EILEEN W. NOVOTNY Background

Eileen W. Novotny is a certified spiritual adviser. “I’ve had a vocation ... a calling to this,” she said. She has been a spiritual adviser for 21⁄2 years.

EDUCATION: Master’s degree in theology from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. Graduate of the Ignatian Spirituality Institute at John Carroll University in Cleveland.

BACKGROUND: A member of St. Michael’s Church in Canfield, she served 25 years as a pastoral minister. She worked 10 years in the offices of the Diocese of Youngstown, where she began the lay minister formation program.

FAMILY: She and her husband, Ray Novotny, are associates of the Ursuline Sisters, and support the ministry of the order in any way they can. The Novotnys have three adult children and three grandchildren. Her children tease her about being the “church lady.”

PROGRAMS: Novotny will conduct a Retreat in Daily Life from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Thursdays, Feb. 14-April 3, at the Ursuline Center in Canfield. The cost is $50. She will conduct a two-session program from 7 to 8 p.m. Feb. 27 on what is prayer and March 3, introduction to forms of prayer. No reservations are required; the cost is $5 a session. For more information on the retreat and prayer programs, call the Ursuline Center at (330) 799-4941. Novotny also will lead a women’s retreat from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 8 at St. Maron Maronite Catholic Church, 1555 S. Meridian Road, Youngstown, sponsored by St. Matthias Church in Youngstown. To register, call Sister Janice at (330) 788-5082.

CONTACT INFO: Call Novotny at (330) 533-3831 or the Ursuline Center.