Diane experienced a call to priesthood when she was very young.  She pursued a BA in religious studies, and served as a Jesuit Volunteer. She married, received her MSW, and did social work for a few years before becoming a mother to two beautiful daughters. In 1984, Diane began companioning individuals and groups in spiritual direction and retreat work. She helped develop and staff a program for the formation and ongoing supervision of spiritual directors as well as initiating a group spiritual direction program.  Besides receiving an MA in ministry and a D Min. in spiritual direction, she was active in her local parish, serving as a lector, cantor, teacher/facilitator, and retreat leader. Diane was ordained to the priesthood in 2010. One of her greatest joys is serving Holy Wisdom as a priest. She also enjoys singing, cooking, taking walks, and spending time with her family and friends. Watch her TED Talk here.

Kathleen has felt called to the priesthood since she was seven years old. She received her early formation in radical Catholicism from her time at the Catholic Worker, from working in her large vegetable garden, and from raising her two children. Years of training as a catechist, specializing in Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, strengthened her love of scripture, liturgy, sacraments and celebration. Kathleen was ordained a deacon in 2012, received her Masters in Religious Education from Graduate Theological Foundation in 2013, and was ordained a priest in 2014. She is also a graduate from the Seminary of the Wild Earth. She enjoys exploring the interplay between nature, liturgy and the liturgical year. If not crafting a liturgy, you will often find her in the garden or hiking in the forest. In 2025 she was elected Bishop of the Region for the Holy Margins of Roman Catholic Women Priests.

Pamela Baer, born and raised in the PNW, was brought up in a traditional Catholic environment. She attended grade school at St Mary Catholic School in Aberdeen and volunteered as an assistant at Sunday school. She was a member of Christ the King Catholic Church in Seattle, and for a brief period prior to moving to the Olympia area, was a member of St Patrick Catholic Church in Seattle. Pam comes from a very diverse extended family and was drawn to the Holy Wisdom ICC because of their community statement, particularly the last sentence – All are welcome, all are included, all are beloved in our Holy Wisdom Community. Pam spends her free time reading, walking, riding the tandem with her husband, baking, entertaining, live theater, live music, and last but not least, spending time with her family.

Mary is a Delaware native, who has lived in Olympia since 1980 and has been part of the Holy Wisdom community since 2014. Her time in Olympia has been primarily spent raising five children who are now responsible and kind adults and enjoying a fulfilling career as a school counselor. Retirement has been a gift of time that has allowed her to be more deeply involved in this community and to be inspired by its theology and its people. Serving on the Visioning and Discernment Committee has been an opportunity to get to know and understand the workings of the community as well as help with decision-making and the more mundane day to day tasks that are so important. It is a joy to serve with this dedicated group.

Louise first became acquainted with Holy Wisdom in late 2019 when she was visiting her older daughter, Catherine, in Seattle and made the train trip to Olympia to meet Diane and Kathleen. What a delight that was! In early 2020, during COVID, she was excited to discover that she could Zoom into Mass and other gatherings from Aotearoa New Zealand. She is married to John and they have 2 other children – their oldest, Michael, and their youngest, Mary. They all live in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand. Louise has a background in leadership training and life coaching. She’s a ‘cradle Catholic’ and all her children were educated at Catholic schools. As well as Holy Wisdom, she is actively involved with a number of ‘progressive’ Catholic organisations in Aotearoa New Zealand. Being part of Holy Wisdom has been like a ‘home-coming’ to her. She has met so many wonderful, like-minded people and feels extremely blessed to be a member of the community.

Nancy Spagat, a retired nurse, was born in San Francisco and grew up in the Episcopal Church in Southern California. She became a Roman Catholic in the 1990s after feeling called to more active involvement in social justice work and attending RCIA classes at St. Michael’s Church in Olympia. Still not completely satisfied due to the church’s lack of women in its hierarchy, Nancy found Holy Wisdom Inclusive Catholic Church and recognized her true home. “Doing my best to live the Gospel message is so important to me. I love that women can become priests, I love our inclusive mission statement, and I love that we say that all are welcome at our table during the Eucharist.” She loves being the mother of 3 and grandmother of 4 wonderful human beings, enjoys fussing over her garden, and feels lucky to have so many wonderful friends in the Olympia community.

Elayne Crow is a retired accountant, and currently serves as our Treasurer. Originally from Santa Cruz, California, she majored in Psychology and Religious Studies in college and found deep wisdom in the monastic traditions of East and West, as well as Celtic and nature-based spirituality. Now in Olympia, she has been a member of Holy Wisdom since 2015. She loves our opening statement that “we value unity over uniformity” and appreciates the spiritual journeys that many in the Holy Wisdom community have taken. She loves prayer, ritual, and caring for the Earth, and enjoys learning about other cultures and indigenous ways. She has traveled to Mexico multiple times and keeps working on her Spanish, along with her garden, craft projects and attuning her life to the natural world.