Beth Saner, FSPA, earned her MA in Pastoral Studies from Catholic Theological Union. She is a Spiritual Director and co-facilitator of the Claret Center Spiritual Direction Internship.
Beth was born and raised in Montana a stone’s throw from the shooting locations for both Horse Whisper and A River Runs Through It. “Montana river water is in my blood, ” she says, “and the landscape of Montana is the landscape of my soul. ”
Growing up in a mountain valley, Beth admired openness and independence. “I knew what kind of woman I wanted to be, ” she explains. She had admired the lives of pioneer women and other interesting women. When it came time to create her own interesting, independent life, she turned for inspiration to some of the most intriguing women she knew. The sisters who taught her were bright, educated women who traveled and served and lived what she supposed to be interesting lives.
Immediately after high school, Beth departed for La Crosse, Wisconsin, to begin her life as a sister in community. She and the other novices in her cohort attended college and prepared for a future in community and service. As she explored what it means to live in community, Beth wrestled with the question that always falls upon the cusp of important commitments: What did I do to my life?
The answer came over time. Under the tutelage of women of the 1960s, Beth encountered feminist, liberal thinking and the theology and spirituality of Vatican II. She built relationships and found mentors among the sisters with whom she lived and worked. After completing a masters degree in church music from Notre Dame, Beth taught in the music department at Viterbo University where she also developed an undergraduate church music major and served as director of music and liturgy at the college church.
After eighteen years of service at Viterbo University, Beth enrolled at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago where she earned a masters degree in pastoral studies/spirituality. During that time she also completed the Claret Center internship in spiritual direction. Today she serves as co-facilitator of the Claret Center Spiritual Direction Internship and companions others on their spiritual journey as they wonder: what about my life?