Contemplative Learning Programs Archives | Dominican Center Marywood

Celebrating 25 Years as a Grand Rapids Dominican Associate

June 20, 2022

A transformative moment for me as a Dominican Associate was the last day of class at the end of the three-year Spiritual Direction Practicum. Sister Nancy Brousseau and Judy Hahn, our instructors, had equipped us with great teaching and training. Yet, I and the other students felt ill-equipped to go out into the world and […]

Connecting Creativity and Spirituality

November 19, 2021

Art and creativity are integral in every religion. From sacred pictures and symbols to singing and dancing, art is used in service to prayer and meditation. Our creativity makes for an instinctive and essential channel for expressing and connecting with the Divine. When we create art, we follow where the Creator leads and gives form […]

A Year in the Light ~ An Update from Dominican Center

September 1, 2021

The pandemic forced the closure of the doors of Dominican Center at Marywood on March 13, 2020. With ingenuity and courage, our Dominican Center team set into motion a plan to keep welcome lamps burning for all seeking community. Below are some highlights of this unusual year. A Year in the Light at Dominican […]

Dominican Center Emerges Anew

January 12, 2021

We remain grounded in Dominican roots that guide us to pause and contemplate, stilling the uncertainty surrounding us. We do this resting in God's compassionate love while breathing in trust and breathing out hope. We know the gifts of Dominican Center rest on serving the community by providing programs, retreats, and experiences that help shape […]

Dominican Center Honors the In-Between

September 24, 2020

Final Gathering of Be Still and Stay in the Light on September 28 As the final gathering of Be Still and Stay in the Light, it is with full hearts that the Domincan Center Village thanks each of you who've been with us. We began these gatherings as a way to explore what staying in […]

Insights and Wisdom Regarding My Spiritual Direction Ministry

April 13, 2020

This post is part of Dominican Center's series Stay in the Light ~ Stories of Prayer and Hope During a Pandemic. At Dominican Center, we believe we are prayer in action, and that connection, contemplation, and creativity will see us through these unsettling times and help us find and be in light. We invite you […]

Dominican Center and Marywood Campus Closed to All Visitors

March 13, 2020

During this time of pandemic, we invite you to join the Dominican Center community via our online offerings. See our online transformative learning programs and retreats here. Together, we can all help limit transmission of the COVID-19 virus — and help protect the vulnerable and elderly people around us. Dominican Center at Marywood is taking […]

Notes on Gratitude for the Thanksgiving Holiday

November 27, 2019

To connect with the spirit of Thanksgiving, earlier this month, seekers came together at Dominican Center for a Write Your Heart Out session focused on gratitude. Using stillness, writing prompts, sharing, and supportive feedback, writers explored and expressed what gratitude means to them. One writing prompt, a quote from Rumi, 13th-century Persian poet and Sufi […]

Soothing Silence… in July at Dominican Center

July 11, 2019

Nurturing soothing silence and peace in our own lives contributes to peace in our world, says author and restorative justice advocate and teacher Jeanne Lound Shaller. "A Little Desert - A Resting Place in God". That's the title of the first chapter of Jeanne Lound Schaller's book: Desert in my Backyard. Isn't that a wonderful […]

Spiritual Reading ~ Surrender to Love

February 4, 2019

I read. I read a lot. I read a lot of different types of books. I read science and science fiction. I read poetry and story. I read theology and historical fiction. Last year I read The Hidden Life of Trees, The Hawk and the Dove series about a 14th-century Benedictine monastery, and Elizabeth Johnson’s […]