March 26, 2024

Events & Retreats – 3.27.24

Presentation Explores Contributions of Thomas Aquinas and Teilhard de Chardin

What do the works of a medieval theologian and a modern priest and scientist have in common? In Thomas Aquinas and Teilhard de Chardin: Christian Humanism in an Age of Disbelief, Father Donald Goergen, OP, explores what both have to offer to our understanding of God, ourselves, and the world. The presentation is from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. EDT on Saturday, April 20, 2024, at Weber Retreat and Conference Center and via live stream.

Father Donald, a Dominican theologian, teacher, and lecturer, has offered retreats worldwide and published numerous articles and books. This presentation is drawn from his latest book, Thomas Aquinas and Teilhard de Chardin: Christian Humanism in an Age of Unbelief.

The cost is $45. Registration is required for those attending in person and through live stream. Register through www.webercenter.org and click on “programs,” call 517-266-4000 or email 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.

Public Invited to Afternoon of ‘Prose, Poetry, and Potpourri’

All are invited to enjoy a spring afternoon with a session of culture and fun. The annual Prose, Poetry, and Potpourri program is offered in person and via live stream from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. EDT on Thursday, April 18, 2024.

John McNaughton, Creative Director at the Croswell Opera House in Adrian, will open the session by sharing his career at the Croswell and as a graphic artist, actor, and more. Enjoy prose, poetry, music, and song from various presenters – and bring your creations as well.

The event is free and open to all. No registration is required. The live stream link is https://webercenter.org/poetry/

Experiential Enneagram & Levels of Consciousness (In-Person)

Sundays: Apr 7 & Apr 14 • Noon – 4:00 pm

GRAND RAPIDS, MI –Join Dr. Patrick Bishop and Sr. Ann Walters, OP, for two sessions of experiential exploration into some of the most powerful and interconnected frameworks for psychological-spiritual growth. The first session will begin with a light lunch and community discussion around the three centers of the Enneagram (gut, heart, head), followed by a brief refresher of core Enneagram concepts. Dr. Bishop will lead participants through experiential activities to tease out mental, emotional, and-or behavioral responses for each of the nine types. The second session also begins with light lunch and community discussion. Afterwards, Bishop will use a variety of instructional methods and experiential activities to guide participants through an exploration of lived perceptions as they relate various levels of consciousness. The session concludes with community discussion on practical applications for integrating healthy levels of the Enneagram with growing levels of consciousness. For more information call 616-514-3325 or visit dominicancenter.com. Dominican Center Marywood, a ministry of the Dominican Sisters ~ Grand Rapids, is located in West Michigan off Fulton Street East, on the campus of Aquinas College.

Details & Registration: https://dominicancenter.com/programs-and-retreats/experiential-enneagram/

Beyond Words – An Icon Workshop (In-Person)

Monday, Apr 22 – Friday, Apr 26 • 9:00 am – 4:30 pm

GRAND RAPIDS, MI –An icon in Christianity is a religious work of art, usually a flat panel painting depicting a holy being or sacred image. Icon means a symbol or image, even though an icon is an image created with paints, icons are written, not painted. The tradition of iconography has been handed down through the centuries from master iconographers to apprentices through a process of prayer, fasting and learning the skills and techniques necessary to create these images for sacred worship spaces, monasteries, and homes. To contemplate or gaze at an icon is to behold a beauty that is ‘beyond words”. Dominican Center is offering you a rare opportunity to create your own Christian icon during a weeklong icon workshop. Participants will learn about and complete an icon called “The Holy Face.” During this workshop, Diane will help you find your divine eyes, to see through the holy eyes of the icon, deeper into the beauty that surrounds you. She will gently guide students through a step-by-step process of creating their own icon using demonstration, instruction, and prayer. Participants will take home a completed icon by the end of the week. All supplies will be provided in the cost of the workshop. No previous experience is necessary. For more information call 616-514-3325 or visit dominicancenter.com. Dominican Center Marywood, a ministry of the Dominican Sisters ~ Grand Rapids, is located in West Michigan off Fulton Street East, on the campus of Aquinas College.

Details & Registration: https://dominicancenter.com/programs-and-retreats/icon-workshop/

JOY Retreat ~ Nourishing Your Soul (In-Person)

Saturday, Apr 27 • 9:00 am – Noon

GRAND RAPIDS, MI –In this life, there is Just One You — JOY! — You are a co-creator in your life experience with God. We at Dominican Center Marywood invite you to come nourish your soul through a sampling of our contemplative offerings and nurture what you and God are growing in your life. In this morning retreat, you will find a supportive spiritual space to practice sacred self-awareness and intention. Come learn, experience, pilgrimage, and pray with us as we focus on blessing and planting to reignite the joyful qualities you notice in yourself when you are aligned with God’s deepest desires for your spiritual journey. For more information call 616-514-3325 or visit dominicancenter.com. Dominican Center Marywood, a ministry of the Dominican Sisters ~ Grand Rapids, is located in West Michigan off Fulton Street East, on the campus of Aquinas College.

