Practitioners
Do you need someone to talk to?
Our CSL Licensed Prayer Practitioners will support you in creating a healthy, vibrant, and fulfilling life.
Practitioners recognize the creative power within YOU and they use Affirmative Prayer to reveal, heal and transform their own lives and yours. Each Practitioner is licensed through a Centers for Spiritual Living, a 4 year program to honor your path and also to claim a higher the truth about any situation. We have Practitioners available to do prayer with you after the service in a private setting. You may talk with them about any area of your life.
Licensed Practitioners are bound by a high code of ethics, including complete confidentiality. There is no area of YOUR life that cannot be changed for the BETTER. The short sessions on Sunday are free of charge, and are also available on a fee basis by appointment for further sessions.
Rev. Jerry Troyer, Staff Minister
Rev. Jerry Troyer is a native of San Diego County. He and his husband of 33 years, Jerry Collins, found Religious Science in 1992. In 1994, Rev. Jerry and Jerry attended first and second year Foundations and Practitioner classes. Rev. Jerry continued his studies, and received his ministerial license in July 2005. As Divine timing would have it, his teacher, Dr. Marilyn Hall, was ready to move on to new adventures at this time, and Rev. Jerry was named senior minister. He was ordained as senior minister in 2008. In addition to being a staff minister at Om, Rev. Jerry is Director of Operations for Urban Street Angels, a volunteer driven community that delivers life impacting outreach to the estimated 3,000 homeless young people living in San Diego. He coordinates the weekly shelter for ages 18-25, and also works with the organization’s housing and employment program. Rev. Jerry also works as the administrator for the Affiliated New Thought Network (ANTN), an organization that supports centers/churches and independent ministers of Religious Science, Unity, Divine Science and Progressive Christianity. Rev. Jerry is the author of the acclaimed book, Coming Out to Ourselves...Admitting, Accepting and Embracing Who We Truly Are, which invites, encourages and even challenges the reader
to recognize and release life-limiting feelings and beliefs about one’s past, sexual orientation, beliefs about one’s Higher Power (God, Spirit, the Universe), and other issues. He has guest spoken and conducted his workshop, titled “It’s My Story and It’s Sticking to Me,” at CSL, ANTN, United Church of Christ, Unity and Metropolitan Community Churches around the country.
Rev. Jerry and Jerry live in La Mesa with their beloved Golden Retriever, “Maggie.” Their son, Brandon, lives in Jefferson, Oregon, with his wife and five grandchildren.
Mary Lawrence Hard, RscP
Mary Lawrence Hard has been a seeker of metaphysical Truth for many years. She became involved in the recovery movement in 1989 and has spent her life since then helping people break free of the bondage of old patterns of behavior She was called to ministry and was licensed as a Spiritual Practitioner in 2008. She, is a single mother of 3 children. Mary completed her bachelor’s degree in Organizational Management while working full time and raising her children. She also attended the Centers for Spiritual Living, School of Spiritual Leadership in Encinitas, CA.
Her passion is helping people find spiritual solutions to everyday challenges.
Mary has facilitated Career Transitions workshops, Mothers and Other Caregivers retreats, Parent and Me Meditation groups among other events. She has given motivational speeches at several Centers for Spiritual Living and has taught many other spiritually based classes throughout San Diego and the Southern California area. She has also been honored to conduct celebration ceremonies for numerous marriages and has been requested to perform Memorial Services for loved ones who have passed.
She has studied under such esteemed luminaries as Rev. Dr. Kathy Hearn and Rev. Dr. Alice Bandy. Mary continues to study and evolve personally and spiritually herself and believes this is a lifelong journey of expansion and self-discovery. Her greatest desire is to share what she has learned with others to help create a world in which all people discover their own true joy and passion.
Sophia Ekwosi, RScP
Love Life, Love Spirit and Love People
Sophia’s passion is to empower, encourage and inspire others through her work as a Science of Mind Practitioner and Reiki Master/Teacher. For Sophia, Life is an adventure in living, curiosity, fun and about Self Discovery.
Sophia moved to San Diego from Nigeria 18years ago. She has spent the last 15 years working in the Insurance Industry providing service to others. She combines her Spiritual background, real world experiences and dedication to service in catering to others.
