Beverly Lanzetta Information

BEVERLY LANZETTA was born in New York and spent part of her childhood in Mexico. At an early age she experienced a conversion of faith and for many years served as a spiritual director, healer, and teacher. In her mid-thirties she returned to graduate school, completing a master's degree in sociology and human rights from the University of Arizona; and a Ph.D. in historical theology and contemporary religious thought from Fordham University. From 1988 to 2004 she served as a Religious Studies professor at liberal arts colleges, including Grinnell College, Prescott College, and Villanova University. In writing, teaching, and spiritual life she brings both a scholarly and spiritual background of the world's sacred texts and traditions to her work. For over thirty years, Beverly has guided individuals from diverse backgrounds and spiritual orientations in the contemplative life. She teaches a distinctive spiritual path that honors the rich heritage of the world's religions and forges new traditions of spiritual wisdom for our time. In teaching and practice, she combines scholarship, mystical study, and feminine consciousness with a perspective deeply rooted in the earth and attentive to the alleviation of suffering. The author and editor of six books and numerous articles, Beverly's extensive career in the study and teaching of global spirituality is founded on the contemplative heart of reality. She advocates for new spiritual models that affirm the oneness of life and the prophetic call for justice necessary to sustain the holiness of our world. Concerned with the radical changes affecting all life today, Beverly holds that it is a sacred duty to forge a global spirituality that is socially responsible and profoundly merciful. By placing our collective spiritual wisdom in service of a divine community on earth, her deepest hope is that together we can build a more loving and gentle world. An ordained Interfaith minister and monastic, Beverly is the founder of five initiatives-Desert Interfaith Church, Interfaith Theological Seminary, Hesychia School for Spiritual Directors, Schola Divina, and Community of a New Monastic Way. Committed to a vision of theological openness and spiritual nonviolence, she is actively involved in teaching, writing, sacred art, and the formation of global clergy, spiritual directors, and monks.