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Thanks to all who made our
25th Anniversary Celebration a joy!
Gratitude unending to all who joined in on June 6. The grounds are still reverberating with love and joy. Over 200 people gathered for a day filled with awe and wonder, from the opening ceremony to cutting the cake. The photos below give some highlights.
The gratitude and blessing ceremony included a meditative litany of the creatures who make their home here, and a lively blessing of everyone gathered with water from lake Simcoe. Throughout the day, individuals blessed and placed natural stones to create a unique mosaic bench for the land. Mayor Margaret Quirk praised Maryholme’s contributions to Georgina, and with our founder Sr. Jane McDonell CJ cut an anniversary ribbon. The auction and raffle added several thrills to the day.
The capstone of the day was Dr. Diana Beresford-Kroeger’s presentation. She enraptured the audience with her seamless weaving of botany, medical science and spirituality, presented with tremendous warmth and care for us all. What a remarkable woman… a world-recognized botanist, medical biochemist, author, and climate visionary, with two PhDs (biochemisty and biology) as well as a masters in botany, she has made significant discoveries that advanced medical science and cancer treatment. Listening to her gave us all a place for our anxiety about the planet, and support for our hopes and visions in very practical ways. For example, she urged us all to go to a forest with white pine trees every month, and breathe deeply for 15 minutes… because white pines emit cells into the air that protect us from cancer. This was Dr. Beresford-Kroeger’s first visit, let alone presentation, in Georgina. We thank the Town of Georgina for a grant that helped fund this.
There are so many friends to thank.
The outpouring of support from individuals and businesses was truly astounding. See the list below of the local businesses and artists who contributed; please support them. Sponsors are also listed on our website.
Damiani Jewelers, Elmgrove Farm Collective, All Reasons Rentals, Doris Keppler, Streamline Canada Inc., Cotto e Crudo Italian Kitchen, Leif Gonzales Photographer, Pollard’s Auctions, LaStrada Bakery, The Venetian, Georgina Garden Centre, Chris Gynan, La Contessa Produce, Steve Peroff, Hiveshare, Petal Pushers, Vivian Palin-Yoga Instructor, Quality Cheese Inc., Wild Woods Market, Sweet Pea Boutique, Twig Garden, Sutton Home Hardware, Stephen Leacock Theatre, Cloverhill Flowers, Elpida Café and Roastery, Keswick Flowers, Leslie Sedore, Sheila Dobson, Sharon Temple, Deb Banfield, Canadian Tire Garden Centre, St. Michael's College, Michele Taub – Eddybee & Tootsie
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Special thanks to the Loretto Sisters – Congregation of Jesus, Canada, who had the vision 25 years ago to turn their holiday home into this spirituality centre; and who have continued to guide it with their wisdom and charism, and financially ground it all these years. Grateful hearts.
Please note: while the Loretto Sisters/Congregation of Jesus, is a congregation of the Catholic Church, they receive no funding from the Church. 100% of all contributions to Loretto Maryholme directly support the work of this centre.
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