Our Lady of Santa Clara
Divine Mercy Healing Team
"Do you want to be healed?" (John 5:6)
Through the Our Lady of Santa Clara Retreat Center's Healing Programs, the Divine Mercy Healing Team strives to help souls encounter the healing and merciful love of God, who comes to us in our brokenness, reveals His heart of love for us, and heals our wounds.
Fr. Thomas Vendetti, LC
Father Thomas Vendetti, LC is originally from Rockville, MD. He joined the novitiate of the Legion of Christ in Connecticut in 1995. He studied philosophy and theology at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum in Rome and obtained a licentiate in philosophy and bachelors in theology. He recently completed his MA in Christian Spirituality at Fordham University in NY, focusing on the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises. Since his ordination to the priesthood in 2009 he has served in the New York Tristate area for four years as vice rector and director of development for the Legionaries’ center of philosophy in Thornwood, NY, as well as chaplain for Regnum Christi in Manhattan. From 2013 to 2016 he was local director and chaplain for Regnum Christi in Chicago. He is currently serving in the Bay Area as director for Our Lady of Santa Clara Retreat Center and chaplain for Regnum Christi.
Fr. Brian Shininger, LC
Father Brian Shininger is a native of Defiance, Ohio. After obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Bowling Green State University he entered the Legionaries of Christ in 1994. He completed his seminary studies at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum in Rome, Italy and was ordained to the priesthood in 2005. He was engaged in seminary formation and administration in Connecticut and California until 2010, after which he spent two years in Mexico City as a spiritual director for laity in the Regnum Christi Movement and assisted in retreats and missionary work. Since moving to Cupertino, California in 2012, he has complemented his work as a spiritual director and chaplain for Regnum Christi with training in healing ministry with the John Paul II Healing Center in Tallahassee, Florida as well as his on-going personal journey of inner healing. Along with serving on the Divine Mercy retreats, he is chaplain for the ministry All Things Women and developing another healing ministry called The HEM Center (Healing, Encounter, Mission).
Erin Keller
Erin Keller was born in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, and raised in Tacoma, Washington. She graduated from the University of Washington Foster School of Business in 1989, married her husband Steve in 1990, and moved to Salt Lake City, Utah. Six years later, with 3 kids, she and Steve relocated to the SF Bay Area, adding 3 more children and eventually two beautiful granddaughters. Erin started a healing support group in 2017, which continues today, and was a founding member of the Divine Mercy Healing team in 2018. She trained in prayer ministry at the JPII Healing Center in Florida and is pursuing a spiritual direction certification through Divine Mercy University. Through personal family experience, Erin gained extensive experience and knowledge of mental illness and addiction. She is passionate about whole-person healing and believes the best gift we can give to our children is to pursue our own healing.
Rod & Theresa Huether
Rod and Theresa were married in Santa Clara in 1976. Soon after, they began their personal journey with Jesus Christ during a 'Life in the Spirit' seminar through Christ the King Catholic charismatic prayer community. In 1985 they were introduced to 'Healing the Family Tree' and Inner Healing Prayer with Fr. John Hampsch, CMF. During the mid nineties they spent two years working with high school students on 'Rejoice Ministries' team with Fr. James Tarantino. From 1985 to 2015, Rod and Theresa led 'Bread of Heaven' prayer community at their parish of St. Justin's. From 2000 to 2010 They ministered with inner healing prayer in 'New Pentecost Catholic Ministries' with Fr. Peter Sanders, ORAT. This greatly prepared them for their time with Fr. Gary Thomas and the Healing and Deliverance ministry in San Jose Diocese supported with training from the Mundeline Exorcism Conferences in 2012. Rod retired from the U.S. Postal Service in 2015, and Theresa from the Santa Clara School District in 2020. In God's perfect timing, just after the Covid lockdowns eased up, Trisha Quilici, a member from their former Rejoice Ministries team, contacted them to introduce them to the Divine Mercy team at Our Lady of Santa Clara Retreat Center. They truly rejoice over the new depths of interior healing, rich friendships, and powerful retreats led by Fathers Thomas Vendetti and Brian Shininger. Along with spending time with their three grown kids and their 13 grandkids, Rod enjoys playing pickle ball and fishing, while Theresa spends time at the creek behind their house and loves playing guitar and singing.
