The Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola form a structure for encountering and loving God more deeply. This adaptation from the 30-Day Ignatian Retreat feeds the hunger of our hearts with the Word of God.

Go forth and set the world on fire.
- St. Ignatius of Loyola

Through nine months of prayer, contemplation, and community, participants will explore Ignatius prayer methods and insight into the spiritual through personally meditating with Scripture and engaging in small group conversations and reflection.

Series Dates:

• September 10, 2018
• October 8, 2018
• November 12, 2018
• December 10, 2018
• January 14, 2019
• February 11, 2019
• March 11, 2019
• April 8, 2019
• May 13, 2019

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Discover Dominican spirituality. It is a spirituality rooted in prayer study for the sake of service and community. Be inspired to grow in your spirituality through the lived experiences and teachings of St. Catherine of Siena, St. Thomas Aquinas, and Meister Eckhart.

To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.
- St. Thomas Aquinas

Series Dates:

• September 17, 2018
• October 15, 2018
• November 19, 2018
• December 17, 2018
• January 21, 2019
• February 18, 2019
• March 18, 2019
• April 15, 2019
• May 20, 2019

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FD: Spirituality

Lectio Divina is a way of praying the Scriptures so that the Word of God may penetrate our hearts. This prayerful practice is a blend of silence and slow, prayerful reading of Scripture.

Occurs every Wednesday from 12:00 - 12:30 pm.

There is no cost or registration for this event.

Chair Yoga uses a chair for greater support and stability within the practice. With an emphasis on the breath, alignment, and taking things at your own pace, Chair Yoga brings simplicity to the practice for easeful connection with the healing and restorative benefits yoga offers.

Yoga begins right where I am –
not where I was yesterday or where I long to be.
– Linda Sparrowe

In each yoga session, experience conscious awareness of breath, observe sensations in the body, notice thoughts, and expand the heart center.

Dominican Center’s yoga sessions create a healing space for all ages, fitness levels, and physical conditions so poses and breath work are accessible to all. For those new to yoga or working with special concerns and injuries, poses are modified and supported with props and detailed instruction for comfort and safety. Props are provided by Dominican Center at no additional cost.

View Dominican Center’s Refund Policy.

Chair Yoga uses a chair for greater support and stability within the practice. With an emphasis on the breath, alignment, and taking things at your own pace, Chair Yoga brings simplicity to the practice for easeful connection with the healing and restorative benefits yoga offers.

Yoga begins right where I am –
not where I was yesterday or where I long to be.
– Linda Sparrowe

In each yoga session, experience conscious awareness of breath, observe sensations in the body, notice thoughts, and expand the heart center.

Dominican Center’s yoga sessions create a healing space for all ages, fitness levels, and physical conditions so poses and breath work are accessible to all. For those new to yoga or working with special concerns and injuries, poses are modified and supported with props and detailed instruction for comfort and safety. Props are provided by Dominican Center at no additional cost.

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This gentle class offers a peaceful session to gradually build strength and range of motion. With this quiet practice, experience how mindful movement and breath work can deliver much-needed nurturing, rest, and clarity.

The body is my temple, asanas are my prayers.
– BKS Iyengar

Using gentle and mindful movement as well as nourishing breath work, Gentle Yoga encourages softly stretching and strengthening. In each session, experience conscious awareness of breath, observe sensations in the body, notice thoughts, and expand the heart center.

Dominican Center’s yoga sessions create a healing space for all ages, fitness levels, and physical conditions so poses and breath work are accessible to all. For those new to yoga or working with special concerns and injuries, poses are modified and supported with props and detailed instruction for comfort and safety. Props are provided by Dominican Center at no additional cost.

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Calm the mind and nourish the body with Restorative Yoga. Restorative poses are held on a mat and deeply supported with yoga props. The practice seeks to balance the physical, mental, and spiritual while also experiencing profound rest and relaxation.

Don’t practice yoga to get better at yoga; practice yoga to get better at living.
- unknown

Using gentle and mindful movement as well as nourishing breath work, Restorative Yoga encourages softly stretching and strengthening. In each session, experience conscious awareness of breath, observe sensations in the body, notice thoughts, and expand the heart center.

Dominican Center’s yoga sessions create a healing space for all ages, fitness levels, and physical conditions so poses and breath work are accessible to all. For those new to yoga or working with special concerns and injuries, poses are modified and supported with props and detailed instruction for comfort and safety. Props are provided by Dominican Center at no additional cost.

View Dominican Center’s Refund Policy

O' Antiphons is a seven-day prayer that is an ancient Christian ritual in preparation for the coming of the Light of the World ... Jesus. Each evening begins with a contemplative candlelight procession, then moves into the singing of hymns and psalms; the proclamation of scripture; and a reflection on the theme of each sacred evening. Join us in union with the global community, as we wait in holy anticipation.

There is no registration for this offering.

This Freedom Through Action Winter Summit is for those interested in getting involved in the movement to end human trafficking in West Michigan.  Join the efforts of Solutions to End Exploitation, SEE., in cultivating innovative solutions to fight human trafficking and exploitation. SEE. listens to the trauma experienced by the exploited and amplifies their collective voices.  Engage in impact work groups to develop strategies that move us to action.

