Short Bio
As a child, Karla’s close relationship with her grandmother shaped her relationship with the Divine. Her grandmother was an active third-order Franciscan with profound love for the Eucharist, saints, and all-things spiritual. It was she who taught Karla that God is someone relatable and introduced Karla to monastaries and divine imagination.
Karla is a native Spanish speaker and has two cultures. She grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area Peninsula (Millbrae) and travelled to her family’s hometown of Tequila and Guadalajara, Mexico, each summer as a child and teen.
Karla’s childhood education heavily influenced her path in life. The Salesian Sisters in San Francisco (Corpus Christi) and the Sisters of Mercy in Burlingame (Mercy High School) introduced Karla to social justice and awareness of those in need. Karla’s later academic years immersed her in diverse experiences and thought. While at the University of San Francisco, She studied a B.A. in Philosophy and completed the Great Books Program. Her theological training began in Spain and was completed at the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley with a Master in Divinity degree. During that time, Karla traveled to India on an Inter-Religious Dialogue Immersion Course and was also introduced to Ignatian Spirituality and ecumenical dialogue. Eventually, she obtained a licentiate degree at the Catholic University of America, in Washington, D.C. and completed two years in a doctoral program in Ottawa, Canada. Recently, she completed the Marist Brother’s Inter-Cultural Spiritual Director’s Program (New York) and was certified in Non-Profit Management (Sonoma State University).
As a teenager, Karla discovered a new friendship with God when she was introduced to contemplative Scripture-based prayer, spiritual direction, and silent retreats. Karla was often the only teenager at week-long guided contemplative retreats! At the age of 19, her desire to share her spritual discoveries with others and to live a simple life led her to join the Verbum Dei Missionary Fraternity, an international institute of consecrated life. Karla thrived as a contemplative-active missionary for over twenty four years leading retreats, offering spiritual accompaniament, and creatively offering spiritual programs in Spanish and English. In her 20’s and 30’s she was called to serve in leadership, administrative, and formation roles; she was appointed to the novitiate team, temporally vowed formation team, the USA provincial council, as an assistant to the provincial, local superior, and local finance officer. She also served in three different international commissions that studied the international institute’s Mission, Formation, and Governance documents. In 2012, the USA province elected her to participate in the institutes’ General Chapter in Spain. With others, she co-led multiple World Youth Days (Canada, Germany, Spain) and at one point oversaw campus ministry activities at SFSU.
In the mid-2010s, she was twice invited to participate in meetings in Rome for “new forms of consecrated life” (organized by the Vatican) and, during the pandemic, the Diocesan Bishop of Sacramento appointed Karla as his Delegate for Religious (Vicar).
In December 2021, Karla joyfully departed the religious institute following God’s call to grow in new ways.
Because of her background, Karla was invited to present (twice) at the annual Canon Law Society of America (CLSA) Convention on the topic of New Ecclesial Families and Movements and at the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress (multiple times). She also chaired the CLSA’s Consecrated Life Committee for a term.
As a canon lawyer, Karla has worked as a Defender of the Bond and Judge of Second Instance for the Los Angeles Archdiocese, the Diocese of Monterrey’s Promoter of Justice, and Judge for the Sacramento Diocesan Tribunal. She has also supported the Stockton Diocese in restructuring the Renovacion Carismatica Catolica leadership model and special cases involving clergy. Over the years, Karla has assisted religious men and women with canonical issues.
Today, Karla is the Executive Director of Mercy Center Auburn, a retreat and conference center in the foothills of Northern California which is sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas. Returning to the Sisters of Mercy is a homecoming experience and a wonderful opportunity of continuing serving in a spiritual setting, as she has done since her teenage years.
Having taught and presented in numerous settings, Karla continues led the women’s spirituality sessions during her diocese’s Permanent Diaconate Formation Weekends from 2022 – 2025 and often teaches canon law for the Permanent Diaconate Program and the Graduate Program in Pastoral Ministries at Santa Clara University. She supports her Diocesan Tribunal as an Ecclesiastical Judge in a limited capacity.
Her spiritual development and curiosity continues to lead her to be involved in various retreats and programs. For this reason, she has enjoyed participating in the Bread of Life Center’s Community of Practice (2022, 2023, 2026) and the Listening to Your Life (2023) programs. She is often leading or doing private retreats at the New Clairvaux Monastery in Vina, CA.
…. and the story continues unfolding!
Spirituality & Adventure 