April 15, 2021 | DONATE
"A poem is when you have the sky in your mouth.
It is hot like fresh bread, when you eat it, a little is always left over.
A poem is when you hear the heartbeat of a stone,
when words beat their wings. It is a song sung in a cage."
                                                
Dear Friends,
 
It seems no accident that National Poetry Month falls when Easter alleluias continue to ring. Poetry, “a language against which you have no defenses” according to David Whyte, awakens new seeing. It breaks through imprisoned imagination with a deeper truth, with a glimpse of “hidden wholeness” woven through the universe. Dictators ban poets because they stir the spirit that empowers hope. 
 
For Christians, the “new seeing” invited by the Resurrection reveals a mystery beyond all telling. We are not alone. Within us is a merciful Love that triumphs over our death and heals our brokenness. This love binds us to one another and bathes the world’s wounds in light. 
 
Upcoming programs invite us into this light. Come join us! Listen deeply to the voice that greets us: “Peace be with you. Do not be afraid.”  Know that we pray for you and your loved ones to see God’s presence in our midst, wounded, beloved and beautiful.      
 
The Cranaleith Staff
"A poem is words turned upside down and suddenly! the world is new."
Jean Pierre Simeon
UPCOMING RETREATS
All retreats are offered virtually on Zoom. Scholarships are available because everyone is welcome at Cranaleith. Please email [email protected] so we can assist you.
Each spring, blossoms fill the eyes of our hearts with hope. After a year of hardship for so many, we will awaken to newness in the gift of one another. This morning of respite will hold quiet reflection, sharing, music and creative response. Come, discover the resilience we share with all creation that heals our world. Join other women vets in discovering the beauty and promise we hold.

Will you help us spread the word about this free retreat?
Cranaleith is delighted to host Brother Mickey McGrath, OSFS for a creative morning retreat!

Brother Mickey will share his own art and reflections on the healing power of beauty on our journey to holiness and wholeness. He will also guide us in a creative project on paper inspired by the Freedom Quilts of the Underground Railroad, designed to help you find inner peace through meditation.

Program fee: $30.
So much in our society — including the evil of racism — has led us to cynicism and despair! Discover the need for hope and how forgiveness can realistically get us there. Scott Hutchinson, a trauma therapist and minister in the United Church of Christ, will share a way forward.

Program fee: $30; $15 for students.
There's still time to join our April grief support group!

Cranaleith wishes to support everyone who is grieving with a free support group. The group will meet weekly in April. We will focus on discussion, relying on mutual support as a tool for healing. Come to as many of the sessions as you can manage.

This is a free program.
Join us for a NEW retreat!
Do you want to make a retreat but your schedule and responsibilities – to say nothing of the pandemic – keep you from it? Try this new “busy person’s retreat.” Carve out at least ten minutes a day for six days for reflection and renewal. You can choose from a variety of prayers, insightful readings and spiritual practices centered around a daily theme to fit your preferred prayer style and your schedule. 

$30; $15 for students.
NEW on YouTube!
Want to participate in a spiritual program at your own pace? We are happy to announce that our popular "Faith & Adversity" series is now FREE on YouTube! Join Cranaleith's Program Director, Bernadette Rudolph, as she guides you through four narratives of the Old Testament: Ruth, Tobit, Judith and Jonah. Session one (Ruth) is now available to view at your leisure!
Support Cranaleith Today!

Thanks to your generous support, we are over halfway towards reaching our goal! Will you double the impact of your gift by donating today?
Poetry from Home
"Blessings"
By Andrew Hinton, Owen Ó Súilleabháin, and David Whyte
"Quilts"
By Nikki Giovanni
"Caged Bird"
By Maya Angelou
Sing from Home
"God of the Sparrow"
By Craig Courtney from Beckenhorst Press
"This Little Light of Mine"
Soweto Gospel Choir
Forgiveness from Home
Reflect from Home
Third Sunday of Easter, Cycle B
Acts 3, 1Jn 2 & Lk 24:35-48
 “…True, there is nothing glamorous about cleaning up a sick person or giving our money to the needy instead of spending it on ourselves, but the steady discipline of the commandments will dazzle us. God’s mercy will flow through us…” Read more.

  • What keeps you from entering into the springtime of the resurrection?
  • Where is resurrection happening around you? In you?

Listen to the podcast
From www.GoodNews4You.net by Bernadette Rudolph

Resources From Home

Community Support

Explore from Home


Spiritual Direction
We are still offering Spiritual Direction via phone and teleconferencing. Contact Cathy Maguire, RSM at [email protected] or 215-858-6239. 
Psychotherapy is also available. Please contact Leslie Porreca, RSM, LCSW. 

Retreats
Individual retreats available -- both online and onsite options! Call Maria DiBello, RSM, at 215-934-6206 or visit our website www.cranaleith.org/retreats to 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.
Twitter: @cranaleith
Instagram: @cranaleith

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.
Cranaleith Spiritual Center | 13475 Proctor Road | Phila., PA 19116