During the summit,  engage with a panel of speakers representing identified impact areas and get involved with impact work groups to develop strategies that move us to action.

Human Trafficking is a complex problem, and to build solutions we need leaders from every sector to join together and lead creative possibility for impact.

Freedom Through Action Winter Summit Agenda:

8:30 - 9:00 am
Registration and light breakfast

9:00 am
An assessment of  human trafficking in Kent County

9:30 - 10:30 am
Panel discussion to learn how SEE has prevented and stopped exploitation

• Nikedra DeBarge : Manasseh Project
• Andrea Rocafort: DeVos Children's Hospital
• Feliciano Paredes: AgHelp

10:30 -11:30am

Work together to develop further collective strategy for change. Strategy building sessions will target: healthcare, victim services, demand, law enforcement, and education

Registration fee is $15.00  Please register with SEE. at: www.seexploitation.org

FD: Evangelization

Join this contemplative interspiritual group that practices interspiritual and interfaith companioning. We will explore and participate in contemplative practices from global faith traditions to move us in deeper union with the Divine. All faith traditions welcome.

In collaboration with Kaufman Interfaith Institute.

Dates:

• January 14, 2019
• February 11, 2019
• March 11, 2019
• April 8, 2019

Cost: Free-will offering

FD: Spirituality

Dr. Ruth Haley Barton ministers to the soul care needs of pastors and leaders based on her conviction that the best thing we bring to leadership is our own transforming selves. Dr. Barton is the founding president and CEO of the Transforming Center. As a retreat leader, spiritual director, and author, she inspired others for more than 20 years.

Most of us are more tired than we know at the soul level. We are teetering on the brink of dangerous exhaustion, and we cannot do anything else until we have gotten some rest...we can't really engage [any spiritual disciplines] until solitude becomes a place of rest for us rather than another place for human striving and hard work.
― Ruth Haley Barton
Sacred Rhythms: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation

Join us as Josh Banner, spiritual director and creator of The Invitation, moderates a conversation with Dr. Ruth Haley Barton. This conversation will be recorded, produced, and published online by The Invitation as a podcast so that others around the world can benefit from formation resources at Dominican Center.

This is a wonderful faith team retreat opportunity.

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FD: Spirituality

The Dominican Sisters of Grand Rapids invite the West Michigan community to join us in prayer for those who have been harmed and for those who are in harm's way due to human trafficking.  We will take time to pray for West Michigan and the world to face this challenge with courage, dignity and compassion.

Please wear blue as a sign of solidarity for all those who are suffering and for all who are working to end human trafficking.

No cost.  Please register.

FD: Spirituality

The Guiding Directed Retreats Practicum is for experienced spiritual directors who feel a call to journey with directees in a silent retreat setting. Our focus is on exploring the dynamics of daily prayer and movement on retreat, using the insights of Ignatius of Loyola, Teresa of Avila, and David Benner.

Dates

• January 28, 2019
• February 4, 2019
• March 4, 2019
• April 1, 2019
• May 6, 2019

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In this contemplative program, Sacred Self-Care focuses on learning to care for yourself as a sacred practice, which invites you to honor your whole being, body, mind, and spirit. Practicing self-care is a way of connecting with your true self amidst the stress and struggles of life.

Self-care is not selfish. You cannot serve from an empty vessel.
- Eleanor Brownn

Deepen your awareness of this sacred practice and learn several easy-to-use self-care techniques.

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FD: Spirituality

Led by Amy W.M. Kam, Certified Zentangle Teacher, the Zentangle Method is a form of artistic expression and meditation that allows you to create beautiful images using techniques of drawing structured patterns and reflective prompts. No previous art experience required.

In Introducing and Exploring Zentangle, learn the benefits of the Zentangle Drawing Method, as well as techniques and basic steps of creating a Zentangle work of art. Discover the gifts of relaxation, expanded awareness, enhanced focus, new practices for problem-solving, and uncover new ways to see beauty and to embrace the unexpected.

A wonderful way for a person to grow in a quiet meditative atmosphere, expressing their creativity and sharing in the process with others.
- Zentangle Participant

No art experience is needed to participate in this program. Beginners welcome! Supplies included.

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The loving-kindness meditation is based on metta, the Pali term for unconditional friendliness, or loving-kindness, and is a form of blessing/meditation practice. It is sourced in Buddhist tradition, yet versions of it are found in many spiritual traditions, including Judaism and Celtic Christianity. It is an interspiritual practice that supports many theologies.

Practice loving-kindness wherever you may go.
― Heather Wolf

Metta is a sitting meditation/prayer form and takes us through six levels of blessing: one's self, benefactors, loved ones, neutral others, difficult others, and ultimately wishing all earthly beings/creatures’ safety and happiness. This practice opens our hearts to ourselves and others in profound ways.

FD: Spirituality

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In this Creative Transformation: Honoring Loss program, our work will be on recognizing, respecting, and releasing grief as a process - and often a painful one. Loss of loved ones, jobs, status, and relationships weigh heavily on our soul. This Creative Transformation workshop will help us to recognize how loss impacts us. Using a reflective and creative process, learn to acknowledge the emotions that arise in times of loss.

