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Welcome to the Transformations NEWS ROOM. |
NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI – This fall Transformations Spirituality Center will host New Eyes ~ A Film and Dialogue Series Exploring Compassion and Forgiveness in Community. Facilitated by Barry Burnside of Gryphon Place, the series invites participants to see the world with “new eyes” as they join with others in viewing and discussing a series of films that explore the path of individual and community response to incredibly difficult and challenging situations. The film and discussion schedule is as follows: Registration is $45 for the entire series if paid by September 1, $50 after. Individual programs are $15 each, except the final session on Oct. 22 which is $20. Attendance at a minimum of one evening film is encouraged before attending the final session. Please register by September 9. NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center offers their new summer and fall 2011 schedule of programs for renewal of your mind, body and spirit. NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI – Come listen to storyteller Rev. Bert Marshall as he ‘proclaims’ the Gospel of Mark from memory on Sunday, August 7, 2011 from 2-5 pm at Transformations Spirituality Center. The early Christians did not have personal libraries in their homes, equipped with the latest study bibles for reference. The gospel—the good news of Jesus Messiah—was the whole story, and was told and re-told aloud in the early Christian communities. The Word was animated and had sound and presence. The early church gathered around that Word, the gathering was sacred, and the Word was power and life. According to a past participant “To hear Rev. Marshall proclaim the entire Gospel of Mark from start to finish is to partake of a sacramental experience, something that lifts us out of ourselves and links us to God’s heart.” Registration is $15 if paid by July 18, $18 after. Discounts are available for groups of four or more. Please register by July 25. Registration includes an ice cream social.
NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI – Fr. John Dear, S.J.; author, Nobel Prize nominee, activist, non-violent peacemaker and National Catholic Reporter columnist; will be speaking on Friday, June 10, 2011 from 9 am – 3 pm at Transformations Spirituality Center. Fr. Dear will share his thoughts and reflections on living a life of peace and Gospel nonviolence, in a world torn by division, fear, war and violence. Speaking from the teachings and examples of Jesus on peace; his own deep convictions and experience; and walking in the footsteps of others who have chosen the path of nonviolent peacemaking, He will invite participants to reflect on the gospel call to live as peacemakers. Dear’s impressive resume shows his commitment to live and walk the talk he preaches. Executive director of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, the largest interfaith peace organization in the United States. After the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, he volunteered as a Red Cross Chaplain and became a coordinator of the chaplain program while at the same time speaking out against the bombing of Afghanistan. Led a delegation of Nobel Peace Prize winners in Iraq to witness the effects of the deadly sanctions on Iraqi children. Worked with Mother Theresa and others to stop the death penalty. Dear’s visit is being sponsored in collaboration with Peace House, the Kalamazoo Quaker/Catholic Worker project. A portion of the proceeds from Fr. Dear’s visit will be given to Peace House to help teach children in their economically challenged neighborhood alternatives to violence. He is available for interview prior to the event. Contact Jenni Piper at 269-381-6290 ext. 327 to schedule. Registration is $50 if paid by May 13, $60 after. Please register by May 30. Registration includes lunch. NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center will host Seeing the Holy – Praying through Your Camera Lens on Saturday, April 30, 2011 from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. The program, led by Christine Parks, CSJ, offers input and reflection on “Seeing the Holy”; individual time for photographing and praying with the Holy you see around you; and sharing your experience, prayer and insights. "Let those who have eyes, see.” The spirit of the Holy, or the Sacred, surrounds us on all sides, from the grandeur of the night sky, the curve of a lake’s shore, the loveliness of a flower in bloom, the face of a child. Come away for a day of seeing, and being present to the Holy and capturing that image with a camera for later reflection. Participants should bring a journal and camera (digital camera with a download cable, if available); and wear comfortable clothes/shoes for walking outdoors. This is not a technical photography class and no photographic instruction will be given. No professional experience or equipment is required. Registration is $40 if paid by April 8, $45 after and includes lunch. Please register by April 18.
NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI – Centering Prayer Introduction will be held Tuesday, April 5 from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. at Transformations Spirituality Center. Drawing on the Psalmists invitation to “Be still and know that I am God”, centering prayer is a spiritual practice grounded in Christian tradition. This prayer form can help us enter into God’s silence which then enters us. “I practice Centering Prayer because it’s an oasis of sacred silence in daily life” says Sr. Christine Parks, CSJ. Registration is $15 when paid by March 21, $20 after. Please register by March 28. Transformations also hosts a Centering Prayer time each Wednesday, from 12:15-12:45 pm at Unity Chapel. This time is open to the public and registration is not necessary. NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center will host Treasures of Celtic Spirituality: Sharing the Wisdom of John O’Donohue on Saturday, April 9, 2011 from 9 am to noon. Journey through the sacred landscapes of Celtic spirituality with the work of poet and philosopher John O’Donohue (1956-2008). O’Donohue will speak through his writings, poems, tapes, and the film “A Celtic Pilgrimage,” providing a wealth of wisdom and insight into the depth of Celtic spirituality that can enrich our own spiritual journeys. The program will be led by Betsy Meagher, CSJ. Sr. Betsy holds masters degrees in liturgy and music education and has served as a diocesan liturgical director, liturgist, musician and educator for more than 30 years. Her Irish heritage has led to her study of celtic spirituality and a desire to share it with others. Registration is $30 when paid by March 18, $35 if paid after. Please register by March 28.
NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center will host The Courage to Change: A Retreat for Women Actively Working the 12-Steps of AA from 7 p.m. on Friday, April 8 through noon on Sunday, April 10, 2011. This weekend retreat, for women who are actively working an AA 12-Step program, will look at the 12 steps and how continuing to work with them assists us with the ongoing “Courage to Change” those behaviors and attitudes that challenge our growth in health and wholeness. The program will be led by Karen Anne Jackson, a Sister of the Holy Cross from St. Mary’s, Notre Dame, Indiana. Karen Anne is an experienced 12-Step retreat facilitator who creates a warm and welcoming atmosphere enhanced by her delightful sense of humor. During the past 20 years she has facilitated 12-Step retreats for women in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Illinois; in addition to her full-time ministry. All progress in working the 12 steps of AA, regardless of one’s addiction, is grounded in cooperation with our Higher Power. This cooperation is essential to help us grow in our daily acceptance of the changes necessary for on-going recovery in the 12-step process—whatever our particular addiction may be. Registration is $175, when the $50 non-refundable deposit is paid before March 18. $185 when deposit is paid after March 18. Please register by March 28. Retreat cost includes two nights in a private room with bath, meals, and materials. Share a room and save $10 per person. NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI – This winter’s Spiritual Literacy program will discuss “John Dear on Peace: An Introduction to His Life and Work” on three evenings beginning on Tuesday, March 15, 2011 and also meeting on March 29 and April 12 from 7 – 8:30 pm at Transformations Spirituality Center led by Gertrude Maurer, CSJ. “John Dear on Peace: An Introduction to His Life and Work” is an introduction to an authentic gospel approach to peace that Jesuit Fr. John Dear lives and invites others to consider. The book is a series of 13 reflections, each focusing on a justice and peace-related concept. The reflections do not have to be read and pondered in the order presented. The discussion will focus on contemplative, active, and prophetic nonviolence. According to Dr. Jim Boland, Director, Peace Resource Center at Wilmington College, “This book will allow you to begin, or continue the journey, to breathe deeply and find a sense of inner peace, the peace which transforms the world. Following the life of Christ is not easy and has consequences, but Patti Normile has provided us with powerful questions to stimulate reflection and action.” Participation in this program will also be a good introduction to Dear himself who is coming to Transformations Spirituality Center in June, 2011. Registration is $25 if paid by February 22, $30 after. Please register by March 1. Participants should read at least the first five chapters to begin the discussion. NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI – Sacred Movement will be held Saturday, March 5, 2011 from 9 am – 4 pm at Transformations Spirituality Center. Authentic spirituality, in order to be complete, includes the body as well as the spirit. Learn ways to encounter the divine through your physical being and spirit during this one day program. This day will include gentle movements like tai chi chih, stretching and breath work. It will help you experience a deeper relationship with your bodily self, and achieve a sense of stillness, peace, and wholistic well being. By paying prayerful attention to your body you will gain a greater appreciation for God’s presence in the sacred movements that are going on both within and around you. The program will be led by Wanda Wetli, CSJ and Janet Chadderdon, CSJ. Sister Wanda became a certified teacher of Tai Chi Chih in 1998. Since that time she has taught others this simple, non-strenuous, flowing form of “Moving Meditation.” Sr. Janet’s ministry has included education and work as a certified massage therapist. Working with the Integrated Medicine Department of Borgess Medical Center, she brought her strong belief in the presence of our God in all of creation, and in how our awareness of God is reflected within the integration of mind, body and spirit. Registration is $45 if paid by February 11, $55 after. Please register by February 21. Participants should dress comfortably for variable temperatures.
NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI – Orientation for Group Spiritual Direction will be held Wednesday, January 26 from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. at Transformations Spirituality Center. Spiritual Direction is a way to become more aware of the many ways God is present and reaches out to you in your daily life. The group practice shares these insights in a small group setting. Registration is $5 when paid by January 17, $10 after. Please register by January 21. Centering Prayer Introduction will be held Tuesday, January 25 from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. at Transformations Spirituality Center. Drawing on the Psalmists invitation to “Be still and know that I am God”, centering prayer is a spiritual practice grounded in Christian tradition. This prayer form can help us enter into God’s silence which then enters us. Registration is $15 when paid by January 11, $20 after. Please register by January 17. Transformations Spirituality Center will host a Centering Prayer Day on Saturday, February 19 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. The program offers a renewing spiritual pause apart from the things that often fill our minds and lives to be present to God in the practice of centering prayer. The day will include an overview of the history and tradition of Centering prayer as well as a time to experience the practice. Find the peace of this silent communion with God, beyond concepts, words and images. Registration is $45 if paid by January 28, $50 after. Please register by February 7. “Spiritual Direction really helps me when time, events and the pace of life threaten to overwhelm me. The conversation helps me find and stay on my spiritual path,” says Sr. Christine Parks, CSJ. “I practice Centering Prayer because it’s an oasis of sacred silence in daily life.”
NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI (December 29, 2010) – What does spirituality mean to men and how do guys deepen it in their lives? These and other questions about a man’s spiritual life will be addressed by Fr. Jim O’Leary and Rev. Jim Dyke as they host “Real Men & Their Spiritual Lives” on Saturday, February 5, 2011 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Transformations Spirituality Center. This day is designed for any man who desires to come to know and appreciate his own masculine spirit, with all of its joys and pains, its successes and failures; and to honestly confront his need for conversion and growth. “Jim and I are finding male spirituality to be a rich subject to explore and are hoping that discussions during this day will develop even more ways of pursuing the subject,” says Fr. Jim O’Leary. “We have encountered some questions we will explore during the program: Is there a distinct male approach to God? What advantages do men have in approaching God? What disadvantages? Historically speaking, men have often dominated the leadership of organized religion and women make the church work. True or false? Is it possible to look at a 5-year old boy and better understand what God sees in me at age 75?” Registration is $55 if paid by January 14, $65 after. Please register by January 24. NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center introduces their winter 2011 schedule of programs for renewal of mind, body and spirit. Mid-Week Sabbath Wednesdays, 10 a.m. – noon; led by Christine Parks, CSJ Join us for refreshing and re-creative ‘mid-week Sabbaths’ one or more of these mornings. Each morning will be a time of prayer, quiet reflection, sharing on themes that speak to our hunger for more time with God. January 12, Epiphanies & Resolutions February 9, Winter Wisdom & the Heart’s Desire March 16, 40 Days in the Wilderness April 13, Spring Cleaning—Inner & Outer May 11, Planting Seeds for New Life Yoga & Centering Prayer Retreat 7 p.m., Friday, January 21 through 4 p.m., Saturday, January 22; led by Nancy Diment & Betsy Meagher, CSJ Relax and renew with this retreat that draws upon the experience and wisdom of your body including gentle yoga, stretching, breathing, relaxing; enhanced with the contemplative experience of centering. Centering Prayer Introduction Tuesday, January 25; 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. and offered again Tuesday, April 5; 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Centering Prayer can help us enter into God’s silence, which then enters us and move us through meditation into contemplation. The evening will include teaching on Centering Prayer along with the opportunity to experience this Christian prayer form. Real Men and Their Spiritual Lives, A Day for Guys Saturday, February 5; 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.; led by Fr. Jim O’Leary & Rev. Jim Dyke This day is designed for any man who desires to come to know and appreciate his own masculine spirit, with all of its joys and pains, its successes and failures; and to honestly confront his need for conversion and growth.
Centering Prayer Day Saturday, February 19; 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.; led by Christine Parks, CSJ The scriptural basis for, and psychological aspects of, this prayer will be explored, and experiences of centering prayer will be interspersed with the reflection and sharing throughout the day. Beyond Words, An Icon Retreat 9 a.m., Monday, February 21 through 5 p.m., Friday, February 25; led by Diane Hamel, assisted by David Van Eck Come “write” the engaging and inspiring icon of St. John the Baptist during this retreat week led by the talented and widely respected Diane Hamel. Sacred Movement Saturday, March 5; 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.; led by Wanda Wetli, CSJ & Janet Chadderdon, CSJ Experience a deeper relationship with your bodily self, and achieve a sense of stillness, peace, and wholistic well being with the gentle movements of activities like tai chi chih, stretching and breath work. Spiritual Literacy, A Group Discussion of ‘Books You’ve Been Meaning to Read’ “John Dear on Peace” by Patricia Patten Normile, SFO Saturday, Oct. 9; 9 a.m. – noon; Led by Christine Parks, CSJ John Dear on Peace: An Introduction to His Life and Work is an introduction to an authentic gospel approach to peace that Jesuit Fr. John Dear lives and invites others to consider. The series of 13 reflections, each focusing on a justice and peace-related concept, will be discussed at the three gatherings. Walking with Thomas Merton 7 p.m., Friday, March 25 – 4 p.m., Saturday, March 26; led by Rev. Keith Hosey and Maureen Mangen, CPPS Enliven and deepen your faith life this Lent with a retreat focusing on the life & prayer of Thomas Merton—Trappist monk and respected inspiring spiritual writer. The Courage to Change, A Retreat for Women Actively Working the 12-Steps of AA 7 p.m., Friday, April 8 through noon Sunday, April 10; led by Karen Anne Jackson, CSC This weekend will support and encourage us in the continued understanding and usage of the 12 steps. It will assist us with the ongoing “Courage to Change” those behaviors and attitudes that challenge our growth in health and wholeness. Treasures of Celtic Spirituality, Sharing the Wisdom of John O’Donohue Saturday, April 9; 9 a.m. – noon; led by Betsy Meagher, CSJ John O’Donohue will speak through his writings, poems, tapes, and the film “A Celtic Pilgrimage,” providing a wealth of wisdom and insight into the depth of Celtic spirituality that can enrich our own spiritual journeys. Seeing the Holy – Praying through Your Camera Lens Saturday, April 30; 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.; led by Christine Parks, CSJ Enjoy a day of seeing, and being present to the Holy through your eyes and the lens of your camera. World Labyrinth Day Saturday, May 7; 10 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.; led by Elizabeth Tompkins Learn more about the tradition and relationship of labyrinths to the faith journey; engage in prayer and reflection on your own spiritual journey; and “Walk as One at 1,” sharing in the “rolling wave of healing and peaceful energy across the world” and across time zones at 1 pm on May 7. Watercolor - The Free Flow of Letting Go Saturday, May 21; 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.; led by Frankie Dutil, CSJ Spiritual traditions tell us that Watercolor painting can be a truly experiential metaphor for the spiritual journey, as this medium defies precise control yet yields wonderful results when we are able to let go. Fr. John Dear, 2011 Showcase Speaker Friday, June 10; 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.; led by Fr. John Dear Come for a day with Fr. John Dear as he shares his thoughts and experience on following the footsteps of Jesus and growing in the life of peace and Gospel nonviolence in a world torn by war and violence.
Planting Gardens, Image for the Spiritual Life Saturday June 4; 9 a.m. – noon; led by Christine Parks, CSJ Explore the rich metaphor of tilling the soil, planting seed, nurturing growth and harvesting, through sacred writings, prayer, poetry, photography, your own experiences, and the earth garden that is our home.
NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI – Celebrate the real meaning of the Christmas season with Journeying Toward Bethlehem: An Advent Retreat program on Saturday, Dec. 4th from 9 a.m. until noon at Transformations Spirituality Center.
NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI – Acclaimed folk musicians Joel Mabus and Carrie Newcomer will lead workshops on Saturday, November 20, 2010, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. at Transformations Spirituality Center. Participants will attend two sessions, one led by Newcomer and the other led by Mabus. NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI (Oct. 14, 2010) – Folk music legend Joel Mabus will perform on Friday, November 19, 2010, 7 p.m. at Transformations Spirituality Center.
NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI – Folk music legend Joel Mabus will perform on Friday, November 19, 2010, 7 p.m. at Transformations Spirituality Center.
NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI – Folkmusic singer/songwriter Carrie Newcomer will perform on Friday, November 19, 2010, 7 p.m. at Transformations Spirituality Center’s Holy Family Chapel.
NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI (Sept. 21, 2010) – Reflect on your relationship with God in everyday life during the Seeing God in Everyday Life – A Day of Mindfulness program on Saturday, Nov. 6th from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Transformations Spirituality Center.
NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI – Marcella Clancy, CSJ, will present Discovering God Anew on Friday,Oct. 22 beginning at 7 p.m. and ending Saturday Oct. 23 at 3 p.m., at Transformations Spirituality Center. Many believers have learned about God through a theology that has often viewed the divine mainly in abstract concepts as almighty, omnipresent, and omniscient. Today, emerging theologies and contemporary experiences of revelation are discovering the sacred anew through major events and movements occurring within the human community, and new understandings of scripture. These approaches present new images and understandings that invite believers to grow in relationship with this living God. They challenge us to follow God along new paths. Together we will explore these events and movements and the new visions of the sacred they reveal. Registration is $120 if paid by September 24, $130 after. Registration includes a private room with bath, meals and materials. Please register by October 8. For more information or to register call 269.381.6290 ext. 249, or visit www.transformationscenter.org. NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI – As a follow-up to his visit in June, join us for Spiritual Literacy – A Group Discussion of Books You’ve Been Meaning to Read as we explore Richard Rohr’s "The Naked Now: Learning to See as the Mystics See”. The group will meet on Tuesdays, October 12, 26 and November 9, 2010 from 7 until 8:30 p.m. at Transformations Spirituality Center. In “The Naked Now”, Richard Rohr is primarily concerned with what keeps us from seeing reality truthfully, humbly, and helpfully. He draws on the wisdom of Native and world religions to explore a different way of knowing and describes a way of “seeing the moment,” the Naked Now. This program continues a series of Spiritual Literacy programs led by Sr. Gertrude Maurer who holds a doctorate in American Literature from the University of Notre Dame. Other books in the Spiritual Literacy series have included: The Gift of Years by Joan Chittister, Everything Belongs by Richard Rohr, The Five Stages of the Soul by Harry Moody, The Soul of Christianity by Huston Smith, Radical Amazement by Judy Cannato, The Holy Longing by Ron Rolheiser and Riding the Dragon by Robert Wicks. Registration is $25 if paid by September 21, $30 after. Please register by September 28. Seating is limited so register early. For more information or to register call 269.381.6290 ext. 249, or visit www.transformationscenter.org. NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI – Professional caregivers are invited to the 9th Annual Community of Caregivers gathering – Caregivers & Transition: Navigating the Land of Uncertainty on Monday, October 18, 2010 from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. at Transformations Spirituality Center. All transitions begin with an ending; and they end in a new beginning. While the ending may be highly emotional, and the beginning not clear, it is the crucial time and space in-between, the land of uncertainty, that holds the heart and soul of transition. The challenge in a time of transition is to trust the process. Transitions often challenge us to face what is ending, to name the underlying losses, and to move through a grieving process. The program will be led by Dr. James Zullo, a licensed and practicing Clinical Psychologist. He is a former Faculty Member of the Institute of Pastoral Studies at Loyola University in Chicago, specializing in the Psychology of the Mid-Years and Young Adulthood. Jim lectures and conducts workshops and retreats across the world from New Zealand to Malaysia, and is a visiting Professor at the University of Monterrey in Mexico. He has been the keynote speaker at numerous national assemblies – both clerical and secular. The program is made possible by generous donations from the Battle Creek Health System; Borgess Medical Center; Bruce & Sharon Betzler & Betzler Life Story Funeral Home staff; Congregation of St. Joseph; Episcopal Diocese of Western Michigan; John E. Fetzer Institute, Inc.; Langeland Family Funeral Homes; Lois Martens Memorial Fund; Pine Rest Kalamazoo Clinic; Presbytery of Lake Michigan; Redmond Funeral Homes; and the United Church of Christ, Southwest Association of Michigan Conference. Registration is $80 if paid by September 7, $95 after and includes lunch. Professional CEU credits are available for participation in this program. Seating is limited so register early. For more information or to register call 269.381.6290 ext. 249, or visit www.transformationscenter.org. NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI – Take a new and deeper look at the Lord’s Prayer during the program >Praying with Jesus & “The Lord’s Prayer” on Saturday, September 18, 2010 from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. at Transformations Spirituality Center. The Lord’s Prayer is Christianity’s most familiar prayer. While it is often recited from memory, it’s not often examined and reflected upon. This program will look at the prayer in Aramaic, it’s original language and what Jesus spoke, and explore how these words apply to our contemporary lives. Registration is $35 if paid by September 3, $40 after and includes lunch. Please register by Sept. 13. For more information or to register call 269.381.6290 ext. 249, or visit www.transformationscenter.org. NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI – Come and experience journaling as part of your spiritual journey during The Art and Prayer of Journaling on Saturday, October 9, 2010 from 9 a.m. until noon at Transformations Spirituality Center. Almost since the invention of writing people have been engaged in the art and practice of journaling. The exercise of recording meaningful thoughts, feelings and experiences for personal and spiritual reflection can help us process our thoughts and provides a means for later reflection and growth. Some of the most inspiring journaling has come from those seeking to deepen, understand and describe their spiritual journey and relationship with the sacred. In this age of blogs and keyboarding there is still a place for the hand-written journal. This program is an opportunity to start, re-start or enhance your experience of journaling as part of your spiritual journey. It will include sharing journaling methods, resources and suggestions as well as quiet time for reflection and engaging in prayer and written conversation with the Holy. Past participants commented “It answered questions, gave me new insight into starting journaling;” and “I am so inspired to begin my “journey of words.” Registration is $30 if paid by September 10, $35 after. Please register by Sept. 20. For more information or to register call 269.381.6290 ext. 249, or visit www.transformationscenter.org. NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI - Transformations Spirituality Center is hosting introductory classes for Centering Prayer and Spiritual Direction. Orientation for Group Spiritual Direction will be held Wednesday, Sept. 1 from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. at Transformations Spirituality Center on Gull Road. Spiritual Direction is a way to become more aware of the many ways God is present and reaches out to you in your daily life. The group practice shares these insights in a small group setting. Registration is $5 when paid by Aug. 23, $10 after. Register by Aug. 27. Centering Prayer Introduction will be held Tuesday, Sept. 21 from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. at Transformations Spirituality Center on Gull Road. Drawing on the Psalmists invitation to “Be still and know that I am God”, centering prayer is a spiritual practice grounded in Christian tradition. This prayer form can help us enter into God’s silence which then enters us. Registration is $15 when paid by Sept. 1, $20 after. Register by Sept. 7. This program will also be offered Thursday, Nov. 11. “Spiritual Direction really helps me when time, events and the pace of life threaten to overwhelm me. The conversation helps me find and stay on my spiritual path,” says Sr. Christine Parks, CSJ. “I practice Centering Prayer because it’s an oasis of sacred silence in daily life.” For more information or to register for these programs, call 269-381-6290 ext. 310 or visit www.TransformationsCenter.org. NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI (August 4, 2010) – Transformations is now taking registrations for the 2010-2011 Living from Within: The Journey toward an Undivided Life program. This series of four seasonal retreats will take place 7 p.m. Friday through noon Sunday on Oct. 1-3, 2010; Jan. 28-30, 2011; April 15-17, 2011 and June 24-26, 2011 at Transformations Spirituality Center. This life enhancing program invites participants into a process of reconnecting who they are with what they do. Using small and large group as well as individual formats, poetry, and stories, they will address basic life questions which, although private, are often deeply instructive when shared in the “circle of trust” formed within the group. This series is led by Marianne Novak Houston of Kalamazoo, Michigan. Houston is a retired teacher from the Vicksburg, Michigan school district. She was one of the first participants in the Courage to Teach program sponsored by Parker J. Palmer and The Fetzer Institute. Since her participation she has continued to work with Palmer and expand the work of his Center for Courage and Renewal based in Washington. Past participants of the Living From Within program describe it as… “Always exceeding my expectations. It is the primary way that I disconnect with life’s mystery and gain clearness around my questions.” “This retreat reminded me to stay grounded and to seek what will make me happy.” “It is one of the most respectful processes I have experienced. Courage & renewal is what I come away with.” The non-refundable deposit is $240 if paid by Sept. 1, $260 after and a balance of $225 is due upon arrival at each retreat weekend. Space is limited, registrations are due Sept. 17. Rates include a private air-conditioned room with bath, meals and materials. For more information, or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 249, or visit www.transformationscenter.org.
NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center introduces their fall schedule of programs for renewal of mind, body and spirit. Listening to God through Our Dreams; A Retreat Friday, Aug. 27; 7 p.m. - Saturday, Aug. 28; 4 p.m.; Led by Olga Wittekind, OSF Whatever your experience of dreams, this retreat with Olga Wittekind(spiritual director, psychologist and Jungian therapist) will bring new insights and awareness of your dream life. Orientation for Group Spiritual Direction Wednesday, Sept. 1; 6:30–8:30 p.m.; Led by Gertrude Maurer, CSJ and Christine Parks, CSJ An introduction to and the opportunity to experience the Group Spiritual Direction process. Watercolor: The Free Flow of Letting Go Saturday, Sept. 18; 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.; Led by Frankie Dutil, CSJ Watercolor painting can be a metaphor for the spiritual journey, as this medium defies precise control yet yields wonderful results when we are able to let go. Praying With Jesus & ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ Saturday, Sept. 18; 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.; Led by Ginny Jones, CSJ Join us for a prayerful and reflective retreat day exploring the words of this very familiar prayer in Aramaic, the language Jesus himself spoke during his lifetime. Centering Prayer Introduction Tuesday, Sept. 21; 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.; Led by Betsy Meagher, CSJ & Christine Parks, CSJ If your spiritual journey has led to a hunger for a deeper experience of prayer and silence in God’s presence, join us for an evening on the process and practice of Centering Prayer. Living From Within 2010-11 Circle of Trust: The Journey Toward an Undivided Life A series of 4 seasonal retreats Oct. 1-3, 2010; Jan. 28-30; April 15-17 and June 24-25, 2011 Friday, 7 p.m. through noon Sunday; Led by Marianne Novak Houston Rejoin your soul and role. Reconnect who you are with what you do during this series led in the spirit of the work of Parker Palmer. Mid-Week Sabbath Wednesdays, Oct. 6, Nov. 10 and Dec. 8; 10 a.m. – noon; Led by Christine Parks, CSJ Enjoy a re-creative ‘mid-week Sabbath’ on one or more of these three mornings. Each morning will be a time of prayer, quiet reflection and sharing on themes that speak to our hunger for more time with God. Oct. – Harvesting the Fruit of Prayer; Nov. – Living a Life of Gratitude & Thanksgiving; Dec. – Light in the Darkness The Art & Prayer of Journaling Saturday, Oct. 9; 9 a.m. – noon; Led by Christine Parks, CSJ This morning for journaling will include time for prayer, reflection, sharing of journaling methods, resources and suggestions; as well as quiet time to engage in conversation with the Holy. Spiritual Literacy - A Group Discussion of ‘Books You Have Been Meaning to Read’- “The Naked Now,” by Richard Rohr Tuesdays, Oct. 12, 26 and Nov. 9; 7 - 8:30 p.m.; Led by Gertrude Maurer, CSJ Rohr draws on the wisdom of Native and world religions to explore a different way of knowing and describes a way of “seeing the moment,” the Naked Now. Through reading, reflection and discussion we will explore how this way of seeing enables us to “be present...to the Real Presence” in daily reality. Caregivers and Transition: Navigating the Land of Uncertainty The 9th Annual Caregivers Gathering Monday, Oct. 18; 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.; Led by James R. Zullo, FSC, Ph.D. All transitions begin with an ending; and end in a new beginning. While the ending may be emotional, and the beginning unclear, it is the crucial time and space in-between, the land of uncertainty, that holds the heart and soul of transition. Learn the dynamics of transition, and how to better understand and more successfully navigate this challenging land of uncertainty. Discovering God Anew; A Retreat Friday, Oct. 22; 7 p.m. - Saturday, Oct. 23; 3 p.m.; Led by Marcella Clancy, CSJ Emerging theologies and contemporary experiences of revelation are discovering God anew through major events and movements occurring within the human community, and new understandings of scripture. These approaches present new images and understandings that invite believers to grow in relationship with this living God. Explore these events and movements and the new visions of God they reveal. Seeing God in Everyday Life: A Day of MindfulnessSaturday, Nov. 6; 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.; Led by Laura Smith, CSJ Many yearn to live our ordinary daily lives more mindfully and connected with the sacred. Spend a day opening to this yearning—reflecting on life’s meaning, our relationship with God in everyday life, and allowing the child in us to wash out the shadows within. Centering Prayer Introduction Thursday, Nov. 11; 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.; Led by Gertrude Maurer, CSJ & Christine Parks, CSJ If your spiritual journey has led to a hunger for a deeper experience of prayer and silence in God’s presence, join us for an evening on the process and practice of Centering Prayer. Make a Joyful Sound: The Fresh Voice of Spiritual Music with Joel Mabus & Carrie Newcomer The concert and workshops are co-Sponsored with the Michigan Festival of Sacred Music. Concert Friday, Nov. 19; 7 – 9:30 p.m. Enjoy an evening of entertaining and spirit-filled music with these two popular singer-songwriters as they “make a joyful sound” with their fresh, engaging and spirit-filled musical performances. Workshops Saturday, Nov. 20; 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Participants will attend workshops by both Joel Mabus and Carrie Newcomer. Joel Mabus - Singing From Other Hymnals: Finding the Sacred in the Secular Carrie Newcomer - Writing Mindfully: Exploring the Sacred Ordinary in Story and Song Advent Vesper Services with the Sisters of St. Joseph Sundays, Nov. 28, Dec. 5, 12 & 19; 6:30 p.m.; Led by Betsy Meagher, CSJ The sisters of Saint Joseph invite you to join them for evening vespers during advent in the beautiful and prayerful sacred space of Holy Family Chapel. There is no registration for this program.
Journeying Toward Bethlehem: An Advent Retreat Saturday, Dec. 4; 9 a.m. - noon; Led by Christine Parks, CSJ Give yourself the gift of a morning ‘walking toward Bethlehem,’ anticipating Emanuel—“God with us.” Walk in the company of those who journeyed toward Bethlehem, beginning with Mary and Joseph, shepherds, angels and Magi, and many others throughout the centuries. NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI – Find meaning in your dreaming at the Transformations Spirituality Center’s dream retreat Listening to God through Our Dreams. The retreat starts at 7 p.m. on Friday, August 27 and concludes at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 28, 2010. Dreams are one of life’s fascinating mysteries. We all dream, remembered or not, and dreams can be intriguing, disturbing and inspiring. They can also be messages from God—present in our waking and sleeping. Dreams open us to our inner landscape and can help us grow spiritually. Understanding dreams can help bring inner wholeness. The program will be led by spiritual director, psychologist and Jungian therapist Olga Wittekind, OSF. Whatever your experience of dreams, Wittekind is sure to bring insight and awareness to your dream life. Using a Jungian approach to dream work, participants will learn the symbols and archetypal images found in dreams, as they work with their own dreams, and gain spiritual insights from their stories. Registration is $130 when paid by July 27; $140 after and includes a private air-conditioned room with bath, meals and materials. Please register by August 13. For more information, or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 249, or visit www.transformationscenter.org. Transformations is located at 3427 Gull Road, just east of Kalamazoo, Michigan at the Congregation of St. Joseph.
NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center will host Walking the Labyrinth – Finding a Path to Meet the “Other” on Saturday, July 10, 2010 from 9 a.m. – noon. Walk with the experiences of the Canaanite Woman (Matthew 15:21-28). In this story from scripture we engage with the questions: Who is our neighbor? How and why do we name them as “other”? What is our call in this story? Like the Canaanite woman, we live in a time of enormous change that can at times threaten to intimidate and overwhelm us. This morning is an invitation to take time for reflection, sharing experiences of ‘otherness,’ and affirmation of our gifts as we grow and create a more hopeful future. One source of inspiration will be soulful meditation amidst the beauty of walking the unique outdoor labyrinth on the Transformations Spirituality Center grounds. The program will be led by Elizabeth Tompkins, a spiritual director and long-time labyrinth facilitator. Participants should wear clothes appropriate for the weather and comfortable shoes. Journals are welcome. Registration is $35 when paid by June 18; $40 after. Please register by June 28. For more information, or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 249, or visit www.transformationscenter.org. Transformations is located at 3427 Gull Road, just east of Kalamazoo, Michigan at the Congregation of St. Joseph. NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center will host Gardens & Gardening – Images for the Spiritual Life on Saturday, June 19, 2010 from 9 a.m. – noon. Throughout Christian scripture, and in the writings of all traditions, gardens and gardening are often found as images and metaphors for our relationship with the divine, as well as for the spiritual life and journey. The program, led by Christine Parks, CSJ, will explore this rich metaphor of tilling the soil, planting seed, nurturing growth and harvesting, through sacred writings, prayer, poetry, photography, experiences, and the earth garden that is our home. Participants should wear comfortable clothes and shoes for walking outdoors and bring a journal, writing/drawing materials and/or a camera. Registration is $30 when paid by May 28; $35 after. Please register by June 7. For more information, or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 249, or visit www.transformationscenter.org. Transformations is located at 3427 Gull Road, just east of Kalamazoo, Michigan.
NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center will host Seeing the Holy – Praying with and Through Your Camera Lens on Saturday, May 1, 2010 from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. The program, led by Christine Parks, CSJ, offers input and reflection on “Seeing the Holy”; individual time for photographing and praying with the Holy you see around you; and sharing your experience, prayer and insights. "Let those who have eyes, see.” The spirit of the Holy, or the Sacred, surrounds us on all sides, from the grandeur of the night sky, the curve of a lake’s shore, the loveliness of a flower in bloom, the face of a child. Come away for a day of seeing, and being present to the Holy and capturing that image with a camera for later reflection. Participants should bring a journal and camera (digital camera with a download cable, if available); and wear comfortable clothes/shoes for walking outdoors. This is not a technical photography class and no photographic instruction will be given. No professional experience or equipment is required. Registration is $45 and includes instruction and lunch. Please register by April 19. For more information, or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 249, or visit www.transformationscenter.org. Transformations is located at 3427 Gull Road, just east of Kalamazoo, Michigan.
NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center will host The 12-Steps of AA Women’s Retreat – A Journey of Ongoing Humility and Responsibility on Friday, April 9; 7 p.m. – noon on Sunday, April 11, 2010. This weekend retreat, for women who are actively working an AA 12-Step program, will review the 12 steps and how the steps, and working with them, are influenced and effected by both humility and responsibility. The program will be led by Sr. Karen Anne Jackson of the Sisters of the Holy Cross St. Mary’s, Notre Dame, Indiana. Karen Anne is an experienced 12-Step retreat facilitator who creates a warm and welcoming atmosphere enhanced by her delightful sense of humor. During the past 20 years she has facilitated 12-Step retreats for women in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Illinois; in addition to her full-time ministry. Progress in the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous can be described in two words: Humility and Responsibility. The basic ingredient of all Humility is the desire to seek and do the will of the higher Power. True humility is freedom from self, along with a sincere attempt to keep ourselves “green and growing.” Our ever increasing sense of Responsibility continues to challenge us to grow in our acceptance of the needed behavior and action. Registration is $185, including a $50 non-refundable deposit. Please register by March 29. For more information, or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 249, or visit www.transformationscenter.org. Transformations is located at 3427 Gull Road, just east of Kalamazoo, Michigan.
NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center will host Henri Nouwen and Our Search for Belonging Retreat Friday, March 19; 7 p.m. – Saturday, March 20, 2010; 4 p.m. The program will be led by Sr. Sue Mosteller, CSJ. Sr. Sue worked closely with Henri during his ten years at Daybreak and completed his last two books after his death. She has also edited a new book by Nouwen, "Home Tonight: Further Reflections on the Parable of the Prodigal Son". The internationally renowned priest and author, respected professor and beloved pastor Henri Nouwen (pronounced Henry Now-win) wrote over 40 books on the spiritual life. He corresponded regularly in English, Dutch, German, French and Spanish with hundreds of friends and reached out to thousands through his Eucharistic celebrations, lectures and retreats. Since his death in 1996, ever-increasing numbers of readers,writers, teachers and seekers have been guided by his literary legacy. Nouwen's books have sold over 2 million copies and been published in over 22 languages. "The movement from the house of fear to the house of love has become necessary for the survival of humanity." ~Henri Nouwen. For more about Henri Nouwen and his teachings visit the Henri Nouwen Society web site at www.HenriNouwen.com. Registration is $140. Please register by March 12. For more information, or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org. Transformations Spirituality Center is located at 3427 Gull Road, just east of Kalamazoo. NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center will present Pray All-Ways, Exploring the Ways of Prayer on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010 from 9 a.m. – noon. This quiet, reflective morning will renew and refresh participants’ prayer lives. They will learn about, explore and experience several ways of engaging in prayer including lectio divina, scripture, intercessory, meditation and centering prayer. Registration is $35. For more information, or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org. Transformations Spirituality Center is located at 3427 Gull Road, just east of Kalamazoo. NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI – Sr. Gertrude Maurer, CSJ, will lead a discussion of The Gift of Years by Joan Chittister at Transformations Spirituality Center on Tuesdays, Feb. 23, March 9 and 23, 2010 from 7-8:30 p.m. The book is a series of meditations about the spiritual dimension of growing older gracefully. It concludes with the “gift of these years is not merely being alive-it is the gift of becoming more fully alive than ever.” This program continues a series of Spiritual Literacy programs led by Sr. Gertrude Maurer who holds a doctorate in American Literature from Notre Dame University. Other books in the Spiritual Literacy series have included: Everything Belongs by Richard Rohr, The Five Stages of the Soul by Harry Moody, The Soul of Christianity by Huston Smith, Radical Amazement by Judy Cannato, The Holy Longing by Ron Rolheiser and Riding the Dragon by Robert Wicks. Registration is $30. For more information, or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org. Transformations Spirituality Center is located at 3427 Gull Road, just east of Kalamazoo.
NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI (January 19, 2010) – Transformations Spirituality Center is offering Faith Dialogues, a look at Faith in a World of Diversity and Differences on Tuesdays Feb. 16, March 2 & 16, 2010 from 7 – 8:30 p.m. Led by Sr. Christine Parks, CSJ, this three-part dialogue will look at the growing diversity and differences of thought and belief experienced in all aspects our lives and responses that maintain an integrity of faith while growing in understanding and acceptance of the differences of others. Registration is $25 when paid by January 26 and $30 after. Please register by February 2. For more information, or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org. Transformations Spirituality Center is located at 3427 Gull Road, just east of Kalamazoo. NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI (January 19, 2010) – Exercise your body and spirit with a Yoga and Centering Prayer Retreat, February 19-20, 2010 at Transformations Spirituality Center. Participants can get away and experience the renewal of this unique retreat based upon the wisdom of their whole body. The retreat will focus on the centering exercises of gentle yoga, breathing and relaxing, along with the contemplative experience of centering prayer methods to help then touch a deeper place of wholeness and sacred peacefulness. The program will be led by Nancy Diment and Betsy Meagher, CSJ. Diment has been a student of yoga for 30 years and has been teaching for 13 years. She is a registered teacher with Yoga Alliance at the 500 hour level and has earned her Relax and Renew Trainer certificate. Participants should dress comfortably for variable temperatures and bring a journal and yoga mat. Registration is $130. Please register by Feb. 8. Rates include a private room with bath, meals, instruction and materials. For more information, or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org. Transformations Spirituality Center is located at 3427 Gull Road, just east of Kalamazoo. NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI (January 5, 2010) – Start the New Year with a fresh perspective on your faith. Transformations Spirituality Center is hosting introductory classes for Centering Prayer and Spiritual Direction. Orientation for Group Spiritual Direction will be held Wednesday, January 27 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Transformations Spirituality Center on Gull Road. Spiritual Direction is a way to become more aware of the many ways God is present and reaches out to you in your daily life. The Group practice shares these insights in a small group setting. Registration is $10. Centering Prayer Introduction will be held Tuesday, Feb. 2 from 6:30 – 9 p.m. at Transformations Spirituality Center on Gull Road. Centering Prayer is a spiritual practice grounded in Christian tradition that can help us enter into God’s silence which then enters us. Registration is $20. “Spiritual Direction really helps me when time, events and the pace of life threaten to overwhelm me. The conversation helps me find and stay on my spiritual path.” Says Sr. Christine Parks, CSJ. “I recommend Centering Prayer because it’s an oasis of sacred silence in daily life.”
NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center introduces their fall schedule of programs for renewal of mind, body and spirit. Listening to God through Our Dreams; A Retreat Friday, Aug. 27; 7 p.m. - Saturday, Aug. 28; 4 p.m.; Led by Olga Wittekind, OSF Whatever your experience of dreams, this retreat with Olga Wittekind(spiritual director, psychologist and Jungian therapist) will bring new insights and awareness of your dream life. $130 Early registration when paid by July 27; $140 after Orientation for Group Spiritual Direction Wednesday, Sept. 1; 6:30–8:30 p.m.; Led by Gertrude Maurer, CSJ and Christine Parks, CSJ An introduction to and the opportunity to experience the Group Spiritual Direction process. $5 due with registration by Aug. 23; $10 after Watercolor: The Free Flow of Letting Go Saturday, Sept. 18; 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.; Led by Frankie Dutil, CSJ Watercolor painting can be a metaphor for the spiritual journey, as this medium defies precise control yet yields wonderful results when we are able to let go. $75 Early registration when paid by Aug. 23; $85 after Praying With Jesus & ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ Saturday, Sept. 18; 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.; Led by Ginny Jones, CSJ Join us for a prayerful and reflective retreat day exploring the words of this very familiar prayer in Aramaic, the language Jesus himself spoke during his lifetime. $35 Early registration when paid by Sept. 3; $40 after Centering Prayer Introduction Tuesday, Sept. 21; 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.; Led by Betsy Meagher, CSJ & Christine Parks, CSJ If your spiritual journey has led to a hunger for a deeper experience of prayer and silence in God’s presence, join us for an evening on the process and practice of Centering Prayer. $15 Early registration when paid by Sept. 1; $20 after Living From Within 2010-11 Circle of Trust: The Journey Toward an Undivided Life A series of 4 seasonal retreats Oct. 1-3, 2010; Jan. 28-30; April 15-17 and June 24-25, 2011 Friday, 7 p.m. through noon Sunday; Led by Marianne Novak Houston Rejoin your soul and role. Reconnect who you are with what you do during this series led in the spirit of the work of Parker Palmer. $240 Non-refundable deposit when paid by Sept. 1; $360 after Balance of $225 due each upon arrival at each weekend retreat. Mid-Week Sabbath Wednesdays, Oct. 6, Nov. 10 and Dec. 8; 10 a.m. – noon; Led by Christine Parks, CSJ Enjoy a re-creative ‘mid-week Sabbath’ on one or more of these three mornings. Each morning will be a time of prayer, quiet reflection and sharing on themes that speak to our hunger for more time with God. Oct. – Harvesting the Fruit of Prayer; Nov. – Living a Life of Gratitude & Thanksgiving; Dec. – Light in the Darkness $15 Per day when paid by Sept. 27, Nov. 1 and 29; $20 after The Art & Prayer of Journaling Saturday, Oct. 9; 9 a.m. – noon; Led by Christine Parks, CSJ This morning for journaling will include time for prayer, reflection, sharing of journaling methods, resources and suggestions; as well as quiet time to engage in conversation with the Holy. $30 Early registration when paid by Sept. 10; $35 after Spiritual Literacy - A Group Discussion of ‘Books You Have Been Meaning to Read’ “The Naked Now,” by Richard Rohr Tuesdays, Oct. 12, 26 and Nov. 9; 7 - 8:30 p.m.; Led by Gertrude Maurer, CSJ Rohr draws on the wisdom of Native and world religions to explore a different way of knowing and describes a way of “seeing the moment,” the Naked Now. Through reading, reflection and discussion we will explore how this way of seeing enables us to “be present...to the Real Presence” in daily reality. $25 Early registration when paid by Sept. 21; $30 after Caregivers and Transition: Navigating the Land of Uncertainty The 9th Annual Caregivers Gathering Monday, Oct. 18; 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.; Led by James R. Zullo, FSC, Ph.D. All transitions begin with an ending; and end in a new beginning. While the ending may be emotional, and the beginning unclear, it is the crucial time and space in-between, the land of uncertainty, that holds the heart and soul of transition. Learn the dynamics of transition, and how to better understand and more successfully navigate this challenging land of uncertainty. $80 Early registration when paid by Sept. 7; $95 after Discovering God Anew; A Retreat Friday, Oct. 22; 7 p.m. - Saturday, Oct. 23; 3 p.m.; Led by Marcella Clancy, CSJ Emerging theologies and contemporary experiences of revelation are discovering God anew through major events and movements occurring within the human community, and new understandings of scripture. These approaches present new images and understandings that invite believers to grow in relationship with this living God. Explore these events and movements and the new visions of God they reveal. $120 Early registration when paid by Sept. 24; $130 after Seeing God in Everyday Life: A Day of Mindfulness Saturday, Nov. 6; 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.; Led by Laura Smith, CSJ Many yearn to live our ordinary daily lives more mindfully and connected with the sacred. Spend a day opening to this yearning—reflecting on life’s meaning, our relationship with God in everyday life, and allowing the child in us to wash out the shadows within. $40 Early registration when paid by Oct. 15; $45 after Centering Prayer Introduction Thursday, Nov. 11; 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.; Led by Gertrude Maurer, CSJ & Christine Parks, CSJ If your spiritual journey has led to a hunger for a deeper experience of prayer and silence in God’s presence, join us for an evening on the process and practice of Centering Prayer. $15 Early registration when paid by Oct. 28; $20 after Make a Joyful Sound: The Fresh Voice of Spiritual Music with Joel Mabus & Carrie Newcomer The concert and workshops are co-Sponsored with the Michigan Festival of Sacred Music. Concert Friday, Nov. 19; 7 – 9:30 p.m. Enjoy an evening of entertaining and spirit-filled music with these two popular singer-songwriters as they “make a joyful sound” with their fresh, engaging and spirit-filled musical performances. $17 Concert reservations paid by Nov. 15; $20 at the door Reservations for Concert & Workshops $60 when purchased together by Nov. 1 Workshops Saturday, Nov. 20; 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Participants will attend workshops by both Joel Mabus and Carrie Newcomer. Joel Mabus - Singing From Other Hymnals: Finding the Sacred in the Secular Carrie Newcomer - Writing Mindfully: Exploring the Sacred Ordinary in Story and Song $50 Workshop reservations paid by Nov. 1; $60 at the door Reservations for Concert & Workshops $60 when purchased together by Nov. 1 Advent Vesper Services with the Sisters of St. Joseph Sundays, Nov. 28, Dec. 5, 12 & 19; 6:30 p.m.; Led by Betsy Meagher, CSJ The sisters of Saint Joseph invite you to join them for evening vespers during advent in the beautiful and prayerful sacred space of Holy Family Chapel. There is no registration. Free will donations will be accepted. Journeying Toward Bethlehem: An Advent Retreat Saturday, Dec. 4; 9 a.m. - noon; Led by Christine Parks, CSJ Give yourself the gift of a morning ‘walking toward Bethlehem,’ anticipating Emanuel—“God with us.” Walk in the company of those who journeyed toward Bethlehem, beginning with Mary and Joseph, shepherds, angels and Magi, and many others throughout the centuries. $30 Early registration paid by Nov. 12; $35 afterNEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center offers their new Winter 2010 schedule of programs for renewal of mind, body and spirit. Shaping a Life of Significance for Retirement Saturday, January 23; 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.; Led by Rev. Jerry Haas & Jack Hansen As we move into our retirement years we are given an opportunity to grow spiritually and intellectually; to weave together the threads of a lifetime, to discover a pattern of meaning and purpose. Join us for a vibrant day-long exploration of the personal potential contained in preparing for and living into these years. $65 Early registration when paid by January 8; $75 after Orientation for Group Spiritual Direction Wednesday, January 27; 6:30–8:30 p.m.; Led by: Gertrude Maurer, CSJ and Christine Parks, CSJ This session provides an introduction to the Group Spiritual Direction process along with the opportunity to experience the process. $5 due with registration by January 13; $10 after Centering Prayer Introduction Tuesday, February 2; 6:30 – 9 p.m.; Led by: Gertrude Maurer, CSJ & Christine Parks, CSJ If your spiritual journey has led to a hunger for a deeper experience of prayer and silence in God’s presence, join us for an evening on the process and practice of Centering Prayer. $15 Early registration when paid by January 12; $20 after Beyond Words - An Icon Retreat Monday, February 8; 9 a.m. through Friday, February 12; 5 p.m.; Led by: Diane Hamel Rookies and veterans alike will enjoy this opportunity to "write" The Holy Trinity icon with a well-respected teacher. $550 Early registration when $100 non-refundable deposit is paid by 12/29/09; $570 after Faith Dialogues - Faith in a World of Diversity and Differences Tuesdays, February 16, March 2 & 16; 7 - 8:30 p.m.; Led by: Christine Parks, CSJ We live in a world of growing diversity and differences of thought and belief. Join us for three evenings of dialogue and exploration on the context for this reality and the potential for viable responses. $25 Early registration when paid by January 26; $30 after Lenten Vespers Services Wednesdays, February 17, 24; March 3, 10, 17, 24; 6:30 - 7:15 p.m.; Led by: Betsy Meagher, CSJ The sisters of Saint Joseph invite you to join them for evening vespers during Lent in the beautiful and prayerful sacred space of Holy Family Chapel. There is no registration. Free will donations will be accepted. Yoga & Centering Prayer Retreat Friday, February 19; 7 p.m. - Saturday, February 20; 4 p.m.; Led by: Nancy Diment & Betsy Meagher, CSJ Come away and experience the renewal of this unique retreat based upon the wisdom of your whole body. Focus on the exercises of yoga, breathing, relaxing and contemplative centering prayer. $120 Early registration when paid by January 22; $130 after Spiritual Literacy - A Group Discussion of ‘Books You Have Been Meaning to Read’ The Gift of Years, by Joan Chittister Tuesdays, February 23, March 9 & 23; 7 - 8:30 p.m.; Led by: Gertrude Maurer, CSJ The Gift of Years is a series of meditations about the spiritual dimension of growing older. It considers the purpose and challenges, struggles and surprises, problems and potential, pain and joys of aging. $25 Early registration when paid by February 2; $30 after Pray All-Ways - Exploring Ways of Prayer Saturday, February 27; 9 a.m. - noon; Led by: Christine Parks, CSJ Learn about, explore and experience several ‘Ways’ of engaging in prayer, (including lectio divina, scripture, intercessory, meditation, centering) that you can use with your own faith traditions. $30 Early registration when paid by February 5; $35 after Henri Nouwen and Our Search for Belonging Retreat Friday, March 19; 7 p.m. - Saturday, March 20; 4 p.m.; Led by: Sue Mosteller, CSJ Sue Mosteller, CSJ, a long-time friend of Henri Nouwen’s, offers insights from the Gospel and from Henri to inspire reflection on the search for unconditional acceptance on our spiritual walk of faith. $130 Early registration when paid by February 19; $140 after The 12 Steps of AA Women’s Retreat - A Journey of Ongoing Humility and Responsibility Friday, April 9; 7 p.m. - Sunday, April 11; noon; Led by: Karen Anne Jackson, CSC This retreat, for women who are actively working an AA 12-Step program, will review the 12 steps and how the steps, and working with them, are influenced and affected by both humility and responsibility. $175 Early registration when $50 non-refundable deposit is paid by March 12, $185 after The Jumping Mouse - A Story of Inner Trust Saturday, April 10; 9:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.; Led by: Laura Smith, CSJ The Jumping Mouse, a story from the Native American tradition, leads to the Sacred Mountain wherein one discovers the heart of the true self. This is day of exploration, reflection and sharing. $40 Early registration when paid by March 19, $45 after Centering Prayer Retreat Day Saturday, April 24; 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.; Led by: Laurel Simon & Christine Parks, CSJ This retreat day offers a renewing spiritual pause, a time to set aside all the things that often fill our minds and lives, to enter into holy quiet, and be present to God in the practice of centering prayer. $45 Early registration when paid by April 2; $55 after Seeing the Holy - Praying with and Through Your Camera Lens Saturday, May 1; 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.; Led by: Christine Parks, CSJ Enjoy a day of seeing, and being present to the Holy through your eyes and the lens of your camera. $40 Early registration when paid by April 9; $45 after Watercolor - The Free Flow of Letting Go Saturday, May 15; 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.; Led by: Frankie Dutil, CSJ Watercolor painting can be a truly experiential metaphor for the spiritual journey, as this medium defies precise control yet yields wonderful results when we are able to let go. $75 Early registration when paid by April 23; $85 after Praying in the Cosmos - the Aramaic Lord’s Prayer Saturday, May 22; 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.; Led by: Ginny Jones, CSJ Join us for a prayerful and reflective retreat day listening to the words of this very familiar prayer in Aramaic, the language Jesus himself spoke during his lifetime. $35 Early registration when paid by April 30; $40 after Listening to God’s Messages Through Our Dreams Friday, June 4; 7p.m. - Saturday, June 5; 4 p.m.; Led by: Olga Wittekind, OSF Whatever your experience of dreams, this retreat with Olga Wittekind (spiritual director, psychologist and Jungian therapist) is sure to bring new insights and awareness of your own dream life. $135 Early registration when paid by May 7; $145 after Gardens & Gardening - Images for the Spiritual Life Saturday, June 19; 9 a.m. - noon; Led by: Christine Parks, CSJ Explore the rich metaphors of tilling the soil, planting seed, nurturing growth and harvesting, through sacred writings, prayer, poetry, photography, your own experiences, and the earth garden. $30 Early registration when paid by May 28; $35 after Walking the Labyrinth - Finding a Path to Meet the “Other” Saturday, July 10; 9 a.m. - noon; Led by: Elizabeth Tompkins We, like the Canaanite Woman (from the gospel of Matthew 15:21-28), live in a time of enormous change in our culture and world that can threaten to intimidate and overwhelm us. Take time for reflection, sharing experiences of ‘otherness’, and affirmation of our gifts as we grow and create a more hopeful future. $35 Early registration when paid by June 18; $40 after For more information, or to register, visit www.TransformationsCenter.org or call 269-381-6290 ext. 310. NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI (December 15, 2009) – Rev. Jerry Hass and Mr. Jack Hansen will be presenting Shaping a Life of Significance for Retirement on Saturday, January 23, 2010 from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. at Transformations Spirituality Center. People considering retirement often plan for financial security and travel. Haas and Hansen present retirement from a different perspective-the need to prepare for the multitude of other changes that come with this time of life, and the potential for finding a deeper meaning and purpose in our “golden” years. Their