Events & Retreats – 04.27.2022

Considering Jesus Anew: The Biblical Roots of the Cosmic Christ

The Letter to the Colossians acknowledges that Jesus “is the first-born of all  creation; for him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and  invisible…He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Co 1:16-17).  Through an evolutionary lens, Teilhard de Chardin argues that this Jesus is the Cosmic Christ, the dynamic presence of Christ in the universe. Come explore how Scripture, science, and theology can serve as a foundation for a contemporary integrative spirituality.  

2022 Cornerstones Vespers and Award Ceremony

The Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa Leadership Council is pleased to announce the 2022 Cornerstones Vespers and Award Ceremony Saturday, May 14. The public is invited to virtually attend the event via livestream at www.sinsinawa.org/live.

This lecture series was established to honor the Congregation’s Four Cornerstones, those early Sisters who faced a turning point in 1849—to disband because of poverty, hardship, and few members or go forward into an unknown future with hope. Their decision, voiced by Sister Rachel Conway, “In the name of God, let us continue,” resulted in thousands of women serving as Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa. This year, the Congregation celebrates its 175th anniversary.

The lecture begins at 2 p.m. CDT and will feature Donna Carroll, president emerita of Dominican University, River Forest, Ill. She was the first president of the university who was not a Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa and served 27 years in that role.

The award ceremony begins at 4:30 p.m. CDT. Princess D. Wilson, Sinsinawa Associate from Atlanta, is our 2022 Cornerstones Award recipient. She has lived out her commitment to social justice through advocacy efforts and volunteer work related to antiracism. We will also present the2020 Cornerstones Award to Edie Rice-Sauer, executive director of Transitions in Spokane, Wash. Presentation of her award was postponed because of the COVID pandemic. She is committed to working with those who are vulnerable in situations of domestic violence, poverty, homelessness, mental illness, and/or addiction.

To learn more about the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa and their mission to preach and teach the Gospel, visit www.sinsinawa.org online.

Siena Retreat Center Co-Sponsors Retreat for Veterans

Siena Retreat Center (Racine, Wisconsin) and Mayslake Ministries (Illinois) are teaming up to offer a weekend retreat for veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress. This unique, non-religious, spiritually focused, retreat specifically addresses the issue of Post Traumatic Spiritual Stress. Offered at no charge, the May 20-22, 2022, retreat is offered to veterans and significant others in a place of safety, respite, and support. Information can found at www.sienaretreatcenter.org or http://www.mayslakeministries.org/vets/.

Canvas Painting: Bees and Gnome

Join Sinsinawa Mound Center for a creative and enjoyable night out while painting. On May 17 from 6 to 9 p.m., Sarah Barnes, a local artist from Dubuque, Iowa, will guide you step by step on how to paint bees and a gnome on canvas. The fee for this event is $35 per person, and registration ends May 13. Please check our website for current COVID protocols. Register by contacting Arrangements at 608-748-4411 or visiting our website at //www.sinsinawa.org/moundcenter. Sinsinawa Mound, the motherhouse for the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa, is located in southwest Wisconsin on County Road Z, off Highway 11, about five miles northeast of Dubuque.

Upcoming events at The Center at Mariandale in Ossining, NY

Heart Speaks to Heart: Biblical Women in Conversation

Sunday, May 15 – Friday, May 20

Nancy Sheridan, SASV and Nicki Verploegen, PhD will lead an in-person silent guided retreat, “Heart Speaks to Heart: Biblical Women in Conversation” at The Center at Mariandale in Ossining, NY.  Participants will be invited into heartfelt conversations with Biblical women across the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures through drama, reflection and ritual. There will be opportunity to meet daily with a spiritual director. The fee is $495 (all inclusive). 

Nancy Sheridan, SASV is a spiritual director, having spent many years on the staff of the Center for Religious Development in Cambridge, MA. Nicki Verploegen, Ph.D is co-founder of TATENDA International, served as Director of Spiritual and Ministerial Development and Visiting Professor at Weston Jesuit School of Theology, and currently teaches courses in spirituality around the US. Learn more and register here.

The Roots of Racism: In the Psyche and our Response to this Darkness

Saturday, June 11

Don Bisson, FMS and Boreta Singleton will present a hybrid in-person and virtual one-day retreat exploring the roots of racism and our response as Christians to this social sin. The $60 in-person fee includes lunch. The virtual option is $40. 

Don Bisson, FMS is a Marist Brother, known both nationally and internationally for his work as a retreat director and presenter in the area of spirituality and Jungian psychology.   Boreta A. Singleton is a Catholic school educator, a Candidate for the Sisters of Mercy, and the former Director of the Office for Black Catholics in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Register here.

Refreshing Summer Solitude

Sunday, June 26 – Friday, July 1

Join us at the Center at Mariandale for an onsite, in-person, silent directed retreat. Come and enjoy our 61-acre campus overlooking the majestic Hudson River, refresh your spirit, and experience greater intimacy with God. There will be opportunities to meet with an experienced spiritual director, ample time for personal prayer, rest, relaxation, pool time, walks, meditation and contemplation. Daily liturgy or communion service will be available. Learn more and register here.

Journey of the Universe: Educators Retreat

Thursday, July 7 – Sunday, July 10

What does it mean that the stars are our ancestors? Designed for a wide range of educators, this retreat will draw on the film Journey of the Universe and the legacies of Maria Montessori, Pierre Teilhard De Chardin, and Thomas Berry. It will combine contemplative practices with discussions of how we can orient young people to an animate and interconnected Earth community, and at a time of ecological crisis, offer hopeful strategies for the future. Presenter Sam King is the Project Manager for Journey of the Universe, a graduate student in Religion and Ecology at Yale Divinity School, and a Research Assistant for the Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology. The cost of $375 includes accommodations and meals. Learn more and Register here.

Individual Retreat Week Getaway

Monday, July 11 – Sunday, July 17

Spend a week or just a few days on an unstructured, private retreat at The Center at Mariandale. Catch up on rest and relaxation, enjoy nature walks and the labyrinth, the outdoor swimming pool and views of the Hudson River.

The cost of $95 per night or $570 for the week includes meals and accommodations. Register here.

Trinity and Community: The Mysticism of Creation

Sunday, July 17 – Saturday, July 23

Come be a part of this special seven-day retreat on the Book of Creation led by Sr. Pat Connick, OP. Consider how the very presence of our Trinitarian God is imprinted in all of Creation as you explore the Universe Story. Listen to the Spirit speak, describing how to live in community with greater love and possibility, as you pray with “The Canticle of the Universe,” a 21st century science-based psalm, and meditate on questions that draw you into deeper mindfulness and awareness. 

Sr. Pat is a scientist and a Dominican Sister of Peace. She is currently writing a practical guide for those who are seeking God by “reading” the Book of Creation. The cost of $650 is all-inclusive. Register here.

The Art of Iconography Retreat

Tuesday, August 23 – Thursday, August 25

Fr. Peter Pearson will lead an experiential Byzantine iconography painting retreat. No previous experience or talent required. Following centuries-old guidelines and step-by-step instructions, you will paint, pray, and create an icon to take home.  

Fr. Pearson has been studying and painting icons for more than fifty years and teaching others to do so for more than half that time. He’s authored three books on the subject and has painted hundreds of icons for churches, monasteries, seminaries, convents, and individuals all over the world. The cost of $550 includes room, board, and supplies. Register here.