March 1, 2024

Quiet Days: Central NE & Lincoln/Seward

Tomorrow in Hastings and March 9 in Lincoln

Many people struggle with loneliness – sometimes temporarily, sometimes frequently. These Quiet Days will explore ways to approach what some experts are calling a nation-wide epidemic of loneliness. Please join us for prayer, Scripture, reflections, and quiet. Lunch will be served! Br. James Dowd, OSB will lead the days and is DioNeb's Monk in Residence and the Prior of Incarnation Monastery and The Benedictine Way.

The first Quiet Day will be held at St. Mark's Pro-Cathedral (422 N. Burlington Ave., Hastings) tomorrow, Mar. 2 from 9 am-2 pm. The second will be held at St. David's (8800 Holdredge St., Lincoln) on Saturday, Mar. 9 from 9 am-2 pm.

First Thursdays Compline for Creation

March 7 at 8pm CT / 7pm MT

You are invited to join Archdeacon Betsy Bennett and the community of The Benedictine Way for DioNeb’s monthly online Compline service focused on prayers for God’s creation and environmental justice. Our First Thursday services are an opportunity to pray for all of God’s creation and for particular concerns in our region. At the end of each service, we have time to visit and share news of events or parish initiatives that touch on creation care. If you are joining us for the first time and need the Zoom link, please email [email protected]. 

Come & See Retreat

Friday, March 8 - Saturday, March 9

The dates for the rescheduled "Come & See" retreat are approaching! We will gather at St. Francis in Scottsbluff (14 East 20th St.) at 5:30pm MT on Mar. 8, and conclude at 1pm MT on Mar. 9. Please register and/or confirm your attendance with Lachisha, and let her know if you require overnight accommodation. Attendees are invited to read this article before the retreat. During the retreat we will remotely attend a BKSM class on the Gospels. You may learn more about the subject here, but there is no need to prepare for the class as a visitor. 

School for Lay Ministry

Begins April 6, 9am-12pm CT / 8am-11am MT

From preaching and teaching to providing pastoral care or designing worship, lay faith leaders serve their congregations in various roles. The School for Lay Ministry offers a transformative year-long journey empowering lay ministers to lead faithfully, recognizing their vital role in a lay-led, clergy-support ministry model. Lessons are available online to learn at your own pace, and students meet once a month to collaborate with their facilitator and cohort. The cost for the year is $600, or $55/month. Learn more and register here.

5 Day Academy for Spiritual Formation

April 7-12 at the St. Benedict Center, Schuyler

This retreat offers an opportunity to learn, worship, and connect - with God, yourself, and others. It is a program of Upper Room Ministries with regional leadership, is open to anyone - laity or clergy, and is ecumenical. The theme is Loving Well: Community, Healing, and Resilience. Led by presenters Elaine A. Heath and Jeanine B. Heath-McGlinn, we will explore what it means to foster spiritual communities that love well, build resilience, and offer healing and hope in a broken world.  

Registration for a single room is $625, a double room is $590, and online Zoom participation is $300. Some scholarships are available, especially for first-time laity participants. Learn more and register now.

Women's Retreat | God’s Shining Stars: Middle-Aged & Older Women of the Bible

5pm CT on April 12 to 11:30am CT on April 14

No matter your age, Bible women have much to teach us - especially the older ones who survived, loved, lost and found solid ground. Join us for the 2024 women's retreat as we laugh, learn, grieve, and most importantly, celebrate their many contributions. Led by Rev. Lindsay Hardin Freeman, the retreat will be held at Our Lady of Good Counsel Retreat Center (7303 N. 112th St, Waverly, NE). The cost is $220 for those staying overnight, $160 for commuters. Learn more and register now.

Movies That Matter: “Divisible” The History and Impact of Redlining

April 18 from 6:30-8:30pm CT / 5:30-6:30 MT

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UNL is offering a free program to learn about “redlining,” a discriminatory practice of systematically withholding services from residents of neighborhoods classified as “hazardous” to investment, where significant numbers of racial and ethnic minorities and/or low income people reside. We will view the documentary “Divisible,” which covers the history of the topic, then explore how redlining continues to impact society today. Registration opens March 12 at 8am CT. Learn more and register here.