goal in this day is to help those anticipating or newly retired, to continue their spiritual and intellectual growth as they move into and through these years. Rev. Jerry Hass is a United Methodist minister now working with The Upper Room publishing seeks to create opportunities for intellectual and spiritual growth for clergy and lay leaders around the country. Mr. Jack Hansen continues part-time consulting during his retirement and began examining the personal dimensions of the transition to retirement while participating in the Academy for Spiritual Formation, a program of The Upper Room. Rev. Douglas Vernon of the First United Methodist Church of Kalamazoo previously attended the program and has high praise for the speakers and content. “From personal experience and well documented research, Jack and Jerry offer thoughtful insights on the challenges and opportunities of the last 1/3 of the life journey. I was encouraged by their presentations to look ahead and plan for what may well be the best yet to come. Every person contemplating retirement, or already in it and wondering what to make of it, would be well served by participating. I highly recommend it!” Hass and Hansen have written a book of the same title to be released in 2010. Advance copies will be available for purchase at the event. This program is offered in conjunction with the First United Methodist Church of Kalamazoo. Register by Jan. 8, $65; $75 after. Please register by January 15. For more information or to register, call 269-381-6290 ext. 310 or visit www.TransformationsCenter.org. Upon completion of the introduction, participants are invited to join an ongoing Centering Prayer group at Transformations on Wednesdays, from 12:15 to 1 p.m. in Unity Chapel. A day long Centering Prayer retreat will be offered April 24, 2010. NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI (November 5, 2009) – On Thursday, December 3 from 6:30 - 9 p.m., Betsy Meagher and Christine Parks, CSJ’s, will lead an Introduction to Centering Prayer. The evening will include some teaching on the history, tradition and dynamics of Centering Prayer along with the opportunity to experience this Christian prayer form. The program will be held at Transformations Spirituality Center at 3427 Gull Road in Kalamazoo. Centering Prayer is a spiritual practice grounded in Christian tradition that can help individuals enter into God’s silence which then enters them. It can move participants through meditation into contemplation. Register and pay by Nov. 12, $15. Register after Nov. 12, $20. For more information or to register, call 269-381-6290 ext. 310 or visit www.TransformationsCenter.org. Upon completion of the introduction, participants are invited to join an ongoing Centering Prayer group at Transformations on Wednesdays, from 12:15 to 1 p.m. in Unity Chapel. A day long Centering Prayer retreat will be offered April 24, 2010. NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI – Transformations and the Sisters of St. Joseph host two Advent events open to the public. A Time for Waiting: An Advent Retreat will take place Saturday, December 5th from 9 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. at Transformations Spirituality Center. The morning will be spent in waiting for the one promised, and will include prayer, input, quiet reflection and sharing of the participants’ Advent waiting. Register and pay by Nov. 16 $35. Register after Nov.16, $40. Please register by Nov. 23. For more information or to register, call 269-381-6290 ext. 310 or visit www.TransformationsCenter.org. The public is also invited to join the Sisters’ Advent Vesper Services. The services are Taizé style and held in Holy Family Chapel on Sundays, November 29, December 6, 13 and 20 at 6:30 p.m. Reservations are not needed for the services and free will donations will be accepted. The Taizé service, developed by an ecumenical community in France dedicated to prayer and simplicity, encourages an inner unity and a deeper sense of praying together. The blending of repetitive sung phrases with simple harmonies and instrumental accompaniment, along with extended periods of silence, helps one to focus on being more open to the spirit and attentive to what is essential in one’s life. NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI – Exercise your body and spirit with Yoga and Centering Prayer – A Deeper Stretch, November 20 and 21, 2009 at Transformations Spirituality Center. The retreat is designed for those with some experience of yoga and as a follow-up to our popular Yoga and Centering Prayer retreat. Come and give yourself to the peace and spiritual refreshment of these days. Our time together will engage the wisdom of your whole body and include the contemplative experience of centering prayer. We will use breathing, relaxing and the centering exercises of gentle yoga and centering prayer methods to help us touch a deeper place of sacred peacefulness. The program will be led by Nancy Diment and Betsy Meagher, CSJ. Those with some physical limitation may participate without concern, as Nancy’s skills include working with mobility challenges. Dress comfortably for variable temperatures. Bring your journal and yoga mat if you have one. Register and pay by October 20 for the reduced rate of $115; $125 thereafter. Please register by Nov. 6 so we can prepare for your arrival. Rates include a private room with bath, meals, instruction and materials. For more information, or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org. Transformations Spirituality Center is located at 3427 Gull Road, just east of Kalamazoo. NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI – Come and experience journaling as part of your spiritual journey during The Art and Prayer of Journaling on Saturday, November 7, 2009 from 9 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. at Transformations Spirituality Center. Almost since the invention of writing people have been engaged in the art and practice of journaling. The exercise of recording meaningful thoughts, feelings and experiences for personal and spiritual reflection can help us process our thoughts and provides a means for later reflection and growth. Some of the most inspiring journaling has come from those seeking to deepen, understand and describe their spiritual journey and relationship with the sacred. In this age of blogs and keyboarding there is still a place for the hand-written journal. This program is an opportunity to start, re-start or enhance your experience of journaling as part of your spiritual journey. It will include sharing journaling methods, resources and suggestions as well as quiet time for reflection and engaging in prayer and written conversation with the Holy. Register and pay by Oct. 16 $35. Register after Oct.16, $40. Please register by Oct. 26. For more information or to register, call 269-381-6290 ext. 310 or visit www.TransformationsCenter.org. NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI – Transformations is proud to present the latest installment in the spiritual literacy series a Group Discussion of ‘Books You’ve Been Meaning to Read’ – Everything Belongs: The Gift of Contemplative Prayer by Richard Rohr. The three-part series will take place on Tuesdays, October 13, 27 and November 10, 2009 from 7-8:30 p.m. under the direction of Sr. Gertrude Maurer, CSJ. The program will be held at Transformations Spirituality Center at 3427 Gull Road in Kalamazoo. In this inspiring book, Everything Belongs, author Richard Rohr affirms “We cannot attain the presence of God. We’re already totally in the presence of God. What’s absent is awareness.” As he develops this theme, Rohr presents contemplation as a means of overcoming that lack of awareness. “Through our reading, reflection and discussion we will explore how contemplation enables us to see more clearly; makes us more ready to see the world, our situation, and God with new eyes; and helps us to live and fully accept our reality” says program leader Gertrude Maurer. Register by October 1 $20, $25 after. Please register by Oct. 5. For more information or to register, call 269-381-6290 ext. 310 or visit www.TransformationsCenter.org. NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI – Do you wonder why you continue in your chosen work? Do you feel distant from the passion that once inspired you? This retreat is about reconnecting your role with your soul. About living and working while “wearing our own faces.” The Living From Within series, 2009-2010 Circle of Trust Group is forming. The group meets for four weekend retreats during which participants are invited to do some guided soul searching in a supportive atmosphere. The program is facilitated by Marianne Novak Houston, and draws on the work of Parker Palmer, author of Living From Within: The Journey Toward an Undivided Life. Using solitary, small and large group formats, poetry, archetypal and personal stories, the group will address basic life questions which, though they are personal and private, are often deeply instructive when shared in the “courage community.” In this environment of trust the deep work of soul is given voice. This approach has proven transformational for numerous circles Marianne has led throughout the U.S., Australia, Canada, and Asia. This retreat is open to those interested in participating in all four seasonal weekends during which a “courage community” will form. The full series schedule is as follows: Check-in on Fridays between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m., the program begins at 7 p.m. and concludes at noon on Sunday. All programs take place at Transformations Spirituality Center on Gull Road in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Registration includes meals, private guest rooms with restrooms, linens and materials. Bring clothing and footwear appropriate for varying temperatures and the outdoors if you wish to walk the Reconciliation Labyrinth or hiking trails. Marianne Houston has a graduate degree in religious studies. She has worked with Dr. Parker J. Palmer, author of Courage to Teach and Courage to Lead since 1994 and helped develop the programs for spiritual development and transformation outlined in his books, and to found the international formation movement. She is a senior advisor and facilitator with the Center for Courage and Renewal in Seattle, Washington. A teacher for more than 40 years, she now devotes full time to retreat facilitation and trains and mentors future formation facilitators in the U.S. and abroad. The registration deposit of $360 secures registration and is non-refundable. The balance of $225 is due upon arrival each of the four weekends. All registrations must be received by October 9, 2009. Enrollment is limited to the first 24 registrants. Register at www.TransformationsCenter.org or via phone 269-381-6290 ext. 310. NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI – The 8th Annual Community of Caregivers Conference titled Understanding and Managing Our Ambivalence – Integrating Mind, Body and Spirit will take place Monday, Oct. 12, 2009 from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. at Transformations Spirituality Center at 3427 Gull Road, Kalamazoo, MI 49048. “Caring for others as professional and pastoral caregivers can be a very rewarding, enriching, demanding, and sometimes frustrating experience. We can be inspired, energized, distressed, drained, lifted up and left feeling ‘used-up’ — all in the course of the same day. We can both love and be frustrated by those we work with all at the same time. We are frequently awash in a sea of ambivalent feelings that conflict with our sense of self as spiritual, caring people.” says Sr. Christine Parks, CSJ and member of the planning committee. “This ambivalence can leave us with a confusing mix of thoughts and feelings that we don’t like and don’t know what to do with. We are called to loving service of the ‘neighbor’ and those we care for and minister to, but we don’t always feel very loving, spiritual, or appreciated.” says Parks. This day with Fr. Ken Schmidt and Sharon Froom, staff at St. Thomas More Catholic Student Parish in Kalamazoo and co-founders of Trauma Recovery Associates, will bring the opportunity to be with others who share similar experiences and feelings. Through the combination of presentation, exercises, personal reflection and dialogue, participants will learn how to better embrace humanity as caregivers; understand and honor the often uncomfortable mix of emotions care-giving engenders; and leave with tools and practical techniques for managing ambivalent thoughts, feelings and behaviors. The conference is sponsored by the Battle Creek Health System, Borgess Medical Center, Bronson Healthcare Group, Catholic Diocese of Kalamazoo, Catholic Family Services, Congregation of St. Joseph, First Presbyterian Church in Battle Creek, John E. Fetzer Institute, Pine Rest Kalamazoo Clinic, Presbytery of Lake Michigan and Transformations Spirituality Center. Continuing Education Units (CEU) credits are available for nurses, clergy and those in social work. Registration is $85 and includes lunch. Please register by October 1. For more information or to register, call 269-381-6290 ext. 310 or visit www.TransformationsCenter.org. NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI – On Saturday, October 3, 2009, from 9 a.m. until noon Sr. Ginny Jones will lead a reflection on Francis of Assisi’s spiritual wisdom and inspiration. Titled Nature Walking with Francis of Assisi, the morning will include time for prayer, reflection, ‘re-connecting with nature’ exercises, and sharing insights with each other. The program will be held at Transformations Spirituality Center at 3427 Gull Road in Kalamazoo. Francis of Assisi, a saint and friend of all God’s creation, is both a patron of ecology and model for our human quest to re-connect with nature. Bring writing materials, a clipboard or hard-cover notebook and a pen or pencil. Dress to be outdoors and enjoy the nature of Nazareth as least part of the morning. Fee is $20. Please register by September 23. For more information or to register, call 269-381-6290 ext. 310 or visit www.TransformationsCenter.org. NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI – Centering Prayer is a spiritual practice grounded in Christian tradition that can help us enter into God’s silence which then enters us. It can move us through meditation into contemplation. On Tuesday, September 22 from 6:30 - 9 p.m., Gertrude Maurer, Betsy Meagher and Christine Parks, CSJ’s, will lead an Introduction to Centering Prayer. The evening will include some teaching on the history, tradition and dynamics of Centering Prayer along with the opportunity to experience this Christian prayer form. The program will be held at Transformations Spirituality Center at 3427 Gull Road in Kalamazoo. Fee is $20. For more information or to register, call 269-381-6290 ext. 310 or visit www.TransformationsCenter.org. The program will be offered again December 3, 2009. Once you have completed this introduction, or if you already practice Centering Prayer, we invite you to join an ongoing Centering Prayer group meeting at Transformations on Wednesdays, from 12:15 to 1 p.m. in Unity Chapel. NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI – Join Fr. James O’Leary & Christine Parks, CSJ on Tuesdays, Oct. 6, 20, Nov. 3 and 17 (a 4-part series), from 7 - 9 p.m. for Living Your Faith in Our Secular World, an exploration and conversation about living a faith-full Christian life in our times. The program will be held at Transformations Spirituality Center at 3427 Gull Road in Kalamazoo. Today’s secular world can be characterized not by an absence of religion, but rather by the continuing multiplication of new options - religious, spiritual and non-religious. Individuals and groups seize these options to make sense of their lives and give shape to their spiritual aspirations. What does it mean to say that we live in a secular age? Have you ever wondered how to truly live a life of faith in the midst of our secular world? The session will examine the historical context of secularism and explore what’s life-giving and not life-giving in our world; the gap between spiritual and secular thought and action; how the ‘ordinary’ Christian can engage and influence secular society; what could be, should be, the place and the work of church in this world…and more. The evenings will include prayer, input, reflection and conversation, so bring your curiosity, wisdom, life experience and wonderings as we consider these issues and questions. Registration $50. Please register by September 25. For more information or to register, call 269-381-6290 ext. 310 or visit www.TransformationsCenter.org. NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI - Philip Gulley, an inspiring author who’s been favorably compared to humorists like Garrison Keillor, Will Rogers and Mark Twain; is presenting Porch Talks with Philip Gulley at Transformations. On Friday, September 25 from 6:30-8:30 p.m., Philip will speak and read from his recent memoir recounting his coming-of-age years in Danville, Indiana: I Love You, Miss Huddleston: And Other Inappropriate Longings of My Indiana Childhood. This heartwarming book may make you laugh and cry. Jay Allison of NPR’s “This I Believe” called the book “sweet and funny – funny enough that you’re tempted to read parts out loud just to amuse yourself further.” On Saturday, September 26th from 9:30 a.m. - noon, he will present a session based on his upcoming book, If the Church Were Christian. Gulley will explore a Christianity that brings out the best in each of us. The first chapter is titled “Jesus Would Be a Model for Living Rather than An Object of Worship.” A Quaker minister, Philip Gulley had no idea his newsletter essays would find their way to radio commentator Paul Harvey, Jr., and be read on the air to 24 million people. More than fifteen books and over 1.5 million printed copies later, he is the host of “Porch Talk with Phil Gulley” on the PBS program Across Indiana. “We’re so fortunate to hear Philip’s message first-hand here in Kalamazoo,” says Sr. Christine Parks, program coordinator at Transformations. “He has a great down to earth message about living a good life and presents it with humor from the heart.” For a preview of Philip Gulley, check out his website at www.philipgulley.org. Register by Sept. 1, $20/session, $35 for both; register after Sept. 1, $25/session. Please register by September 11. For more information or to register, call 269-381-6290 ext. 310 or visit www.TransformationsCenter.org. The events will include the opportunity to purchase his books and have them signed. NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI – Learn more about Group Spiritual Direction during an orientation session to be held at Transformations Spirituality Center on Wednesday, September 2, 2009 from 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. Sr. Gertrude Maurer, a spiritual director at Transformations, describes Spiritual Direction as “exploring God’s presence in your life. It’s a conversation about the events in your life and the Spirit’s presence and movement. God is always present and active, but we’re often too distracted and don’t notice. Spiritual Direction allows us to turn up the volume on God’s presence and tune in more precisely.” This conversation, led by a trained Spiritual Director, can be experienced in a group setting or one-on-one with a director. Interested parties form groups from the orientation session and meet bi-weekly. The orientation session on September 2 is a prerequisite to participating in a Spiritual Direction Group. Please register by August 24. There is no charge to participate. For more information or to register, call 269-381-6290 ext. 310 or visit www.TransformationsCenter.org. NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI - Mark Nepo, a gifted writer, poet and philosopher from Kalamazoo, Michigan, will share readings from some of his works and engage in conversation around life questions of loving, suffering, and staying on the spiritual path at Transformations Spirituality Center on Thursday, September 10, 2009 from 6:30 – 9 p.m. The program, titled Staying Close to the Sacred – an Evening with Mark Nepo, “is an excellent opportunity to hear and experience one of Kalamazoo’s premier poets and authors”, says Christine Parks, CSJ, program coordinator at Transformations. “Nepo is an engaging storyteller who doesn’t hesitate to draw from his own life, both his joy and his pain, as he shares his spiritual path and invites us to search for the deeper meaning carried within all of life’s experiences.” He has been called an “an insightful religious thinker and a decidedly credible voice of contemporary spirituality” and a “deep optimist” who never looses touch with the light that illuminates the heart of the world. In The Exquisite Risk: Daring to Live an Authentic Life Nepo reflects: “Amazingly, each being has the story of the Universe encoded within them…..Now I understand that, despite our pressing busyness and endless worry, we need that stillness from which all things grow.” Mark will read from some of his new work and provide an opportunity to engage in exercises, dialogue, and questions and answers. The evening will conclude with the opportunity to purchase his books and have them signed. Register by August 20, $20 ($10 student); register after August 20, $25 ($15 student). Please register by August 28. For more information or to register, call 269-381-6290 ext. 310 or visit www.TransformationsCenter.org. NEWS RELEASE Nazareth, MI - Do you wonder why you continue in your chosen work? Do you feel distant from the passion that once inspired you? This retreat is about reconnecting role with soul. About living and working while “wearing our own faces.” Experience a Sampling of the Living From Within series Friday, Aug. 21, 7 - 9 p.m. and Saturday, Aug. 22, 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. at Transformations Spirituality Center. This program is designed to give participants a brief sample of the four weekend seasonal retreat series Living From Within: The Journey Toward an Undivided Life, based on the work of Dr. Parker Palmer, which begins in October. This weekend program, facilitated by Marianne Novak Houston, will provide the forum to renew one’s spirit and reconnect with the wellsprings of service to others. Registration of $115 includes meals, overnight accommodations and materials. The $85 commuter rate does not include overnight accommodations. A $25 non-refundable deposit is due with registration. Registrations are due August 7. For more information, or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310. NEWS RELEASE Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road presents Walking the Labyrinth with Mary of Magdala on Saturday, July 18, 9:00 am to 12:00 noon. Cost is $35. The program is led by Elizabeth Tompkins. This contemplative labyrinth walk experience will focus on the mystique of Mary Magdalene, sometimes described as the disciple to the disciples of Jesus. Her feast is celebrated in July, and current scholarship has provided much new wisdom about her. Her life and spiritual heritage will be explored with music, icons and the body prayer of walking the Reconciliation Labyrinth on the grounds at Nazareth (rain or shine). Participants are requested to wear comfortable shoes, clothing appropriate to the weather, and encouraged to bring journals. The retreat guide, Elizabeth Tompkins, is a spiritual director/companion and a long-time labyrinth facilitator. For more information, or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. Click here to read a Kalamazoo Gazette article on the Transformations Program 'Gardens and Gardening - Images for the Spiritual Life' led by Christine Parks, CSJ.
NEWS RELEASE Nazareth, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center presents Encountering God in Nature on Saturday, June 20, 9 a.m. to noon. The program is led by Ginny Jones, CSJ. "One way of coming to knowledge of God is that which is provided by the whole of creation" (St. John Chrysostom) Opening the "book" of creation has been part of spiritual traditions for hundreds of years. Reflect on this history and experience nature directly in Bow-in-the-Clouds natural area and learn to apply the ancient prayer technique of Lectio Divina to God's word spoken in creation. Bring writing materials and dress comfortably for time out of doors. The cost of the program is $20. For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310 or visit www.transformationscenter.org. Transformations Spirituality Center is located at 3427 Gull Road, just east of Kalamazoo. Transformations Spirituality Center is a ministry of the Congregation of Saint Joseph. Programs are ecumenical and open to all. Our goal is to help people discover their own unique spirituality. In addition to educational programs we offer retreats, spiritual direction and conference space rental. NEWS RELEASE Nazareth, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road presents Gardens & Gardening – Images for the Spiritual Life on Saturday, June 6, 9 am to 12:30 pm. Cost is $35. The program is led by Christine Parks, CSJ. Throughout Christian scripture, and in the writings of all traditions, gardens and gardening are often found as images and metaphors for our relationship with the divine, as well as for the spiritual life and journey. Come and spend a morning exploring this rich metaphor of tilling the soil, planting seed, nurturing growth and harvest, by using sacred writings, poetry, photography, your own experiences, and the earth garden that is our home. Wear comfortable shoes/clothes for being outside and bring a journal, writing/drawing materials and/or a camera. Please register by May 26. For more information, or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. NEWS RELEASE Nazareth, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road presents a Yoga and Centering Prayer Retreat beginning Friday, May 29 at 7 p.m. and continuing through 4 p.m. Saturday, May 30. Cost is $115.00 and includes overnight accommodations, meals and materials. This retreat is led by Nancy Diment and Betsy Meagher, CSJ. This retreat was so popular in November that it completely filled and we formed a waiting list! So, we are bringing Nancy and Betsy back, giving you a second opportunity to experience the peace and spiritual refreshment of a retreat based upon the wisdom of your whole body. We will use breathing, relaxing, centering exercises of gentle yoga and centering prayer methods to help us touch a deeper place of peacefulness. Dress comfortably and bring your journal. Those with some physical limitation may participate without concern, as Nancy’s skills include working with these conditions. Registration includes a private room with bath, meals, instruction and materials. Please register by May 18. For more information, or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. NEWS RELEASE Nazareth, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road presents Watercolor: the Free Flow of Letting Go on Saturday, May 16, from 9:00 am - 3:30 pm. Cost is $75.00 and includes lunch and materials. This painting workshop is led by Frankie Dutil, CSJ. Spiritual traditions tell us that the deeper beauty of life begins to emerge when we stop grasping and struggling for control. Painting with watercolors can be a metaphor for the spiritual journey, for this medium defies precise control yet yields wonderful results. You need not have experience with watercolor to enjoy this workshop, in fact this is intended for beginners. We will learn basic techniques, so those who have wanted to try watercolor but have held back - come, and let go! Please register by May 4. For more information, or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. NEWS RELEASE At Transformations Spirituality Center Nazareth, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road presents Centering Prayer Introduction on Tuesday, May 5, from 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm. Cost is $15.00. The program is led by Christine Parks, CSJ and Gertrude Maurer, CSJ. If your spiritual journey has led to a hunger for a deeper experience of prayer and silence in God’s presence, join us for an evening on the process and practice of Centering Prayer. Centering Prayer is a spiritual path grounded in Christian tradition and the movement toward meditation and contemplation. The evening will include some teaching on the history, tradition and dynamics of Centering Prayer along with the opportunity to experience this Christian prayer form. Once you have completed this introduction, or if you already practice Centering Prayer, we invite you to join an ongoing Centering Prayer group meeting at Transformations on Tuesdays, from 12:15 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. The group meets in the Unity Chapel, call 269-381-6290 ext. 310 for more information and directions, or inquire at the Centering Prayer Introduction program. Please register by April 28. For more information, or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. NEWS RELEASE Nazareth, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road offers the Seeing the Holy: Praying With and Through Your Camera Lens on Saturday, May 2, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The cost is $45 and includes lunch. This workshop is led by Christine Parks, CSJ. "Let those who have eyes, see.” The spirit of the Holy, or the Sacred, surrounds us on all sides, from the grandeur of the night sky, the curve of a lake’s shore, the loveliness of a flower in bloom, the face of a child. Come away for a day of seeing, and being present to, the Holy through your eyes and capturing that image with your camera for later reflection. The day will include input and reflection on ‘seeing the Holy’; individual time for photographing and praying with the Holy you see around you (inside and outside); and sharing your experience, photos, prayer and insights. Bring a camera (digital with download cable if you have one) and a journal; wear comfortable clothes/shoes for walking outdoors. Note: this is not a technical photography class and no photographic instruction will be given. No professional experience or equipment is required. Please register by April 22. Sister Christine currently serves as a Spiritual Director and Program Coordinator for Transformations. She has also served as a retreat director. She brings a love of photography, poetry, writing, nature and spirituality to share with our community, and an eye toward the artistic. Many of her original photographs adorn our halls. Her educational background includes a Certificate in Spiritual Direction from Beech Grove Benedictine Spiritual Direction Internship program; Graduate Certificate in Pastoral Counseling from Emmanuel College in Boston; a MA in Educational Leadership/Community Development from WMU; and a BA in Secondary Education from MSU. Visit our website for more information about Sister Christine. For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org to register online. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. NEWS RELEASE Danna Ephland Wows ’em at Tea Party Magazine Nazareth, MI – Local writer and poet, Danna Ephland, wins first prize for her poem titled Shift. The poem defines the word “Shift”, modeled after the dictionary entry. But between each part of the dictionary’s definition is nested a personal definition that reflects on various stages of the author’s life. As Ephland moves from California to Michigan, the poem illustrates the “shift” in her life, both physical and emotional. The winning poem was chosen by renowned poet, Tyehimba Jess. Danna Ephland was born in Buffalo, N.Y., danced in Toronto, studied & danced more in Berkeley, and fell madly in love with poetry in Chicago. She now lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan where she works at Transformations Spirituality Center and teaches community workshops. Ephland’s next workshop is being held at Transformations on Saturday, March 28, titled Mentor & Muse: Poets Pass It On. View details of this workshop at www.transformationscenter.org. Her work has appeared in Indiana Review, Letterhead, Rhino, Permafrost and others. She is included in an anthology of collaborative poems, Saints of Hysteria by Soft Skull Press. Her chapbook Needle Makes Tracks is due out Spring 2009. Tea Party (www.teapartymagazine.org) magazine is an arts and culture magazine based in Oakland, California. We are a progressive and multi-ethnic publication where diversity is just assumed. We publish work by writers, artists, intellectuals and activists from diverse cultures, communities and fields of study. Currently we are distributed in independent bookstores both nationally and in Canada. For more information about the author’s works, or to register for any programs at Transformation, call 269.381.6290 ext. 288, or visit www.transformationscenter.org. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. NEWS RELEASE Mentor & Muse: Poets Pass it On Poetry Reading by Conrad Hilberry & Jack Ridl Nazareth, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road presents two programs celebrating mentoring and poetry with Mentor & Muse: Poets Pass it On, and Exploring the Spiritual Journey: the Poetry of Jack Ridl and Conrad Hilberry. Join us on Saturday, March 28, 2009 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm for a very special day devoted to the poetic muse facilitated by several talented area poets. Cost is $15 and includes lunch. Scholarships are available for mentor/muse pairs. A significant aspect in developing artistic talent is mentoring. All of these poets have been mentored through two of Michigan’s premier poets—Conrad Hilberry and Jack Ridl, who will be here for a Poetry Reading on April 2—and in turn they will be “passing it on” today. The day will include an opening ‘poets sampler’ of readings; workshops by each of the guest poets—on getting started or continuing to write; and an opportunity for questions and answers. There also will be the opportunity for reflection and writing for those who would like that. The day will conclude with an open microphone for participants to share their own work, and book sales and signing by our guest poets. Whether you are new to poetry or have been reading and writing poetry for years, come and share in this unique opportunity to experience these gifted local poets, entertain your own poetic muse, and enjoy the energizing company of other poets and poetry lovers. This is the perfect workshop to share with your Mentor or Muse. Young people over 12 are welcome. Please register by March 18. The second event, a poetry reading with Jack Ridl and Conrad Hilberry, will happen on Thursday, April 2, 2009 from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm. There is a $5 suggested donation for this event. Poets Conrad Hilberry and Jack Ridl have been close friends for 30 years and are two of Michigan's literary treasures. Their distinct and rich poetic voices span their long friendship and respective Midwestern teaching careers. Transformations presents a special opportunity to hear them read together. Join us for a poetic dialogue exploring the spiritual journey in the creative work of these two poets, familiar to many in our community for their big hearts, great humor, and powerful rendering of our ordinary and extraordinary lives. A book signing will follow the readings. Both of these events are brought to you by a generous grant from Irving S. Gilmore Foundation and supported by the Friends of Poetry of Kalamazoo. For more information, or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. NEWS RELEASE The 12-Steps of AA -- an Ongoing Spiritual Miracle Nazareth, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road presents The 12-Steps of AA – an Ongoing Spiritual Miracle, a Retreat for Women. The retreat will be held from 7:00 p.m. on Friday, April 17 through 1:30 p.m., Sunday April 19, 2009. Cost is $180 if registered by 3/13/09 or full price of $195 after 3/13. Final registration is 4/6/09. The program will be led by Karen Anne Jackson, CSC and includes 2 nights of private room and bath, meals, and materials. The 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous continue to sustain, energize and enlighten us in our recovery journeys. This retreat is designed for women actively working a 12-step recovery program in AA. We will examine these spiritual and challenging steps as they affect our lives within and outside of our recovery programs. We frequently refer to our respective recoveries as a MIRACLE. Time will be provided for prayer, quiet, writing, reflection and rest. Throughout all of the above we will enjoy fellowship held together by laughter. Interested in coming the night before or staying the night after the retreat? Request a reservation at time of registration, additional charges apply, $45 single/$60 double, meals not included – call for details For more information, or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. NEWS RELEASE Explore the Tale by Clarissa Pinkola Estes Nazareth, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road presents Walking with The Handless Maiden. Join us on Saturday, April 4, 2009 from 9:30 am to 4:00 pm. Cost is $45 and includes lunch. Can a fairytale bring us into deeper awareness of our human and spiritual journey? It certainly can if one is reflecting upon the story of the Handless Maiden, for in the tale we find that the images refer to our own journeys as we strive to find our “who we are” as a gift of life and “who we are to become.” While walking with the Handless Maiden, we are called to experience her actions and dilemmas and therein see ourselves in relationship with our own struggles and with our God. Bring pencil and paper and give yourself permission to walk in her footsteps and to look beyond the words into the roots of yourself. If you enjoy fairytales and learning by means of metaphor, as portrayed by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, this will be a fun and enriching day. Please register by March 23. For more information, or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. NEWS RELEASE at Transformations Spirituality Center Nazareth, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road presents Celtic Blessings: A Journey. The program will be held on Saturday, March 21, 2009 from 9:00 am - 1:00 pm. Cost is $40.00, and includes lunch. The program will be led by Betsy Meagher, and Frankie Dutil, CJSs. Like pilgrims, we journey reflecting on our experience in light of those who have gone before. The Celtic knot is one way to express all that we've come to know and how deeply we've been influenced and encouraged along the way. Considering the accomplishments and difficulties of the Celtic people, we too can see it all as blessing. This day will include a special tribute honoring the memory of poet and author, John O'Donohue. You will be invited to craft your own Celtic Inspiration using words, drawing or other creative means, as time allows. You may visit our web site for Biography and Works of John O'Donohue and to listen to an inspirational reading. Please register by March 10. For more information, or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. NEWS RELEASE At Transformations Spirituality Center Nazareth, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road presents Centering Prayer Introduction on Thursday, March 12, from 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm. Cost is $15.00. The program is led by Christine Parks, CSJ and Betsy Meagher, CSJ. If your spiritual journey has led to a hunger for a deeper experience of prayer and silence in God’s presence, join us for an evening on the process and practice of Centering Prayer. Centering Prayer is a spiritual path grounded in Christian tradition and the movement toward meditation and contemplation. The evening will include some teaching on the history, tradition and dynamics of Centering Prayer along with the opportunity to experience this Christian prayer form. Once you have completed this introduction, or if you already practice Centering Prayer, we invite you to join an ongoing Centering Prayer group meeting at Transformations on Tuesdays, from 12:15 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.. The group meets in the Unity Chapel, call 269-381-6290 ext. 310 for more information and directions, or inquire at the Centering Prayer Introduction program. Please register by March 2. For more information, or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. NEWS RELEASE Celebrate the Six Wednesdays in Lent at Transformations Nazareth, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road invites you to attend Lenten Vespers Services 6:30 pm - 7:15 pm. Held the Six Wednesdays in Lent: February 25, March 4, 11, 18, 25, April 1 at Holy Family Chapel, Nazareth. Have you ever wondered what lies behind the stone wall and beneath the glorious dome atop Nazareth Center? The sisters of Saint Joseph invite you to join them for evening vespers during Lent in the beautiful sacred space of Holy Family Chapel. Deepen your observance of Lent with this peaceful, reflective service involving simple song, prayer and time in the quiet beauty of Holy Family Chapel as we prepare our spirits for Easter. Come for any or all of the six Wednesdays and share in this Lenten experience that Christians of many denominations find enriching. Enter chapel through the main entrance at Nazareth Center. No pre-registration, but call ahead if barrier free access is needed. For more information, or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. Click here to read Find The Divine's article about the benefits of attending a retreat. NEWS RELEASE Focus of Spiritual Literacy at Transformations Nazareth, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road presents Spiritual Literacy: Books You Have Been Meaning to Read - Mystical Hope: Trusting in the Mercy of God. For three Tuesdays, February 24, March 10 and 24 from 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm. Cost is $20.00 for all three sessions. This series will be led by Gertrude Maurer, CSJ. “The notion that God is absent is the fundamental illusion of the human condition.” Fr Thomas Keating. This slim volume, written by Cynthia Bourgeault, beautifully illustrates a way of living with hope that is not tied to outcomes, and is not linked to the future, but is rooted in the now. Through reading, reflection and discussion we will explore how to recognize this hope in our lives and the ways in which we are transformed by it. (Please read chapters one and two for the first session, limited quantities of the book available to purchase from Transformations, please call.) Please register by February 17. For more information, or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. NEWS RELEASE Featured in Transformations Center Walk Gallery Nazareth, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center’s Center Walk Gallery, 3427 Gull Road is showcasing the whimsical works of celebrated artist, Joe Mockbee, now through the end of February. Mockbee was recently featured in several local publications, telling his story of the experience of grappling with paranoid schizophrenia and mania and how it drives the 54-year-old to capture mental illness on paper. His recent showings include: -a staple at local Art Hops since 2003 and has sold more than 150 paintings over the past four years; We are pleased to share his work with you, see these inspiring and thought provoking pieces the next time you make a personal retreat or attend one of the many spiritually uplifting programs held at Transformations during the next two months; visit www.transformationscenter.org to see a complete schedule of upcoming events. You can also hold your next corporate or association meeting at Transformations. Go online, or call 269-381-6290 ext. 310 for more information about holding your next retreat or conference. Artist Statement I’m drawn to whimsical subjects where animals are important and sometimes even smarter than the people they encounter. The animation of the 1920’s and1930’s interests me and I enjoy the cartoons of the New Yorker magazine. The characters in my cartoon drawings remain silent rather than speak into a balloon and my medium usually consists of a combination of watercolor and ink. Art remains a meditative escape for me, a form of therapy. I’ve enjoyed sketching and painting off and on through the years but didn’t really get serious about art until 2003 when I joined The Challenged Artist’s and Poet’s Society (CAPS) now (ARTWORKS). While I gain inspiration from my fellow artists, I am self-taught using books and experimental methods. In the future, I hope to explore cartoon as a design form, as well as study abstract cartooning. For more information about Transformations Spirituality Center, or to register for any programs, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. NEWS RELEASE A Conversation About the Place and Reality of Faith in our Day-to-Day Life Nazareth, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road presents Faith in a Time of Turmoil. The conversational series begins Tuesday, February 3, and continues on February, 17 & March 3, from 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm. Cost is $20.00 for the series. The conversations will be led by Christine Parks, CSJ. “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1; nab) Many of us grew up in faith-filled families, in times of ‘plenty’ if not peace, where faith may have seemed more a backdrop than a foundation of daily life. In today’s times of turmoil, when we are surrounded by dire and gloomy economic headlines, reports, predictions, and the daily stock market rollercoaster ride…in a world of escalating and seemingly endless violence and want…the question begs to be asked: “Is there a place for faith to become a more intentional part of our daily experience?” While most of us don’t have the knowledge and/or expertise to sort through all the myriad of often contradictory facts, we do have a limitless resource that we can draw on to balance the cries of “the sky is falling” that come at us from every side. Join us on three Tuesdays for a conversation about the place and reality of faith in our day-to-day life in these difficult, and often confusing, times. We will explore this question through personal and shared experience, sacred scripture, and spiritual teachings and values. We will also examine the thinking of contemporary writers on justice and simple living, and our growing understanding of sustainable living and what it means to be stewards of our earth in the 21st century. Please register by January 27. For more information, or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. NEWS RELEASE Arch Angel Michael at Transformations Nazareth, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road presents Beyond Words: An Icon Retreat Monday, February 16 through Friday, February 20. The retreat begins Monday at 9:00 am and continues through 5:00 pm Friday. Class size is limited so each participant receives individual attention. You are encouraged to stay overnight and truly enter into the rhythm of retreat. The retreat is led by iconographer, Diane Hamel. Diane has led this sold out retreat for three years at Transformations. Retreat Costs: Full Retreat (Overnight) - $570 Five-day retreat with four nights of private lodging with bath, all meals, instruction and materials. Commuter Retreat (Drive In Daily) - $450 includes lunches only, coffee service, instruction and materials. “An icon painting retreat with Diane Hamel is a richly rewarding experience.” As a past retreatant observed, "Fantastic lady - fantastic class!!!" And you needn't be an experienced iconographer to attend. In another retreatant's words, "Her ability to teach such a foreign art form to so many beginners was remarkable." This retreat is appropriate for those new to this form of expression as well as those who have previously written icons. Artists and non-artists can engage in this process and leave with a completed piece, ready to display. Class size is limited so each participant receives individual attention.
This year Diane will focus on the 14th Century icon entitled The Archangel Saint Michael, whose name means "who is like God", done in the Byzantine style. Prayer and reflection place us in a receptive frame of mind, and we will be guided to explore a place beyond words via the beauty disclosed in the Christian symbolism of an icon. The beautiful simplicity of the subject selected for this retreat will allow for a reflective approach to the work, and experienced painters may choose to explore additional subjects if time permits. Diane is a lifelong artist, who studied fine art and majored in theology. She has studied with Peter Pearson, George Drobot, and Xenia Prokovsky. She has written many icons for private collections, churches, and other institutions and her work has been exhibited around the United States. If you are interested in arriving early, or staying one day longer, additional nights accommodations are $45 single/$60 double, meals not included – call for details For more information, or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. NEWS RELEASE Back by Popular Demand! Nazareth, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road presents Yoga and Centering Prayer Retreat on Friday, January 30 through Saturday, January 31. The retreat begins Friday at 7:00 pm and continues through 4:00 pm Saturday and the cost is $115.00 (includes meals, refreshments, accommodations). The retreat is led by Nancy Diment and Betsy Meagher, CSJ. This retreat was so popular in November that it completely filled and we formed a waiting list! So, we are bringing Nancy and Betsy back, giving you a second opportunity to experience the peace and spiritual refreshment of a retreat based upon the wisdom of your whole body. We will use breathing, relaxing, centering exercises of gentle yoga and centering prayer methods to help us touch a deeper place of peacefulness. Dress comfortably and bring your journal. Those with some physical limitation may participate without concern, as Nancy’s skills include working with these conditions. Includes private room with bath, meals, instruction and materials. Please register by January 19. For more information, or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. NEWS RELEASE Live Webcast at Transformations Nazareth, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road hosts, in conjunction with the Episcopal Diocese of Western Michigan, the live webcast of Radical Abundance: A Theology of Sustainability, 39th Annual Trinity Institute Theological Conference. The conference spans two days, Thursday, January 22 and Friday, January 23 from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm each day. The cost is $20.00/day; $35.00 for both days. Special discount for groups: 5th person free when registering with 4 others from the same church/parish/organization. You may come and go as your schedule permits. Each year the Trinity Institute offers a conference in which respected theologians and experts come together to address key questions arising from the intersection of theology and the lived experience of faith. This year’s conference is titled Radical Abundance: A Theology of Sustainability. Transformations Spirituality Center will host a live webcast to participate in the conference in real time. As we rethink how to grow, build, supply, consume, dispose, and recycle everything in our lives, we often fail at partnering with the marginalized and powerless, and thus adversely affect them. Building sustainable communities goes hand-in-hand with thoughtful building of infrastructures and physical spaces. Is there a theological basis for living abundantly while striving for justice and sustainability? In 2009, Trinity Institute will explore sustainability through the lens of liberation theology, which views Jesus not only as redeemer but also liberator of the oppressed. It envisions individuals working together toward social justice by considering all people as full partners in healing our planet and our communities, regardless of their social or economic status. Only in striving for sustainable relationships, rather than accumulating and consuming more for ourselves, can we discover true abundance. Through keynote speeches and panel discussions by leading theologians, experts and grassroots activists, this conference will consider creative ideas about abundance, sustainability, and well-being. We are excited to announce the keynote speakers: Majora Carter, MacArthur Fellow & founder of Sustainable South Bronx; Timothy Gorringe, British Theologian, author of A Theology of the Built Environment: Justice, Empowerment, Redemption; David C. Korten, Cofounder and Board Chair, Positive Futures Network, Founder and President, The People-Centered Development Forum, author of The Post-Corporate World: Life After Capitalism, his most recent book is The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community. He is a major contributor to the report of the International Forum on Globalization on Alternatives to Economic Globalization. The Rev. Dr. Néstor O. Míguez, a leader both in articulating an authentic Latin American reading of the Bible and in ecumenical efforts to strengthen theological education worldwide. He serves as professor of New Testament Studies, Instituto Universitario ISEDT, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Dr. Miguez is the author of That You May Have Life: Encounters with Jesus in the Gospel of John (with José Míguez Bonino). Please visit www.transformationscenter.org for more information about the conference, a complete schedule of the days, and for links on how to obtain clergy continuing education units, if interested. A continental breakfast will be available at 8:00 a.m. each day; lunch is on your own. Group facilitation materials will be available for use with optional reflection groups. We will also be able to e-mail questions and comments to the conference in New York. Come, and bring a colleague for a time of growth, reflection and fellowship. Clergy CEU's are available through the Trinity Institute. Please register by January 14. For more information, or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. Sisters of St. Joseph in Nazareth Click here to read the Beachers Magazine article "Travels with Charlie" and his visit to Transformations Center. NEWS RELEASE Kalamazoo, MI (December 15, 2009) – Rev. Jerry Hass and Mr. Jack Hansen will be presenting Shaping a Life of Significance for Retirement on Saturday, January 23, 2010 from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. at Transformations Spirituality Center. People considering retirement often plan for financial security and travel. Haas and Hansen present retirement from a different perspective-the need to prepare for the multitude of other changes that come with this time of life, and the potential for finding a deeper meaning and purpose in our “golden” years. Their goal in this day is to help those anticipating or newly retired, to continue their spiritual and intellectual growth as they move into and through these years. Rev. Jerry Hass is a United Methodist minister now working with The Upper Room publishing seeks to create opportunities for intellectual and spiritual growth for clergy and lay leaders around the country. Mr. Jack Hansen continues part-time consulting during his retirement and began examining the personal dimensions of the transition to retirement while participating in the Academy for Spiritual Formation, a program of The Upper Room. Rev. Douglas Vernon of the First United Methodist Church of Kalamazoo previously attended the program and has high praise for the speakers and content. “From personal experience and well documented research, Jack and Jerry offer thoughtful insights on the challenges and opportunities of the last 1/3 of the life journey. I was encouraged by their presentations to look ahead and plan for what may well be the best yet to come. Every person contemplating retirement, or already in it and wondering what to make of it, would be well served by participating. I highly recommend it!” Hass and Hansen have written a book of the same title to be released in 2010. Advance copies will be available for purchase at the event. This program is offered in conjunction with the First United Methodist Church of Kalamazoo. Register by Jan. 8, $65; $75 after. Please register by January 15. For more information or to register, call 269-381-6290 ext. 310 or visit www.TransformationsCenter.org. Upon completion of the introduction, participants are invited to join an ongoing Centering Prayer group at Transformations on Wednesdays, from 12:15 to 1 p.m. in Unity Chapel. A day long Centering Prayer retreat will be offered April 24, 2010. that still, small voice of God Click here to read a Kalamazoo Gazette article about Spiritual Direction at Transformations Center. NEWS RELEASE Dr. Gregory Boothroyd’s workshop at Transformations Spirituality Center Nazareth, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road offers the Eliminating Self-Defeating Behaviors on Saturday, December 6, 2008 from 9:00 am - 4:30 pm. This workshop is led by Gregory Boothroyd, Ph.D. (CAAC, LPC, author, lecturer, addictions counselor & nationally-recognized expert in eliminating self-defeating behaviors). Cost is $90.00 with a Student Discount (full time, high school or college) of $55.00 with one regular price admission. Lunch is included. The winter holidays are times of celebration frequently accompanied with great stress. They can bring out both the best and worst in friends, family and even ourselves. We all know people who wrestle with self-defeating behaviors such as procrastination, perfectionism, inferiority, anxiety, eating disorders, excessive worry—the list goes on. This one day program is an entertaining, insightful, humorous and moving experience through the inception, maintenance and elimination of commonly practiced self-defeating behaviors. Participants will leave the program with 12 very practical techniques to replace self-defeating behavior patterns with life-generating behaviors and attitudes. Treat yourself and/or a friend to the unique holiday gift of this inspirational and potentially life-changing day. For more information, or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. NEWS RELEASE Presented by: Transformations Spirituality Center Nazareth, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road offers the Taize’ Advent Vespers Service beginning Sunday, November 30, and continuing each Sunday until Christmas. Have you always wondered what lies beneath the glorious dome of Nazareth? The Sisters of Saint Joseph invite you to join them in the beautiful sacred space of their Holy Family Chapel. Enrich your Advent experience by joining the sisters of St. Joseph in a beautiful service of chanted music and quiet prayer. The Taize’ service, based on those developed by an ecumenical community in France dedicated to prayer and simplicity, encourages an inner unity and a deeper sense of praying together. The blending of repetitive sung phrases with simple harmonies and instrumental accompaniment, along with extended periods of silence, help to focus on being more open to the spirit and attentive to what is essential in one’s life. Please enter through the main entrance at Nazareth Center. Call ahead to arrange for barrier-free access. For more information call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo.
NEWS RELEASE Radical Abundance: A Theology of Sustainability Leading Theologians and Grassroots Activists to Consider Radical Ideas About Abundance, Sustainability, and Well-being Nazareth, November 18, 2008 – Transformations Spirituality Center, with support from The Episcopal Diocese of Western Michigan, will present Trinity Institute’s 39th National Theological Conference, Radical Abundance: A Theology of Sustainability, on January 22-23, 2009. This year’s conference will explore the theological basis for reimagining abundance measured not by consumer satisfaction but by just and sustainable relations with nature and communities. Keynote speakers will include MacArthur “Genius” Fellow/Sundance Channel host Majora Carter, environmental theologian Timothy Gorringe, best-selling author David C. Korten, professor of New Testament Studies at Instituto Universitario ISEDT, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Néstor O. Míguez. Conference participation is open to clergy and laypersons of all faith traditions and can be attended at Transformations Spirituality Center through a high-speed video link. The Trinity Institute 2009 conference will look at sustainability through the lens of liberation theology, which views Jesus not only as the redeemer, but also the liberator of the oppressed. In its vision of social justice, all people are full partners in healing our planet and our social environments, regardless of their social or economic status. Only in striving for sustainable relationships, rather than accumulating and consuming more for ourselves, can we discover true abundance. Michele Gossman, Director of the Transformations Spirituality Center, said, “We are at a pivotal moment in human history – a liminal time when existing structures are breaking down, and new structures are not yet in place. Things we could scarcely imagine are happening in rapid succession with our economy in peril and our standing in the world arena eroding. We must ask foundational questions about how we – and that means all of us individually and collectively - will live. Chaos eventually leads to order, and this is a unique opportunity to order life from the Christian imperative to pursue justice for all, and especially for the vulnerable among us. Simple living, less wasteful living, and more connected communities will be essential in making sure that all are invited to the dance. Come and join with others to see what these new steps might look like!” Radical Abundance: A Theology of Sustainability will be held at regional partner sites established throughout the United States and Canada for groups participating through an online webcast. Locally the conference will be held via webcast at Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Rd., Nazareth, MI (just East of Kalamazoo). The two day conference will include keynote speakers, panel discussions, and optional breakout groups for further reflection and discussion. Attending a partner site is the only way to view the presentation during the conference. The registration deadline is January 14, 2009. The registration fee is $20 per day, or $35 for both days. Group discounts available, please call for information. Registration is available online at www.transformationcenter.org or by calling (269) 381-6290 ext. 310. Confirmed Speakers Majora Carter founded Sustainable South Bronx in 2001 to alleviate poverty, improve the environment, and reduce public health costs by championing environmental justice through economically sustainable projects informed by community needs. She is a MacArthur “Genius” Fellow, was named one of the 25 Most Influential African-Americans by Essence magazine, and is host of The Green on the Sundance Channel. Timothy Gorringe’s widely read book, A Theology of the Built Environment: Justice, Empowerment, Redemption, established him as a leader in the field of environmental theology. In addition to serving as St. Luke’s Professor of Theological Studies at the University of Exeter, he is a beekeeper, home wine maker, political activist, poetry lover, and a member of the Iona Community. David C. Korten is a visionary proponent of a planetary system of local living economies. His now-classic best-seller, When Corporations Rule the Word, was called “a must-read” by commentators ranging from Archbishop Desmond Tutu to London’s Financial Times. Dr. Korten’s most recent book is The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community. Néstor O. Míguez is a leader both in articulating an authentic Latin American reading of the Bible and in ecumenical efforts to strengthen theological education worldwide. He serves as professor of New Testament Studies at Instituto Universitario ISEDT, Buenos Aires, Argentina. His publications include That You May Have Life: Encounters with Jesus in the Gospel of John (with José Míguez Bonino). Trinity Institute Trinity Institute is a continuing education program founded in 1967 as an outreach of Trinity Wall Street, an Episcopal parish. The Institute’s annual National Theological Conference equips clergy and laypersons for imaginative and catalytic leadership. Past conferences include Religion and Violence: An Interfaith Dialogue, God’s Unfinished Future, and The Anatomy of Reconciliation, and speakers such as Jürgen Moltmann, Tariq Ramadan, Helen Prejean, Kofi Annan, and Rowan Williams. The conference presents emerging and inclusive theological perspectives and engages participants in inquiry, dialogue, and reflection. Theological reflection groups are assembled both onsite and at partner sites and provide opportunities to arrive at a deeper understanding of the presentations through peer learning, reflect on how to integrate conference themes with life and work, and build community with colleagues. Participants from all faith traditions are welcomed. Transformations Spirituality Center Transformations Spirituality Center is a ministry of the Congregation of Saint Joseph. Programs are ecumenical and open to all. Our goal is to help people discover their own unique spirituality. In addition to educational programs we offer retreats, spiritual direction and conference space rental. NEWS RELEASE 1. I am searching for deeper spiritual growth and insight
For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org to register online. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. Transformations Spirituality Center is a ministry of the Congregation of Saint Joseph. Programs are ecumenical and open to all. Our goal is to help people discover their own unique spirituality. In addition to educational programs we offer retreats, spiritual direction and conference space rental. NEWS RELEASE Awaits You at Transformations Spirituality Center Nazareth, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road offers three programs this season, all aimed at allowing personal growth and spiritual transformation. All have student discounts available for full-time students, when accompanied by one full price registration. Call for additional pricing information. First up is Becoming Instruments of Peace on Saturday, November 15, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The cost is $78 with a student discount price of $55. This workshop is led by Tom Holmes, Ph.D. By acknowledging and relating to any feelings of anger, darkness and despair that are carried with you, you will free yourself to sow love, light and hope. Using the “Parts Work” dialog process and Awakened Heart meditation, you will give your peaceful qualities space to arise and be nurtured. Next is Eliminating Self-Defeating Behaviors, led by Dr. Gregory Boothroyd, a nationally recognized expert in the field. The winter holidays are times of celebration frequently accompanied with great stress. If you, or someone you love, wrestle with self-defeating behaviors such as inferiority, perfectionism, anxiety, etc. this one day program is just what you are looking for. Cost is $80 if registered by 11/7 or $90 thereafter. Student discount rate is $55. Also offered, Awakened Heart/Peaceful Mind, led by Tom Holmes, Ph.D. Continue your growth through further study of the Awakened Heart meditation process, or explore it for the first time. Study the Self, the heart-centered core of our being. A place where you can let go of anxiety, drop dissatisfaction, and become aware of your wholeness. Cost is $40, with a student discount price of $25. These two presenters are nationally known speakers and experts in their field. Both of them hold workshops across the nation and Transformations is pleased to bring them to Kalamazoo. For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org to register online. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo.
NEWS RELEASE Nazareth, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road offers the Seeing the Holy: Praying With and Through Your Camera Lens on Saturday, October 18, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The cost is $45 and includes lunch. This workshop is led by Christine Parks, CSJ. "Let those who have eyes, see.” The spirit of the Holy, or the Sacred, surrounds us on all sides, from the grandeur of the night sky, the curve of a lake’s shore, the loveliness of a flower in bloom, the face of a child. Come away for a day of seeing, and being present to, the Holy through your eyes and capturing that image with your camera for later reflection. The day will include input and reflection on ‘seeing the Holy’; individual time for photographing and praying with the Holy you see around you (inside and outside); and sharing your experience, photos, prayer and insights. Bring a camera (digital with download cable if you have one) and a journal; wear comfortable clothes/shoes for walking outdoors. Note: this is not a technical photography class and no photographic instruction will be given. No professional experience or equipment is required. Please register by October 7. Sister Christine currently serves as a Spiritual Director and Program Coordinator for Transformations. She has also served as a retreat director. She brings a love of photography, poetry, writing, nature and spirituality to share with our community, and an eye toward the artistic. Many of her original photographs adorn our halls. Her educational background includes a Certificate in Spiritual Direction from Beech Grove Benedictine Spiritual Direction Internship program; Graduate Certificate in Pastoral Counseling from Emmanuel College in Boston; a MA in Educational Leadership/Community Development from WMU; and a BA in Secondary Education from MSU. Visit our website for more information about Sister Christine. For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org to register online. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. Transformations Spirituality Center is a ministry of the Congregation of Saint Joseph. Programs are ecumenical and open to all. Our goal is to help people discover their own unique spirituality. In addition to educational programs we offer retreats, spiritual direction and conference space rental. NEWS RELEASE “Sacred Fine Art” at Transformations Nazareth, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center’s Center Walk Gallery, 3427 Gull Road is showcasing the Sacred Fine Art of Mary Marie Dixon, now through October 31.
