Rosemary (Rose) McManus Carlsen
Rose was raised in a large Catholic family on the east coast. Catholicism gave her a deep love and appreciation for ritual and the early experience of her oldest sister becoming a born again Christian ignited her spiritual curiosity.
“Wrestling with who God is to me, has been a driving force throughout my life. The God of my youth, confused, terrified and fascinated me and my felt sense of this Mystery inspired awe, wonder and curiosity. I discovered spiritual direction in my early 30’s. I was newly married, new to Minnesota, my 29 year old brother in law was dying and I was struggling when a close friend suggested spiritual direction. The humor, warmth and expansive spirit of my first spiritual director provided the soft place to land that I longed for. With her, I was free to explore the complicated territory of my life and my relationship with God without fear of judgment or reprisal. She supported my curiosity about other spiritual traditions and those explorations expanded my God consciousness and led me to embrace the mystical threads of my own Christian tradition. Completing the Ignatian Exercises changed my relationship with Jesus by allowing me to experience his life, his ministry and his purpose in a deep and personal way. In my own life, I turn to Spiritual direction to process my inner experience and to help me hear and respond to the soft whisper and sometimes clanging gong of Spirit at work.”
Rose received her Spiritual Direction Certification from the Center for Spiritual Guidance and is a trained End of Life Doula and certified Enneagram practitioner. In 2021, she retired from her career as a physical therapist to pursue her calling as a Spiritual Director. Her interest in the Enneagram and end of life ministry developed in response to her own painful and transformative experiences of letting go. Rose tends to Spirit through a daily practice of prayer, meditation and journaling and is nourished by her close relationships, movement, and nature. Rose and her husband live in South MInneapolis and are parents to three beloved adult children.