Spiritual Father

Fr. Paul is the Spiritual Father for Springs in the Desert and was ordained a priest in the Byzantine Catholic Church in July 2020.  He married his wife Alissa in 2009 and together they enjoy music, the outdoors, and making messes with their two children with whom they were blessed after many years of prayers and infertility treatments. 

Assistant Director

Jillian is a wife and mother to two in eternity and one on earth. Jillian holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theology from the University of Dallas and currently resides in North Dakota, where she is the Chief Operations Officer for a medical clinic and supporter of her husband, who works in law enforcement. As the Assistant Director, Jillian supports Ann in the day-to-day tasks of Springs in the Desert. In her free time, you can find Jillian reading the Code of Canon Law, hosting wine tastings, or two-stepping with her husband in the kitchen.

Theological Editor

Stacey and her husband Phil married in 2015 and live in Fort Wayne, Indiana where Stacey works at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church as the youth and young adult ministry coordinator. Stacey holds a Master of Arts degree in Theology from the University of Notre Dame.

Communications Manager

Cassandra married her husband Michael in 2016. After several years living in Spain, the Taylors now reside in southern New Hampshire, where they work at a small Catholic college. In her free time, Cassandra loves to read, knit, compare Austen film adaptations, and talk about New Jersey. A cancer survivor, she is navigating life post-hysterectomy while enjoying opportunities to live out her spiritual motherhood with her niece and nephew, godchildren, and the young people in her community.

Core Team Member

Cassi and her husband Ian live out their unique call to fruitfulness through radical availability to family, friends, and neighbors alike. They have been blessed to serve in their parish, diocese, and beyond through involvement with youth ministry, Catholic Engaged Encounter, and Springs in the Desert. Cassi is a speech-language pathologist who also holds degrees in Mental Health and Human Services and Theology from the Franciscan University of Steubenville. Although she is a true introvert and a confessed “word-nerd,” Cassi loves having deep, meaningful conversations about matters of the mind and heart.

Blog Manager & Content Editor

Katie and her husband Matthew were married on the eve of Divine Mercy Sunday in 2019 and live in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. She enjoys early morning Holy Hours, coffee dates with Matthew, and good conversations.

Contributor

Alissa is the wife of Fr. Paul West. After years of treatments for infertility caused by PCOS, Alissa is mother to two children and one baby in Heaven. Alissa enjoyed a decade-long career as a Music Therapist, and is currently back in school studying graphic design. She enjoys making music, art, and food, especially the sweet kind.

Contributor

Amy lives in Emmitsburg, Maryland, with her husband, Kyle, and daughter, Winnie. She and Kyle work together as photographers at Amy and Kyle Catholic Photography. The Springs in the Desert community has made her cross of secondary infertility feel less lonely to carry, and she’s working toward carrying it with great joy.

Professional Contributor

Caroline is a nurse practitioner at Divine Mercy Women’s Health in Camp Hill/Carlisle, Pennsylvania. She received her nursing degrees from Penn State University. Caroline uses her training in the Creighton Model and NaPro Technology to diagnose the root causes of infertility and treat them in a way that cooperates with the woman’s cycle. In her free time, she loves fashion, antiquing, hosting, and going on adventures with family and friends.

Contributor

Christian Kehr lives in Wichita, Kansas, with his wife, Lindsey, and their two dogs. Christian and Lindsey are childless, but strive to live a fruitful marriage through service to and love for the people God has placed in their lives. They share a particular joy in advocating alongside persons with disabilities and spending time with their nieces and nephews.

Contributor

Christina was married in 2012 and lives in Michigan with her husband, Fredric. She works part-time for the Augustine Institute and also assists with the production of The Springs in the Desert Podcast. Christina and Fredric were blessed with two biological daughters and one adopted daughter from Bulgaria.

Professional Contributor

Clare is a psychotherapist who specializes in infertility counseling. She holds master’s degrees in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Sacred Heart University, Literature from the University of Edinburgh, and Theological Studies from the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family at Catholic University. She and her family live in southern Connecticut, where she practices.