NEWS RELEASE Coming up at Transformations Spirituality Center: Dances of Universal Peace; Knitted Prayer; & Celebrating the Feast of St. Francis
Transformations Spirituality Center is a ministry of the Congregation of Saint Joseph. Programs are ecumenical and open to all. Our goal is to help people discover their own unique spirituality. In addition to educational programs we offer retreats, spiritual direction and conference space rental. after September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on USA Click here to read "Finding a Place of Peace Near Kalamazoo" by Charles McKelvy, The Beacher, September 27, 2001
Click here to read a conversation with Marion Houston, facilitator of our Living From Within Series. NEWS RELEASE A Retreat Based on Teachings of Fr. Thomas Keating For Immediate Release
Date: May 8, 2008
From: Transformations Spirituality Center
Contact: Sandra Monroe to arrange an interview with David Frenette
269.381.6290, Ext. 327
The Heart of Contemplation with David Frenette
A Retreat Based on Teachings of Fr. Thomas Keating
NEWS RELEASE Nazareth, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road offers The Biblical Foundations of Spirituality: Touching a Finger to the Flame on Saturday, May 10 from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. The cost is $55 if registered by April 18 or $65 thereafter. The workshop is facilitated by the Author, Barbara Bowe, RSCJ. In an increasingly diverse society, we find ourselves reexamining long held assumptions. We revisit basic questions like, “What is the meaning of life and how do I live true to that meaning?” For Christians, our basic rootedness comes from the Bible, our sacred text. There is hardly a human emotion or struggle that we face today that does not have a counterpart somewhere within the lives of the covenant community of ancient Israel and in the faith of the first generation of Christian believers as explored in the Bible. Barbara Bowe, a CTU professor of Biblical Studies, is known for her gift of linking scriptural insights with lives lived today. In a style both learned and engaging, she will show how a contemporary spirituality can be grounded in the scriptures while maintaining unity in the midst of diversity. Click here for a preview of Barbara Bowe’s Biblical Foundations of Spirituality: Touching a Finger to the Flame (available on our website). “I had Barbara Bowe for class at CTU and she was also my advisor. She is a wonderful teacher and I am excited that she will be here in Kalamazoo.” Lisa Irwin, TSC Patron Professor Barbara Bowe is a Religious of the Sacred Heart. She received both her Masters and Doctorate in New Testament and Christian Origins from Harvard University, and also holds a Masters degree in Religious Education from Boston College. In 1989, she returned to the US from the Philippines where she had taught for three years at Maryhill School of Theology and the Sister Formation Institute in Manila. She is currently Professor of New Testament at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago where she teaches courses in New Testament and early Christianity and serves as the Director for CTU’s Masters of Divinity and the Biblical Spirituality Certificate programs. Bowe on Spirituality: “Spirituality is theology on two feet.” For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org to register online. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. Transformations Spirituality Center is a ministry of the Congregation of Saint Joseph. Programs are ecumenical and open to all. Our goal is to help people discover their own unique spirituality. In addition to educational programs we offer retreats, spiritual direction and conference space rental.
NEWS RELEASE Nazareth, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road offers The Teaching Paths of Meister Eckhart, presented by Laura Smith, CSJ. Cost is $45 and includes lunch. Program runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 19, 2008. “To be full of things is to be empty of God. To be empty of things is to be full of God.” ~Meister Eckhart. Come explore the teachings of this influential mystic with a teacher and spiritual director who has read and loved his work for years. Meister Eckhart, a 14th century mystic, lived in a time that might be said to be similar to our own. He was a theologian, an artist, and a teacher who gave us metaphors of how we might look at our problems today and reach for the God who is the living heart and core of our lives. He reverences God in creation and shares a fourfold path of spiritual journeying: Creative Blessing; Sinking into God; The Creative Path as Co-Creators in God; and Compassion as a Path to the Self. This day will consist of presentations, personal reflection and opportunities for sharing what you’ve heard and thought. For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org to register online. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo.
NEWS RELEASE Nazareth, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road offers Embracing Others with Knitted Prayer, with Elizabeth Tompkins, on Saturday, March 1, 2008. The program runs from 9 a.m. until noon. The cost is $35 and includes all materials. Please bring your own needles, US size 11, 13, or 15.
For centuries, people have been knitting and giving shawls to others as symbols of love, solace and healing. As in other acts of generosity, they often find that they receive more than they give but there is another dimension of knitting that people have rediscovered. The cadence of knitting is one that lends itself to prayer, and can transport the knitter to a deep, interior place. This morning will be spent introducing both the art and the prayer of knitting. No previous knitting experience is required. Transformations Spirituality Center is a ministry of the Congregation of Saint Joseph. Programs are ecumenical and open to all. Our goal is to help people discover their own unique spirituality. In addition to educational programs we offer retreats, spiritual direction and conference space rental.
Area Faith Communities get ready for Easter
NEWS RELEASE Nazareth, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road offers their newest Spiritual Literacy: Books You’ve Been Meaning to Read program, which focuses on Barbara Bowe’s Biblical Foundations of Spirituality: Touching a Finger to the Flame. The program runs three Tuesday evenings, February 12, 26 and March 11, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Merton room at Transformations. Plan to join Sr. Gertrude Maurer as she facilitates this book discussion. The cost is $20 for all three sessions. In her introduction, Barbara Bowe contends that “for Christian believers, and those open to the search for God, the Bible is our sacred text, a source of inspiration, a pathway to God, a manual for life’s journey—waiting to be discovered” in our efforts to develop a more mature spirituality. Sr. Gertrude will guide us through Bowe’s telling of the Bible’s treasure chest of stories, images, questions, and portraits of faith, from Genesis to Revelation, that help us touch our fingers to the flame “of the invisible God, the Holy Other”. In so doing, we may be forever transformed by this divine encounter. Bowe is a professor of New Testament at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, where she teaches courses in biblical studies and early Christianity and is director of the Biblical Spirituality Program. Limited copies of her book are available from Transformations, please call ahead for availability. Reading the first four chapters before the first session and reflecting on the questions at the end of each chapter will provide for a more lively discussion. Please register by February 8. More exciting news, Barbara Bowe, herself, is coming to Transformation on May 10 for a day-long exploration of these concepts. Call now to reserve your space for this enlightening and thought provoking program.
For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org to register online. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo.
NEWS RELEASE
An Interfaith Dialogue with January 22-23, 2008
Nazareth, MI -- Transformations Spirituality Center will present Trinity Institute’s 38th National Theological Conference, Religion and Violence: Untangling the Roots of Conflict, on January 22-23, 2008 via live webcast. A panel of prominent Christian, Jewish, and Muslim theologians will explore the deeply rooted, seemingly inexorable union of religion and violence, illuminating the resources within each tradition for living together in peace, without losing the unique identities of each faith. Keynote speakers will include: James Carroll, James H. Cone, Susannah Heschel, and Tariq Ramadan. Conference participation is open to clergy and laypersons of all faith traditions and can be attended at Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Rd. through a high-speed video link.
While people of all faiths raise prayers for peace, reports of religiously fueled violence fill the news. Critics question whether we can afford to tolerate any longer a force as destructive as religion. Is violence an inescapable result of religious commitment, or is it a distortion, a human projection on a God in whom there is no violence? Is it the sole province of extremists, or do its roots touch all persons of faith? Do solutions to the problem lie within the traditions themselves? Through keynote presentations and group theological reflection after each speaker, this interfaith gathering will provide opportunities to deepen understanding, build community and explore how religion can be a powerful force for peace within ourselves, our families, our communities, and the world.
The Rev. Dr. James H. Cooper, Rector of Trinity Church/St. Paul’s Chapel states, “In nearly four decades of exploring the intersection of faith and culture, Trinity Institute has never addressed a topic with such high stakes. Every day religious violence affects people around the world, threatening our very survival. This year’s conference will not only consider the roots of religious conflict, but also ask how we can manifest religion’s true vocation as a force for peace both locally and globally.”
Fee: $18 per day, or $30 for both days. Come and go as your schedule permits. For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org to register online. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo.
Keynote Speakers
James Carroll is a bestselling author of fiction and nonfiction, a former Roman Catholic priest, and a lifelong activist for peace. His recent books include the National Book Award-winning memoir An American Requiem: God, My Father, and the War that Came Between Us; Constantine's Sword: The Church and the Jews -- A History; and House of War (2006), a history of the Pentagon. His regular column for the Boston Globe newspaper is a widely read engagement with national and global issues.
James H. Cone forged black liberation theology in the crucible of the civil rights movement and has remained on the cutting edge of its development. His ten books began with Black Theology and Black Power and include Martin & Malcolm & America: A Dream or a Nightmare; God of the Oppressed; and his most recent work, Risks of Faith: The Emergence of a Black Theology of Liberation, 1968-1998. He is the Charles A. Briggs Distinguished Professor of Systematic Theology at Union Seminary in New York City.
Susannah Heschel holds the Eli Black Chair on Jewish Studies at Dartmouth. A scholar of Jewish-Christian relations in the 19th and 20th centuries, she is the editor of On Being a Jewish Feminist and Moral Grandeur and Spiritual Audacity, an anthology of essays by her father, Abraham Joshua Heschel, and co-editor of Insider/Outsider: American Jews and Multiculturalism. She is the author of Abraham Geiger and the Jewish Jesus, which won a National Jewish Book Award, and the forthcoming The Aryan Jesus: Christians, Nazis and the Bible.
Tariq Ramadan writes and speaks on the future of Islam in pluralistic society. Named one of Time magazine’s “100 Innovators for the 21st Century,” he has written six widely translated books, including In the Footsteps of the Prophet: Lessons from the Life of Muhammed; Western Muslims and the Future of Islam; and Islam, the West, and the Challenge of Modernity. He is currently Senior Research Fellow at St. Antony’s College (Oxford), Doshisha University (Kyoto, Japan), and the Lokahi Foundation (London).
Trinity Institute
Trinity Institute is a continuing education program founded in 1967 as an outreach of Trinity Church Wall Street, an Episcopal parish. The Institute’s annual National Theological Conference equips clergy and laypersons for imaginative and catalytic leadership. Past conferences include: The Anatomy of Reconciliation, Naming Evil and Shaping Holy Lives with such speakers as Helen Prejean, Kofi Annan, and Rowan Williams. The conference presents emerging and inclusive theological perspectives and engages participants in inquiry, dialogue, and reflection. Theological reflection groups are assembled both onsite and at partner sites and provide opportunities to arrive at a deeper understanding of the presentations through peer learning, reflect on how to integrate conference themes with life and work, and build community with colleagues. Participants from all faith traditions are welcomed.
NEWS RELEASE Nazareth, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road offers their new Winter 2008 schedule, programs for renewal of mind, body and spirit. Thirsting for Reality: Mini Retreats for Those Working the 12 Steps. This mini retreat will be held on three January Wednesday Evenings: 1/9, 1/16 and 1/23, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. and is facilitated by Sue Ryder, MSW and Patrick Coffey, LLMSW. Cost is $15/meeting or $40 for all three. Skeptics say the physical is real and spiritual is illusion. Mystics say, the spiritual is real and the physical is illusion. How do we navigate our way as ordinary folks? In this series we will be mining for the bedrock of reality. What can we really rely on: the stock market, people, ourselves? Or, is there something under-girding and transcending our physical senses and perceptions? In this series we will “get real” and explore “what if...” This is the second set of mini-retreats in a series offered by Sue and Patrick, and attendance at all three in three weeks is encouraged. These presenters have experience on two sides of the addictions struggle: both have worked at 12-Step recovery for many years, and both are professionals providing services to those with addictions. These mini-retreats deal with themes common to all 12-Step recovery programs, and will be applicable to anyone actively working the Steps in any program. Start the New Year fresh with new resolve in your 12-Step journey. Please register for the series by January 2. Big Heart/Big Mind will be held on Saturday, January 19 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. This workshop is facilitated by Tom Holmes, Ph.D. and the cost is $40. This workshop will introduce the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model with its concept of Self, and we will engage in practices that let us experience Self. In this way we will both see the concept and know the work by direct experience. While based on the Zen Big Heart / Big Mind process, the underlying goal of increasing in compassion is a key part of many faith traditions, including each of the Abrahamic religions. Please register by December 28. Religion and Violence: Untangling the Roots of Conflict, 38th Annual Trinity Institute Theological Conference, sponsored by Transformations via live webcast on January 22 and 23, 2008 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Cost is $18 per day or $30 for both days. You may come and go as your schedule permits. Visit our website for complete schedule. Each year the Trinity Institute offers a theological conference in which respected theologians come together to address key questions arising from the intersection of theology and the lived experience of faith. When asked about the purpose of this year’s conference, Rev. Dr. James H. Cooper, rector of Trinity Church/St. Paul’s Chapel said, “Every day, religious violence affects people around the world, threatening our very survival. This conference will not only consider the roots of religious conflict, but also asks how we can manifest religion’s true vocation as a force for peace both locally and globally.” The keynote speakers will include: James Carroll, theologian and Boston Globe newspaper columnist; James H. Cone, Charles A. Briggs Distinguished Professor of Systematic Theology at Union Seminary in New York City; Susannah Heschel, Eli Black Chair of Jewish Studies at Dartmouth; and Tariq Ramadan, senior research fellow at St. Antony’s College (Oxford), Doshisha University (Kyoto, Japan), and the Lokahi Foundation (London). Please register by January 7. Spiritual Literacy: Books You Have Been Meaning to Read - Biblical Foundations of Spirituality: Touching a Finger to the Flame will be held on three Tuesdays: February 12 and 26, March 11, 2008 from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. and led by Gertrude Maurer, CSJ. Cost is $20 for all three sessions. Plan to join Sr. Gertrude as she facilitates this book discussion. In her introduction, Barbara Bowe contends that “for Christian believers, and those open to the search for God, the Bible is our sacred text, a source of inspiration, a pathway to God, a manual for life’s journey—waiting to be discovered” in our efforts to develop a more mature spirituality. Sr. Gertrude will guide us through Bowe’s telling of the Bible’s treasure chest of stories, images, questions, and portraits of faith, from Genesis to Revelation, that help us touch our fingers to the flame “of the invisible God, the Holy Other”. In so doing, we may be forever transformed by this divine encounter. Please register by February 8. Beyond Words: an Icon Painting Retreat, led by Diane Hamel, iconographer. Retreat is from Monday, February 18 to Friday, February 22, 2008. 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. each day. Cost is $530/550. Class size is limited so each participant receives individual attention. An icon painting retreat with Diane Hamel is a richly rewarding experience. As a past retreatant observed, “Fantastic lady – fantastic class!!!” And you needn’t be an experienced iconographer to attend. In another retreatant’s words, “Her ability to teach such a foreign art form to so many beginners was remarkable.” Five-day retreat with four nights private lodging, all meals, instruction and materials is $550. Register by 12/31/07 for early registration price of $530. Commuters – includes lunches, coffee service, instruction and materials is $430 – or $410 if registered by 12/31/07. This Icon painting retreat is appropriate for those new to this form of expression as well as those who have previously written icons. This year we will focus on the Russian icon entitled Christ the Saviour, one of the most revered icons of the Orthodox Church, and an image known for the deep emotional response it elicits with the look of infinite love emanating from the image of Christ. A non-refundable deposit of $100 is due by January 18 to reserve a space, but earlier registration is encouraged to reap the early registration discount and because the class size is limited and is likely to fill. Energy Work as Healing Prayer with Beth Code will be held on Saturday, February 23, 2008 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Cost is $45 and includes lunch. Energy modalities such as acupuncture and acupressure, Reiki and Healing Touch, are becoming very popular. This workshop will address how energy work is compatible with the Christian traditions of healing prayer and laying on of hands. What can we learn about healing from the New Testament stories that will help us integrate prayerful touch with energy techniques to bring the body, mind and spirit into balance? Participants will experience giving and receiving prayerful energy by learning simple techniques to use with family and friends, or in a healing ministry. Please register by February 8. Embracing Others with Knitted Prayer with Elizabeth Tompkins, a Spiritual Director, Retreat and Labyrinth Facilitator, and one who has created over 50 beautiful prayer shawls. The workshop will be held Saturday, March 1, 2008 from 9:00 a.m. to Noon. Cost is $35 and includes materials, bring your own needles (US size 11,13 or 15). For centuries, people have been knitting and giving shawls to others as symbols of love, solace and healing. As in other acts of generosity, they often find that they receive more than they give but there is another dimension of knitting that people have rediscovered. The cadence of knitting is one that lends itself to prayer, and can transport the knitter to a deep, interior place. This morning will be spent introducing both the art and the prayer of knitting. No previous knitting experience is required. Please register by February 18. For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org to register online. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. Bow in the Clouds Continues a Nun’s Green Legacy
NEWS RELEASE at Transformations Spirituality Center Register Now, Class is Filling Up! Nazareth, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road offers Transforming our Hearts Through Thankfulness on Saturday, November 3, 2007 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. This workshop is facilitated by Marcella Clancy, CSJ. Learn about a way of living with less fear, more hope and greater joy through cultivating an attitude of heart that enables one to perceive the difficulties and sufferings of life, not just its joyful experiences, as blessings. Gratitude of heart is a stance in life that is more than an acknowledgement of gifts received. It has the capacity to heal and transform life’s bitter events in the environment of God and to create in us a constant contemplative and joyful spirit. Join us for a day of reflection, where we place our stories alongside wisdom stories to glimpse a way of living with less fear, more hope and greater joy. In this journey it is good to walk with someone who is at least a few steps ahead on the path. Sr. Marcella is an excellent traveling companion. An experienced spiritual director, retreat director and teacher, her gentle humor and depth create a safe place to journey. Cost is $45 and lunch is included. About Thankfulness: Thankfulness is a way of being in the world. It does not depend upon material welfare, and is not a “Pollyanna” approach to life. A life of gratitude accepts the bad with the good realizing that the human experiences of loss, anger, despair, and a sense of God’s silence are with us just as are the experiences of joy, love and peace. Nor is this something new as can be seen in the work of thirteenth century Sufi poet, Jalaluddin Rumi:
For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org to register online. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. NEWS RELEASE The Source of Life: Inside or Out Nazareth, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road offers The Source of Life: Inside or Out: A weekend retreat for men in 12-Step recovery programs from 7:00 p.m. on Friday, December 7 to 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 9, 2007. The weekend retreat will be facilitated by Fr. James O’Leary, Retreat Director. Where does happiness come from? How do I get there? How does this involve the 12-Steps? These are personal questions pondered by every person on a 12-Step journey, but answered very individually. In the supportive environment of a retreat, we will explore both our answers and the wisdom of the Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous. The retreat includes a single guest room with private bath, meals, snacks and materials. Bring clothes to be outside if you would like to walk the trails or the labyrinth. A light meal will be available for your Friday evening arrival. Cost: $170/$185. A $55 deposit is due by November 19 with balance due on arrival. Encourage a friend to come and share a guest room and you’ll each save $10 off the price of your retreat. Please register by November 9 for the $15 discount, final registration November 19. Other 12-Step Programs coming up include: the second in our Thirsting Series beginning January 2, 2008: Thirsting for Reality; and another weekend retreat: on March 28-30, Selfishness: The Self in Me Cannot Forgive Injuries. Visit our website, www.transformationscenter.org for a full schedule of 12-Step programs. The closing of the Fatima Retreat Center in Notre Dame, Indiana in December 2004 has many in the 12-Step community concerned. Fatima has offered AA/Al-Anon retreats for many years. Coincidentally, renovations and expansion during the past few years at Transformations have enhanced our capacity to increase 12-Step retreats from two a year to as many as four to six a year. More if the need warrants. An advisory group of individuals who are active in the 12-Step community has helped us design a retreat format and select respected, experienced directors. We hope that what we offer will fill a need in the region and that you will feel welcome here. Indeed, we have already heard words of encouragement from many who have attended one of our many retreats. For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org to register online. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. NEWS RELEASE Nazareth, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road offers Transforming our Hearts Through Thankfulness on Saturday, November 3, 2007 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. This workshop is facilitated by Marcella Clancy, CSJ. Gratitude of heart is a stance in life that is more than an acknowledgement of gifts received. It is an attitude of heart that enables us to perceive the difficulties and sufferings of life, not just its joyful experiences, as blessings. It has the capacity to heal and transform life’s bitter events in the environment of God and to create in us a constant contemplative and joyful spirit. Join us for a day of reflection, where we place our stories alongside wisdom stories to glimpse a way of living with less fear, more hope and greater joy. In this journey it is good to walk with someone who is at least a few steps ahead on the path. Sr. Marcella is an excellent traveling companion. An experienced spiritual director, retreat director and teacher, her gentle humor and depth create a safe place to journey. Cost is $45 and lunch is included. Please register by October 19. About Thankfulness: Thankfulness is a way of being in the world. It does not depend upon material welfare, and is not a “Pollyanna” approach to life. A life of gratitude accepts the bad with the good realizing that the human experiences of loss, anger, despair, and a sense of God’s silence are with us just as are the experiences of joy, love and peace. Nor is this something new as can be seen in the work of thirteenth century Sufi poet, Jalaluddin Rumi:
For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org to register online. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. NEWS RELEASE Learn How at Transformations Spirituality Center Nazareth, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road offers Graceful Approaches to Difficult People on Saturday, December 8, 2007 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The workshop is facilitated by Tom Conklin. We all face the reality of having people in our lives that irritate us. The nagger who always wants more from others, the colleague who is filled with toxic resentment, the relative who shares the details of our lives with the world: the list goes on. They present us with problems we either want to avoid or wish would go away. This workshop will look at the roles these people play in our lives and what we can do to better manage and learn from them and our reactions to them. We will not only address problem people, but also how establishing and maintaining more effective boundaries and maintaining a spirit of forgiveness and forgiving can help each of us in our spiritual growth. The end result is an improved quality of life and a more prayerful and thoughtful way of dealing with problem people. For many, this might be a way to hone skills for the holidays, a time when past avoidance sometimes surfaces in unique ways. Tom Conklin is a licensed social worker and counselor. He currently serves as Executive Director of Catholic Family Service of the Diocese of Saginaw where he also provides direct service through individual, marital, and family counseling. Five hours of methodology credit toward Diocesan Catechist Certification will be awarded. Cost is $45 and includes lunch. Please register by November 30. For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org to register online. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. NEWS RELEASE Coming to Transformations Spirituality Center Nazareth, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road offers a newly formatted retreat: Living From Within: A Four-Weekend Journey Toward an Undivided Life, facilitated by Marianne Novak Houston and inspired by the work of Parker J. Palmer. The series kicks off on Friday, November 30 at 7:00 p.m. and ends on Sunday, December 2 at 2:30 p.m. The more passionate we are about our work, the more vital it is that we take time to renew our own spirits—to reconnect with the wellsprings of our service to others. In this year-long retreat, divided into four seasonal weekends, we will focus on the rejoining of soul and role, of reconnecting who we are with what we do. The focus is neither on techniques nor skills required in our work, but on renewing our inner lives. Using solitary, small and large group formats, poetry, archetypal and personal stories, we will address basic life questions which, though they are personal and private, are often deeply instructive when shared in a “circle of trust.” This retreat is open to those interested in participating in four seasonal weekends in which a “courage community” will form. In this environment of trust the deep work of soul is given voice. This is the approach which has proven transformational for numerous circles Marianne has led throughout the U.S., Australia, Canada, and Asia. The full series schedule is as follows:
Meals, private guest room, linens, and handouts will be provided. Bring footwear and clothing appropriate for the outdoors if you wish to walk the Reconciliation Labyrinth or the hiking trails.
Pricing per Weekend: $275/290 Marianne Houston has a graduate degree in religious studies. She has worked with Dr. Parker J. Palmer, author of Courage to Teach and Courage to Lead since 1994 and helped develop the programs for spiritual development and transformation outlined in his books and to found the international formation movement. She is a senior advisor and facilitator with the Center for Courage and Renewal in Seattle, Washington. A teacher for more than 40 years, she now devotes full time to retreat facilitation and trains and mentors future formation facilitators in the U.S. and abroad. For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org to register online. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. NEWS RELEASE A Three-week Series of Retreats for 12-Step Participants Held at Transformations Nazareth, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road offers Thirsting for Wholeness: Mini-Retreats for Those Working the 12 Steps. Meeting three October Wednesday evenings: October 3, 10, and 17, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and led by Sue Ryder, MSW & Patrick Coffey, LLMSW. We live in the midst of the mystery of life, but most of us are unaware of this or choose to ignore it. Life is reduced to a personal formula where he or she with the most money, the “best” relationships, expensive possessions, and the hippest entertainment win. We fantasize that the right balance of these things will bring us serenity, contentment and fulfill our dreams. Thus, we are rarely satisfied and often deeply disappointed and frustrated. The spiritual path is the foundation for a personal and communal experience of wholeness. In this three part series, we will explore spirituality and addiction for those in any 12-Step recovery program. The insatiable desire for “more” is universal to all addiction. Alcohol, food, drugs, fitness, gambling, shopping, and unhealthy relationships may all become detours during our quest for spiritual wholeness. Recovery is a process of learning how to fill the emptiness that nothing else has been able to fill. Together we will tread the perilous path to the pure and loving Spirit at the core of our being. We will use story, experiential learning and voluntary sharing to create an atmosphere in which miracles happen. Please register by September 25. Cost: $15/meeting or $40 for all three. Visit our web site for more 12-Step Programs:
Jesus was truly radical in his approach to accepting those who were deemed unworthy by the political and religious leaders of his time. He was most comfortable with the outcasts and the poor, the broken and the blamed, the shunned and the shamed. His compassionate presence reminded them of the unconditional love of God. Two thousand years later, his hopeful message still comforts those who have suffered, who have felt alienated, who have tasted the sting of shame or blame - and isn’t that each of us at some time? This retreat will allow us to explore the example of Christ as inspiration for expanding the circle of our companionship and care. Joseph Nassal, CPPS is the author of eight books including The Conspiracy of Compassion, Rest Stops for the Soul, Premeditated Mercy, Moments of Truth, and Stations of the Crib. A Missionary of the Precious Blood, he has been engaged in retreat, renewal and reconciliation ministry since 1988.
