Archive

Building community is a complex and life-long journey with relationships residing at its core.  Engaging Community, Narrating Change, Prairiewoods’ annual Spirituality in the 21st Century conference, held April 4–5, affirmed just that—relationships!  Nearly 500 people “circled up” and leaned into synergetic conversations to find connections in the service of something greater than themselves.  Their overall [...]

Public invited to remember tragic event On Friday, May 10, a gathering commemorating the fifth anniversary of the Postville, Iowa, Immigration Raid will take place in Cedar Rapids.  The purpose of the event is to remember the 389 people who were arrested on May 12, 2008, to reconcile with those who contributed to the injustices [...]

Prairiewoods has been awarded LEED® Gold certification for existing buildings, making it the first nonprofit in Iowa with that honor. LEED is the nation’s preeminent program for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings and was established by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute [...]

Engaging Community, Narrating Change Thursday, April 4, 7–9 p.m. (at St. Pius X Catholic Church) Friday, April 5, 9 a.m.–3:30 p.m. (at The Hotel at Kirkwood Center) Due to overwhelming interest in this conference, lodging at Prairiewoods is completely booked. Please call 877-751-5111 to book lodging at The Hotel at Kirkwood Center.   Click here [...]

As we pass candy to trick-or-treaters and rake up fall leaves, it’s hard to imagine that Christmas is right around the corner.  To help kick off the holiday season, come to Prairiewoods’ annual Holiday Bazaar on Saturday, Nov. 17.  It will be a great opportunity to cross items off your shopping list and get into [...]

Imagine growing vegetables all through the winter … in a garden in Iowa. It may seem far-fetched, but Prairiewoods is doing it! On Saturday, October 6, twenty-five people from the community helped build a hoop house and install a solar-powered root zone heating system in the Prairiewoods kitchen garden. Since 2010, the Prairiewoods grounds have [...]

Mindfulness is an open, kind, non-judging attention to what is happening in the present moment as it is happening.  It shapes a wise and compassionate relationship with and response to experience as it unfolds moment by moment.  As Joseph Goldstein writes in A Heart Full of Peace, “Mindfulness is the quality and power of mind [...]

Our lives are full of decisions to be made, from the mundane (Which flavor of cream cheese should I have on my morning bagel?) to the major (Which job offer should I accept?).  Some are easy to make, while others require serious discernment.  Where do we turn when we need help making these decisions?  What [...]

Although Saint Francis of Assisi was born more than 800 years ago, his joyful approach to life and love of all creatures remain a relevant example to us today.  Come celebrate Saint Francis at our annual Nature Fest at Prairiewoods (120 East Boyson Road in Hiawatha). This family- and pet-friendly outdoor party celebrates our connection [...]

The Prairiewoods flowerbeds are blooming, vegetables are growing in our garden and the animals are giving birth to new life.  Spring is here, and we’re celebrating with our seventh annual Garden Party! This year’s Garden Party will be held on Saturday, June 9, in the lovely Hallagan Education Center at Mercy Medical Center in downtown [...]