All the art of living lies in the fine mingling of letting go and holding on.
- Havelock Ellis

Creative Transformation programs are facilitated by Art Therapist Leara Glinzak. She is recognized as a gentle, interactive presence that guides participants through mindful, creative steps toward healing and growth in times of transition and change. No artistic experience required … only life experience.

FD: Spirituality

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Join us for the February Reflective Film Series, Dheepan. The film tells the story of three Tamil refugees who flee the civil war-ravaged Sri Lanka and come to France, in the hope of reconstructing their lives. The film won the Palme d'Or at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. It was later shown in the Special Presentations section of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival.

Rated R

Popcorn and soda provided.

Co-sponsored by Dominican Associates. Special thanks to Zulema Moret, Dominican Associate, for her generosity.

The Enneagram is a tool for personal and spiritual growth. The identity of your personality using the Enneagram gives you a clarity to better understand yourself and the habits that guide your thoughts and behavior.  Knowing yourself is foundational for any psychological and spiritual growth toward becoming fully human and fully alive.

The Enneagram is a tool that awakens our compassion for people just as they are, not the people we wish they would become so our lives would become easier.
― Ian Morgan Cron

The workshop is designed for those new to the Enneagram and who have a desire to understand and gain wisdom of oneself in relationship to interacting with others. Includes breakfast and lunch.

• Registration: 8:30am
• Program: 9:00am

FD: Spirituality

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Join Susan Duesbery for this contemplative learning program, Cultivating a Life of Wholeness. Integrate both your joys and your sorrows in a way that transforms you and helps you to grow into the most joy-filled and loving version of yourself. Develop your awareness of wholeness and engage in several practices that help cultivate it.

The purpose of our journey is to restore ourselves to wholeness.
- Debbie Ford

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FD: Spirituality

Scripture comes alive as we journey through the sacred places of the Holy Land. This pilgrimage brings a new richness as we will walk where Jesus walked in Galilee region and in Jerusalem and Bethany where he spent time with his beloved friends.

Cost: $3,699, includes round-trip airfare from Chicago, first class/select hotels, and most meals.

For more information on this pilgrimage or to register, view the brochure or contact Sr. Nancy Brousseau at email: nbrousseau@aol.com or phone: 616.560.4580.

FD: Evangelization

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.

This retreat is held at the Augustine Center. The center is a retreat house welcoming individuals and groups for ongoing formation, education, and spirituality. The Augustine Center is located in Conway, Michigan, on the northern border of Petoskey.

$335: Includes spiritual direction, meals, and room. Space is limited. Financial scholarships are available. Call to request information.

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Join us for the March Reflective Film Series featuring The Square. In this film, a prestigious Stockholm museum's chief art curator finds himself in times of both professional and personal crisis as he attempts to set up a controversial new exhibit. Christian is the respected curator of a contemporary art museum, a divorced but devoted father of two who drives an electric car and supports good causes. His next show is The Square, an installation that invites passersby to altruism, reminding them of their role as responsible fellow human beings. But sometimes, it is difficult to live up to your own ideals. Christian's foolish response to the theft of his phone drags him into shameful situations. Meanwhile, the museum's PR agency has created an unexpected campaign for The Square. The response is overblown and sends Christian, as well as the museum, into an existential crisis.

Rated R

Popcorn and soda provided.

Co-sponsored by Dominican Associates. Special thanks to Zulema Moret, Dominican Associate, for her generosity.

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.

$335: Includes spiritual direction, meals, and room. Space is limited. Financial scholarships are available. Call to request information.

View Dominican Center’s Refund Policy.

FD: Spirituality

Join us for the April Reflective Film Series, Yesterday. This film tells the story of a young mother, Yesterday, who discovers she has AIDS. Her husband, a migrant mine laborer, rejected her despite being the one that infected her. Her ambition becomes to live long enough to see her daughter, Beauty, go to school. This film is the first commercial feature-length production in Zulu.

Rated R

Soda and popcorn provided.

Co-sponsored by the Dominican Associates. Special thanks to Zulema Moret, Dominican Associate, for her generosity.

A once in a lifetime opportunity to attend the world-famous Passion Play in Oberammergau, Germany. The villagers of Oberammergau first performed the play in 1634 in fulfillment of their promise to God for sparing them from the Black Plague and it has been presented there every 10 years since then.

Cost: $4,479, includes round-trip airfare from Chicago, first class/select hotels, and most meals.

For more information on this pilgrimage or to register, view the brochure or contact Sr. Nancy Brousseau at email: nbrousseau@aol.com or phone: 616.560.4580.

FD: Evangelization

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 summer silent retreat.

This retreat is held at the Augustine Center. The center is a retreat house welcoming individuals and groups for ongoing formation, education, and spirituality. The Augustine Center is located in Conway, Michigan, on the northern border of Petoskey.

$465: Includes spiritual direction, meals, and room. Space is limited. Financial scholarships are available. Call to request information.

View Dominican Center’s Refund Policy