To register for any of these programs, call 269.381.6290 extension 310. For more information about these and other programs offered and driving directions, visit www.transformationscenter.org. NEWS RELEASE Nazareth, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road offers Grandparent’s Day: Unplugged on Sunday, September 9, 2007 from 2 – 4 p.m. In his powerful book, Last Child in the Woods, author Richard Louv explores the fact that - for a variety of reasons - children don’t play outside much anymore. As one fourth grader stated, “I like to play indoors better ‘cause that’s where all the electrical outlets are.” As children’s connections to nature diminish, several social, psychological, and spiritual implications become apparent. This book raises the concept of “nature-deficit disorder,” not as a medical condition, but as a description of the human costs of alienation from nature. We’ve set this afternoon aside for any significant adults in the life of a child, to take a first step in reversing this trend while having fun and being together. Costumed storyteller “Marsh Mallow Man” will lead a lively, interactive discussion of wetlands, exploring their types, their value, the products they produce, how they are being destroyed and what we can do to protect them. We’ll enjoy s’mores by the campfire, and Wil Reding, the “Rambling Naturalist,” will lead a group walk through the woods and along the edge of the marsh where we can see, touch, and smell the beauty of a marshland in late summer. We will walk, talk, and explore over gradual hills and uneven surfaces, so sturdy shoes are recommended. Dress for the weather, and bring insect repellent suitable for use with children. Check in at the Transformations entrance, marked by the green awning. Please register by August 31. Cost is $20 for the first participant and $5 each additional person Check in at Transformations entrance, marked by the green awning. For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org to register online. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. NEWS RELEASE Orientation for Group Spiritual Direction: If you are facing an important decision or transition in your life, or searching for deeper spiritual insight, consider spiritual direction. A free orientation session, led by Sister Gertrude Maurer, provides an introduction to the group spiritual direction process and is a prerequisite for those new to spiritual direction before taking any of the series beginning September 5, and continuing for five weeks. Orientation for Group Spiritual Direction will be offered on Thursday, August 30 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Spiritual direction is for people of all faiths. Group Spiritual Direction Series: In group spiritual direction, a small group gathers on a regular basis with a trained spiritual director to assist one another in an awareness of the many ways God reaches out to us in daily life. Group spiritual direction provides the benefit of shared insights and broadened perspectives. In addition, the cost for the director’s time is shared by the group. Prerequisite for those new to this process: Orientation on Thursday, August 30, 2007. Different days and times are offered so that you can choose one that is convenient: Tuesday or Thursday afternoons, or Wednesday evenings. Cost is $75 for each five-session series. To register for any of these programs, call 269.381.6290 extension 310. For more information about these and other programs offered and driving directions, visit www.transformationscenter.org. NEWS RELEASE Nazareth, MI - Monday, September 24, 2007, Transformations Spirituality Center offers the 6th Annual Community of Caregivers Conference: Transforming the Energy of Suffering, presented by Dominic Vachon, M.Div., Ph.D. Registration 8:00 a.m., program 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Early registration by 8/24 is $50; $65 thereafter if seats are available. Professional caregivers are often surrounded by the suffering of others. The “energy” of suffering has a powerful impact on us and we are initiated into this work learning how to endure being a witness to suffering without being overwhelmed by it. In time, we must find ways to energize continuing to care for those who suffer while, at the same time, coping with the ways in which we can be worn down in the process. This caregiving journey is potentially one of a lifetime of “awakenings” in which our deepest Self comes forth. A very important part of living our lives committed to helping others involves attending to how what we are doing is both dangerous and, yet, a powerful force making us live more deeply and respond to life with deeper love. Caring for others is a gateway to the sacred, but not in some sweet benign image of the spiritual. It is both awesome and terrible, dangerous yet full of blessing. This workshop will be a day long exploration of the ways suffering can affect helpers/healers and how the energy of our response to it can help us deal with it and even transform its negative impact in the long run. Dominic O. Vachon M.Div., Ph.D. is a psychologist and the Director of Behavioral Medicine and Caring Science Training at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in South Bend, Indiana. His research has focused on the relationship between empathy and burnout, family caregiving, factors in maintaining caring in difficult work, the psychology of helping interactions, and the spirituality of caring. Cancellations received by 9/18/07 will be refunded all but a $15 processing fee. Refunds are not available for late cancellations or no-shows. Lunch is included and CEU’s for Nurses and Clergy are available for an additional fee. Six hours of credit for Kalamazoo Catholic Diocese Catechist Certification in Theological Content is given at no charge. To register for this program, call 269.381.6290 extension 310. For more information about other programs offered, to register online, or for driving directions, visit www.transformationscenter.org. NEWS RELEASE Nazareth, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road is offering Watercolor: The Free Flow of Letting Go on Saturday, August 11, 2007 from 9:00 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Spiritual traditions tell us that the deeper beauty of life begins to emerge when we stop grasping and struggling for control. Painting with watercolors can be a metaphor for the spiritual journey, for this medium defies precise control yet yields wonderful results. You need not have experience with watercolor to enjoy this workshop; in fact this is intended for beginners. We will learn basic techniques, so those who have wanted to try watercolor but have held back - come, and let go! Frances (Frankie) Dutil, CSJ will lead the workshop. She has a B.A. in French and music, an M.A. in educational psychology and an Associate Degree in art. She spent many years as an elementary teacher and principal. Two of her greatest loves are art and Ireland. Her love of Ireland goes back to her roots on her mother’s side. Her Celtic ancestry (both great-grandparents came to America during the potato famine) and trips to Ireland and Scotland have helped her develop knowledge and appreciation of the unique contributions of Celtic spirituality. Celtic scenes and objects populate her art, through which she tries to communicate the ineffable qualities of these places and beliefs. To allow each student time with the instructor, class size is limited to 16 people. Registration closes when program is full or on August 3, whichever is sooner. Cost: $75 includes lunch and all art materials.
For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org to register online. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. Read the latest Transformations Spirituality Newsletter. Read the latest Transformations Spirituality Newsletter. NEWS RELEASE Is Purpose of Retreat at Transformations June 22, 2007 Nazareth, MI - Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road, will offer a unique retreat-based approach to renewing personal identity, professional integrity and vocational vitality June 22-23, 2007. Using as its foundation the principles of author and philosopher Parker J. Palmer as expressed in his books The Courage to Teach and The Courage to Lead, this work strives to affirm the vital relationship between one’s inner life and one’s actions. It uses the flint of interacting with others in a trustful atmosphere to kindle and expand the ability to access an inner source of truth to live a life of integrity. It is not restricted to professionals in any one field. It is for anyone who wishes to take an inner journey as a way to attain greater clarity and wholeness along life’s path. The workshop, which begins Friday at 9:00 a.m. and ends Saturday at 3:00 p.m., will be facilitated by Marianne Novak Houston. She has a graduate degree in religious studies and worked for nine years with Parker Palmer to help found an international effort to develop and promulgate programs for spiritual development and transformation outlined in his books. Houston is a facilitator and consultant with the Center for Courage and Renewal located in Seattle, Washington, a center which dedicates itself to furthering Parker Palmer’s work. Houston lives and works in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The cost of the retreat is $215. An advance deposit of $70 is required with the balance of $145 due upon arrival. The cost includes the retreat, a private guest room, meals and materials. For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org to register online. Advance registration is required and limited to the first 24 people who register. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. Read the latest Transformations Spirituality Newsletter. NEWS RELEASE A Retreat for Those in Job Transition Reserve your Place Now Nazareth, MI - Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road is offering a new program - Finding Work Without Losing Heart: A Retreat for Those in Job Transition, on Wednesday, June 6, at 8:30 a.m. to Thursday, June 7, 2007 at 6:30 p.m. The retreat will be facilitated by Al Gustafson and a transition team of seasoned professionals who have made job or career transitions themselves and speak from real-life experience. Cost: $95* includes private guest room, six meals, materials, and individual spiritual direction. Send a $25 deposit by May 9 to reserve your place (all but $15 refundable until May 30). This workshop does not cover the usual topics in a program dealing with job loss. Rather than networking, resumes and cover letters, this program helps participants understand that the job transition process has predictable stages fundamental to human development. “Participants are empowered with renewed confidence, a sense of purpose and come to recognize that transition offers an opportunity to grow stronger spiritually and emotionally,” says Al Gustafson, one of the retreat organizers. Al Gustafson has worked at the Crossroads Center for Faith & Work at Old St. Patrick’s Church in Chicago since 1993. He is a founder and past president of the Career Transitions Center of Chicago. Gustafson is a seasoned retreat leader and spiritual director, dedicating his work to helping people grow in an affective, conscious and prayerful relationship with God. He holds degrees in accounting, ethics and spirituality. He and his family live in Woodridge, Illinois.
*For those who are unable to pay the full fee, a minimum of $25 is required and you are asked to contribute as much as you can to the $95 fee.
For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo.
NEWS RELEASE Nazareth, MI - Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road is offering A “Mini Retreat” for Men and Women in Recovery on Tuesday, May 8, 2007 from 6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. The retreat director for this evening is Sue Ryder, M.S.W., a therapist and addictions counselor. She earned her master’s degree in social work at WMU and is a clinical social worker with a specialty in addictions and equine therapy. Ryder has used the 12-Steps of recovery as a spiritual foundation for more than 20 years. This evening’s mini-retreat will focus on “The Promises” of 12-Step recovery programs. Members of any 12-Step program are invited to explore their personal relationship to these spiritual gifts. This facilitated group process will focus on deepening our understanding and awareness of the promises as a response to recovery from addiction. Participants will examine personal barriers that can block fullness in receiving the promises and develop insight into their own personal growth in 12-Step recovery. Reflection and discussion will assist participants to integrate their experience, strength and hope through the lens of the promises. Open to men and women in any 12-Step program. Coffee is provided. Cost: $18. For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. NEWS RELEASE Nazareth, MI - Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road is please to present The Spirituality of Thomas Merton on Saturday, May 12, 2007, 9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. "In order to find God in ourselves, we must stop looking at ourselves, stop checking and verifying ourselves in the mirror of our own futility, and be content to be in Him and to do whatever He wills, according to our limitations, judging our acts not in the light of our own illusions, but in the light of His reality which is all around us in the things and people we live with." - Thomas Merton in No Man is an Island Thomas Merton was one of the most famous American Roman Catholics of the 20th century. Born to a well-traveled, artistic family, Merton gradually shifted to Roman Catholicism from agnosticism and chose to become a Cistercian monk for the discipline of silence and solitude. His extensive writings reached well beyond the monastery walls, and his social criticisms on racism, economic injustice and militarism burned deeply into the public awareness. He was a pioneer in exploring the similarities between Christian and Eastern mysticism. Fr. Patrick Collins will lead an exploration of four major themes from the extensive writings of Thomas Merton. They are: the journey from false to true self, contemplation, prayer, and silence and solitude. There will be presentations, discussion and experiences of contemplative prayer. Fr. Patrick W. Collins, Ph.D. is an author, preacher, musician and university professor. In addition to numerous books and articles, Fr. Collins has produced forty-five TV programs, and a number of videos, among them Thomas Merton: Man, Monk, Myth with Music. Fr. Collins presents various kinds of retreats, missions, and workshops, including what he calls “spiritual concerts” which combine texts and tunes for spiritual insight and growth. Cost: $50 if registered before May 1, $55 thereafter. Lunch is included.. For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org to register online. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo.
Read the latest Transformations Spirituality Newsletter. Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road is pleased to offer An Evening with Mark Nepo on Thursday, April 19, 2007. This will be an evening to cherish. Mark has been called "an insightful religious thinker and a decidedly credible voice of contemporary spirituality" and a "deep optimist." He is a poet whose words grip us with their truth and a writer of prose that elicits smiles and moments of remembering. His latest book, Unlearning Back to God, is a beautiful reflection on paring back to the core of what matters. Mark will read from his new book of poems, Surviving Has Made Me Crazy, as well as from his next book of spiritual non-fiction, Facing the Lion, Being the Lion (due out in the fall of 2007). Visit www.marknepo.com for more details. Cost: $18 in advance, $20 at the door, $8 with valid student ID. Refreshments will be provided.
Program Schedule:
Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road is offering Spring Stirrings on Wednesday, March 21, 2007 from 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. Ginny Jones, SSJ has been actively involved in environmental education and action for more than 20 years. She holds a doctorate in environmental education and a certificate in spiritual direction. After a long winter, spring sweeps in and changes everything. The rain falls, buds erupt, the days lengthen, the colors intensify, and the air smells of the earth. We gather to welcome the season of spring and express joy for God's promise of renewal inherent in all of life. We will include prayer and ritual to celebrate. Cost: $10 suggested donation. The Eco-Spirituality Center provides opportunities to explore, discover, experience and celebrate what it means to be a part of the Earth community in new and deeper ways. Facilities include a 55-acre nature area, walking trails, a resource center containing books, audio and video tapes relating to environmental spirituality and a meeting room dedicated to eco-spirituality programs. For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road is offering Celtic Visions: The Unity of God and All That Is on Saturday, March 24, 2007 from 9:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. In Celtic Christianity we find a unity of the spiritual and the material, a refreshing perspective that is reflected beautifully in the art, poetry, music and people that flowed from it. Experience the moving sounds of Celtic music and the raw beauty of Ireland through photographs and art. Betsy Meagher, SSJ and Frankie Dutil, SSJ will share readings from noted Irish authors and help us to hear the cadence of the Celtic soul. Please register by March 15. Cost: $25 includes lunch. For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org to register online. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road is offering Working the 12-Steps: A Mini-Retreat for Men and Women in Recovery on Tuesday, March 6, 2007 from 6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. The retreat director for this evening is Pat Underwood, CSJ, a Hazelden-trained, and certified pastoral addictions counselor who has been living a 12-Step spirituality for nearly 30 years. Cost before February 19 is $15, $18 thereafter. Like an oasis in the desert, we need some space apart to recoup from the frantic pace of our lives. This mini-retreat provides some time to get off the treadmill of life and gives us a taste of what a longer retreat might be like-but in just one evening. This experience is grounded in 12-Step spirituality and is open to men and women who are from any 12-Step program. Coffee is provided. For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org to register online. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road is offering Spiritual Literacy: Books You Have Been Meaning to Read over three sessions, February 27, March 13, and March 27, 2007 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. There is a growing body of work focusing on the relationship between spirituality and modern science. In the introduction to Radical Amazement, Judy Cannato writes, paraphrasing St. Thomas Aquinas, that a mistake in our understanding of creation will necessarily cause a mistake in our understanding of God. Beginning with a brief history of the old cosmology, Cannato then introduces us to a wealth of new discoveries while relating each to traditional Christian teachings. This thoughtful, practical guide reveals the harmony of science and spirituality, inviting us to explore the connectedness of all creation. Judy Cannato is an author, a retreat facilitator and spiritual director. She maintains an office at River's Edge, a ministry of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Cleveland, Ohio. She has been doing retreat ministry and spiritual direction for twenty years. The book is available from Transformations. Reading the first four chapters before the first session will provide for a more lively discussion. Gertrude Maurer, SSJ will facilitate all three sessions. There is a $20 fee for all three sessions. Please register by February 19. For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org to register online. Call if you want overnight accommodations, advance registration is required. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. NEWS RELEASE Transformations Spirituality Center Nazareth, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road offers Embracing Others with Knitted Prayer, with Elizabeth Tompkins, on Saturday, March 1, 2008. The program runs from 9 a.m. until noon. The cost is $35 and includes all materials. Please bring your own needles, US size 11, 13, or 15. For centuries, people have been knitting and giving shawls to others as symbols of love, solace and healing. As in other acts of generosity, they often find that they receive more than they give but there is another dimension of knitting that people have rediscovered. The cadence of knitting is one that lends itself to prayer, and can transport the knitter to a deep, interior place. This morning will be spent introducing both the art and the prayer of knitting. No previous knitting experience is required. The workshop will be led by Elizabeth Tompkins, a Spiritual Director, Retreat and Labyrinth Facilitator, and one who has created over 50 beautiful prayer shawls. The making of a prayer shawl is a spiritual practice which embodies our thoughts and prayers for the receiver. It is a gift freely given with no strings attached. Made in prayer, as prayer, for prayer, the shawls are passed on hand-to-hand and heart-to-heart. From Prayer Of Blessing, for a completed shawl, by Janet Bristow: “May this mantle be a safe haven...a sacred place of security and well-being...sustaining and embracing in good times as well as difficult ones.” For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org to register online. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. ### Transformations Spirituality Center is a ministry of the Congregation of Saint Joseph. Programs are ecumenical and open to all. Our goal is to help people discover their own unique spirituality. In addition to educational programs we offer retreats, spiritual direction and conference space rental. Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road is pleased to offer Good Food from the Good Book with a Good Chef: Healthy Foods of the Bible with Deanna House on Sunday, March 11, 2007 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. $16 includes a cooking demonstration, recipes and samples. Deanna House is a popular demonstration chef who can teach just about anyone to prepare sure-to-please dishes. Her cooking demonstrations involve non-stop stories, lively interaction with the audience, and fine food. What better time than a Sunday in Lent to experience food, circa 30 a.d.; foods from long before the use of artificial flavorings and preservatives. Foods mentioned in the Bible contain things that we know we should eat; such as whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables. Common elements were flat bread, lentils, honey and olive oil. Deanna will prepare delicious recipes that incorporate these ancient food elements. Come celebrate food as a community around the ancient table. This event is co-sponsored by People's Food Co-Op, provider of healthy foods since 1973. Please register by February 26. For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org to register online. Call if you want overnight accommodations, advance registration is required. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo.
Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road is offering A Two-Part Celebration of International Women's Day beginning Saturday, March 3, 2007 from 9:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Blessings on the Breeze: Creating the Prayer Flags. The second part of the program, Blessings in the World: Celebrating International Women's Day will be presented Tuesday, March 6, 2007 from 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. International Women's Day, first celebrated in 1909, is a major event in other parts of the world. It is a day when women are celebrated without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, religious, linguistic, cultural, economic, or political. It is a time to look at past struggles and accomplishments, and more importantly, to look ahead to the possibilities for future generations. To frame our project, we will explore the eight United Nations Millennium Goals, and reflect on how they impact the lives of women everywhere. People from the Kalamazoo Book Arts Center will lead participants in a process of creating prayer flags that symbolize our reflections, prayers and blessings. We will each print or paint a design on an 8.5"x11" prayer flag. Ten of these flags will be strung on a cord and attached to tall standards. The flags will be commissioned to circulate to various public places in the community. In Tibet, prayer flags are flown everywhere, from mountaintops to rooftops, from monastery walls to apartment laundry lines. The prayers and blessings on the flags are thought to disperse in the wind and roam the planet in much the same ways as the seeds of a milkweed sail off on a breeze. After a time of circulation, our flags will be returned to Nazareth, where they will be installed at the site of the reconciliation labyrinth so that they can continue to inspire prayer and reflection. Dress comfortably in layers and consider bringing your journal. You might preview the Millennium Goals at www.un.org and bring a design to reproduce. Please register by February 19. Hannah McKinney will speak at the Blessings in the World: Celebrating International Women's Day on Tuesday evening, March 6, 2007 from 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. McKinney is currently serving as mayor of Kalamazoo, Michigan and is a Professor of Economics and Business at Kalamazoo College. Her focus is in urban economics, urban planning and public finance. McKinney has also written a book entitled The Development of Local Public Services, 1650-1869: Lessons from Middletown, CT., published by Greenwood Press, 1995. She has also written several articles based on a community building project entitled Convening Our Community that she codirected from 1999 to 2001. McKinney's newest research efforts include work on the future of small metropolitan areas as well as work on a National League of Cities project that examines poverty alleviation measures in American cities. Also this evening we will explore the United Nations Millennium Goals, and watch a short film to celebrate the lives of women. The prayer flags, designed the previous Saturday, will be dedicated and commissioned to circulate in the community. We will have a time to socialize accompanied by light refreshments to allow for lots of connecting-an activity that helps women support one another on the journey of life. Bring a friend. To help us anticipate the amount of food to provide, please register by March 1. For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org to register online. Call if you want overnight accommodations. Advance registration is required. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. A live Webcast of Trinity Institute 37th National Theological Conference Cosponsored by Transformations Spirituality Center, the Episcopal Diocese of Western Michigan and St. Luke’s Episcopal Church on January 23-24, 2007 Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road is offering a live Webcast of the highly acclaimed Trinity Institute National Theological Conference, followed by a time to engage in local theological discussions and reflection. This conference, Trinity’s 37th, asks "What do we believe is ultimate, and how does that shape the way we live?" Come and bring a colleague for stimulating discussion, reflection and fellowship. Jürgen Moltmann, keynote speaker, and widely regarded as one of the most important theologians of the last 50 years, will present a hopeful alternative to the bleak picture of God’s purpose found in apocalysm. Other speakers will include: Rev. Barbara R. Rossing, professor of New Testament at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago and author of The Rapture Exposed: The Message of Hope in the Book of Revelation. Rev. Peter J. Gomes, an ordained American Baptist minister and the Plummer Professor and Minister at The Memorial Church of Harvard University and author of two national best-sellers. Schedule (discussions will be facilitated at Transformations by local clergy) For a fee of $10 per day or $16 for both days you may come and go as your schedule permits. A continental breakfast will be served at 8:00 a.m. on each day. Lunch is on your own. Please register by January 9. For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org to register online. Call if you want overnight accommodations. Advance registration is required. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo.
Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road, will offer a one day workshop by author, lecturer, addictions counselor Gregory Boothroyd, Ph.D., CAC-II, LPC, entitled, Eliminating Self-Defeating Behaviors on Saturday, January 13, 2007. We all know people, perhaps ourselves, who are afflicted with self-defeating behaviors such as relationship problems, procrastination, perfectionism, inferiority, anxiety, eating disorders, addictions, fear of public speaking, excessive fear and worry—the list goes on. We deal with them personally and caregivers see them professionally. This workshop looks at how self-defeating behaviors arise, the ways in which we maintain them and provides practical techniques to assist us in eliminating these self-woven webs that keep us from living fully. Comments from recent participants include, "This was life-changing" and "Every social worker in the area should have been here!" The fee is $75 before 12/15/06; $90 thereafter. Cancellations before January 5, 2007 will be refunded all but a $15 processing fee. No refunds for late cancellations or no-shows. The number of participants is limited so register early. For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org to register online. Advance registration is required. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo.
Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road, will offer a unique retreat-based approach to renewing personal identity, professional integrity and vocational vitality December 1-2, 2006. Using as its foundation the principles of author and philosopher Parker J. Palmer as expressed in his books The Courage to Teach and The Courage to Lead, this work strives to affirm the vital relationship between one's inner life and one's actions. It uses the flint of interacting with others in a trustful atmosphere to kindle and expand the ability to access an inner source of truth to live a life of integrity. The retreat is not restricted to professionals in any one field. It is for anyone who wishes to take an inner journey as a way to attain greater clarity and wholeness along life's path. The workshop, which begins Friday at 9:00 a.m. and ends Saturday at 3:00 p.m., will be facilitated by Marianne Novak Houston. She has a graduate degree in religious studies and worked for nine years with Parker Palmer to help found an international effort to develop and promulgate programs for spiritual development and transformation outlined in his books. A teacher for more than 40 years, she was the recipient of the Milken Family Foundation's National Educator Award in 1993. Houston currently is a facilitator and consultant with the Center for Courage and Renewal located in Seattle, Washington, a center which dedicates itself to furthering Parker Palmer's work. Houston lives and works in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The cost of the retreat is $215. An advance deposit of $70 is required with the balance of $145 due upon arrival. An early registration discount on the advance deposit of $20 is available for those who register by November 3. The cost includes the retreat, a private guest room, meals and materials. For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org to register online. Advance registration is required and limited to the first 24 people who register. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road, will offer a two-day retreat entitled, "Praying with Our Whole Selves," Friday, November 3 through Saturday, November 4. Retreat facilitators are Nancy Diment, registered yoga teacher and physical therapist and Betsy Meagher, SSJ, worship coordinator at Nazareth Center. This retreat creates an experience of restfulness which encourages listening to the wisdom of the body. Breathing, relaxing and centering exercises of gentle yoga and focusing will help to bring minds and hearts to a place of prayerfulness. Those with some physical limitations may participate without concern, as Nancy's skills include working with these limitations. Nancy Diment was employed by the Kalamazoo Public Schools as a physical therapist working with special education students for many years. She has been a practitioner of yoga for more than 21 years and is a registered yoga teacher. She has taught yoga for the Portage YMCA, Bronson Hospital and KVCC. She particularly enjoys introducing newcomers to yoga and encouraging those with some limitations due to chronic conditions, or just the normal aging process, to enjoy the benefits of yoga. Betsy Meagher, SSJ has served as a diocesan liturgical director, liturgist, musician and educator for more than 20 years. She holds masters degrees in liturgy and music education. The retreat begins with check-in Friday night, November 3, at 6:00 p.m. and ends on Saturday, November 4 at 4:00 p.m. The cost is $110 and includes snacks, meals, materials and a private guest room Friday night. Commuters (no guest room) may attend for $85. For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org to register online. Advance registration is required. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo.
Transformations Spirituality Center will launch its fall Positive Aging programs with a free introduction on Saturday, September 16, from 9:30 - 11:15 a.m. at 3427 Gull Road. This free session introduces the Sage-ing Circle Series which is scheduled on four Saturdays beginning September 23. At a certain age, our bodies remind us that we are entering a new stage of life. Eventually, not only our bodies, but also our professional identity, our priorities, our relationships and daily routines change. No other life stage, except adolescence, brings so many challenges. Along with these changes we begin to question the meaning and purpose of our lives in ways that would not have occurred to us earlier. Adulthood has clearly defined milestones and expectations and is characterized by achievement and productivity. After 50, we're perceived as being "over the hill" and the future is characterized by decline and loss. The Sage-ing Circle series challenges these perceptions of aging and provides a practical framework for transforming a lifetime of experience into forgiveness and wisdom, a way to turn old resentments into blessings, and provides a set of tools for living a life of meaning and purpose to the very end. This is done through a process of life review, forgiveness work, exploring our mortality, and tools for conscious living, among other things. The programs are transdenominational and are based on the concept that our spiritual yearning for meaning unites us, whatever our religious background. The September 16 introduction provides an overview of the series and gives participants an opportunity to sample the process used in the series and to ask questions. The subsequent Sage-ing Circle Series classes will be held on Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on the following dates: September 23, October 21, November 11, and December 2. The series requires a $65 deposit by September 23 with the balance of $95 due by October 21. Lunch is included in the cost. For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310. Visit www.transformationscenter.org for more information or to register online. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (3427 Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road, will host the fifth annual Community of Caregivers workshop on Friday, October 6, 2006 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Registration and refreshments are from 8:00-9:00 a.m. The workshop, entitled "Spirituality of Caring: The Rewards and Risks," will be led by Dominic Vachon, M.Div., Ph.D. The workshop is designed for professional caregivers: nurses, counselors, social workers, physicians, psychologists, teachers, clergy and lay leaders, and anyone who is engaged in a helping profession. The workshop is designed to help professional caregivers find ways to respond to the daily encounter with human suffering and pain that can help them avoid becoming demoralized, emotionally detached and burned out. A spirituality of caring explores how cultivating your spirituality of caring helps to "metabolize" and transcend toxic encounters with suffering. It also examines how spiritual grounding contributes to the healing process and the detrimental effects of not caring. The risks of spiritual grandiosity, spiritual masochism, compulsive helping, and spiritual codependence will also be explored. Dominic Vachon is the director of Behavioral Medicine and Caring Science Training at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in South Bend, Indiana. He is also a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine of the Indiana University School of Medicine and an adjunct professor in the Psychology and Theology Departments at the University of Notre Dame. He has a BA and a Masters of Divinity from the University of Notre Dame and a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Loyola University of Chicago. Dr. Vachon’s research has focused on the relationship between empathy and burnout, family caregiving, factors in maintaining caring in difficult work, the psychology of helping interactions and the spirituality of caring. Sponsors for this event include Bronson Healthcare Group, Catholic Family Services, Chapel Hill United Methodist Church, Community Healing Centers, the John E. Fetzer Institute, Lutheran Church of the Savior, Pine Rest Kalamazoo Clinic, Presbytery of Lake Michigan, Reformed Church in America S.W. Michigan Classis, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Nazareth, Three Rivers Health, Transformations Spirituality Center, Unitarian Universalist Community Church of S.W. Michigan, United Church of Christ Southwest Association, West Michigan Cancer Center, and anonymous friends. The cost of this workshop is $50 before September 1 and $65 thereafter and includes lunch. For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org to register online. Early registration is advised.
Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road, will present "Transitions: A Creative Journey through Change" on Saturday, June 10 from 9:00 a.m. until noon. This program will explore the "in-between" places we have all known, the transitions that move us from the familiar to the uncharted. Facing the unknown can be frightening. Elizabeth Tompkins and Jane Vernon will lead the morning in a visit through the rough edges formed by change to reveal them as places where growth and transformation occur. The goal: to appreciate change as an invitation to grow into what we are called to be. Transformations' new outdoor labyrinth will serve as one means to that goal. Both Elizabeth Tompkins and Jane Vernon are trained labyrinth facilitators. Vernon is an educator and has facilitated spiritual formation and renewal classes, retreats and individual guidance for men, women and youth. Tompkins has a background in theology, pastoral care and spiritual formation and is a certified spiritual director. The cost for the morning is $20. Bring a journal, wear comfortable walking shoes, and come dressed for both indoor and outdoor activities. Coffee and bagels will be provided. For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org to register online. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. The Sisters of St. Joseph Transformations Spirituality Center, is sponsoring a day-long conference entitled "The Gifts of Conscious Aging" on May 11, 2006 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The conference will be held at the Borgess Lawrence Education Center, 1521 Gull Road. The primary speaker and facilitator for the day is Harry R. Moody, Ph.D., director of Academic Affairs for the American Association of Retired People (AARP) in Washington, D.C. and a senior associate with the International Longevity Center-USA. Harry Moody is one of a number of voices who, since 1992, has identified a new vision of later life called "conscious aging." Moody and others, such as Maggie Kuhn (Gray Panthers), Ram Dass (Still Here), Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi (From Age-ing to Sage-ing) and Drew Leder (Spiritual Passages) have lectured and published many insights and practical guidelines for aging consciously to make acquiring the qualities of an "elder" a deliberate outcome rather than a lucky break. In his presentations, Moody's long affiliation with the conscious aging movement, extensive knowledge of gerontology, adult learning and life stage development are spiced with an eclectic mix of art, literature, film, dream work, fairy tales and stories of many faiths. "Harry Moody is a foremost scholar, educator and author on life stage development, gerontology and spirituality. He has curtailed his speaking engagements since taking a new post at AARP over a year ago so this is a rare opportunity to hear him speak.," said Marie Warner, coordinator of the Positive Aging Program at Transformations Spirituality Center. The tendency for spiritual issues to come to the forefront in late life is a well-documented fact by researchers such as Carl Jung, Eric Erikson and Daniel Levinson. It is a time when people begin to ask, "Is this all there is?" This question is particularly provocative to the millions of Baby Boomers who are turning 60 this year and who were raised on the promise of the American Dream. At the same time that new questions of meaning arise, individuals may experience major upheaval due to changing role identity caused by retirement, the fledging of children, and the inevitable diminishments of aging. "The Gifts of Conscious Aging" conference offers practical steps to shifting focus from grieving over the losses we imagine-and experience-to cultivating what we can become. This conference provides an opportunity to awaken to both the challenges and potential for celebration in late life-to deepen wisdom, affirm life and pursue new purpose. The conference will also include break-out sessions and a "town meeting" style community panel consisting of leaders from the fields of psychology, sociology, education, health care, senior services, creativity, spirituality and personal growth. Harry Moody is a graduate of Yale and Columbia (Ph.D. in philosophy) and taught at several universities before accepting key positions in organizations such as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Institute for Human Values in Aging, the Brookdale Center on Aging, Elderhostel and the National Aging Policy Center of the National Council on Aging. He has written over 100 scholarly articles and has written or edited five books including: The Five Stages of the Soul, (Doubleday Anchor Books, 1997), Ethics in an Aging Society (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1992), and Religion, Spirituality, and Aging: A Social Work Perspective (Haworth Press, Inc., 2005). The cost for the conference is $75. Advance registration is required. For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org to register online. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road, will celebrate its new outdoor labyrinth with a dedication ceremony and labyrinth walk on Sunday, April 30 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. The dedication will begin indoors at the center with refreshments and a talk by Monsignor William Fitzgerald followed by a dedication ceremony at the labyrinth site and a guided labyrinth walk lead by Elizabeth Tompkins, a trained labyrinth facilitator. The labyrinth installed at Transformations is a unique contemporary design called the "Reconciliation Labyrinth." It was designed by Clare Wilson of South Africa as a tool for-and symbol of-healing. The Reconciliation Labyrinth has two entrances and two semicircular "lobes." This design enables walkers to traverse first one side and then the other. People who choose to walk in pairs can experience the symbolic act of "walking in the other person's shoes." A brochure at the site gives information and directions for getting the most benefit from this unique labyrinth. The labyrinth can be walked anytime during daylight hours. The labyrinth can be accessed by using the second driveway off Nazareth Road into the Sisters of St. Joseph property. We ask that groups call ahead. A donation is appreciated. The labyrinth dedication ceremony and walk is free and open to the public. Advance registration is requested. For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org to register online. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road, will offer an overnight retreat for couples on April 27-28, 2006. The intimacy of marriage, or any committed relationship, offers a priceless opportunity for spiritual growth. "The Sacred Art of Being Together" retreat offers an opportunity for connected couples to explore and develop spiritual practices and activities to deepen their relationship with God and each other. Activities such as creating sacred space, rituals, music and time for communication will be explored as ways to enhance spiritual growth in everyday life. Leaders of the retreat are two couples deeply steeped in spiritual formation, retreat work and ministry. Doug Vernon is senior pastor of the First United Methodist Church in Kalamazoo. Jane Vernon has a degree in education and facilitates spiritual formation and renewal classes, retreats and individual guidance. Both Jane and Doug Vernon are trained labyrinth facilitators. Dick Cushnie, a Presbyterian minister, is doing post-doctoral work at Columbia Theological Seminary. Susan Cushnie has worked as a Christian adult and youth educator. The cost of the retreat is $225 per couple. A $75 nonrefundable deposit is due in advance. Those who register by March 31 will receive a $10 discount on their advance deposit. The retreat begins at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, April 28 and continues until 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 29. For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org to register online. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road, will hold another in its series of Spiritual Literacy offerings over three Thursday evenings at 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. beginning March 9 and continuing March 23 and April 6. In his book, The Five Stages of the Soul: Charting the Spiritual Passages that Shape Our Lives (Random House, 1997), Dr. Harry R. Moody blends 20 years in the field of aging with extensive research and knowledge of gerontology, philosophy, adult learning, psychology, literature, art, and religion. The result is a unique perspective on the process of aging and the spiritual passages that culminate in late life. Hugh Downs, award winning journalist and former anchor of ABCs 20/20, says of the book, "I can't imagine anyone who doesn't think about the issues The Five Stages of the Soul deals with, but I know of very few who can discuss them freely on a personal level. This is a truly inspiring book that should prove liberating as well." Dr. Moody, who is currently Director of Academic Affairs for AARP in Washington, D.C., will be at Transformations on May 11 to conduct a day-long conference called "Aware, Awake, Deliberate: The Gifts of Conscious Aging." The discussion of The Five Stages of the Soul will be facilitated by Gertrude Maurer, SSJ. Maurer is a certified spiritual director, retreat director, and a trained Sage-ing Circle® facilitator. The cost to participate in the book discussions is $20 for the three evenings. For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org to register online. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road, will offer a unique retreat-based approach to renewing personal identity, professional integrity and vocational vitality February 24-25, 2006. Using as its foundation the principles of author and philosopher Parker J. Palmer as expressed in his books The Courage to Teach and The Courage to Lead, this work strives to affirm the vital relationship between one's inner life and one's actions. It uses the flint of interacting with others in a trustful atmosphere to kindle and expand the ability to access an inner source of truth to live a life of integrity. It is not restricted to professionals in any one field. It is for anyone who wishes to take an inner journey as a way to attain greater clarity and wholeness along life's path. The workshop, which begins Friday at 5:30 p.m. and ends Saturday at 6:30 p.m., will be facilitated by Marianne Novak Houston. She has a graduate degree in religious studies and worked for nine years with Parker Palmer to help found an international effort to develop and promulgate programs for spiritual development and transformation outlined in his books. Houston is a facilitator and consultant with the Center for Courage and Renewal located in Seattle, Washington, a center which dedicates itself to furthering Parker Palmer's work. Houston lives and works in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The cost of the retreat is $215. An advance deposit of $75 is required with the balance due upon arrival. The cost includes the retreat, a private guest room, meals and materials. For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org to register online. Advance registration is required and limited to the first 24 people who register. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. Transformations Spirituality Center will offer its next installment of Positive Aging programs beginning Wednesday, February 7, 2006 from 6:30-9:30 p.m. at 3427 Gull Road. This session is a prerequisite to the three Sage-ing Circle Series programs to follow which will be held once a month beginning February 25. Thanks to advances in public health, health care, nutrition and lifestyle, we are living longer, healthier lives. "Throughout most of recorded history, only one in 10 people could expect to live to the age of sixty-five," writes Ken Dychtwald and Joe Flower, authors of Age Wave. "Today, nearly 80 percent of Americans will live to be past that age." In fact, half of all people who have ever lived to age 65 are alive today. Not only are we living longer, there are many, many more of us. This qualitative and quantitative population trend is expected to continue and accelerate. But this good news is clouded with challenges. From childhood to adulthood, major life transitions are supported by popular culture, expectations and rituals. Not so for life after 50. Retiring in our 50s and 60s with 30 or more--mostly healthy--years yet to live, we enter strange, uncharted territory. Faced with the loss of prime-of-life roles, stereotypes of aging and looming diminishments, many aging adults lose their way and experience growing anxiety and lack of meaning. There are concrete, measurable consequences to this: increasing marginalization, poor quality of life, depression, stress-related illness and premature death. The Sage-ing Circle Series provides a guide to growing older that is both practical and transforming. This award-winning, innovative series acknowledges the full range of realities and potentialities of aging. But rather than seeing aging as a problem to be solved, the focus is on aging as a natural stage of adult development. Sage-ing provides a framework for transforming a lifetime of experience into forgiveness and wisdom, a way to turn old resentments into blessings, and provides a set of tools for living a life of meaning and purpose to the very end. Sage-ing uses a mind-body-spirit approach, the latest research on adult learning and various activities such as journaling, meditation, guided visualization and mindfulness. The programs are transdenominational and open to anyone who accepts that our spiritual yearning for meaning transcends and unites us, whatever our religious background. Participants learn from their own insights and those of others in a variety of ways. They have the opportunity to assess where they've been, what worked, and what didn't work (life review). They are guided to find wisdom, meaning and purpose from past experience (life harvest). They work on forgiveness, healing past hurts and relationships (life repair). In the process, they have the opportunity to come to terms with their own mortality, discover their unique personal legacy, learn mentoring skills and how to assume the role of a wise elder . In the February 7 prerequisite, participants explore what Sage-ing is all about and experience a taste of this transformational work which provides a basic foundation for the subsequent three sessions in the series. The prerequisite will be repeated on Saturday, February 11 from 9: a.m. to noon and Wednesday, February 15 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. The cost to attend any one of the prerequisites is $20. The subsequent Sage-ing Circle Series classes will be held on the following dates: Saturday, February 25 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Saturday, March 18 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; and Saturday, April 1 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Each of these sessions is $45 and includes lunch. For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org to register online. Advance registration is required. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. Father James O'Leary, pastor of St. Ambrose Church in Parchment, Michigan, will present four lectures at Transformations Spirituality Center that will explore the idea of spirituality and the idea of Church and how these ideas intertwine. The series will span a period of time from the Age of Constantine through the period of the Second Vatican Council and Pope John XXIII. "Each of these four periods in the history of the Catholic Church was a time when the Church was at a major crossroads. They were times when decisions were made--decisions we are still living with today," says Father O'Leary. The series will take place at Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road on M-43 just east of Kalamazoo. They will each be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on four Wednesdays: January 11, January 18, January 25 and February 1. The cost is $5.00 per session. To register, please call 269.381.6290 ext. 310 or visit www.transformationscenter.org. Please register in advance.
A day of reflection entitled "The Way of Transparent Life," will be offered at Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road on Saturday, December 3 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. This day is for those who wish to discover and listen to God within by taking the time for silence and "restfulness." Different approaches to meditative and centering prayer will be explored including several mindfulness techniques based on the teachings of Thich Nhat Hahn. The goal is to help bridge a path between personal prayer and daily life. The day will consist of brief presentations, prayer exercises and time for personal and shared reflection. Bring your Bible, or other sacred writings, and a journal. The day will be facilitated by Laura Smith, SSJ. Sister Laura has experience in counseling, consultation, spiritual direction, retreat facilitation and teaching. She holds masters degrees in pastoral theology, counseling and music. She earned a certificate in spiritual direction from the Dominican Center in Grand Rapids and studied with the Sufi Institute for two years. The cost for the day is $45 and includes lunch and materials. For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org to register online. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. Mark Nepo, an award-winning poet and philosopher, will speak at Transformations Spirituality Center on Thursday, November 10 from 6:30 – 9:15 p.m. The evening is entitled “The Exquisite Risk: Daring to Live an Authentic Life.” Nominated for the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize, Mark has been included in many anthologies and written several books, including Acre of Light, Fire Without Witness and The Book of Awakening, all of which have received national attention and outstanding reviews. His most recent book, The Exquisite Risk (Harmony Books, NY, 2005), will provide the focus for the evening. Spirituality and Health magazine says of this work, “…one of the best books we’ve ever read on what it takes to live an authentic life.” As a cancer survivor, Mark remains committed to the usefulness of daily inner life. Through both his writing and teaching, he devotes himself to the life of inner transformation and relationship, exploring the expressive journey of healing where the paths of art and spirit meet. Mark will read from his works from 6:30-7:45 p.m. After the readings, he will invite dialogue with the audience and facilitate group exercises on living an authentic life. This will be followed by a book signing. Mark taught at the State University of New York at Albany for 18 years, served as Scholar-in-Residence and Senior Advisor for the Fetzer Institute in Kalamazoo, and is currently a program officer at the Fetzer Institute. The cost for the evening program is $18 for adults and $8 for students. For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org to register online. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. A workshop entitled "Positive Aging: Practices for Family Caregivers" will be held at Transformations Spirituality Center on two Tuesday evenings, October 11 and October 18 from 6:30-9:00 p.m. Marie Warner and Joseph Yankech from Transformations will facilitate the program. Anyone who has or expects to have responsibility for assisting an older parent, family member or friend who is in their later years of life will benefit from this program. Those who work with customers, patients or clients who are in midlife and beyond are also welcome. "This workshop acknowledges the important role and service of family caregivers and the challenges and opportunities they face when caring for a loved one who is in their later years," says Marie Warner, Coordinator of the Positive Aging Program at Transformations. "This program looks at ways in which embracing the inevitable losses that accompany aging can help older adults--and their families-improve family communication, explore questions of meaning, seek peace with the past, cultivate a positive attitude and gain wisdom from the ordinary experiences of daily living ," she says. Recent research by leading universities indicates that a positive attitude toward aging can have direct health benefits. Dramatic changes are occurring in what it means to be an older adult in America. A 1999 Los Angeles Times survey detected "a generation of older Americans who are poised not only to defy long-standing views of aging but to redefine this stage of life." For many caregivers, aging presents a series of unending problems to be solved. The aging person is seen as slowing down, exhibiting diminishments, "failing." Finding the appropriate professional, medical or social service intervention can be physically and emotionally challenging. When caregivers experience this work in positive aging, not only are they better prepared to support their loved one more compassionately, but they will be better equipped to navigate their own aging journey in a rapidly changing world. Marie Warner has a B.A. from Nazareth College and an M.B.A. from Western Michigan University. She has received extensive training in group facilitation through the Kettering Foundation, the Healing Racism Institute and the Spiritual Eldering® Institute. Joseph Yankech has a B.A. from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, an M.A. from the University of Delaware and a Ph.D. from Michigan State University. He has extensive teaching experience in his field of sociology. Both are Certified Sage-ing Leaders through the Spiritual Eldering Institute of Boulder, Colorado. The cost for the two-evening program is $30. For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org to register online. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road, will host the third annual Community of Caregivers workshop on Monday, October 10, 2005 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Registration and continental breakfast is from 8:00-9:00 a.m. The workshop, entitled “Finding the Balance: Developing Emotional Skills for Effective Caregiving,” will be led by Dr. Lynn M. Levo, CSJ, Ph.D. The workshop is designed for professional caregivers; nurses, counselors, social workers, physicians, clergy and lay leaders, although anyone interested may attend. The workshop allows participants to stand back, reflect and strengthen their ability to manage the emotional component of their daily interactions with others. Research suggests that our capacity for effective “emotional intelligence” (EQ) may be an even better marker for success that our intellectual capacity (IQ). In this workshop, participants will have an opportunity to assess their own EQ and explore the self and social dimensions of Emotional Intelligence, particularly the role of self-awareness, confidence and empathy. Case studies will be used to provide practical suggestions to help participants to become more skillful in their ability to balance their emotional responses with intellectual knowledge in a way that utilizes and acknowledges the value of both. Dr. Levo is a licensed psychologist, consultant and dynamic speaker as well as Director of Education for the St. Luke Institute in Maryland. Dr. Levo has presented nationally and internationally on anger, stress, life transitions, conflict and many other issues on healthy emotional and spiritual development. She has been a consultant or presenter with professional and religious organizations, businesses, hospitals, and universities. More than 130 people attended Dr. Levo’s workshop on anger last year at Transformations. Sponsors for this event include Borgess Health Alliance, Bronson Healthcare Group, Catholic Family Services, Chapel Hill United Methodist Church, Fetzer Institute, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Lutheran Church of the Savior, Northside Ministerial Alliance, Pine Rest Kalamazoo Clinic, Presbytery of Lake Michigan, Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church, Sister of St. Joseph of Nazareth, Reformed Church in America S.W. Michigan Classis, Three Rivers Health, Transformations Spirituality Center, United Church of Christ Southwest Association, West Michigan Cancer Center, and anonymous friends. The cost of this workshop is $60 and includes lunch. For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org to register online. Early registration is advised. Transformations Spirituality Center will launch its fall Positive Aging programs beginning Tuesday, September 27 from 6:30-9:30 p.m. at 3427 Gull Road. This session is a prerequisite to the Sage-ing Circle Series to follow which begins October 8. This award-winning, innovative series provides a practical framework for transforming a lifetime of experience into forgiveness and wisdom, a way to turn old resentments into blessings, and provides a set of tools for living a life of meaning and purpose to the very end. The Sage-ing Circle uses a mind-body-spirit approach, the latest research on adult learning and various activities such as journaling, meditation, guided visualization and mindfulness. The programs are transdenominational and open to anyone who accepts that our spiritual yearning for meaning unites us, whatever our religious background. The September 27 prerequisite provides a basic foundation so that participants can take any or all of the subsequent three sessions in the Sage-ing Circle Series in any order. For convenience, the prerequisite will be repeated on Saturday, October 1 from 9 a.m. to noon, and Wednesday, October 5 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. The cost to attend any one of the prerequisites is $20. The subsequent Sage-ing Circle Series classes will be held on the following dates: Saturday, October 8 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Saturday, October 15 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; and Saturday, November 12 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Each of these sessions is $45 and includes lunch. For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310. Visit www.transformationscenter.org for more information or to register online. Advance registration is required. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (3427 Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. Dr. Carol Zinn, Ph.D., SSJ, a delegate to the United Nations, will share her insights, observations and analysis in two talks that will explore the trends shaping our world and the steps we can take, right where we are, to insure a better future. The event is on Saturday, September 10 and is sponsored by Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road. How is Our World REALLY Doing These Days? - - 9:30 am-noon Science, Simplicity, Spirituality and Sustainability - 1:30-4:30 p.m. Each individual session is $20 or attend both for $30, a $10 discount. Students pay $8 each session. 381.6290 ext. 310. www.transformationscenter.org. A 12-Step retreat for men in recovery will be held Friday August 26 through Sunday, August 28 at Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road. Father James O’Leary, pastor of St. Ambrose church in Parchment, will lead the group. Included will be a look at what it means to “let go” in Step 3, coming to know the meaning of “true self” and the dangers of isolation. The retreat is for people of all faiths. The cost for the weekend, which includes food and overnight accommodations, is $155. An orientation for Group Spiritual Direction will be offered on Thursday, September 1 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The orientation is for those new to spiritual direction and is a prerequisite for the Group Spiritual Direction series that begins September 9 and continues for five weeks. Spiritual direction is for people of all faiths. Sister Gertrude Maurer will lead the orientation session for which there is no charge. To register for either of these programs, call 269.381.6290 extension 310. For more information and driving directions, visit www.transformationscenter.org. Transformations Spirituality Center will offer its fall Positive Aging programs beginning Tuesday, September 27, 2005 from 6:30-9:30 p.m. at 3427 Gull Road. This session is a prerequisite to the Sage-ing Circle Series to follow which will begin October 8. The Sage-ing Circle Series provides a guide to growing older that is both practical and transforming. This award-winning, innovative series acknowledges the full range of realities and potentialities of aging. But rather than seeing aging as a problem to be solved, the focus is on aging as a natural stage of adult development. Sage-ing provides a framework for transforming a lifetime of experience into forgiveness and wisdom, a way to turn old resentments into blessings, and provides a set of tools for living a life of meaning and purpose to the very end. Sage-ing uses a mind-body-spirit approach, the latest research on adult learning and various activities such as journaling, meditation, guided visualization and mindfulness. The programs are transdenominational and open to anyone who accepts that our spiritual yearning for meaning transcends and unites us, whatever our religious background. Life doesn’t come with an instruction book. What little we know about what lies ahead grows particularly murky after middle age. The Sage-ing Circle will help you prepare for this adventure from your own insights and those of others in a variety of ways. You will have the opportunity to assess where you’ve been, what worked, and what didn’t work (life review). You will be guided in finding wisdom, meaning and purpose from past experience (life harvest). You will work on forgiveness, healing past hurts and relationships (life repair). You will have the opportunity to come to terms with your own mortality, discover your unique personal legacy, learn mentoring skills and how to assume the role of a wise elder. In the September 27 prerequisite, you will learn what Sage-ing is all about and experience a taste of this transformational work. This session provides the basic foundation in Sage-ing so that you can take any or all of the subsequent three sessions in the series in any order. For convenience, the prerequisite will be repeated on Saturday, October 1 from 9 a.m. to noon, and Wednesday, October 5 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. The cost to attend any one of the prerequisites is $20. The subsequent Sage-ing Circle Series classes will be held on the following dates: Saturday, October 8 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Saturday, October 15 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; and Saturday, November 12 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Each of these sessions is $45 and includes lunch. For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310. Visit www.transformationscenter.org for more information or to register online. Advance registration is required. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. Nazareth, MI - Mary Southard, CSJ, well-known painter, book illustrator, sculptor, and retreat director will lead a creative retreat at Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road, from 7:00 p.m. Friday evening, June 3, through 4:00 p.m. Sunday afternoon, June 5. In this retreat participants will experience painting as a way to step back from "trying to figure things out," to let intuition, deeper knowing and the creative spirit have their say, regardless of their level of art experience. The cost for the retreat, including guest room (double occupancy) for two nights, meals and basic materials is $200. Single occupancy room is an additional $25 per night. A commuter rate is available at $135 to participate in the day-time activities. Two programs will be offered from our Eco-Spirituality Center. "Growing through Gardening" will be presented on Wednesday, June 8 from 7-8:30 p.m. to explore gardening as a metaphor for the care of our inner, spiritual gardens. The Summer Solstice with be celebrated on Tuesday, June 21 from 7-8:30 p.m. outdoors behind Transformations Center, weather permitting. Call 269.381.6290 ext. 310 before 4:30 p.m. for alternative plans. Both programs will be facilitated by Ginny Jones, SSJ, Director of the Eco-Spirituality Center. There is a suggested donation of $10 for each program. To register for any of these programs, call 269.381.6290 extension 310. For more information and directions, visit www.transformationscenter.org. Nazareth, MI - Mary Southard, CSJ, well-known painter, book illustrator, sculptor, and retreat director will lead a retreat at Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road, from Friday evening June 3 through Sunday afternoon, June 5, 2005. Creative expression lets us go beyond the surface of our lives. Mary Southard is masterful at helping people step back from “trying to figure things out,” to letting intuition, deeper knowing and the creative spirit have their say. In this retreat participants will experience painting as a way of listening to their deeper self. They will experience how trusting and giving voice to their own creative and spiritual energy helps to access insightful thoughts and feelings for living a more authentic life. Regardless of their level of art experience participants will enjoy the freedom to engage in this creative process without competition, comparison or expectation. Mary Southard is best known for her prints, posters and book illustrations which are done in a fanciful, fluid expressiveness. She has illustrated books by inspirational writers such as Joyce Rupp and William Burke. Mary Southard lives and works in La Grange, Illinois. The cost for the two days including guest room (double occupancy) for two nights, meals and basic materials is $200. Single occupancy room is an additional $30 per night. A commuter rate is available at $135 to participate in the day-time activities. Participants should bring their favorite medium and brushes (if they have them) and a smock. The retreat begins at 7:00 p.m. Friday night and ends at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on (M-43), just east of Kalamazoo, Michigan. For more information, visit www.transformationscenter.org. To register, call 269.381.6290 extension 310.
Nazareth, MI - A workshop entitled "Positive Aging: Practices for Professional Caregivers" will be held at Transformations Spirituality Center on Thursday, May 19 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Marie Warner, Certified Sage-ing Leader, will facilitate the program. Anyone who works with patients or clients who are in midlife and beyond will benefit from this program, including: nurses, case managers, social workers, hospice workers and volunteers, clergy, counselors, nursing home and assisted living center staff, and senior center staff. "This workshop can bring a refreshing shift of focus for the challenges faced by caregivers of the aging population," says Marie Warner, Coordinator of the Positive Aging program at Transformations. "Because it explores the positive aspects of aging and addresses aging as a natural stage of adult development, it looks at ways in which embracing the inevitable losses that accompany aging can help older adults explore questions of meaning, seek peace with the past, and cultivate wisdom from the ordinary experiences of daily living," she says. Dramatic changes are occurring in what it means to be an older adult in America. A 1999 Los Angeles Times survey detected "a generation of older Americans who are poised not only to defy long-standing views of aging but to redefine this stage of life." Recent research by leading universities indicates that a positive attitude toward aging can have direct health benefits. For many in the caregiving field, aging presents a series of unending problems to be solved. The aging person is seen as slowing down, exhibiting diminishments, "failing." Applying the appropriate professional, medical or social service intervention can be challenging. When caregivers experience this work in positive aging, not only are they better prepared to support their patients and clients in a more holistic way, but they gain knowledge about their own aging journey as well. Marie Warner is the Positive Aging Coordinator for Transformations Spirituality Center. Warner has a B.A. from Nazareth College and an M.B.A. from Western Michigan University. She has had extensive training in group facilitation through the Kettering Foundation, the Healing Racism Institute and the Spiritual Eldering® Institute of Boulder, Colorado. She is a Certified Sage-ing Leader and Sage-ing Circle Facilitator. The cost for the day is $55. Lunch and materials are included in the workshop fee. For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org to register online. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo.
Nazareth, MI - A workshop entitled "Dreams: The Language of the Soul" will be held at Transformations Spirituality Center on Saturday, March 5 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Laura Smith, SSJ, who is a trained counselor and spiritual director, will facilitate the program. Sources both ancient and modern have been interested in the phenomenon of dreams and what they have to tell us. Native cultures, religions and modern psychology acknowledge dreams as valuable sources of information and inspiration. The Bible gives us many examples of dreams as instruments through which people hear both God and echoes of their own souls. This workshop will explore dreams and recognize them as a rich source of insight and guidance in our spiritual life. Participants will learn basic tools for interpretation of their own dreams. Sr. Laura Smith has experience in counseling, consultation, spiritual direction, retreat work and teaching. She holds masters degrees in counseling, pastoral theology, and music. She earned a certificate in spiritual direction from the Dominican Center in Grand Rapids and studied with the Sufi Institute for two years. The cost is for the day is $40. Lunch and materials are included in the workshop fee. Bring your journal. For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org to register online. Please register by February 28. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. Nazareth, MI - Area residents will have an opportunity to mark the Lenten Season with prayers for peace. 
