CSA Ministers & Practitioners have finished at least four years
of coursework and have proven their ability to help others through Spiritual Mind Treatment
CSA ministers and practitioners are always available to provide spiritual Treatment for anyone who needs it. They are living examples of ‘seeing God in each other.’ Ministers are Practitioners who have been trained in teaching, public speaking, life-cycle ceremonies, and counseling. After 2 years of additional study, they were ordained as Ministers of Religious Science. They perform many varied tasks at CSA, from teaching and committee activities to conducting Wednesday evening and Sunday programs.
Rev. Sandra Leader is presently serving as Assistant Spiritual Director at the Center for Spiritual Awakening. Rev. Sandy, a trained meditation teacher who has been meditating for nearly 35 years, brings a deep appreciation for the inherent transformative power of silence to her spiritual teaching and counseling. A career journalist, she is also an artist and musician, and her passion is to help people discover and recognize their innate spiritual nature which automatically expands their sense of who they are and their own remarkable and unlimited capacities. She is available for retreats, counseling, to teach meditation and for rites of passage. She lives with her husband, Lewis, in Carmel Valley.
Rev. Diana Galbraith, ordained in 2010, is always available for Affirmative Prayers, and has recently taught others how to do this for themselves. As an elementary school teacher, mother, and reverend, she has found the spiritual quest is invaluable for the mind, heart, emotions and physical well being of herself and others. Her goal is to help people realize that the ongoing experience of connecting with Divine Energy, and the Truth of the Self is available for everyone who seeks it, and that it gives ultimate joy and purpose to not just individual lives, but to all sentient beings. When one being attains a higher level of awareness, it impacts the entire web of existence.
Rev. Cynthia Johnson Bianchetta, an ordained minister at the Center for Spiritual Healing, was introduced to Religious Science in 1976. She teaches at CSA and offers “Sacred Touch” and “Prayer from the Heart” sessions on the Peninsula and at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, where she has taught and studied for 30 years. She lives with her husband, Daniel, a meditation teacher, in Carmel Valley and Big Sur. They practice Siddha Yoga meditation, offer healing sessions and are artists. Cynthia brings her artistic talent to beautify the center with her seasonally changing décor.
Rev. JoAnna Daum has a passion for “connection.” She begins counseling and consulting by aligning her connection with Spirit, which carries through to the individuals, organizations and businesses she serves. JoAnna balances being a Religious Science minister and Spiritual mentor with her career as a Conscious Business consultant. She focuses on helping employees, managers, executives and entrepreneurs in integrating spiritual practice and principles with business development.
Rev. David Martin has been a practitioner for more than 25 years and was ordained as a minister in 2022. He is a highly regarded architect here on the Monterey Peninsula whose professional mission is to create spaces that nurture and inspire. He creates beauty in homes, work and worship environments, and this gift of creating sacred space is evident in his Treatments. He always enters the heart, the starting place for all Treatment, and proceeds to reason from the presence of Divine love.
Rev. Sreya Zekas has spent her professional life helping her clients achieve more productive, rewarding and fulfilling lives. She began her Religious Science studies in 1967 and has taught all core course. She has spoken and taught workshops nationally. Sreya led Pathways to Spirit, received her BA in Globalization from CSUMB, and holds a BA, Ordination and MA from the University of Metaphysics. An ordained minister in Religious Science, she attended the University of Oaxaca, Monterey College of Law, Pacifica Graduate Institute in Archetypal Psychology and studied Ayurveda in India.
Rev. Sheri Parelskin As well as serving as staff minister, Rev. Sheri is manager of the MindShop. It was when swimming eye-to-eye with humpback whales and dolphins that she found the meaning of unconditional love and the amazing spiritual gifts they communicate. Her passion is to help others see the beauty of their true, loving spirit, find the peace that lives within and help them to know that unconditional love exists. She is also a Healing Touch provider.
Rev. Lauren Pond is an ordained Reverend & certified massage therapist, cranial-sacral energy healer, yoga teacher, dancer, artist and nature lover. She brings 30 years of experience in the Healing Arts and meditation to her ministry. She lives and works at Tassajara Zen Monastery part time during spring and summer months. She teaches “Flowing into Stillness” yoga and Equinox/Solstice Services at the center. Thich Nhat Hanh gave her the name “Attentive Compassion of the Heart,” and this is what she offers in her counseling sessions.
Rev. Katie Pontius was ordained a Minister of Religious Science at the Center For Spiritual Awakening, where she has relished Metaphysics, New Thought, and giving Spiritual Mind Treatment for many years. She has also been a psychotherapist (currently retired) in California and previously in Alaska, where she raised her four children. She is also blessed with 16 wonderful grandchildren.