April 16, 2020

Dear Friends:

Like the stricken friends of Jesus, this year finds us hungering for peace...for the faces of one another...for the presence of Jesus in our grief and anxiety. 

The Gospels offer us countless stories of meals where the Risen Christ came into their midst. They discovered him in seaside breakfasts, in an evening supper after a long walk, in a meal of baked fish shared in a locked room. Over and over again, they found him in the breaking of bread. 
 
All of us at Cranaleith pray that you are being sustained in the same peace, in belonging to one another and to the wounds of our world. We miss you and long to feast with you on the beauty and true nourishment shared in this sanctuary. 
 
We invite you to share what has fed you in this time. What practices or prayers or kindnesses have sustained you? Of what have you been mindful in the meals you prepared, ate alone or shared with others? Is there an Easter recipe you would like to share?
 
Please send your reflections or recipes to  info@cranaleith.org. We would love to  share some of them as a way to remind us all that the table of God's abundant joy and mercy will not fail.

The Cranaleith Staff

Retreat From Home

Virtual Retreat - Register Today!
The Paschal Mystery: Living the Resurrection
Wednesday, May 6, 2020, 6:30-8:30 
At any time, suffering makes us confront the most fundamental spiritual questions. The various forms of suffering caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and our increased awareness of the suffering of others make these questions even more pressing.  How are we to understand suffering? Are these periods in which God abandons us or, worse still, inflicts the suffering on us? Christians look to the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus for understanding.  

Jesus showed us a pattern that is part of everyday living.  Please join this virtual evening of reflection and explore the practical meaning of the Paschal Mystery. Participants will have time to place their own experiences inside that mystery and share their stories of resurrection with each other. See how God is already at work in your life, bringing about new and unexpected life.

Reflect From Home

Reflection for the Second Sunday of Easter:
  • What wounds do you have? Do any of them keep you locked up, as the disciples were?
  • Sit quietly. Realize that Jesus is with you. What does he offer you?

From  Good News 4 You , Bernadette Rudolph
Give From Home

Please consider Cranaleith if you are able to make a donation if you can of any size, either by mail or online. Learn more or go to: https://cranaleith.org/donate
"Behind the Mask" Click here
Listen From Home

Listen to a selection of music from our board chairman, Steve Hart
 




Are you creating music or other works of art to get through these difficult times? Send it to us at info@cranaleith.org and we will share it with our community?







April 22, 2020 will mark 50 years of Earth Day! You can help make visible our love and hope for God's creation and our neighbors by participating in a virtual celebration of Earth Day and Laudato Si'. Learn more

Have a gardening question? Leslie Porreca, RSM is here to help. Contact her at  leslieprsm@gmail.com


Cranaleith is delighted to share an invitation from our good friends at the Philadelphia Interfaith Peace Center to participate virtually in their annual Interfaith Peace Walk, Sunday, April 19, 2-3:30 pm by Zoom. The Peace Center works to  facilitate peace, justice and reconciliation by engaging faith groups and other communities in dialogue, reflection.  Learn more 
Resources from Home

Spiritual Direction
We are still offering Spiritual Direction via phone and teleconferencing.  Contact Cathy Maguire, RSM at cmaguire@cranaleith.org or  215-858-6239.  Psychotherapy is also available. Please contact  Leslie Porreca, RSM, LCSW. Learn more

Connect With Us Online 
Get daily prayers, reflections, blog posts and images from our beautiful property via our website and social media channels.
Web:  www.cranaleith.org  


SUNFLOWERS by Rosemary Koch

I saw the sunflowers
They even greeted me at the door.
It brought back a memory of a time before,
when that stately flower was something more.
They stood tall and smiling in St. Anne's flower bed; and in the fall some seeds we shared, which grew well past my head !
The seeds went back and forth for a couple of years, and along with other seeds that were planted, had some sunshine and some rain......can now bow down to the Son.
I still have �� in my yard; in addition to the fact they grow past their weeds, they have become symbols of gratitude for those who plant seeds.

Thank you to all those who submitted your poems including the one above from a Cranaleith retreatant. Click here to view all of them. Please  continue to share them with us!
Sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy, Cranaleith offers a contemplative space for all those seeking wholeness and transformation for themselves and society. We are committed to making Cranaleith accessible to all, especially to persons who are poor and those who work in solidarity with them. We invite those at the center of need and those at the center of influence to reflection, reverent dialogue and meaningful partnerships. Please help us support our work.
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Cranaleith Spiritual Center | 13475 Proctor Road | Phila., PA 19116 |