Christine Valters Paintner is the online Abbess at www.AbbeyoftheArts.com, a virtual monastery and progressive global community offering resources that integrate contemplative practice and creative expression. She is the author of over twenty books on spirituality including three collections of poetry.

She is a Benedictine Oblate, poet, writer, spiritual director, retreat facilitator, teacher, and pilgrimage guide. Her fields of expertise include Christian spiritual practices, monastic spirituality rooted in Benedictine, desert, and Celtic lineages, and the expressive arts. Christine earned her PhD in Christian Spirituality from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley and her professional status as Registered Expressive Arts Consultant and Educator (REACE) from the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association (IEATA.org).

Christine has lived in Galway, Ireland with her husband John since 2012. Together they lead a variety online programs including retreats, contemplative prayer services, prayer cycles o