PORTIUNCULA CENTER FOR PRAYER September 2023 | |
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The wildflowers along the roads I travel are quite stunning this year. They are thriving in the summer sun and making life more beautiful for us. And yet, I mourned when someone, well intentioned, I imagine, mowed all of them down along my gravel road. I had to remind myself of the many lovely purple, white, and yellow blossoms along all the other roads I drive. So when is enough, enough? When do we say, I am blessed beyond words because I woke up this morning and was able to greet the day that came unbidden with no effort on my part. And when is enough enough for what we do? The seventh anniversary of my Mom’s death was August 18th and after all these years I still think I could have done more. But the reality is, I did all I could, and she thought it was more than enough. So why is it so hard for us to believe we did what we could? What is that part that says, it’s never enough? Perhaps it is really, our belief that ‘we’ are not enough.
The truth is, my friends, we are each more than enough. At The Port we greet the weary and pray they find peace and renewal while on our grounds. And there are always more needing our help, needing love, needing healing. All we can do is answer each call and ask that the divine in us speaks the words needed to be heard. I was listening to a woman who called earlier this week and I realized my head was literally bowed by her story. I offered her all the words and solace that came to me and for that moment, it was enough. And tomorrow there will be another call. I plead with you that you know you are enough. You are all you need to be, believe it, and celebrate it. If someone mows down your wildflowers then maybe you need to take a different route and when you are tired and you think, I can’t do anymore, maybe it is because you have done enough, you are enough. If however, you see someone mowing down the flowers, please tell them I would like a word:) Be well my friends. Mary Lou Nugent
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Summer is not complete without our annual visit with Mary Oliver's
The Summer Day
Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean-
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down-
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?
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GROUP SPIRITUAL DIRECTION
Dates: Wednesdays: September 6, October 4, November 1, December 6
Time: 10:00 a.m. – Noon Total Fee: $60
Limit 6 (Group meets together for all four sessions)
Led by a trained Spiritual Director, this is an opportunity to share your story and to learn if Spiritual Direction is for you.
Respect for each individual
and their spiritual path is an essential component to this process.
Facilitator: Janice Keenan, OSF
REGISTER
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WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT:
BOUNDARIES via Zoom
Date: Thursday, September 7
Time: 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. central Fee: Donation
Join us for this event for women of all ages and backgrounds who want to understand the value and need for empowerment. We will discuss the importance of self-love, self-worth, boundaries, and why they are crucial for your mental and emotional well-being. We are all on a journey of self-discovery, and this virtual event is a safe space to learn, grow, and connect with other like-minded women.
Facilitator: Jennifer Ramirez
REGISTER
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AN EVENING WITH
FATHER JAMES MARTIN via Zoom
Date: Tuesday, September 12
Time: 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. central Fee: Donation
“James Martin—arguably our greatest writer priest—has penned a genius meditation on the Raising of Lazarus. It’s a spiritual manual to renewing one’s faith. I came away with a renewed hope that grace alone can call me out of whatever tomb I’ve buried myself in.”
Mary Karr
“Come Forth” is Father Martin’s new book on the Raising of Lazarus. This widely acclaimed book will be the focal point of the evening. We are blessed to have this time to learn from Fr. Jim and engage in dialogue during the Q&A session. Facilitator: James Martin, SJ
REGISTER
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POWERFUL VIBRATIONAL SOUND MEDITATION
Friday, September 15 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
Location: Motherhouse auditorium Fee: $35
At the core of all healing, meditative, and spiritual pursuits is the goal to expand an individual’s awareness to possibilities. Experience a uniquely multi-dimensional tapestry of sounds designed to relax and invigorate you simultaneously. Heal your mind and body in a colorful environment of ambient and ancestral sounds of 5 gongs and other sound tools. Please bring a yoga mat, pillow, blankets for your comfort. Zero gravity chairs must be requested at registration.
Facilitators: Gabriela & Marian Kraus have both studied gongs and sound therapy with renowned master teachers. Their inherent artistic and musical abilities, years of studies in psychology and metaphysics, and life experiences work seamlessly together to facilitate a unique experience.
Registration
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WHAT'S ANGER GOT TO DO WITH IT?
Tuesday, September 19 9:30 a.m. – Noon $25
Anger impacts both the mind and the body. During our time together, we will explore common sources of anger as well as strategies that promote healing. Our focus will be anger that stems from transitions and grief.
Facilitator: Linda Heying, PsyD, LMFT is a Marriage & Family Therapist, and is based in Oak Brook. Linda specializes in the counseling of relationship issues, anxiety, and depression. Linda has experience in handling cases of addiction, anger management, behavioral issues, codependency, substance use, transgender, women's issues, and more.
Registration
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WOMEN’S FALL RETREAT:
“BRINGING YOUR DREAMS TO LIFE”
Saturday, September 30 from 10:00 a.m. to Sunday, October 1 Noon (Brunch) $145 (program/meals/overnight),
$95 Commuter (program/meals)
Dream images are the language of the soul experienced through our senses and our feelings. Natural Dreamwork is a spiritual practice that allows us to bring dream images and experiences to life by feeling them rather than interpreting them. The images we encounter reveal new insights and guide us toward wholeness and healing in our inner and outer life. Each dream/image offers a gift by inviting you to reconnect to your soul, to reclaim and remember parts of yourself you may have forgotten, and to discover new ways of being in relationship with yourself, others, and the Divine. This retreat provides times of listening, personal reflection, creative expression, and sharing.
Facilitators: Julie Filipic is a certified practitioner of Natural Dreamwork, a Spiritual Director/Companion and a Supervisor for other Spiritual Directors. She will team with Janice Keenan, OSF, Retreat Program Manager and Spiritual Director at The Port to facilitate this retreat.
Registration
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