As a trusted advisor and spiritual coach, Sophia uses the correlation between Religion, Science and Philosophy to help others discover Truth to ignite personal growth.
Growing up, her father always said “Know Thy Self” (discovered was not his original idea). This statement has taken new and profound meaning for Sophia. It means greater intimacy with one’s self leading to discovery of the true nature of the self as Spirit. This discovery fosters greater love and acceptance of Self and Others. As a Philosophy Student and major, Sophia whose name means “Love of Wisdom” in Greek is constantly building her Knowledge and Wisdom.
With her life experiences, Sophia who is a self-identified lifelong student of life and its mysteries has the passion to share what she has learnt with others. One of Sophia’s realizations is the Truth that “Love is everything.” To find Peace and growth in life, one must Love Life, Love Spirit and Love People.
For Sophia, to actualize this Truth, it is a Life steeped in constant, consistent Spiritual Practice, Prayer and service to humanity.
When Sophia is not meeting or sharing her insights with others, she is spending time with her three beautiful and amazing children.
Candace Knowlan, RScP
Jody Karkowski,
Emerson Practitioner
Since an early age I have been exposed to many different religions and cultures and had never been satisfied with the pat answers to my questions about life, love and God until I discovered Science of Mind around 18 years ago. It was like coming home.
I have been doing healing energy work since I was a teenager and continue to do so until today. My favorite healing technique? The five step prayer treatment. Knowing we are all one with the Divine and that it is our birthright to live in joy and peace touches my very core. I love to be of assistance to others to help them discover this truth within themselves; to discovering we are all co-creators with Spirit and learning to make choices to enrich our lives and the lives of those around us.
I am a graduate of SDSU with a degree in Cultural Anthropology. I have had a variety of jobs, mostly in the care giving and healing energy work and am currently running a B&B in Colorado.
Even though I am living in Colorado I am still doing my Spiritual work as a remote practitioner. I am always available for prayer via phone calls and/or Skype. I lead a meditation group at a local University, organize a lead an annual spiritual retreat (Where Nature and Spirit Meet) and talk with those searching for Spirit. I am also a part of a prayer circle with our SOM center in Cherkassy, Ukraine which is a partner in “Trees for Peace – A Global Movement”.
Christina Veronica, RScP
In Memoriam
Born June 2, 1955 into a particularly dysfunctional family, I was exposed to physical and emotional abuse which I instinctively translated into a strong independent nature, and will to survive and thrive. Leaving home for good at age 18, I paid my own way through college, earning a B.S. in Health & Physical Education, and unexpectedly joined the Navy for what seemed like a great way to get out of my home town. During a 20 year career in the Navy, I was one of the first handful of women allowed to serve aboard Navy ships in the early 1980's, earned a Masters in Business Administration, made four Western Pacific Deployments, one during the Gulf War, worked my way up to being Second in Command of a 20 thousand ton Destroyer Tender with a crew of about two thousand, and completed qualifications for Command at Sea. I was also stationed in Korea, then England for two years each and finally I retired as a Commander with a host of awards and metals in 1997. Interestingly this was the point I think my real life started. I had always been a "closet meta-physician" but on retiring I dove full time into conscious spiritual healing and growth. After moving from Scripps Ranch to an acre in the country east of Alpine with dogs, cats, rabbits, chickens, ducks and an emu too, I was Inspired to shift to a clean & sober life in 2003. Also along the way I became a "Louise Hay - You Can Heal Your Life Workshop Leader", read numerous new though books and attended a host of healing and forgiveness classes and workshops. In 2004 before stepping into my first Science of Mind Church, I had already independently read the SOM text book cover to cover and recognized this was my hearts path. From 2008 to the present day I host an A Course in Miracles and The Way of Mastery study group in my home. I am a living demonstration that it is possible to shift one's consciousness from a long time victim hood mentality - to accepting full responsibility for and consciously allowing the Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent Mind of God to live my life. And now I am here as your SOM Practitioner Intern, ready to share my experience, strength and consciousness of our Oneness in, of, through and as the Divine Infinite Intelligence. I Re-Member I AM, and know you are that as well. I AM That, I AM. There is really only One of us. We are Perfect, Whole & Complete Sparks of God's Creative Expression. All Essential Parts of the Whole. I look forward to our deepening relationships.