Meet our Spiritual Care Providers

Rev. Dr. Lori Whittemore
Lori completed her chaplain training at the Chaplaincy Institute of Maine and her clinical training at Maine Medical Center in hospice and the American Red Cross. She worked as a hospice chaplain for three years and as a disaster response chaplain for 13 years. She currently offers clinical training to students in community-based settings. Lori is the founder of Spiritual Care Corp and Spiritual Care Services of Maine.

Rev. Jackie Thornton
Jackie is our Clinical Director. She earned an Master of Divinity degree from Bangor Theological Seminary. She is a certified Maine Law Enforcement Chaplain with 16 years of experience in serving Law Enforcement Agencies. She is well versed in stress management for first responders and Critical Incident Stress Management. She is ordained in the United Church of Christ and provides ministry services for churches around the state. Jackie joined our team as an on call chaplain in 2021.

Rev. Mabel Laird
Mabel Laird is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, and active in local and national ministries of the UCC. She served in the Navy and Navy Reserve for 12 years where she met her partner, who continues to serve as an active duty service member. She is passionate about Mental Health Advocacy, Reduction of Stigma, and lifting up the underserved and marginalized members of our wide community.
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Karen St. Peter
Karen St. Peter (she, her, hers) is an Interfaith Minister Ordained with the Chaplaincy Institute of Maine (CHIME). Karen has experience working with people who are differently abled with learning and physical differences. She also has experience working with people experiencing substance abuse disorder. In her job as a licensed social worker she has has worked with people who have mental health concerns, along with the refugee and asylum seeking population.

Jake Fahey
Jake Fahey (he/him) is an interfaith chaplain and antiracism organizer living on Abenaki land (now known as Portland, ME). He is interested in building local structures for a spiritual and cultural transformation that address systems of oppression, and seed systems of liberation. Jake works with Spiritual Care Services of Maine caring for Mainers adversely affected by COVID-19

Alley Smith
Chaplain Alley Smith (she/her/hers) is an ordained Interfaith & Buddhist Minister of Religion. Alley serves as a Chaplain at Brown University in Providence Rhode Island, Maine Veterans' Homes in Scarbrough, Maine, and as a funeral clergy for several funeral homes in Maine. Alley is also a US Military war veteran. She served in the Marine Corps, Navy Reserve & Maine Army National Guard. Alley has been a student of Tibetan Buddhism & Zen (Japanese & Korean) since 1999. Alley specializes in spiritual care, end of life care and decedent care.

Rev. Melissa Marquis
Reverend Melissa Marquis is the Minister of Christian Nurture at Acton Congregational Church in Maine. She has a BSW and BA in psychology from Rhode Island College. She graduated with a Master of Divinity in 2011 from Bangor Theological Seminary and was ordained in April 2013. Melissa served as a Chaplain in the Maine Air National Guard from 2013 to 2022. She specializes in hospice, mental health, and military chaplaincy. She has been with Spiritual Care Services of Maine since 2022.

Rev. Abby Hall Luca
Rev. Abby Hall Luca (she/her) is an Ordained Interfaith Chaplain, midwife, writer, and educator whose private practice, The Hearth Chaplain, offers spiritual listening and companioning. Though Abby works with all people, she specializes in chaplaincy and spiritual care through infertility, pregnancy, birth, and parenting. Her background in healthcare and training in issues of moral injury also help her to companion healthcare workers working through burnout and compassion fatigue, and her spacious and affirming approach make her an ideal companion for the "spiritual but not religious" seeker.

Rev. Sue Gabrielson
Sue is a 3/4 time minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Fort Myers, Florida. She has worked in education and law enforcement and worked on the Semester at Sea program. Sue offers spiritual care in both Spanish and English for SCS Maine.

Linda Card
Linda is and interfaith chaplain and a founding board member of Spiritual Care Services of Maine. As a result of a spinal issue, she experiences what it is like to be differently abled. She has developed resilience based on her practice of holding hold both grief and gratitude at the same time. She has received training and experience working with the Center for Grieving Children and is interested in working with people with different abilities and the senior population.

Elizabeth Farmer
Liz (she/her) is an ordained chaplain and meditation teacher. Prior to joining SCS Maine in January 2022, she worked in health care, end of life, education and carceral settings. With SCS Maine, Liz has served both as an on-call chaplain and spiritual care educator on moral suffering and moral resilience. She currently co-leads a meditation community in Southern Maine dedicated to the intersection of social justice and Buddhist teachings. Liz additionally serves as a mentor for students in Upaya Zen Center’s chaplaincy training program, and is a lay teacher of Zen under the guidance of Roshi Joan Halifax.

Sally Thomas
Sally Thomas, D.Min. is a listener. Trained as a spiritual companion and chaplain, Sally's doctoral research focused on how families and friends might care for one another spiritually in a practice called Wondering Together. Sally began her career as a nurse practitioner with a speciality in oncology, palliative, and hospice care and is an accredited trainer in the art of Godly Play.

Bea Broder-Oldach
Bea Broder-Oldach grew up in Aroostook County and appreciates the deep sense of community that is Maine. A board-certified chaplain with experience serving in health care and community settings, Bea seeks to meet people where they are as they are, offering a supportive, listening presence and spiritual care. Bea currently serves in Disaster Spiritual Care with the American Red Cross. She has a Doctorate of Ministry in Pastoral Counseling and Spirituality from the Graduate Theological Foundation and is ordained to public ministry through the Federation of Christian Ministries. Her board certification is through the Association of Professional Chaplains.

Brian K. Wilcox
Brian's education includes an MDiv., MFT, and Ph.D. He is an interspiritual clinical chaplain, writer, and works in hospitality services. Brian has served as an ordained clergyperson, professor of religion, and corrections and hospice chaplain. Brian was vowed to a contemplative life in 1995. He sees providing mindful presence and listening as central to his work. He enjoys facilitating groups or working one-on-one with people of varied religions or spiritualities or persons with no such affiliation, providing a safe space for persons to share freely.

Herode J. Thomas
Herode J. Thomas was born and raised into a seventh day Adventist Christian home and has been in ministry since 2005. He received his Bachelors of theology from the Adventist University in Haiti, his Master of Divinity from New Theological Seminary and his Doctorate from Andrews University. He completed his clinical trining at St John’s Episcopal Health Care Systems in New York. Herode offers support in French, English, and Haitian Creole. He also serves as a reserve Navy Chaplain. Herode’s believes no matter what you are experiencing, we can all be human together.

Kate Brown
Kate is a Certified Reflexologist and Reiki Practitioner. She’s also a mother, grandmother, beekeeper, interfaith chaplain, grief facilitator, home funeral guide, nature lover, artist and yoga teacher.
The sudden death of her brother Kevin in 2008 had a profound impact on Kate’s life. Processing her own grief and sense of loss for her only sibling inspired much self-reflection and grief integration as well as providing a clearer path for her desire to serve and hold space with care and community.

Rev. Madonna J. Arsenault
Madonna J. Arsenault, M.Div., CSD, Chaplain, CPSS, was born and raised in Eastport, Maine, and is a Chaplain with Volunteers of America, Northern New England, and with the Shay
Moral Injury Center where she is a trainer and facilitator of their programs for Veterans, First Responders, and the global community. Madonna received her Master of Divinity degree at
Andover Newton Theological School, now at Yale, and received professional training as a Certified Spiritual Director with the Franciscan Spiritual Direction Program at St. Anthony Shrine
in Boston. Madonna received her Certification in Alcohol and Drug Counseling from Eastern Maine Community College, and has been a Chaplain with the Eastern Maine Medical Center and
Androscoggin Home Healthcare and Hospice.