December 20, 2022

Events & Retreats – 12.21.22

Virtual Christmas Mass Schedule at Sinsinawa Mound

The Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa invite you to worship with them virtually as they celebrate Christmas. Services will be livestreamed at www.sinsinawa.org/live at the following times (all CST): Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, Christmas music prelude at 6:30 p.m. and Mass at 7 p.m., and Christmas Day, Dec. 25, Mass at 11 a.m. We hope you are experiencing good health, are connected with those you love, and have what you need. We hold the needs of the world in prayer daily.

Learn more about the work of the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa by visiting www.sinsinawa.org. The Sisters are part of a worldwide Dominican family, the Order of Preachers. For over 800 years, Dominicans have continued to preach and teach the Gospel in word and deed. Today, thousands of sisters, nuns, priests, brothers, associates, and laity minister in more than 100 countries around the world.

Journey into Silence Retreat ~ Rising from Winter

4-Day Retreat in Conway, Michigan

March 23 – 26, 2023

Silence the world around you. Silence the world within you. Silence the thoughts that shout out to you. In the stillness hear God’s voice. In the quiet, sense the Divine’s presence and the spiritual love that is waiting to embrace you. Gently enter into silence during this retreat experience. A spiritual director will be here to companion with you on this silent retreat. Facilitated by Dominican Center Marywood at Aquinas College and held at the Augustine Center Retreat House in Conway, Michigan, on the northern border of Petoskey. The Journey Into Silence retreat begins with dinner at 5:30 pm on Thursday, March 23, and concludes around 2:30 pm on Sunday, March 26.
Details & Registration https://dominicancenter.com/programs-and-retreats/journey-into-silence-retreat-rising-from-winter/

Tending the Call: Will and Spirit Series for Spiritual Directors

Tuesdays Online beginning Feb. 7, 2023

Join our community of Spiritual Directors who feel called to deepen their understanding of the spiritual wisdom of various spiritual giants and contemplative practices introduced in Practicum I and II. We will revisit the teachings of these foundational companions and reimagine ways they might support our present-day ministries. Come to share, study, and pray with a sacred community of practicing Spiritual Directors as we seek a deepening relationship with God and are reminded of the sacred journey of transformation that called each one of us into this ministry. In our second 6-week study (Spring 2023), we take a deeper look at Gerald May’s book Will and Spirit, and ask how his deep insights into tension between willingness and willfulness might speak to us now. Required Reading Book: Will and Spirit by Gerald May.
Details & Registration https://dominicancenter.com/programs-and-retreats/tending-the-call-will-and-spirit-online/

Epiphany Concert: Sounds of the Season

Join us at Sinsinawa Mound on Saturday, January 7, 2023, at 3 p.m. for our Epiphany Concert: Sounds of the Season. The Ringing Badgers Handbell Ensemble under the direction of Mark Bloedow, Artistic Director, will feature sacred and secular Advent and Christmas selections, including seasonal favorites and sing along selections. The Ringing Badgers is a community-based handbell choir in Madison, Wisconsin. A free will offering is appreciated at the event. All visitors to Sinsinawa Mound are to check in with the receptionist and wear face mask. Contact Arrangements at 608-748-4411 or visit our website at //www.sinsinawa.org/moundcenter for more information. 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.

An Integral Approach to Spiritual Development

SINSINAWA, Wis.—Wendy Mitch will be leading an Integral Approach to Spiritual Development on Saturday, January 14, 2023, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. via Zoom. As people embark on a journey of self-discovery, they often reach these in-between places. Their old understandings of reality don’t work anymore; yet the journey forward can feel lonely as they leave a place that felt like home. Through the use of facilitator input, group processes, facilitated discussions, journaling and integral practices incorporating head, heart and body, participants will find community and practices to encourage continued growth. Please register by January 11 and the fee is $75 per person. Contact Arrangements at 608-748-4411 or visit our website at //www.sinsinawa.org/moundcenter for more information. 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.

Perspectives and Projections with John Nichols

Journalist, author, and commentator John Nichols will return to Siena Retreat Center on Tuesday, February 28^th, to offer his sage analysis of current events. His fresh and humorous way of pinpointing issues will leave us with his belief in the power of people’s minds and hearts to meet the challenges of our times.

Registration link: https://www.sienaretreatcenter.org/events/perspectives-and-projections-john-nichols-0

Adrian Dominican Sisters Invite the Public Christmas and New Year Celebrations

As we move toward the holy and festive days of Advent and Christmas, the Adrian Dominican Sisters welcome the public to join online in their celebrations of these holy days.

Following is the schedule of celebrations, which will be live streamed at adriandominicans.org/Live-Stream:

Christmas Eve, Vigil of the Nativity of the Lord, Saturday, December 24, 2022. The Prelude begins at 6:30 p.m. and the Mass at 7:00 p.m.

Christmas Day, the Nativity of the Lord, Sunday, December 25, 2022. The prelude begins at 10:15 a.m. and the Mass at 10:30 a.m.

Taizé Prayer, New Year’s Eve, Saturday, December 31, 2022, 6:30 p.m. Taizé prayer services involve Scripture and other readings and repetitive and contemplative chants developed by the ecumenical Taizé community in France.

Mass for the Solemnity of the Mother of God, New Year’s Day, Sunday, January 1, 2023, at 10:30 a.m.

