The Bethany House Board of Directors

Ruth Raichle

  • President and Co-Founder of Bethany House Ministries
  • Chaplain with the Massachusetts Department of Corrections (30yrs)
  • Former member of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary
  •  Former member of the Dominican Sisters of Bethany
  •  Founder and member of Our Lady of Mercy Lay Dominican Chapter at MCI-Norfolk
  • Co-Recipient of the Peace abbey Foundation Courage of Conscience Award (2017)
  • Co-Recipient of The Prisoners Legal Services The Paul McDevitt Humanitarian of the Year Award 2017 
  • President and Co-Founder of Bethany House Ministries

Sr. Kathleen Denevan OSF

  • Co-Founder of Bethany House Ministries
  • Chaplain with the Massachusetts Department of Corrections (23 yrs.)
  •  Member, Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi, Milwaukee, WI
  • Former therapist at Family Counseling, Framingham, MA
  • Former Board member, Cardinal Cushing School and Training Center
  • Co-Recipient of the Peace Abbey Foundation Courage of Conscience Award (2017
  • Co-Recipient of the Prisoner Legal Services The Paul McDevitt Humanitarian of the Year award. (2017)

Paul Minear

  • Former Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bethany House Ministries
  • Active Bethany House and prison volunteer for over 20 years.
  • Graduate of St. John’s Seminary master’s in ministry Program 2014
  • Retired Executive Sales Representative at Liberty Mutual Insurance Company (Retired)

Edward Poole

  • Treasurer of Bethany House Ministries.
  • Prison volunteer at SMCC & Bridgewater State Hospital.
  • Public speaker who focuses on the challenges of re-entry.
  • Assists those newly released from prison with their tax preparation.

Father Wayne Cavalier O.P. Ph. D.

  • Ordained Dominican Friar (Southern Province)
  • Founding Director of the Congar Institute for Ministry Development 
  • M.A. (ecclesiology) and M.Div. (Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology. Berkeley, CA, 1990)
  • PhD in theology and education (Boston College 2005) Dissertation focused on lay ecclesial ministry formation
  • Recipient of the Juan Diego Award by the National Association for Lay Ministry for his outstanding witness to the spirit and values embodied in the life of the lay minister, San Juan Diego.
  • Spiritual Director for Our Lady of Mercy Lay Dominicans at MCI-Norfolk

Joli Sparkman LCSW

  • Former Therapist at Banyan Treatment Centers
  • Graduate Boston College School of Social Work 2021
  • Reentry Coordinator for Bethany House Ministries 
  • Reentry Replication Manager at Project Place, Boston MA
  • Currently works at Boston Health Commission as Clinical Director of Recovery

Sr. Sara Bohmer OP

  • Member of the Dominican Sisters of Bethany of Venlo
  • Former General Prioress of the Dominican Sisters of Bethany (2005-2017)
  • General Bursar and Secretary of the Dominican Sisters of Bethany
  • Completed Studies in theology, social work, and economics.
  • Provides spiritual guidance to the members of Our Lady of Mercy Dominican Lay Chapter at MCI-Norfolk
  • Resides in the Netherlands

William “DOC” Miller

  • Educator for over 45 years. 
  • Taught social studies in NYC, Boston and Concord, MA for 30 years. 
  • Worked with research for Better Teaching for 10 years                             
  • Teacher in Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East
  • Served as the Senior Associate for Staff development at Facing History and Ourselves, a Boston-based nonprofit organization which supports educators in every state and in more than 100 countries.
  • Prison Volunteer at MCI Norfolk facilitating groups with BC Professor Steve Pope.  

Guido Jacques

  • Chairman of the Board of Directors Bethany House Ministries
  • Owner and CEO of GMA Realty and Trust Your Line
  • Member of the Board of Directors for A&M Tool and Design and Mill Street Realty
  • Member of Pax Christi believing in the redemptive power of God.
  •  Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science with focus in Pre-Law from Boston College
  • Associate Degree in Civil Engineering from Wentworth Institute of Technology
  •  Worked as a field engineer on Boston’s Big Dig Construction project
  •  Invested in A & M Tool and Design in 2005 and spent 15 years developing the organization, implementing change and process improvement including lean, ISO, AS 9100, and ERP Systems and Control
  •  Provides gainful employment opportunities for returning citizens. 
  •  Volunteer at Norfolk Prison participating in the Countdown to Freedom Group

Stephen Pope PH.D

  • Professor of theological ethics and social ethics in the theology department at Boston College
  • PhD in theological ethics from the University of Chicago
  •  Steve writes in the areas of reconciliation and restorative justice, forgiveness, virtue ethics, and on the relevance of science for theology and ethics.
  • Steve has been published on a variety of topics, such as: The intersection of science and theology, The relevance of biological evolution to human altruism and the natural roots of morality. 
  • Steve’s most recent publication is a book called A Step Along the Way: Models of Christian Service (Orvis, 2015) 
  • Steve’s work for the New Visions in Theological Anthropology focuses on the theological and ethical significance of recent psychological research on forgiveness
  • Teaches courses on peace, justice, and reconciliation
  • Steve has been involved in ad-hoc projects for Jesuit Refugee Service and for the past ten years
  • A volunteer at MCI Norfolk

Ozzie Ceurvels

  • Retired from Quincy Shipyard 2006 as Assistant Director
  • Volunteer Norwood Hospital Spiritual Care Department 20 years
  • Knights of Columbus (1996 to Present) Currently Deputy Grand Knight Walpole Council 1319
  • Former Volunteer- Hospice- Steward Accent Care since 2016
  • Supporter of Young Life 25 years

Kathleen Dennehy, PhD., MPA, MA

  • Former Commissioner, Massachusetts Department of Corrections
  • After thirty-plus year in corrections, in 2003, she was appointed Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Corrections by then Governor Romney and held the position until 2007. She was the first woman to be appointed to this position.
  • It was in the MA Dept. of Corrections where she met Sister Kathleen and Ruth and became a supporter of Bethany House Ministries.
  • A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Wheaton College, Ms. Dennehy received a Masters in Public Administration from Suffolk University and a Masters of Arts Social Policy from Brandeis University. After retiring from state service, she returned to school and received her doctorate from Brandeis University’s Heller School of Social Policy and Management and began work as a Senior Program Specialist at the non-profit National Council on Crime and Delinquency which is focused on the implementation of national standards to prevent, detect, and respond to prison-based sexual victimization.
  • For six years, she was the federal court monitor overseeing a consent decree at Tutwiler Prison, Alabama’s state prison for women. Currently, as an expert court witness, she assists incarcerated individuals who have been victimized while in custody.
  • She has authored journal articles and taught graduate courses in criminal justice.
  • She also sits on the Board of Directors of Just Detention International, which does work in the US and So. Africa, and the MA-based Massachusetts Association for Professional Law Enforcement.