Details & Registration: https://dominicancenter.com/programs-and-retreats/joy-retreat/

Deepening the Call of Spiritual Direction: Self-Awareness in the Supervisory Process (In-Person)

Saturday, May 4 • 9:15 am – 4:00 pm

GRAND RAPIDS, MI –Spiritual directors not only listen to the Spirit and directees, but also to themselves. It is in this place of awareness that we are invited to be converted towards God. As we notice our ways of listening, our patterns of interaction, our discomforts and ease, and how we carry these into our environments we can tend our inner dynamics with God and others in supervision. This in-person retreat day is a place for active spiritual directors to hone our skills at self-awareness, develop healthy practices for peer supervision, and nourish our sacred call to listening. Sister Janice Bachman, OP, will lay a foundation of noticing the movements in the conversion process toward God within directors and their directees, then guide us through teaching and roleplays as to how these dynamics can play out in peer supervision. For more information call 616-514-3325 or visit dominicancenter.com. Dominican Center Marywood, a ministry of the Dominican Sisters ~ Grand Rapids, is located in West Michigan off Fulton Street East, on the campus of Aquinas College.

Details & Registration: https://dominicancenter.com/programs-and-retreats/deepening-the-call-of-spiritual-direction-self-awareness-in-the-supervisory-process/

Tuesday Table Talk — Uncovering Our Disconnection: An Uncomfortable & Essential Conversation (In-Person)

Tuesday, May 7 • 6:00 – 8:30 pm

GRAND RAPIDS, MI –Join us for an interfaith Tuesday Table Talk as we gather for dinner and conversation. In this pervasive and seemingly unending season of heightened polarity and isolation, we are faced with new and evolving barriers that prevent us from connecting with our neighbors. For many of us, the temptation to jump headfirst into spaces of reimagining and creation is strong, and as such, we often elide the essential step of pausing to grieve in community, to name our pain, and to stand in support of each other through trying times. Venture with us into unformed, unknown, and uncomfortable territory. We will hear from the prophetic voices of young clergy in the West Michigan area as we give air to our communal disconnect. By first sitting together and honoring the realities of our isolation, we can begin to build real solidarity. For more information call 616-514-3325 or visit dominicancenter.com. Dominican Center Marywood, a ministry of the Dominican Sisters ~ Grand Rapids, is located in West Michigan off Fulton Street East, on the campus of Aquinas College.

Details & Registration: https://dominicancenter.com/programs-and-retreats/tuesday-tabletalk-uncovering-our-disconnection/

Awakening Spirituality ~ Exploring Our Sacred Stories through Making Mandalas (In-Person)

Friday, May 31, 6:00 – 8:30 pm & Saturday, Jun 1, 9:00 am – 4:30pm

GRAND RAPIDS, MI –Come, retreat as a sacred community using our diverse life stories and the arts to discover the depth and breadth of Divine presence in our lives. Experience a contemplative and creative “meaning-making” space exploring the intertextual weave of word, world and wonder through personal story prompts and guided multimedia Mandala-making. Over centuries, people across a variety of traditions have created or colored Mandalas (circles) for spiritual deepening, increased wholeness and healing, or artistic expression. Mandalas invite contemplation using lines, shapes, patterns, and color. Together, we will create simple intuitive Mandalas to explore and deepen our experience of Sacred Presence in a story from our lives. You will be given tools before and during the retreat to bring out your creative spirit and for choosing a sacred life story to explore. No experience in the arts or Mandalas is necessary. For more information call 616-514-3325 or visit dominicancenter.com. Dominican Center Marywood, a ministry of the Dominican Sisters ~ Grand Rapids, is located in West Michigan off Fulton Street East, on the campus of Aquinas College.

Details & Registration: https://dominicancenter.com/programs-and-retreats/awakening-spirituality-mandalas/

Journey into Silence Retreat ~ Summer Peace (In-Person)

Sunday, Jun 9, 5:30 pm – Friday, Jun 14, 2:30 pm

CONWAY, MI –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. The Journey into Silence retreat is held at the Augustine Center Retreat House in Conway, MI. The center is a retreat house welcoming individuals and groups for ongoing formation, education, and spirituality. For more information call 616-514-3325 or visit dominicancenter.com. Dominican Center Marywood, a ministry of the Dominican Sisters ~ Grand Rapids, is located in West Michigan off Fulton Street East, on the campus of Aquinas College.

