This year’s Garden Party will be held on Saturday, June 9, in the lovely Hallagan Education Center at Mercy Medical Center in downtown Cedar Rapids.

The party begins at 4:30 p.m. with a social hour featuring local wine and beer tasting.  As a guest, you can enjoy live entertainment by The River’s Voice, socialize with other guests and witness the official debut of Prairiewoods’ video documentary.  You will feast on a buffet dinner prepared by the chefs at Mercy Medical Center.

You also will have a chance to bid on a variety of exciting items in both a silent and live auction.  This year’s auctions include irresistible items, such as a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) share, tickets to community events, gift certificates for Prairiewoods programs and retreats, and a stunning handmade afghan … just to name a few!

In the coming months, you will be able to buy raffle tickets for a chance to win an iPad and a private ride in a hot air balloon.  (Check back in a few weeks for information about purchasing raffle tickets and for downloadable forms.)

Tickets to the Garden Party cost $40 for one  person or $250 for a table of eight (a portion of which is tax-deductible).  Start thinking about getting a group of friends together for this enjoyable evening!

We also are seeking sponsors to help underwrite the cost of the Garden Party.  Sponsorships are at the heart of making this event successful each year, and we would be thrilled to include any company or individual as a supporter.  To learn more about becoming a sponsor, please contact us.

The Garden Party is the main fundraising event of the year for Prairiewoods.  It helps to support the wonderful variety of spiritual and ecological programming we provide throughout the year.  We hope you’ll plan to join us!

For more information or to register, please visit www.Prairiewoods.org or contact Andi Lewis at 319-395-6700,
ext. 206.

Who:  All Friends of Prairiewoods
Where:  Hallagan Education Center at Mercy Medical Center
When:  Saturday, June 9, 4:30 p.m.
How Much:  $40 per ticket or $250 per table of eight

Friday, March 16, 7–9 p.m. and Saturday, March 17, 9 a.m.–3:30 p.m.
at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, 1350 Lyndhurst Drive in Hiawatha, Iowa

Download the registration form here.

For the first time in human history, we share a common universe story. For some, this emerging narrative is an invitation to growth and spiritual transformation. For others, it is a fearful prospect that evokes resistance, retreat and regression.

As a result, our political, cultural and religious institutions are increasingly polarized and ineffective. We are facing a crisis that makes profound demands on each of us. Is religion dying or being transformed? Am I losing my faith or encountering the Holy in a deeper way? Does my commitment to work for justice and to care for Earth make a difference, or is it too late? These are not likely the issues that you will hear debated on cable news or talk radio. But they are the quiet, urgent questions that are stirring in our hearts.

These are also the questions that this Spirituality in the 21^st Century conference explores. Evolutionary spirituality is not a passing theological fad. It is the context of today and of all our tomorrows—the agenda that the cosmos itself is revealing. More immediately, it is a vision that challenges our current religious institutions and calls us to a new way of seeing and responding.

After outlining the significance of evolutionary spirituality, we will focus on the personal, communal implications of this vision for our lives. The contemporary summons to discipleship is as old as the gospel and as urgent as this morning’s headlines. It is the call to be a life-long learner, a long-distance servant. In specific terms, it is the challenge to “come of age” by moving beyond our anthropocentric, egocentric concerns to embrace our responsibility to God, to Earth and to one another.

John Heagle, MA, JCL, LMHC, is a Catholic priest, counselor and author with more than 46 years of pastoral experience as a campus minister, college professor and pastor. In 1976 he was appointed the first director of the Office of Justice and Peace for the Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin. Since 1985 he has ministered as a licensed psychotherapist and the co-director of Therapy & Renewal Associates in the Pacific Northwest. During this time, John also has served as adjunct faculty for the School of Theology & Ministry at Seattle University. John is the author of seven books on spirituality, ministry and human relationships, and the co-author with Fran Ferder, FSPA, Ph.D., of three books, including Tender Fires: The Spiritual Promise of Sexuality (Crossroad, 2002). His latest book is Justice Rising: the Emerging Biblical Vision (Orbis Books, 2010).

Conference Details
Who: John Heagle, MA, JCL, LMHC

Where: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, 1350 Lyndhurst Drive in Hiawatha, Iowa 52233

When: Friday, March 16, 7–9 p.m. and Saturday, March 17, 9 a.m.–3:30 p.m.

How Much: $25 for Friday only (includes Friday evening presentation)
$50 for Saturday only (includes Saturday presentation and lunch)
$75 for both Friday and Saturday (includes Friday and Saturday presentations and Saturday lunch)

To Lodge: All lodging at Prairiewoods is full, but we reserved a block of rooms at Days Inn and Suites Cedar Rapids(2215 Blairs Ferry Road NE). The reduced fee is $55 per night plus tax for a room with two double beds and free continental breakfast. To make a reservation, call 319-378-3948 and ask for the Prairiewoods Spirituality in the 21st Century block.

To Register: Complete the Registration Form (click here to download it). Print and mail the completed form with full payment to Prairiewoods. Please note that payment in full is required to confirm registration; only reservations with completed registration form and payment will be accepted.

To Cancel: $10 of each registration fee is nonrefundable. The remainder of the registration fee will be refunded if a cancellation is made by Monday, March 12.

To Learn More: For more information, please contact Ann Jackson, PBVM, at 319-395-6700, ext. 203, or ajackson@prairiewoods.org. To view the event brochure, click here.

The presentations throughout the event will build upon each other, but participants may attend one or both days as stand-alone events.
Both events are open to the public. Reservations are encouraged as space is limited.

Directions
Directions to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church:
1350 Lyndhurst Drive in Hiawatha, Iowa 52233
Take I-380 to Boyson Road, exit 25. Go west on Boyson Road. Take the first left onto North 12th Avenue. Take the second right onto Lyndhurst Drive. The church will be on your right.

Directions to Prairiewoods:
120 East Boyson Road in Hiawatha, Iowa 52233
Take I-380 to Boyson Road, exit 25. Go east on Boyson Road. Just after the four-way stop at Robins Road, turn left into Prairiewoods.

Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality Center is the sole sponsor of this event.

Stuffed Dates
Category: Appetizer

Ingredients
dates (Medjool or other fresh or dry dates)
blue chee crumbles
sliced bacon
balsamic vinegar

Directions
1. Make a slit through the side of each date. If pitted, pull the pit through the slit.
2. Take a small piece of blue cheese and stuff into the center of the date through the slit.
3. Cut a slice of bacon in half and wrap it around each date.  Secure with a plain toothpick.
4. Place the dates in a hotel or roasting pan in one layer.
5. Drizzle balsamic vinegar over all the dates. You want them wet, but not “drowned.”
6. Bake in a 375-degree oven for 30–45 minutes, or until bacon is cooked.
7. Serve warm and enjoy!

Source: Prairiewoods
* Exported from MasterCook *

Come to the Holiday Bazaar to find baked goods and gifts for friends and family on your Christmas list. In addition to special items from the Prairiewoods kitchen and gift shop, vendors with an array of craft items will be present. The Holiday Bazaar will feature fresh baked breads and pies, Trappistine caramels, greeting cards, jewelry, mittens, baby items and many more handcrafted goods. And if you wear yourself out with too much shopping, take a break in our Coffee Café with a hot drink and a cinnamon roll or other tasty treat.

We hope you will join us in kicking off this festive season with the Holiday Bazaar! For more information, contact Prairiewoods at 319-395-6700.

WMT with Katheryn Foxx