Lisha Lee
Lisha Lee, a native of Korea, moved to the New York area where she resided for 30 years. In 2008, she relocated to California where she has continued her work as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist accruing over 20 years of experience. From the start of her career, Lisha has had an interest in integrating Christian faith with psychology to bring healing to one’s whole person. Lisha is a founding member of the Divine Mercy retreat team and over the past five years her personal and professional life has been transformed. She found deeper healing, experienced the freedom only Jesus can provide, and her journey towards this deeper freedom continues. Lisha has attended the Whole Person Healing, I AM Prayer Ministry, and Catholic therapist conferences organized by the John Paul II Healing Center in Florida. She is currently enrolled in the Encounter School of Ministry program. Lisha is the mother to three children, nana to four grandchildren, with another grandchild on the way! She holds a special devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe, having visited the shrine in Mexico five times since 2017. Her life’s passion is to share the redeeming love of Jesus to all with the intercession of Our Lady.
Patty LaBerge
Patty LaBerge was born in Chicago, Illinois, but considers herself a Bay Area native, having called San Jose her home since the tender age of 3. After her parochial schooling, at St. John Vianney and Archbishop Mitty High School, she attended San Jose State University. Soon after she married her beloved husband, Jeff. They have two children, Lianna and Connor, both of whom are now grown. After years of wearing many hats, as a homeschooler, entrepreneur, business owner, and real estate investor, she felt called, through her friendship with the Legionaries of Christ community, to live her Catholic faith on a deeper level. Through the powerful witness of their faith she felt inspired to join Regnum Christi in 2008, a group of lay people dedicated to growth in holiness, in service to the Church, by integrating their faith into their everyday lives. In 2018, when a friend invited her to a John Paul II Healing Retreat weekend, a new chapter in her life began. Experiencing the Church’s healing ministry that weekend was both an eye opening and grace filled experience. This discovery led her to attend many subsequent healing events, which gradually confirmed in her a sense that God was leading her in this direction for a reason. Her first hand experiences of the healing power of God, both in her own life and in the lives of other participants, led her to the conviction of the great need the Church has for this ministry, and of her calling to be a part of it. She believes that most of us carry wounds from our past, some known to us, some hidden, and that only the light of Christ can disclose them and ultimately heal them. Following an invitation, and short period of discernment, Patty joined the Divine Mercy Healing Ministry team in 2021. In 2023 she received training from the John Paul II Healing Center, completing both their “Healing the Whole Person” and “I AM Prayer Ministry” programs. In her free time she enjoys gardening, hiking, and is an aspiring art student.
Gail D'Silva
Gail immigrated from India to the US more than 28 years ago. She is a cradle catholic and grew up in the charismatic movement where she witnessed Jesus’s miraculous healing in people’s lives. Her own faith grew when she was introduced to the Legionary community when her son, Jason went to the Legionary school, Canyon Heights Academy in Campbell for nine years. Her faith journey led her to associate within the Regnum Christi Movement in 2019. Her healing journey led her to attend the Divine Mercy Healing Retreat and St Ignatius Spiritual Exercises at OLSC in 2019 which was life changing for her. In 2022, she joined the Healing team and continues her own healing while also ministering to others. She is an ILM (Institute of Leadership in Ministry) graduate from the Diocese of San Jose. Continuing her ongoing formation for ministry, she attended Healing the Whole Person retreat with the JP II Healing Center and has participated in the Equipping Training with Bart Schuchts along with the 'I AM Training' with the John Paul II Healing Center. She is currently enrolled in a 2-year program with the Encounter School of Ministry. Gail is the Director of Operations at Our Lady of Santa Clara Retreat Center. Prior to that she worked in the hi-tech world of Silicon Valley for 20+ years. Gail lives in San Jose with her husband, daughter and son and likes to spend her time in adoration, reading, traveling and getting together with friends.
