About Our Board of Directors
The current board of The Contemplative Society was elected at the Annual General Meeting on October 2021 in Victoria, BC, Canada. Board members bring to the society a broad range of skills and experience. It is a working board in which members take leadership in areas to which they are drawn.
Board members maintain a regular meditation practice and are committed to the vision and mission of The Contemplative Society. They are familiar with the Christian contemplative tradition and with the audio and written works of Cynthia Bourgeault and other teachers of the contemplative path. They frequently attend various contemplative events and small study groups.
Working well together is balanced with having fun together, and board members bring humour, dedication, and commitment to the task of directing the ongoing growth and evolution of The Contemplative Society.
You can download a copy of the bylaws by which we are governed by in accordance with BC’s Society Act here.
Our Board Members & Staff
Henri Lock, ED
Henri Lock, EDHenri Lock recently retired as the United Church Spiritual Care Provider with the Multifaith Centre and the Students Wellness Centre at the University of Victoria. He is a long-time student of Cynthia Bourgeault and the contemplative path and has served on the board of TCS since 2010, formerly as Board member and President, and currently as Executive Director. Henri is a meditation teacher and retreat leader and enjoys mentoring and fostering the next generation of contemplatives. He is also an avid gardener, finds joy in nature, delights in parenting and grandfathering, cherishes lightness of being with his life partner Leslie, and surrenders with immense gratitude to the Sacred Presence within and through all.
Gerald Morton, Treasurer
Gerald Morton has been a member of TCS since 2011 and a board member since Spring 2012. He has shared leadership of weekly contemplative prayer meetings at St. Philip Church in Victoria for two years.
Kim Gye
Kim GyeKim Gye is a business owner and father of two girls. He feels that the contemplative practice supports his life goals to be a better father, partner, and employer. While he acknowledges the daily practice can be a struggle at times, he finds it has highlighted areas of growth for him. Kim feels grateful to support TCS in his role as an Board member since Spring 2012.
Charlotte McNeil
Charlotte McNeilCharlotte is a Biology student at the University of Victoria and guides meditation to the Multifaith community on campus once per week. She has been engaged in contemplative practices since childhood. With a deep curiosity regarding metaphysical truth and spiritual application, She has attended various programs and workshops to learn more about mindfulness and the roots of Christian faith.
Lorie Martin
Lorie MartinLorie is a spiritual director, retreat leader, and clergy in the Anglican Church of Canada. She is passionate about “soul work” and highly values contemplative practices, creating sacred spaces, and gathering together in community. Lorie is the Assoc. Director of The Centre for Spiritual Renewal at St. Dunstan’s Parish in Aldergrove, BC. She and her husband, Dwight, raised 5 children and now live near Chilliwack and enjoy their grandchildren, hiking, and paddling in their kayaks.
Jesse Roger Burson
Jesse is a father of three, business owner, retired Coast Guard officer and dedicated practitioner of meditation and centering prayer for over forty years. He has been attending Wisdom Schools and following the teachings of Cynthia Bourgeault since reading “The Wisdom Jesus” in 2017, and has been a Spiritual Director and Group Spiritual Director since 2019. Jesse is also an avid sailor and pilot!
Therese DesCamp
Therese DesCampOn the outside, I’m a writer and spiritual companion in and for a rural community; on the inside, my work is contemplative prayer and presence. This work is not for “me,” nor is it “for” the world. In any and all ways possible, I believe that the Holy is awakening us as part of and in concert with this beautiful, broken world, that we may together embody the Christ.
Candis Elliott
Candis ElliottCandis worked as a Community Development Worker for twenty years at a neighbourhood health centre where she developed skills in organizing, advocacy, group facilitation and education. She has applied these skills and abilities to organizing numerous community events and celebrations; she took every opportunity to emphasize the spiritual dimension of these efforts including facilitating neighbourhood members to install a labyrinth in her neighbourhood as well as various opportunities to coordinate community singing and support taize prayer.