Quiet Day at St. Martha's, Papillion

Tomorrow, March 2 from 9 am - 3 pm CT

Save the date for a Quiet Day at St. Martha's (780 Pinnacle Dr., Papillion) on Saturday, March 2 from 9 am - 3 pm CT. The day will be led by Mother Emily Schnabl, and the topic is: Ashes to Resurrection--Dying to Ourselves in a season of Lent. A soup lunch will be served, all are welcome. To RSVP please email Beth Agar at [email protected].

All Saints "Read to Feed" Benefit

Saturday, March 9 & Sunday, March 10

All Saints Episcopal Church (9302 Blondo St., Omaha) invites you to their Read to Feed: Book and Puzzle Sale Benefit for the Food Pantry on Blondo on Saturday, March 9 from 1-6 pm and Sunday, March 10 before and after their 8 am and 10:30 am services. Questions? Email Mtr. Karen Watson at [email protected].

Racial Reconciliation Ministry & Sacred Ground

Monuments and Roads Podcast

DioNeb's Racial Reconciliation & Sacred Ground Ministry has begun a new podcast, "Our Monuments and Roads." Hosted by Fr. Ben Varnum, the podcast shares stories from our community's work with Sacred Ground curriculum, the Monuments and Roads Pilgrimage, and more. Conversations on the podcast are a chance for participants in our groups and ministries to share their experiences in formation, reflection, and work in our communities. Click here to listen.

DioNeb Pilgrimages in the Dominican Republic

Adult Pilgrimage: April 13-19, 2024

Want your life to be changed? Want to change a life? Join a fantastic team as we make a pilgrimage to the Dominican Republic! Our next adult trip will take place April 13-19. We will return to Mission Santa Anna to help a community rejuvenate their campus with the hopes of beginning a medical ministry for local residents. No special skills needed. Scholarship help is available. Please contact Fr. John Schaefer or Fr. Tom Jones for more information.

Youth Pilgrimages: June 29-July 5 & July 6-12

Planning is underway for two youth pilgrimages to the Dominican Republic. Our June 29 trip invites youth 12-15, along with a parent, to experience Christian service working in the Diocesan camp just outside the city of Jarabacoa. Our July 6 trip is for youth 16-20. It will also work in and out of the camp. Both trips require passports, and scholarships are available. To learn more about the trip or to assist youth who want to go, contact Fr. John Schaefer or Fr. Tom Jones.

EfM Book Club

Our next meeting will be in April, and we will be reading Sacred Fire: A Vision for a Deeper Human and Christian Maturity, by Ronald Rolheiser.

Upcoming books for 2024 are: 

• July '24: I, Patrick, a Sinner: A novelization of the true life story of Patricius Magonus Sucatus, Saint Patrick, by Stephanie Lavenia Swinnea*
• October '24: Oscar Romero: Prophet of Hope by Roberto Morozzo della Rocca

*Author Mother Stephanie Swinnea is rector of St. Luke’s, Kearney, and an EfM mentor. 

Register for EfM: EfM is a life-changing experience. If you need more information about EfM and where to find a group, contact Sandra Squires. 

Lent Resources from the National Church

New and updated Lent resources are now available from the National Episcopal Church, including options for individuals, small groups, and congregations. Click here for "The Way of Love" in Lent, curriculums, devotionals, Lent Madness, a 40-day gratitude challenge, and much more.

Creation Care Grants Available

The Episcopal Church’s Task Force on the Care of Creation and Environmental Racism is offering an additional round of grant funding for up to eight projects that seek to bolster creation care and environmental justice work. The deadline to apply online is March 22.

Clarkson College Tuition Savings Program

Interested in a career in healthcare? DioNeb and Clarkson College have come together to help educate health care professionals across the state. Members of the Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska are eligible to receive a 35% tuition savings to pursue an education in health care at Clarkson College. Learn more online or call 402-552-3100.