Mirella Lopez
Mirella is a wife, homeschooling mother of four beautiful children, and lay Regnum Christi member who lives with her family in the Central Valley of California. She was born in the USA and raised in Durango, Mexico. She graduated from Fresno Pacific University with a B.A. in Business Management. She also completed one year of studies in humanities and spirituality at the Instituto de Formación Integral (IFI) in Mexico City as well as one semester on Biblical Studies at the Seminario Conciliar de México. She spent several years volunteering in religious education including 3 years as a youth minister, and co-directed a children’s choir for 5 years. She completed the Prayer and Life Workshop and was certified as a level one Catechist with the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. She and her husband loved being a part of the Worldwide Marriage Encounter leadership team for four years and were one of the founding couples of the radio show “En las buenas y en las malas” (Catholic Radio). Upon experiencing the Divine Mercy Healing Retreat in October 2021, Mirella participated in the Equipping Training with Bart Schuchts and the Supernatural Gifts workshop. Mirella has led small groups of women with the 40 Weeks Sacred Story Journey and Fearless and Free Biblical Study during the last couple of years. She continues to participate in the ongoing formation for the healing ministry through OLSC and growing through her own personal prayer, and on-going inner healing journey. Mirella loves being able to stay home and raise their children. She also enjoys all things good and beautiful, traveling, praying, volleyball, running, ministry life, and contemplating nature.
Marisela Smith
Marisela has worked and served in the ministry of vocations assisting the assigned Director of Vocations and Seminarian Formation Coordinator and, also assists in the coordination and organizing of vocational events for discernment and the promotion of vocations for last 17 years in the Diocese of Sacramento. She also coordinated the Mother/Daughter Program for seven years in the Diocese of Sacramento. Marisela was producer for two years for “La Hora del Obispo” (Bishop's Hour) for Radio Santisimo Sacramento and is a Lay Regnum Christi member. She completed the Lay Mission Project Formation Three Year Program, and she is currently in the Encounter School of Ministry program. She has participated and trained in Unbound Ministry, has participated in the Equipping Training with Bart Schuchts, completed the Prayer and Life Workshop, Discernment of Spirits Workshop and the Called and Gifted Workshop. Marisela has led various Spanish small groups of women with the 40 Weeks Sacred Story journey during the last couple of years through the ministry of All Things Women. After attending the Divine Mercy Retreat in 2020, she continues her healing journey and is now part of the team that hosts the Spanish and English healing retreats. Marisela is the mother of three adult children and her hobby is learning how to play the guitar.
Hal Fletcher
Hal was born into the Catholic faith as one of five children. He enjoys athletics, engineering, and business, is married, and has adult children. For Our Lady, he has served various ministries in the Church for 30+ years. Hal came to Divine Mercy Healing (DMH) having earnestly sought healing through the many usual means. Personal challenges that surfaced from the beginning of his marriage, and again later in striving to be a good father, he discovered these difficulties were rooted in his family of origin. These wound sled him to view life in less-than-healthy ways. What amazes him about DMH is that God waits with love to encounter the beloved and heal that soul in the very memories so long avoided, and especially those most painful. Today, as Hal draws closer to God, he senses his vision of the Lord is ever improving. Thanks to God, he is coming more and more to full stature in Christ, basking in this most beautiful experience of his life.
Mona Taylor
Mona Taylor was born and raised in San Jose, California. She obtained her degree in organizational behavior from the University of San Francisco. Inspired at a young age to share God’s love through service, she volunteers by developing and promoting programs to help those in need for schools, churches, the military, and non-profit organizations throughout California. Mona is a Catholic Catechist and has taught Catechism for over 20 years. She also served on the Board of Directors for the Family Giving Tree, a non-profit charitable organization. Mona attended a Divine Healing Mercy Retreat in 2021 to deepen her faith, which transformed her life through inner healing and deepened her relationship with God. She joined the Divine Healing team in 2023 and continues to focus on her ministry development. Mona still resides in San Jose and enjoys traveling and spending time with her children and grandchildren.
