Liturgical Dance
Betsey Beckman
Betsey Beckman, MM, is a liturgical dancer, storyteller, teacher of SpiritPlay and spiritual director whose home base is Seattle. She first discovered her dance ministry over thirty years ago when she joined the Fountain Square Fools, liturgical story theater company directed by Rev. J. Michael Sparough S.J. The two have been working together ever since! With Betsey’s extensive repertory of Biblical Story-Dances, she is regularly featured as dancer/presenter at national ministry conferences as well her own parish, St. Patrick’s, where she also directs the dance ministry. In addition, Betsey teaches Awakening the Creative Spirit: Experiential Education for Spiritual Directors in the Arts and Imagination. She has collaborated with Fr. Sparough on many publications, including books, audio-cassettes and videos on embodied prayer.
Fr. Michael Sparough, S.J.
Director, Actor, Writer
Fr. Michael Sparough, SJ is a retreat master, storyteller, director, writer, and spiritual director. In residence with the Jesuit community of Loyola University, he is the director of Charis Ministries, an outreach by the Society of Jesus to young adults. He holds a Master of Fine Arts from the Yale School of Drama and a Doctor of Ministry from St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, IL. He also serves as a lecturer at Loyola University’s Institute of Pastoral Studies. Known in churches across the country, Fr. Michael has the ability to make the scripture come alive through his heart-warming drama, spirited preaching, and innovate approaches to spirituality. He has published extensively on prayer and our contemporary search for God.
