Mark Kutolowski
Founder/Co-Director
A lifelong Christian, Mark discovered the Christian monastic and contemplative traditions in 1997, and in 2001 he spent a year living in silence and solitude at a hermitage founded on the spirituality of the Desert Fathers and Mothers. He has been an Oblate of Saint Benedict in connection with the Mount Savior Monastery community since 2005. Despite his close connection to monastic communities, he never felt called to be monk. Rather, he was inspired to integrate the depth of Christian formation and spirituality found in these communities into marriage and family life.
Mark’s work with Metanoia of Vermont includes spiritual direction, guiding the Ignatian retreats, writing, and land and construction management. His teaching and writing focuses on recovering the Christian contemplative tradition, the role of nature as a path of deeper union with God, and the integral connection between prayer and the body.
Lisa Hershey Kutolowski
Founder/Co-Director
Lisa’s faith journey has led her through years of supporting others in their spiritual lives in campus ministry, to a desire to root her own life more deeply in an integrated rhythm of prayer, simplicity and work with her hands. Before meeting Mark and co-founding Metanoia of Vermont, Lisa ran her own wood-fired sourdough bread bakery. She looks forward to having her hands back in the dough when their homestead’s bread oven is completed.
In her work with Metanoia, Lisa is excited about finding ways for children and adults to pray together and supporting families to grow in faith and holiness together. In addition to being active in the day-to-day life of Metanoia, Lisa homeschools her and Mark’s children, manages the gardens and runs the nuts and bolts of the organization.
Duncan Hilton
Board Member, Chair
Duncan is co-founder with this wife Bethany of La Sagrada Familia, a Catholic Worker community in southwestern New Hampshire focused on migrant hospitality. He is also a writer and hosts a podcast focused on Christian theology, practice, and community-building, “Religious Life.” In previous chapters of his life, Duncan worked as an Episcopal priest at parishes in New Hampshire and Vermont, and as a faith-based community organizer and trainer in Massachusetts as part of Marshall Ganz’s Leading Change Network. Duncan enjoys biking to Mass with his two toddler sons, leading singalongs on guitar, and growing carrots in his backyard.
Emily Dubie
Board Member, Treasurer
Emily Dubie is a Lecturer in Theology and Ecology at Princeton Theological Seminary, where she lives and teaches at the Farminary. She has a PhD in Religion from Duke University and has taught at Duke Divinity School and the University of Vermont. Her areas of teaching include Christian ethics, ecotheology, American religion and race, and religion and social justice movements. In addition to teaching and writing, Emily enjoys foraging, saving and sharing seeds, and native-plant gardening.
Alena Shoemaker
Board Member, Secretary
Alena has been involved in life and prayer at Metanoia of Vermont in varying ways since moving to the Upper Valley in 2018 and is honored and excited to be a member of the board. Growing up, her Catholic faith was an anchor and inspiration as she was educated by Ursulines, Jesuits, and Paulists. She has been fortunate to have had many wonderful mentors and spiritual directors over the years who have helped cultivate and guide her vocation.
She works as a Family Doctor, providing family centered care to all ages, with a focus on the care of vulnerable populations. She is active locally with Listen Community Services, The Haven, and Good Neighbor Free Clinic.
She and her husband are parents to two busy boys, and share Metanoia’s vision of centering family life within a broader life of service and witness. Whether at work, at home, or in the community, she strives to live out the Jesuit aim of “finding God in all things.”
Father Justin Lanier
Board Member
Fr. Justin Lanier presently serves as a Priest-in-Charge of Saint Clement’s Church; Philadelphia. Fr. Justin also serves as a retreat leader, having a special devotion to intensive contemplative immersion practice.
Fr. Justin’s formation includes time in the Trappist Monastery, St. Benedict’s; Snowmass, Colorado where he was under the abbacy of Dom. Joseph Boyle, O.C.S.O. and direction of Fr. Thomas Keating O.C.S.O. Justin continued to be guided by these two men until their deaths in 2018. As part of his formation, Abbot Joseph sent Justin to train in Zen monasticism. This led him to Kyoto, Japan where he entered the training monastery Tofuku-sodo under Keido Fukushima Roshi; Rinzai Zen Master and head Abbot of Tofukuji.
In 2017 Fr. Thomas and other prominent western Christian contemplative teachers gathered together with a small group of their students at St. Benedict’s; Snowmass. Justin was invited to this Exchange by Fr. Thomas and it was at this meeting he first became great friends with Mark Kutolowski, who was invited by Fr. Thomas too.
Kathy Moore
Board Member
Kathy received a BA with a double major in Religious Studies and English Literature from Albion College in 1971 and an MA in Theatre Arts from University of Iowa in 1974. She received teacher certification for grades K-8 from the Upper Valley Teacher Training Program (now the Upper Valley Educator’s Institute) in 1989. Her work life and experience include theatre lighting technician, professional stage manager, mirror ball maker, sales person in a flower shop, 2ndgrade teacher, middle school language arts and history teacher, college administrator. In 2015, Kathy retired from Dartmouth College as Assistant to the Dean and Office Manager of the Tucker Foundation, the center for service, spirituality, and social justice at the college. Important aspects of both study and work focus have been (and are) the importance of language, authentic communication, significant relationships, the value of work, and ongoing spiritual growth.
Robin Junker-Boyce
Board Member
Robin Junker-Boyce has been pastor at First Congregational Church in Thetford, VT since 2015. Robin received a B.S. in Biology from Boston College in 1993 and a Master’s degree in Psychology and Religious Studies from Andover Newton Theological School in 1997 with an extended focus on hospital chaplaincy. In 2002, she was ordained in the United Church of Christ at Old North Church in Marblehead, MA. In May of 2014, she completed a fruitful 12 year ministerial post at Bethany Church, UCC in Randolph, VT and began a sabbatical year to write on Contemplative Prayer and to spend quality time with her husband, Sean, and her two young boys, Fritz and Ulysses (ages 11 and 8). The two greatest highlights of her past ministry were the implementation of a contemplative prayer community for adults and the creation of a vibrant youth ministry in which over 30 teens could be found meditating each Friday night in the basement of her church. If she had to narrow down her many passions, they would be preaching, community building, youth work, contemplative prayer and the study of the intersection between science and spirituality.