Dave Lipscomb
Dave is fifty-seven years old and a recovering drug addict, alcoholic, and workaholic. Additionally, he is also a child of divorce. He was first graced with healing from our Lord and His mother at OLSC on a healing retreat in February 2020. Reliving childhood trauma in the presence of Christ opened his eyes to the power of healing that He offers all of us if we just trust in His words: “Be healed. Your faith has saved you.” Now he sees more clearly how the events of his childhood formed his beliefs, habits, defenses, and maladaptations that led to dysfunctional life choices, inspiring Dave to help others experience what is promised to all of us. Dave graduated from Stanford University in 1989 with a software engineering degree and has lived in the Bay Area ever since, working at a few large companies and a number of startups. In 2005, something stirred in Dave's heart that his life wasn’t right. By 2012, he left the Silicon Valley "rat race" and became a teacher for five years. In 2017, he left teaching, now living day-to-day listening to what the Lord is calling him to do. Currently, that involves working with people struggling with addiction and/or retirement. Dave is married and has two daughters. In his spare time, he enjoys playing competitive disc (frisbee) golf, working out, and cooking.
Randhir Vieira
Randhir Vieira was born and raised in India. He came to the USA for graduate school and after living in several places on the East Coast, has made the San Jose Bay Area home for the last 20+ years. He enjoys working at tech companies in product management. He has been associated with the Legionaries of Christ and the OLSC Retreat Center through his two children who attended the LC Canyon Heights Academy since they were in pre-school. After attending the Divine Mercy Healing Retreat in October 2021, Randhir did the additional training and has been part of the team that hosts the healing retreats. Randhir lives in the South Bay with his wife. They are almost empty nesters with one daughter in college and a high school senior close to deciding on college. He enjoys traveling, cooking, reading and hiking the beautiful trails in this area.
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Savanna Plunkett
Savanna is originally from Temecula, CA, where she was baptized and raised in the faith. In high school, during her confirmation preparation program, she fell in-love with the Lord, feeling her heart set ablaze with the desire to hear His voice and dedicate her life to Him, wishing to return love for love. At the age of 16, she discerned she had a vocation to consecrated life and lives presently consecrated to Christ as His bride. Savanna began her healing journey in 2022 when she first read Dr. Bob Schuchts's book Be Healed. After reading it and beginning to pray inner healing prayer, she felt transformed in her identity as a daughter of God and bride of Christ. This transformation was so great that she began regularly praying inner healing prayer independently, seeking intimacy with Christ by surrendering to Him all her areas of brokenness and woundedness, cherishing them as her place of greatest communion with God wherein she could allow Him to be her Redeemer and consent to the fullness of His love. Having seen the great impact healing prayer had had in her own life, Savanna desired to help bring this grace to others and pursued training in healing ministry. She has attended the Healing the Whole Person retreat, the Encounter School of Prophetic Ministry, and the Equipping training through the Our Lady of Santa Clara Retreat Center. Additionally, Savanna is in the process of attaining certification as a spiritual director and is currently studying ministry with the Encounter School of Ministry. She feels blessed to be a part of the Divine Mercy Healing Team here, where she can help souls encounter the healing and merciful love of God.
Ana Maria Ramirez
Ana Maria Ramirez Mendoza is the 3rd late addition to her family of 5. She was born and raised in Bogota, Colombia and has been living in the United States since 2013. She now resides in the Bay Area with her husband and daughter. Living a spiritual life and understanding the human mind have always been a profound interest of Ana Maria's. This led her to study of psychology at the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana for undergrad and a Master's Degree in Counseling Psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute in 2017. In 2020, She learned about the Internal Family Systems model of psychotherapy, which highly resonated with her and her understanding of the human heart. She is now trained in levels 1 and 2 for this model and all this background allows her to integrate science and spirit in her practice as an LMFT. Her journey to OLSC began in 2018 during a moment of crisis. In response, her sister in Maryland connected her with Fr. Anthony Sortino, LC (who was then part of the retreat center). At that moment Ana Maria had been away from the Catholic faith for many years, but her encounter with Fr. Anthony planted a seed in her heart that, in another very challenging moment, made her return to OLSC to do a retreat in the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises in 2023. This experience was life transforming and brought her back to the faith. To deepen her experience of healing, in 2024 she participated in a Divine Mercy Retreat followed by the weekend of Equipping in which she was amazed by the undeniable presence of the Holy Spirit. Responding to a call to be God’s instrument for the healing of others, Ana Maria is now part of the healing team.