Like many of you, I have been struggling with my own fear and anxiety as this pandemic continues to unfold. As the director of Prairiewoods, I hope to make the best decisions to care for the people we serve and for the people who work here—aware that lives and livelihoods may hang in the balance.…
As we arise on the morning of Saint Patrick’s Day, we are blessed with a beautiful Celtic Christian protection prayer known as The Deer’s Cry or Saint Patrick’s Breastplate prayer. This prayer is often sung and is a tune we can hum to ourselves throughout the day and always, reminding us that Christ is with…
Just below my window a rangale of deer at dawn fold into their prayer mats of snow. I am like the yearling at the edge, restless, unable to center myself, wandering in and out of the creek, waiting for the rest of the world to wake up. An hour later, they are still sitting on…
As our lives and commitments shift over time, we find ourselves with time or interest to give to new and varied pursuits. If you find yourself with time to give back, we invite you to consider volunteering at Prairiewoods. We are always looking for dedicated people interested in giving back to their community! Here are…
Prairiewoods foundress Betty Daugherty, FSPA, passed away in December. The ripples of her loss will be felt for many years to come. For those who missed it, here is her full obituary … Sister Betty Daugherty, Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration, 88, died on Friday, Dec. 20, 2019, at Dennis and Donna Oldorf Hospice of…
Every story has a beginning, even though there may be no exact moment we can point to and say, “Here is when the first seed was planted. This is where the story began.” This is true of Prairiewoods’ story. The beginning of Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality Center doesn’t rest in one specific moment in time; our…
What happens as the New Year 2020 emerges from the compost of the old? Perhaps we look forward with such anticipation because we are crossing a threshold. It is a door opening, and if we cross through, we may never return again. Old habits, old ways of thinking, of imagining and of being begin to…
“Life is this simple: we are living in a world that is absolutely transparent and the divine is shining through it all the time. This is not just a nice story or fable, it is true. This is something we are not able to see; but if we abandon ourselves to Him, forget ourselves, we…
This October we brought a taste of Celtic spirituality to our Prairiewoods calendar. Angie Pierce Jennings and I invited anyone who wished to join us in delving into the spirit of two writers: John Philip Newell and John O’Donohue, both magical with words and both steeped in the inheritance received from their Celtic ancestors. In…
There’s a reason that we speak of love, life, loss, death and other profound experiences in poetic verse. Poetry captures the very essence of our most awe-inspiring, most devastating and most intense feelings with images from the natural world. Poets revel in employing the metaphors of Earth’s birthing, abundance, dying and rebirthing to call us to…