Thomas Merton’s Final Year

SINSINAWA, Wis.—On Tuesday, January 10 from 7 to 8 p.m., Eric Anglada will be leading a presentation about Thomas Merton’s final year via Zoom. The great monk, mystic and writer Thomas Merton lived one of the most fascinating lives of the 20th century. But of all the years he lived, his last may have been his most wide ranging and fascinating. During our time together we’ll explore the amazing life of Thomas Merton, with special attention to his final year. Please register by January 9 and the fee is $10 per person. Contact Arrangements at 608-748-4411 or visit our website at //www.sinsinawa.org/moundcenter for more information. 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.

Decolonizing Together: A Spirituality of Repair & Kinship

SINSINAWA, Wis.—Eric Anglada will be leading Decolonizing Together via Zoom on Tuesday, January 17 from 7 to 8 p.m. In the face of the harsh history and realities of colonialism, what threads of repair and kinship can we find within Christian spirituality? This webinar will delve into complex topics of land acknowledgments, cultural appropriation, respect and relationship-building, reparations, practical strategies for white settlers to work for justice and more. Please register by January 16 and the fee is $10 per person. Contact Arrangements at 608-748-4411 or visit our website at //www.sinsinawa.org/moundcenter for more information. 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.

Workshop Focuses on Spirituality of Aging

Adrian Dominican Sister Janet Schaeffler, OP, offers an in-person workshop on the spirituality of aging. Let This Be the Time: Reflections on the Spirituality of Aging, is from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Thursday, January 19, 2022, at Weber Retreat and Conference Center.

Sister Janet will explore with participants the ways to grow in wisdom and grace, deepening the uniqueness of who we are, enjoying the precious moments we have been given, and continuing to deepen our relationship with God and our many loved ones. The spirituality of aging enables us to be maturing persons of integrity, living in wholeness and holiness.

Former Director of Adult Faith Formation for the Archdiocese of Detroit, Sister Janet leads days of reflection, retreats, parish missions, and workshops and has written several books and articles.

Participants will be screened for COVID-19 and required to wear masks when not eating.

The cost of $45 includes lunch. Registration is required and is available at www.webercenter.org; click on “programs.” Registrations also may be made by calling 517-266-4000 or emailing webercenter@adriandominicans.org. Limited scholarships are available.

Weber Center is on the campus of the Adrian Dominican Sisters’ Motherhouse, Adrian, Michigan. Traveling east on Siena Heights Drive, pass the Adrian Rea Literacy Center and turn left just before the solar panel-covered parking lot. Follow the signs to Weber Center. For information, call the Weber Center at 517-266-4000.

Days of Mindfulness Resume at Weber Center

Sister Esther Kennedy, OP, a Dominican Sister of Adrian, resumes her monthly Days of Mindfulness in person on Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sessions this season will focus on relationships, amplifying our capacity to be love within family, neighborhood, city, and world.

Upcoming sessions are as follows:

Cultivating Heart, Finding Courage, January 14, 2023. Times of crisis always include moments of grace, as insight and wisdom dawn. A community gathered in meditation is grace itself, offered in love to our world.

Acting from Deep Knowing, February 11, 2023. John Kabat-Zinn says, “Meditation is the only intentional, systematic human activity which at bottom is about not trying to improve yourself or get anywhere else, but simply to realize where you already are.” It is waking up, simply for the sake of waking up.

Relieving Suffering, March 11, 2023. What responses arise within you when you think of someone you dislike, fear, or resent? With patience and tenderness, examine your behavior and open yourself to unfolding and transforming awareness.

Cultivating Mindfulness, April 15, 2023. What value does meditation have? We may simply desire to realize more fully who we are and to live in the growing freedom of that awareness.

Mindfulness sessions are limited to 30 participants. All guests will be screened for COVID-19 and required to wear masks when not eating.

The cost is $35 per session, including lunch. Registration is required and is available at www.webercenter.org; click on “programs.” Registrations may also be made by calling 517-266-4000 or emailing webercenter@adriandominicans.org. Limited scholarships are available.

Lunch and Learn Series

Get your year off to an inspirational and informational start with the new Lunch and Learn series offered monthly on Tuesdays from 12:15 to 1:00 p.m. at Weber Retreat and Conference Center. This year’s presentations are as follows:

Exploring Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine, presented by licensed acupuncturist and herbalist Melissa Anderson on January 10, 2023. Eastern medicine is becoming increasingly popular in the United States. Melissa will explore how the Eastern philosophy shaped its medicine and how different perspectives on a disease can bring about different outcomes.

Tecumseh Center for the Arts, now into its 42nd season, will be the topic of Director Kelly Jo Gilmore on February 7, 2023. She will discuss details of upcoming shows and a new music park that is anticipated to open on the theater’s property in the spring of 2023.

Tips on Technology – anything of interest from phones, blogs, and podcasts to social media – will be presented on March 7, 2023, by Adrian Dominican Sisters’ Co-workers Brad McCullar of Technology and Sheila Wathen and Ashley Concord of Communications.

The Heart of the Art – Four Adrian Dominican Sisters – Janet Wright, OP, Nancyann Turner, OP, Kathleen Voss, OP, and Barbara Cervenka, OP – each working in a different medium, share the heart of creating art during a presentation on April 11, 2022.

Lunch and Learn now offers two options. Bring your lunch – drinks and dessert are provided and registration is not necessary. You can also order your lunch from Weber Center for $5, your choice of egg salad, turkey salad, or chicken salad croissant sandwich and chips. Register at least two days before the event at www.webercenter.org; click on “programs.” You can also register by calling 517-266-4000 or emailing webercenter@adriandominicans.org.