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April 30, 2020
Dear Friends:
This week, Easter's newness of life was told in the arrival of six tiny goslings that were born on our property. Their parents had kept faithful vigil...guarding and tending their nesting time with exquisite care. All of us welcomed their entry into the miracle of creation with great joy and wonder.
Woven in the same mystery, we also have known a "nesting time" these weeks. Even in the darkness of this time, our Merciful God has accompanied us, awakening new life within us, and within our suffering world. The poet Denise Levertov expresses it beautifully:
within the mesh of the web, Himself
woven within it, yet seeing it,
seeing it whole. Every sorrow and desolation
He saw, and sorrowed in kinship.
Recently, a beautiful group of women have met virtually to knit, crochet and pray (see story below.) Their work reflects the beauty of our belonging to one another.
May the web of creation hold you gently this week, offering you promise of healing and peace. We hope the opportunities listed below will awaken new and joyous life within you.
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Join us to Knit, Crochet, and Pray from Home
For the past three years, a community of women have been meeting at Cranaleith to encourage each other through knitting. Facilitated by Sister Catherine Maguire, RSM, people from all walks of life and religious backgrounds meet to contemplate, reflect and share their experiences of God in their lives -- and work on their projects.
Counting the movements of hooks and needles, row after row, over the hours or days it takes to complete a project, requires patience, focus, and persistence. And these cognitive skills-to say nothing of the
proven
mental-health
benefits
of crafting-- are just the ones needed to weather a disaster that's defined by waiting.
"Knitting quiets your mind," says Sr. Cathy. "It relaxes the body and allows the Spirit to come forward. Working with texture and color creates something inside us that allows the giftedness within us to shine."
An article on our
Knit, Crochet, Pray Together
program was featured in the Spring issue of
Mercy Mosaics
.
You can now join them every Tuesday in May virtually!
Knit, Crochet, Pray Together
Tuesday, May 5, 12, 19, 26, 2020, 1-2:30 pm.
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Many of my recent conversations have centered on the uncertainty caused by the pandemic.
Where do you see gentleness or self-sacrifice creating real goodness in the midst of the pandemic?
Listen
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Retreat From Home
In this time of COVID-19 when physical distancing is the order of the day, Cranaleith is offering new programs
online via Zoom
.
Its not too late to join us for
Wednesday, May 6, 2020, 6:30-8:30
Monday, May 4, 11, 18, 25, 2020, 7-8 p.m.
Tuesdays, May 5, 12, 19, 26, 2020, 1-2:30 pm.
Wednesday, May 13, 2020, 7-9 p.m.
Monday May 18, 1:30-3 p.m. or Thursday, May 21, 7-8:30 p.m.
Friday, May 22, 2:30-4 p.m.
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Resources from Home
Community Support
Rooted in a tradition of care and compassion, the mission of CORA Services is to assist children, youth and families experiencing emotional, academic and social challenges.
Pray From Home
Get daily prayers, reflections, blog posts and images from our beautiful property via our website and social media channels.
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Prayer Intention: For the Unemployed
This Friday is the Feast Day of Joseph the Worker.
While we are all wrestling with the challenges of this global pandemic, let us remember especially in our prayers this week those persons now unemployed or underemployed because of COVID-19 restrictions. Despite the anxiety from their daily struggles to support themselves and their families, may they remain hopeful, comforted in the knowledge that there will be a post pandemic future. - From Mercy World.
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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 |
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