Spiritual Direction
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Cultivating Compassion in Today's World
January 16, 2024
“… A compassionate heart beats freely, supple enough to take in another’s pain, be moved, and respond with acts of kindness, goodwill, healing and justice,” wrote Frank Rogers in Compassion in Practice: The Way of Jesus. (1) Compassion is expressed when people feel the suffering of others and long to alleviate that suffering. But how […]
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Embodying HOPE
November 27, 2023
When I ask what hope is, usually the answers revolve around two things: belief and the future. We locate it in the realm of the mind and spirit and, of course, in the not yet of the future. But it is something we experience now. When we pay attention to it, we realize it resides […]
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A Silent Retreat To Remember
June 29, 2023
Fifteen retreatants recently attended a 5-day silent retreat at the St. Augustine Center in Conway, Michigan. The retreat was completely silent, except for time spent with one’s spiritual director each day. Each retreatant was free to decide the shape of silence: some took long solitary walks on nature trails or the beach; some took their […]
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Swimming
June 27, 2023
My 2-year-old son, Ozzie, loves the water. He’s moved from exploring and splashing in the shallow parts of the YMCA pool to tentatively traveling with me into deeper waters. Over time and with experience, he’s grown more comfortable. He is so comfortable that he jumps off an underwater bench and glides to me a few […]
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Emergence
April 19, 2023
Does the anticipation of spring bring your spirit new awakening energy? Emergence is a noun that goes back to the Latin root emergere, meaning “bring to light”. Are there certain spiritual practices that lighten your heart and help you recharge and feel renewed, practices that energize your ability to envision new paths? Thomas Merton said, […]
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Have You Wondered How Dreams Relate to Your Spiritual Life?
March 9, 2023
Have you ever wondered how dreams relate to your spiritual life? “Dreams are the back door into the Spiritual life,” says Kent Dobson, author, teacher, and spiritual guide. In the modern world, we have lost this way of listening deeply to the Soul, to the Divine, and we often resist the hidden chambers that dreams […]
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Show Dominican Sisters Love & Appreciation During Catholic Sisters Week
March 2, 2023
Let's show the Sisters who have taught us, mentored us, and stood by us -- lots of love and appreciation during Catholic Sisters Week! Transformative spirituality is a living, breathing power in our world -- Catholic Sisters – through their lives, their ministries -- show us love, hope, and possibility through faith. During Catholic Sisters […]
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Continuing Formation for Spiritual Directors at Dominican Center
January 26, 2023
"Tending the Call" programs for spiritual directors remind us that as practitioners we need to care for ourselves and continue growing in the Spirit. Offered a couple of times a year, "Tending the Call" welcomes spiritual directors to return to the works of foundational spiritual companions and contemplative practices introduced in Practicum I and II. […]
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A New Year Message from the Director
January 5, 2023
Look for "stars"... that direct your journey, that offer new perspectives, that induce wonder and awe, that call us to risk, that entice us to sing, dream, hope, dance, march. What a meaningful message to welcome in the new year. It's from an Epiphany prayer by Sr. Mary Ann Barrett, alumni engagement officer at […]
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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 […]