The Benedictine Center is a Ministry of St. Paul’s Monastery. The Center offers space for individuals or groups seeking spiritual retreats, either organized or self-directed. The Center also works with Spiritual Directors and provides the space for them to meet with their directees. In Spring of 2025, St. Paul’s Monastery welcomed two new staff members to assist in these roles. We have asked both to provide a biography to help our community get to know them. If you come to the Monastery for Spiritual Direction, know that Mary Ebb, the new Spiritual Formation Coordinator was part of this effort. If you visit the Monastery for a retreat, you will likely meet Paul Tilman the new Guest Coordinator.
Mary Ebb was born and raised in Cloquet, MN and graduated from Cloquet Senior High School. She attended St. Catherine’s University in St. Paul and graduated with a B.A. in English. After college she moved to Corvallis, OR. She worked in campus ministry for about 7 years at Oregon State University, California State University-Long Beach, and the University of Montana in Missoula.
Mary moved to Oklahoma City and served in a Biblical Counseling Center for several years. While living in Oklahoma, she decided to apply to law school and began studying the law at the University of Oklahoma. She received her Juris Doctor degree in 1991.
After law school, Mary returned to Minnesota and worked in the Human Resources field for a number of years before opening her law practice as a solo practitioner serving clients in the areas of Elder Law, Probate, Estate Planning and Guardianship.
Mary completed training in Spiritual Direction in 2024 and has also been seeing her own Spiritual Director for over 25 years.
Mary loves the outdoors and has paddled many miles in the BWCA, hiked to the top of Mt. San Jacinto – the second highest peak in Southern California, and hiked a portion of the Appalachian Trail in Virginia. She has also biked around Crater Lake in Oregon, cross-country skied and hiked in Montana’s Bitterroot Mountains and was an avid runner during her time in Oklahoma.
Mary is married to Don Ebb and has two adult bonus children.
Paul Tillman serves as the new Guest Coordinator for the Benedictine Center. He also serves as lead pastor at Heartwood Church in Oakdale. He is an ordained minister in The Wesleyan Church, an Oblate of St. Benedict at St. Paul’s Monastery since 2016, and is working on completing his doctorate (DMin with an emphasis in spiritual formation). Outside of religious work, Paul curates a personal library of epic poetry, fantasy, and science fiction. He grew up and worked in multi-cultural communities in California before moving with his family to the St. Paul Metro Area, with his wife, Jennifer, and two daughters. As Guest Coordinator, Paul will work in the areas of administration, guest hospitality, and community outreach. Paul looks forward to giving the gift of and inviting others to participate in Benedictine hospitality. Let all guests who arrive be received like Christ (RSB 53).
We welcome Mary Ebb and Paul Tilman to the Monastery community. Both Mary and Paul, as you can see from their biographies, have strong histories with spirituality. You can trust that they understand the journey and will be working hard to continue this work for directees and retreatants at the Benedictine Center.