This gathering for men and women will be held on Friday, February 25 at 8 a.m. at the Transformations Spirituality Center at Nazareth. A continental breakfast will be served from 8 – 8:30 followed by a 45-minute inter-denominational prayer service that will include Scripture, song, and reflection. "The gathering is an opportunity to take time out of our busy schedules in order to pray for peace together," said local resident and Kalamazoo College professor, Olga Bonfiglio. "Many people want to know what they can do during this time of war. Praying for peace—with others—is a good start." Sister Betsy Meagher, Outreach Coordinator for the Transformations Spirituality Center is working with Bonfiglio to organize the event. We are pleased to support this collaborative endeavor that is so true to our mission of promoting unity, reconciliation and harmony. Prayer and fellowship invite us to have more peaceful hearts and to be channels of peace in our world." Cost is $8 per person and $3 for students and must be paid in advance. Make checks payable to “Global Visions” and send to 310 Elm St., Kalamazoo, MI 49007. The Transformations Spirituality Center is located at 3427 Gull Road at Nazareth (west of Sprinkle Rd.) Please enter Nazareth via the Transformations Center entrance. For more information, call 269-226-8727 or email peacebreakfast@ameritech.net. Nazareth, MI - Steve Doughty, ordained minister, author and retreat leader, will present a one-day workshop entitled "Walking In Integrity: Living Our Faith in Trying Times" on Monday, February 21 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Transformations Spirituality Center. The workshop will be particularly helpful for professional caregivers such as ministers, social workers, nurses, counselors and lay leaders but all are welcome. The workshop asks the question: How do we walk in integrity in the midst of personal, institutional and global crises in a fiercely fractured society? In seeking answers to this question, the workshop will look to integrity as a spiritual path. Using stories from personal and Scriptural sources, Rev. Doughty will describe the qualities of those who walk in integrity and portray the choices and patterns of daily living modeled by exemplary individuals. In the morning, the roots, benefits and sacrifices of living in integrity will be considered. In the afternoon, participants will explore prophetic living as a needed sign of integrity, the healing it offers and the vision of community that can sustain a commitment to live with integrity in the face of difficult choices in all aspects of life. Steve Doughty is an ordained Presbyterian (PCUSA) minister and served as the Executive Presbyter for the 71 congregations of the Presbytery of Lake Michigan for 10 years. Since 2001 he has devoted his time to writing and retreat leadership. His M.Div. and STM (Biblical theology) is from Yale University Divinity School and he completed the Spiritual Guidance Program at Shalem Institute. He is the author of numerous published articles and essays and has written four books. His latest book, To Walk in Integrity: Spiritual Leadership in Times of Crisis (Upper Room Books) was released in October 2004. The cost is for the day is $60. Lunch is included in the workshop fee. For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org to register online. Advance registration is required. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. Nazareth, MI - Transformations Spirituality Center will offer its next installment of Positive Aging programs Tuesday, March 8 from 6:30-9:30 p.m. at 3427 Gull Road. This session is a prerequisite to the three Sage-ing Circle Series programs to follow which will be held once a month beginning in March. Life doesn’t come with an instruction book. What little we know about what lies ahead grows particularly murky after middle age. The Sage-ing Circle Series provides a guide to growing older that is both practical and transforming. This award-winning, innovative series acknowledges the full range of realities and potentialities of aging. But rather than seeing aging as a problem to be solved, the focus is on aging as a natural stage of adult development. Sage-ing provides a framework for transforming a lifetime of experience into forgiveness and wisdom, a way to turn old resentments into blessings, and provides a set of tools for living a life of meaning and purpose to the very end. Sage-ing uses a mind-body-spirit approach, the latest research on adult learning and various activities such as journaling, meditation, guided visualization and mindfulness. The programs are transdenominational and open to anyone who accepts that our spiritual yearning for meaning transcends and unites us, whatever our religious background. You will learn from your own insights and those of others in a variety of ways. You will have the opportunity to assess where you’ve been, what worked, what didn’t work (life review). You will be guided to find wisdom, meaning and purpose from past experience (life harvest). You will work on forgiveness, healing past hurts and relationships (life repair). You will have the opportunity to come to terms with your own mortality, discover your unique personal legacy, learn mentoring skills and how to assume the role of a wise elder. In the March 8 prerequisite, you will learn what Sage-ing is all about and experience a taste of this transformational work. This session provides the basic foundation in Sage-ing so that you can take any or all of the subsequent three sessions in the series in any order. The cost to attend the prerequisite is $20. The subsequent Sage-ing Circle Series classes will be held on the following dates: Saturday, March 12 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; Saturday, April 9 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.; and Saturday, May 14 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Each of these sessions is $45 and includes lunch. For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org to register online. Advance registration is required. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. Nazareth, MI - Transformations Spirituality Center will offer its next installment of Positive Aging programs beginning Wednesday, February 2, 2005 from 6:30-9:30 p.m. at 3427 Gull Road. This session is a prerequisite to the three Sage-ing Circle Series programs to follow which will be held once a month beginning in March. Life doesn’t come with an instruction book. What little we know about what lies ahead grows particularly murky after middle age. The Sage-ing Circle Series provides a guide to growing older that is both practical and transforming. This award-winning, innovative series acknowledges the full range of realities and potentialities of aging. But rather than seeing aging as a problem to be solved, the focus is on aging as a natural stage of adult development. Sage-ing provides a framework for transforming a lifetime of experience into forgiveness and wisdom, a way to turn old resentments into blessings, and provides a set of tools for living a life of meaning and purpose to the very end. Sage-ing uses a mind-body-spirit approach, the latest research on adult learning and various activities such as journaling, meditation, guided visualization and mindfulness. The programs are transdenominational and open to anyone who accepts that our spiritual yearning for meaning transcends and unites us, whatever our religious background. You will learn from your own insights and those of others in a variety of ways. You will have the opportunity to assess where you’ve been, what worked, what didn’t work (life review). You will be guided to find wisdom, meaning and purpose from past experience (life harvest). You will work on forgiveness, healing past hurts and relationships (life repair). You will have the opportunity to come to terms with your own mortality, discover your unique personal legacy, learn mentoring skills and how to assume the role of a wise elder. In the February 2 prerequisite, you will learn what Sage-ing is all about and experience a taste of this transformational work. This session provides the basic foundation in Sage-ing so that you can take any or all of the subsequent three sessions in the series in any order. The prerequisite will be repeated on Saturday February 12 from 9: a.m. to noon and Tuesday, March 8 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. The cost to attend any one of the prerequisites is $20. The subsequent Sage-ing Circle Series classes will be held on the following dates: Saturday, March 12 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; Saturday, April 9 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.; and Saturday, May 14 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Each of these sessions is $45 and includes lunch. For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org to register online. Advance registration is required. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 (Gull Road) just east of Kalamazoo. Nazareth, MI - Area residents will have an opportunity to begin the New Year with prayers for peace.
A gathering for men and women to meet in order to pray for peace will be held on Friday, January 28 at 8 a.m. at the Transformations Spirituality Center at Nazareth. A continental breakfast will be served from 8 – 8:30 followed by a 45-minute inter-denominational prayer service that will include Scripture, song, reflection and fellowship. "The gathering is an opportunity to take time out of our busy schedules in order to pray together," said local resident and Kalamazoo College professor, Olga Bonfiglio. "Many people want to know what they can do during this time of war. Praying for peace—with others—is a good start." Sister Betsy Meagher, Outreach Coordinator for the Transformations Spirituality Center, is working with Bonfiglio to organize the event. "We are pleased to support this collaborative endeavor that is so true to our mission of promoting unity, reconciliation and harmony. Prayer and fellowship invite us to have more peaceful hearts and be channels of peace in our world," said Sr. Betsy. Cost is $8 and must be paid in advance. Reservations may be made by contacting Olga Bonfiglio by phone (269-226-8727) or by email at peacebreakfast@ameritech.net. The Transformations Spirituality Center is located at 3427 Gull Road at Nazareth (west of Sprinkle Rd.) Please enter the building via the Transformations Center entrance marked by a green awning. Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road, continues its series on positive aging with “The Gift of Legacy” on Saturday, December 11 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. As keeper of the family legacy, aunts and uncles and grand parents possess a lifetime of experience as valuable for the next generation as money or property. This Positive Aging session is a time to reflect on the unique legacy each of us has within us. It provides an opportunity to give others the gift of the important lessons learned during a lifetime and to learn important mentoring skills. In this workshop participants will learn about the difference between reminiscence and the developmental task of integration. A variety of creative and thoughtful processes will be employed to tease out the wisdom from life's journey. In addition to exploring this important topic as part of the Positive Aging Series, participants will have the opportunity to document your legacy in a form suitable to store with important papers or to present as a gift or during your family holiday celebrations. Facilitators for the positive aging program are Marie Warner and Joseph Yankech. Warner has a B.A. in humanities and an M.B.A. in business. She taught at the university level and received group facilitation skills through the Kettering Foundation and the Healing Racism Institute. Yankech has a B.A. in philosophy and a Ph.D. in sociology and has taught at the university level in the U.S. and Peru. Both are seasoned group facilitators and presenters and have received intensive, specialized training to facilitate these programs on aging from the Spiritual Eldering® Institute of Boulder, Colorado. The cost of each program is $35 and includes handouts and project materials and a continental breakfast. To register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 327. To register online, visit www.transformationscenter.org. Please register in advance. Future topics in the series will be announced in January of 2005. Michael Dowd will come to Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road, on Saturday, December 4 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. to tell “The Great Story.” The Great Story is a way of telling the history of everyone and everything that honors and embraces all religious traditions and creation stories. Michael Dowd is a charismatic, heart-centered teacher, preacher, and sacred story teller. Dowd, a former evangelical preacher, and his wife, Connie Barlow, a science writer, travel around the country speaking about the bridge between science and religion for personal and planetary well-being. Theirs is an awe-inspiring message to show how evolutionary science can support a greening of religious faith. As Connie Barlow tells it in Green Space, Green Time (1997) "Tell me a creation story more wondrous than the miracle of a living cell forged from the residue of an exploding star! Tell me a story of transformation more magical than that of a fish hauling out onto land and becoming amphibian, or a reptile taking to the sky and becoming bird, or a bear slipping back into the sea and becoming walrus! If this science-based culture, of all cultures, cannot find meaning and cause for celebration in its very own cosmic creation story, then we are sorely impoverished indeed." Michael Dowd will speak of the epic of evolution as humanity's common creation story. In so doing he will tell a 14 billion year science-based sacred story of cosmic genesis, from the formation of the galaxies and the origin of Earth life, to the development of consciousness and human technology to the emergence of compassion and the tools to assist humanity in being a blessing to the larger body of life. Dowd makes the case that this cosmic view helps to relieve us of the hubris that we are stewards of the earth, separate and superior to it. In contrast, from a vantage point that has become known as the "deep ecology" view, we humans come from the natural world, and its fate is our fate. "From the point of deep ecology, what’s wrong with our culture is that it offers us an incorrect view of our place in nature. It causes us to act in competition and in opposition to the natural world." Dowd says. "The emergence of The Great Story will come to be cherished, I believe, first and foremost for enriching the depth and breadth of our experience of God. It's no longer credible to imagine we can love God without honoring nature, that we can love God without honoring each other with reverence, respect and dignity." Michael Dowd, a former United Church of Christ minister and long-time advocate of practical Christianity and Science of Mind and Heart, is an emissary of a worldwide ecumenical movement that draws from the contemporary wisdom of those on the growing edge of evolution and meaning. Over the last 25 years Rev. Dowd has addressed more than 1000 religious and secular groups, touching and inspiring people of all ages and theological/philosophical orientations. He is the author of EarthSpirit: A Handbook for Nurturing an Ecological Christianity — one of the first books to popularize the epic of evolution for Christians and to look appreciatively at the core tenets of Christianity from the perspective of the new cosmology. At home in both liberal and conservative settings, Dowd and his wife Connie Barlow have taken their passion for The Great Story on the road. Since 2001 they have been traveling around the country in a van talking at churches, schools, universities and retreat centers. The cost of this workshop is $38 and includes lunch. For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org to register online. Advance registration is required. Transformations Spirituality Center is located on M-43 just east of Kalamazoo. Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road, is offering a day of reflection entitled "Compassion: The Path to Forgiveness" from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The day will be facilitated by Laura Smith, SSJ who has experience in counseling, consultation, spiritual direction, retreat work and teaching. This day of reflection will focus on forgiveness as the fruit of inner healing on the personal level. Participants will learn about the process of forgiveness; what it is, what it is not, how we forgive ourselves and how we forgive others. There will also be experiential exercises. The facilitator will lead the group through a visualizing exercise of sending and receiving that helps transform our relationships (called Tonglen in Tibetan) and an experience of letting go of emotions attached to incidents from the past. The group will also learn the practice of centering prayer to be open to listen for the still, small voice of God. The goal of the day will be to realize that we no longer need our pain but can be instruments of compassion for ourselves and for others. Sr. Laura Smith holds masters degrees in pastoral theology, counseling and music. She earned a certificate in spiritual direction from the Dominican Center in Grand Rapids and studied with the Sufi Institute for two years. The cost of this workshop is $35 and includes lunch. For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org to register online. Advance registration is required. Transformations is located on M-43 just east of Kalamazoo. Download a 270k tiff image file of Sr. Laura Smith Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road, continues its series on positive aging with "Wisdom for the Journey" on Saturday, November 13 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Each program is self-contained and can be taken individually, although the content builds sequentially for those who would like to take all in the series which will continue through the spring of 2005. Transformation's programs on positive aging acknowledge the full range of realities and potentialities of aging. But rather than seeing aging as a problem to be solved, the focus is on aging as a natural stage of adult development. Transformations programs on aging are drawn from a trans-denominational curriculum based on the work of Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, author of From Age-ing to Sage-ing: A Profound New Vision of Growing Older© (Warner Books, New York, 1997) and founder of the Spiritual Eldering® Institute of Boulder, Colorado. Rabbi Zalman gathered information from history, psychology, gerontology and other disciplines, many traditional and nontraditional sources of the world’s wisdom literature and his own rich life experience to develop a unique vision of aging. He coined the word “sage-ing” to describe a late life development stage that radically challenges stereotypes of aging and reclaims the right of older adults to age without stigma. Sage-ing also encourages individuals to make a conscious choice to transform a lifetime of experience into forgiveness and wisdom, old resentments into blessings and to embark on a vital search for meaning, spiritual growth and to build a legacy for future generations. The November 13 Wisdom for the Journey program will explore the question of how we acquire wisdom. While we may all know the special individual who appears to have been graced with wisdom, further inquiry may reveal a person who has devoted considerable time to inner reflection and who has acquired the skill of turning life experience into life's lessons. This session suggests that wisdom is accessible through conscious actions. Participants will explore ways to look at significant moments, actions, and relationships in their lives. They will learn how wisdom can be drawn, not only from the obvious teachable moments, but from the disappointments, missed opportunities, resentments and regrets everyone experiences along the way. This process also will furnish material for later work on forgiveness, mentoring, and defining each person’s unique legacy. Learning techniques include journaling, group interaction and discussion, inner reflection and life review. Facilitators for the positive aging programs are Marie Warner and Joseph Yankech. Warner has a B.A. in humanities and an M.B.A. in business. She taught at the university level and received group facilitation skills through the Kettering Foundation and the Healing Racism Institute. Yankech has a B.A. in philosophy and a Ph.D. in sociology and has taught at the university level in the U.S. and Peru. Both are seasoned group facilitators and presenters and have received intensive, specialized training to facilitate these programs on aging from the Spiritual Eldering® Institute of Boulder, Colorado. The cost of each program is $30 and includes a continental breakfast. To register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 327. To register online, visit www.transformationscenter.org. Please register in advance. The next session on positive aging is The Gift of Legacy on December 11. Other topics in the series will be announced in January of 2005. Beginning this fall, Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road, is expanding its commitment to the spiritual needs of men and women in recovery from addiction to alcohol by offering more 12-Step retreats. Six 12-Step retreats are currently scheduled between now and November 2005. "The closing of the Fatima Retreat Center in Notre Dame, Indiana in December 2004, has many in the 12-Step community concerned,” said Michele Gossman, Director of Transformations Spirituality Center. Fatima has offered AA/Al-Anon retreats for many years. Coincidentally, renovations and expansion during the past few years at Transformations have increased our capacity to increase 12-Step retreats from two a year to as many as four to six a year. More if the need warrants. An advisory group of individuals who are active in the 12-Step community has helped us design a retreat format and select respected, experienced directors. We hope that what we offer will fill a need in the region and become a place where people will feel welcome. Indeed, we have already heard words of encouragement from many who are happy to know of our plans,” she said. The following 12-Step retreats are being offered in the near future. Friday and Saturday, November 12 & 13, 2004 Other 12-Step retreats scheduled in 2005 include April 8-10 (men), August 19-21 (women), and August 26-28 (men), November 4-6, 2005 (women). The Transformations Spirituality Center is a sponsored ministry of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Nazareth, and is located at their home–Nazareth Center–just east of Kalamazoo, Michigan. The spacious grounds and stately building provide an atmosphere of hospitality for those who come here. Up to 38 overnight guests can enjoy comfortable, individually-temperature controlled rooms, each with its own private bath and shower. Libraries, chapels, hiking trails and an art gallery provide additional places to simply be.” In the past year, more than 1,600 people have come to Transformations for spiritually-uplifting programs, retreats, meetings or conferences. Programs are faith-based, interdenominational and open to all.
To register for one of the above 12-Step retreats, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310. Or for more information, directions, to keep posted on future 12-step programs scheduled, or to register online, visit the Transformations Web site at www.transformationscenter.org. Saturday, October 2, is the feast day of Guardian Angels. To celebrate this day Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road, is offering a workshop entitled "Angels on the Labyrinth" from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The workshop will be led by Donna Rathert and Elizabeth Tompkins, who, as trained spiritual directors, are both well qualified to guide workshop participants through a day of learning about the significance of angels as God's messengers. Stories of angel encounters abound, from Biblical times to the present. Rathert and Tompkins will share stories and Scriptural references to angels and discuss their purpose and personalities. The use of art materials, journaling, stories and poetry will help participants explore their own relationship with these divine messengers. After lunch, everyone will be invited to walk a labyrinth, in this case a large canvas replica of a labyrinth built around 1200 A.D. at the Chartres Cathedral, near Paris, France. Through the labyrinth's rhythms of release, receive, return, those present will be guided through a process of reflection on the days experience. Elizabeth Tompkins is trained and educated in theology, pastoral care and ministry formation, with a certificate in spiritual direction. She has been facilitating labyrinth groups for more than seven years. Donna Rathert is a trained spiritual director and retreat leader with a master's degree in religious education from Western Theological Seminary. She is a certified labyrinth facilitator with many years of experience. The cost of this workshop is $38 and includes lunch and materials. For more information or to register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 310, or visit www.transformationscenter.org to register online. Advance registration is required. Transformations is located on M-43 just east of Kalamazoo. Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road, will hold the first in it fall series on positive aging called “Positive Aging 101,” on Saturday, October 9 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Each program is self-contained and can be taken individually, although the content builds sequentially for those who would like to take all in the series which will continue through the spring of 2005. Transformation’s programs on positive aging acknowledge the full range of realities and potentialities of aging. But rather than seeing aging as a problem to be solved, the focus is on aging as a natural stage of adult development. Researchers such as Eric Erickson and Carl Jung, in particular, have asserted that the unique gift of the expanding elder years reveals a natural yearning for meaning and capacity for inner growth. Transformations programs on aging are drawn from a trans-denominational curriculum based on the work of Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, author of From Age-ing to Sage-ing: A Profound New Vision of Growing Older© (Warner Books, New York, 1997) and founder of the Spiritual Eldering® Institute of Boulder, Colorado. Rabbi Zalman gathered information from history, psychology, gerontology and other disciplines, many traditional and nontraditional sources of the world’s wisdom literature and his own rich life experience to develop a unique vision of aging. He coined the word “sage-ing” to describe a late life development stage that radically challenges stereotypes of aging and reclaims the right of older adults to age without stigma. Sage-ing also encourages individuals to make a conscious choice to transform a lifetime of experience into forgiveness and wisdom, old resentments into blessings and to embark on a vital search for meaning, spiritual growth and to build a legacy for future generations. In 2003, Schachter-Shalomi was named by the American Association of Retired People as one of its “Fearless 50,” for his work on aging, an honor given to those who represent the greatest innovators over age 50. In April, 2004, he participated in a Roundtable Dialogue session in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Others at the table included His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Bishop Desmond Tutu, former Czech Republic President Vaclav Havel, and others. The October 9 Positive Aging 101 program will explore different models of aging, common myths of aging and how people continue to grow and develop spiritually, emotionally and mentally throughout the later years. Learning techniques include journaling, group interaction and discussion, inner reflection and life review. This session is a good introduction to the programs on aging offered on a regular basis at Transformations. Subsequent sessions in positive aging include: Wisdom for the Journey (November 13); and The Gift of Legacy (December 11). Other topics will be announced in January of 2005. Faciltators for the positive aging programs are Marie Warner and Joseph Yankech. Ms. Warner has a B.A. in humanities and an M.B.A. in business. She taught at the university level and received group facilitation skills through the Kettering Foundation and the Healing Racism Institute. Mr. Yankech has a B.A. in philosophy and a Ph.D. in sociology and has taught at the university level in the U.S. and Peru. Both are seasoned group facilitators and presenters and have received intensive, specialized training to facilitate these programs on aging from the Spiritual Eldering® Institute of Boulder, Colorado. The cost of each program is $30 and includes a continental breakfast. To register, call 269.381.6290 ext. 327. To learn more, directions to the center and to register online, visit www.transformationscenter.org. Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road, will host the third annual Community of Caregivers workshop on Monday, October 18, 2004 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The workshop, entitled "Understanding and Managing Anger: It's All About Connection," will be led by Lynn M. Levo, CSJ, PhD. The workshop is designed for professional caregivers; nurses, counselors, social workers, physicians, clergy and lay leaders, although anyone interested may attend. The workshop, which is highly interactive, allows participants to stand back, reflect and strengthen their ability to turn a volatile situation into a healing one-for those they serve, and for themselves. The workshop will explore causes and beliefs about anger, personal anger styles and how to improve them, and how to express anger more effectively. It also will look at how individuals store anger and how to deal with passive aggression in self and others. Case studies will be used to illustrate concepts, and provide practical tools for self-assessment and improvement strategies. Lynn M. Levo, CSJ, PhD. is a licensed psychologist, consultant and dynamic speaker as well as Director of Education for the St. Luke Institute in Maryland. Levo has presented nationally and internationally on anger, stress, life transitions, conflict and many other issues on healthy emotional and spiritual development. She has been a consultant or presenter with professional and religious organizations, businesses, hospitals, and universities. Sponsors for this event include Borgess Health Alliance, Bronson Pastoral Care, Catholic Family Services, Chapel Hill United Methodist Church, Fetzer Institute, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Northside Ministerial Alliance, Parish Church of Christ the King, Pine Rest Kalamazoo Clinic, Presbytery of Lake Michigan, Reformed Church in America S.W. Michigan Classis, Saint Luke's Episcopal Church, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Nazareth, Transformations Spirituality Center, United Church of Christ Southwest Association, Vineyard Outreach Ministry, West Michigan Cancer Center, and anonymous friends. The cost of this workshop is $50 and includes lunch. Early registration is advised. To register call 269.381.6290 ext. 310. Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road, is offering two programs created by Ginny Jones, SSJ, who is an adjust staff member at Transformations and well known locally for her work in environmental education and action. Both of these programs are especially appealing to individuals who find spiritual inspiration in nature. The first program, "Sacred Encounters with Nature," will be held Saturday, September 18 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. (rain date is September 25). A technique similar to Lectio Devina, a centuries-old Christian meditation, will be used to experience God's presence during a nature walk on the Transformations grounds. Participants are asked to dress for outdoor activity, bring a mat or chair and a journal and writing instrument to record their experience. The cost of this event is $20. The second opportunity to experience the divine presence in nature is Wednesday, September 22 from 6:15 to 7:15 p.m. Called, "An Invitation to Balance," this program is scheduled on the day of the autumn equinox which provides inspiration to invite balance into life as well as to celebrate and give thanks for the abundance of the earth. The cost to participate in this event is $10. Ginny Jones, SSJ, holds a doctorate in environmental education and a certificate in spiritual direction. Sr. Ginny teaches at Western Michigan University and Siena Heights Univeristy. She is known for her work in eco-spirituality and for her efforts to establish Manitou Arbor Ecovillage, a sustainable eco-spiritual community, east if Kalamazoo. To register call 269.381.6290 ext. 310. Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road, will feature Robert Corin Morris's book, Wrestling with Grace: Spirituality for the Rough Edges of Daily Life, as its book selection for the September Spiritual Literacy series. Gertrude Maurer, SSJ, will lead a discussion of the book on four Thursday evenings beginning September 16 from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Spirituality & Health magazine listed Wrestling with Grace as one of the 50 best spiritual books of 2003. Among the plethora of books on spiritual practices lining the shelves of book stores, Morris's book stands alone as a practical guide for anyone who yearns for a down-to-earth way to take God along on the way to life's daily frustrations-in the traffic jam, even when we're hot under the collar. Whether we're beginners or seasoned travelers on the spiritual path, Morris has creative ways for us to examine our behavior and state of mind that can let God's grace into our daily life in the most unlikely of circumstances as well as in our best moments. "The image of God in us doesn't grow through pious aspirations, slavish copying of rules, well-polished public selves, or carefully guarded inner lives. We get there by the messier, slower path of learning, step-by-step and mistake-by-mistake, how to love, how to cooperate, how to forgive, how to work through harsh and dark emotions, how to trust," Morris writes. Gertrude Maurer, SSJ, is on the staff of the Transformations Spirituality Center. She has served as an educator, retreat and spiritual director, and minister for justice in the U.S. and Ghana. She holds a doctorate in American literature and a certificate in spiritual direction. Come and join Sr. Gertrude for a fascinating exploration of this very fine, very readable book on the following Thursdays: 9/16, 9/30, 10/14 and 10/28. The cost is $5 per session. To register call 269.381.6290 ext. 310. The Mall City Chorus will perform a benefit concert at Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road, on Tuesday, September 28, at 7:30 p.m. The group, under the direction of Chris Fenner, performs in four-part, a cappella, close-harmony singing, and an American art form best know as "barbershop." The 30-voice chorus is donating its talents to benefit the scholarship fund at Transformations. The fund is used to for individuals who would not otherwise be able to attend the spiritually uplifting programs and conferences offered at Transformations, a conference and retreat center which is a ministry of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Nazareth. Chris Fenner, director, is a 2003 WMU vocal music graduate and was a member of the WMU touring choir which won the International Choral Festival in Europe in 2002.. Fenner has been singing with the Chorus since he was 14 which performs at festivals, churches, fairs, shows and competitions throughout Michigan and neighboring states. The Chorus, which has been in existence for more than 60 years, is a member of the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo, the Barbershop Harmony Society, and the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America (SPEBSQSA). Tickets are $8.00 in advance and $10.00 at the door. Tickets can be purchased at Athena Book Shop (downtown), Barry's Embroidery at Welborn's Yesteryear Antiques (6304 Riverview), Borgess Hospital Gift Shop, Heilman's Nuts and Confections (1804 S. Westnedge), Wild Goose Chase (4604 W. Main), Norma's Antiques (Schoolcraft) and by calling Transformations Spirituality Center at 269.381.6290 ext. 288.
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Dixon’s work, mostly in the form of paper mosaics, actively engages the physical beauty and power of the natural environment and the feminine form. According to the artist, “This is spiritual as well as aesthetic”. She describes her process as using visual art and poetry to complement and expand the expression of women’s spirituality. Keeping in mind the powerful partnership of two vibrant expressions (visual art and poetry) and their ability to communicate the mythos of womanhood and spirituality, she has produced pieces which are evocative of flight and power.
See these marvelous and moving pieces the next time you make a personal retreat or attend one of the many spiritually uplifting programs held at Transformations during the next two months; visit www.transformationscenter.org to see a complete schedule. You can also hold your next corporate or association meeting at Transformations. Go online, or call 269-381-6290 ext. 310 for more information about holding your next retreat or conference.
Nazareth, MI – Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road offers The Heart of Contemplation. A weekend retreat scheduled for Friday, June 13 from 7 p.m. to Sunday, June 15 at 1:30 p.m. The cost is $225 if registered by May 16 or $250 thereafter. Retreat includes private room, Friday snack, and meals Saturday through Sunday’s large midday meal. The retreat is led by David Frenette.
Centering Prayer opens us to the gift of seeing God in our daily lives and relationships. This retreat explores the interior attitudes, practices and skills that foster contemplative living from the heart, in our ordinary lives. Rooted in Father Thomas Keating’s teachings on contemplative transformation in Christ, this retreat also goes into new territory designed for those whose practice has created a yearning for something more, something deeper. The weekend includes Centering Prayer, presentations, experiential exercises, times of silence and discussion.
David Frenette is a long time student of Father Thomas Keating the Trappist monk and animator of Centering Prayer. David has worked with Contemplative Outreach for 24 years. He co-founded and taught at a Centering Prayer retreat community for 10 years, and is now an adjunct faculty member at Naropa University, and is a spiritual director and counseling psychologist. David’s work teaches Centering Prayer as a path for integrating the divine life of God with our human life, and is described on the website: 
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