual Direction in Chicago). She served as the founding director of Journey Center Santa Rosa in California through 2016 and then established the Journey Center Association in 2017. She has been the co-director of the Association’s 2-year Spiritual Director Formation Program since 2009. In addition to the joy of holding sacred space for others, Joanna loves organic gardening, hiking, traveling and grand-parenting. She and her husband live in Santa Rosa, California.
- Paldrom CollinsSpiritual Director, JCA Board Member
Paldrom’s first introduction to religion was with her parents as a young child in the First Baptist church in Oklahoma. But by the time she was in high school, her mother was studying Theosophy and her father had announced his agnosticism. She spent years seeking enlightenment first as a Tibetan Buddhist nun, then through the non-dual Advaita-Vedanta lineage of Ramana Maharshi. Now returning to her Christian roots, she, like T.S. Eliot, has found:
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.She now offers spiritual direction and writes and speaks about spiritual life, contemplation, and finding refuge in ordinary experience.
She lives with her husband in California’s San Francisco Bay Area.
Her work explores spiritual longing, devotion, disillusionment, and the unfolding experience of being human.
- Emily ConwaySpiritual Director, JCA Board Member
Emily Conway is a writer, spiritual companion, host and facilitator of contemplative practices, workshops, and retreats. She is particularly passionate about companioning those who feel that their lives’ narratives fall outside the traditional ones society often assigns us. Emily’s writing and offerings reflect her belief in the utmost importance of the interior and intentional life. Her desire is that her writing and work help others discover their own inherent wholeness.
You can find her writing at https://www.emilyconway.org.
- Mark Medin
- Pam Carraher
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