Faculty

Anne Pate (Program Director)

Anne migrated to Melbourne from the UK with her Australian husband in 2002. She completed the Arrupeâ program with a Master of Arts in Spiritual Direction, has a Graduate Diploma in Supervision, and is finalising her PhD on the Fifth Week of life after the Spiritual Exercises. Anne is passionate about the transformative power of the Exercises and loves offering group retreats which combine imaginative prayer with creative practices. Anne is Missional Spirituality Pastor at Northcote Uniting Church, where she seeks to make the riches of the Christian tradition accessible in today’s context. Her life journey and professional experience in social work, research, teaching, and formation shape her open stance towards all who are searching for depth and meaning in life. Anne enjoys being at home with Daisy the mischievous Labrador, painting, and travelling. She joined the WellSpring team in February 2024. 

Kathy Cave (Managing Director of WellSpring)

Kathy grew up in rural South Africa, where Ndebele and Sotho people have lived for generations. Some twenty years ago she moved to the lands now called Australia and in 2022, relocated to the lands of the Kulin nation. She is curious and committed to cultivating and sharing a contemplative approach to life. Her experience from 30 years in management of investments and teams has given her opportunities to engage at strategic and administrative levels, in both profit focussed and not for profit organisations.

She has trained as a Spiritual Companion and Supervisor, has a Graduate Diploma in Christian Studies from Regent College, Vancouver and Masters in Christian Studies from Sydney Missionary Bible College.

She takes great pleasure in being outdoors, in particular, walking, swimming, scuba diving and watching waves.

Jennifer Guild

Jennifer has practised as a spiritual director / companion since completing her formation at WellSpring in 2007. She has been a member of the WellSpring formation team for Art of Contemplative Practice since 2014 and Art of Spiritual Direction / Companioning since 2015.

Jennifer has a background in dance and as a physiotherapist. She is an accredited practitioner of The Feldenkrais Method™ of learning and deepening awareness through movement. She is also a graduate teacher of The Embodied Life™ developed by Russell Delman, which combines movement, embodied listening [connected to the practice of Focusing developed by Eugene Gendlin] and meditation based in the Zen approach. She has offered Embodied Life workshops at WellSpring and elsewhere.

Jennifer is passionate about the role of the body in contemplative practice and living and the contemplative stance as a basis for spiritual companioning and prayerful living. She is married to Michael who is a professional portrait artist.

Andrew Woff

Andrew is married to Alice and he has recently retired from his role as a pastoral leader with the Baptist Churches in Victoria. For 12 years he worked as a regional minister in the Baptist Union of Victoria and for 4 years as the head of Pastoral Leadership Support and Development. He has been involved in pastoral ministry in East Doncaster, Upwey, Phillip Island, Newport and St Kilda/Elsternwick. He finished his training as a Spiritual Companion in 2005 and has worked with the Formation Team - forming Spiritual Companions at WellSpring - for 13 years. He has a Graduate Diploma in Spiritual Direction. His great loves are working with a collaborative team and seeking to create safe spaces where people feel secure enough to grow. He also has a long interest in helping groups to "listen to what the Spirit says". Andrew and Alice do not have children but have sought the abundance of life in people, beauty and travel.