Details & Registration: https://dominicancenter.com/programs-and-retreats/journey-into-silence-retreat-summer-peace/

Foundations in Spirituality (In-Person)

Saturdays: Sep 21, Oct 19, Nov 16, Dec 21, 2024; Jan 18, Feb 22, Mar 22, Apr 26, May 17, 2025 • 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
GRAND RAPIDS, MI –Foundations in Spirituality is a serious reflective study that opens our minds and hearts to the teachings and life examples of the great Christian spiritual teachers that continue to deepen our present spiritual journey. It’s the beginning, the first step of the formation offerings at Dominican Center Marywood at Aquinas College. Explore the rich preaching of St. Dominic; the unbreakable faith of St. Teresa of Avila; the deep spirituality of St. John of the Cross; the life-giving wisdom of the Beguines; the daily prayerful life of St. Ignatius; and the lives of many more who continue to enrich our own faith and spirituality. The course introduces the practice of contemplative prayer as grounding practice for living a richer spiritual life. Immerse yourself in Foundations in Spirituality and begin deepening your relationship with God through study, prayer, and community. For more information call 616-514-3325 or visit dominicancenter.com. Dominican Center Marywood, a ministry of the Dominican Sisters ~ Grand Rapids, is located in West Michigan off Fulton Street East, on the campus of Aquinas College.

Details & Registration: https://dominicancenter.com/programs-and-retreats/foundations-in-spirituality/

Centering Prayer (Online)

Tuesdays • Noon

Centering Prayer is a modernized prayer method based on the intuitive prayer rooted in Lectio Divina. It is a method of silent prayer that prepares us to receive the gift of contemplative prayer, prayer in which we experience the Divine’s immanent presence with us. Centering Prayer is grounded in relationship with God, through Christ, and is a practice to nurture that relationship. This method of prayer complements and supports other modes of prayer — verbal, mental, or affective prayer — and facilitates resting in the Divine Presence. Centering Prayer offers a way to grow in intimacy with God, moving beyond conversation to communion. For more information call 616-514-3325 or visit dominicancenter.com. Dominican Center Marywood, a ministry of the Dominican Sisters ~ Grand Rapids, is located in West Michigan off Fulton Street East, on the campus of Aquinas College.

Details & Registration: https://dominicancenter.com/programs-and-retreats/centering-prayer/

Walking a Simple Path: Support for Caregivers (Virtual Retreat)

St. Teresa of Calcutta, (“Mother Teresa”), revered for her tireless work with the sick and dying, offered a short writing called “A Simple Path” to describe her mission and approach to caring for others. In this six-week workshop and support group, we will explore the concepts named for us by Mother Teresa. We will also find validation, renewal, and support for dealing with the difficult yet vital tasks of caregiving.

Facilitator: Gloria Alt

Six Saturdays: April 6, 13, 20, 27 and April 4, 11
Each day the retreat runs from 10am – 11:30am
Cost: $90 (covers the entire series)

Walking a Simple Path | Siena Retreat Center

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Spring Benefit Concert with Carrie Newcomer

Be uplifted by the Siena Retreat Center’s Annual Spring Concert with songwriter, recording artist, performer and educator Carrie Newcomer and pianist Gary Walters. Carrie is internationally known as a facilitator of songwriting and creative writing retreats. She also leads retreats on spirituality, personal growth, art and activism in a wide array of venues. She has been called “a prairie mystic” by The Boston Globe and “asks all the right questions,” according to Rolling Stone.

Sunday, April 7th
Doors open at 12:30 for Silent Auction and Refreshments
Concert begins at 2pm
Cost: $35 in Advance, $40 at Door

Carrie Newcomer in Concert | Siena Retreat Center
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A Contemplative Retreat with Paula D’Arcy: Setting a New Intention

What does it mean to bring about a new way of being here? During this retreat we’ll explore meeting life in a larger way. Setting a deeper intention for love is the opening we must risk. There will be extended blocks of silence between group presentations. You may find it helpful to bring your journal. Blank journals are also available for purchase in our Bookstore.

Facilitator: Paula D’Arcy

Thursday, Aoril 18^th – Sunday April 21, 2024The retreat begins on Thursday at 5:30pm and concludes with the noon meal on Sunday
Cost: $515 (includes overnight accommodations and meals)

Retreat with Paula D’Arcy| Siena Retreat Center

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Telling Our Stories with Newness

In this season of Easter and springtime, it is time to rise up and admit our resurrections. We all have wounds, made bad mistakes, were hurt by others, have tendencies in our temperaments that make us envy the gifts of others. We tell ourselves these stories of distress. So let us try telling our stories with new life and grace in mind. What strengths and gifts have we developed because of those negatives? Come for a day together to “practice resurrection.”

Facilitator: Miriam Brown, OP

Saturday, April 27, 2024
9:30am – 3:00pm
Cost: $70 (includes the noon meal)

Telling Our Stores | Siena Retreat Center
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Spirituality of the Cosmos (Virtual Retreat)

Through the benefits of science and the contributions of many great thinkers, the generations alive today have new insights on our universe. This webinar will develop a non-anthropocentric spirituality by looking to the Cosmos as a primary source of wisdom. By considering patterns in how the Universe behaves as it waxes and wanes in stars, Earth, and her creatures, we draw insights into the spirituality of the Cosmos and glean wisdom for an appreciation of ourselves in relationship to God, Earth, and each other.

Facilitator: Linda Gibler, OP

Tuesday, April 30, 2024
6:30pm – 8:00pm
Cost: $20

This is a virtual retreat offered via Zoom. A basic familiarity with Zoom is expected of participants.Spirituality of the Cosmos| Siena Retreat Center