Professional Contributor

Edward married his beloved wife Kate in 2018 and lives in Central Ohio. He has personally experienced the pain of primary infertility for several years and lost one daughter in a miscarriage. As owner and Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor at Blessed Are They Grief Counseling LLC and as a passionate Catholic, his professional specialty and passion is supporting Catholic individuals and couples throughout Ohio and Florida experiencing the hidden grief of infertility, pregnancy and infant loss, or being single through online therapy. He is also proud to regularly contribute to the Springs in the Desert community as a Professional Contributor. You may find him online at blessedaretheycounseling.com.

Contributor

Ian and his wife Cassi live out their unique call to fruitfulness through radical availability to family, friends, and neighbors alike. They have been blessed to serve in their parish, diocese, and beyond through involvement with youth ministry, Catholic Engaged Encounter, and Springs in the Desert. Ian is a true “people person” who loves to build authentic Catholic brotherhood wherever he goes. When he’s not trading investments at his day job, Ian can usually be found singing anything from choir music to karaoke. 

Contributor

Katie lives in Virginia with her husband, son, and dog. She holds a Master of Special Education and works as a virtual assistant for various Catholic ministries. In her free time, she enjoys being out in nature, baking yummy things for people she loves, and knitting.

Contributor

Kyle and her husband live in Austin, Texas, where they are active members of their parish and diocesan community. After navigating her own journey with infertility, Kyle felt called to create a space where couples could find accompaniment and community, and founded her local Springs small group to bring that mission to the Austin area. When she’s not working in university alumni engagement or attending diaconate formation classes with her husband, you can find her out on a run or crocheting. At Springs, she helps with diocesan communications.

Professional Contributor

Lauren is a mental health therapist licensed in Wisconsin and Iowa, and remembers her twin saints, Marigold and Micah, through the name of her private practice, Marigold & Iris Mental Health & Wellness. Due to her own experiences of grief, Lauren is passionate about providing support to clients throughout their perinatal journey, including pregnancy loss and infertility. Lauren also enjoys working with clients experiencing anxiety, depression, or ADHD, as well as college students and young adults.

Contributor

Lenore and her husband Bobby were married in 2017 and are parents to two in eternity and one on earth, living in a small town in Ohio with their Australian shepherd, Augie. Lenore cantors for her parish and loves to bake, read, dance, and hike with their dog.

Professional Contributor

Margalita Poletunow is a Licensed Professional Counselor and coach specializing in grief, maternal mental health, and perinatal loss. She provides compassionate, faith-integrated support to women navigating miscarriage, postpartum challenges, and the journey toward healing. Through a blend of clinical insight and spiritual care, she helps women process grief, restore hope, and rediscover meaning in their story. She currently lives in Florida with her husband, Mark; they are parents to one child in heaven and twin daughters through adoption.

Contributor

Dr. Megan Reister is a professor of special education and early childhood education at Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio. Married to Adam since 2015, Meg loves going on adventures with their daughter and exploring new places, writing, puppies, and women’s ministry—some of which she’s written about here. While Meg loves all of what Springs has to offer, the in-person small groups are close to her heart.

Contributor

Merideth is a Catholic wife and adoptive mother, who thrives on copious amounts of coffee and deeply loves her faith, cultivating holy friendships, and reading books. Merideth writes about infertility, adoption, family life, and faith on her Substack, Manna from the Sky.

Contributor

Teresa is a nurse. Her favorite color is purple and she likes trying new things. She enjoys both outdoor (skiing, swimming) and indoor (reading, piano) activities. She married her husband in 2017. Together they enjoy traveling and tandem bicycling. She really likes the Springs in the Desert blog posts and is honored to be a Contributor.

Contributors

Trey and Ellie were married in 2018 and now live in Baton Rouge, Louisiana with their husky/beagle mix, Midge. Trey was a parish Director of Youth ministry for seven years and is now the Coordinator of Youth and Young Adult Ministry for the Diocese of Baton Rouge. Ellie works as an interior designer and loves exploring new artistic hobbies. After discerning a call to embrace spiritual motherhood she is training to become a spiritual director. Trey and Ellie have been involved with ECHO Community, a Theology of the Body ministry for teens and young adults, since 2015. They love admiring the beauty of Creation, traveling to the mountains, and pursuing multiple shared and individual hobbies, such as film photography, good coffee, classic cocktails and cuisine.

The Springs in the Desert Team and Contributors offer Christ-centered peer support to those on the path of infertility and loss. Professional contributors provide educational content based on their areas of expertise.They are not providing individualized professional services or establishing a professional-client relationship through Springs in the Desert.