Celebrate the Feast of Saint Nicholas with two unique holiday shopping opportunities at Prairiewoods! On the weekend of Dec. 5 and 6, you can get in the giving spirit when you buy your loved ones charitable gifts to local and global nonprofits or handcrafted gifts from local artists. Alternative Gift Market at Prairiewoods Saturday, Dec.…
Detailsby Katie Gerhart Catholics realize that the Pope is a man who is capable of wearing many hats other than the miter. He can be a peacemaker, a listener, a preacher. However, I never really thought of the Pope as being an environmentalist. Pope Francis’ Praise be to You: Laudato Si’ showed me that…
DetailsThis is our time in history. We are the people on stage. Do we know our lines? Do we even have the right vocabulary? We’ll need to learn quickly, creating awareness of the dangers that lie in the future and forming the collective human response that will be needed to carry the story forward. An…
DetailsDo you struggle with the question of what one individual or family can do to care for Earth? What do you tell the children in your life about the planet and the damage it is suffering? How do you deepen your own understanding of your responsibility to Mother Earth? Just in time for Earth Day…
DetailsOur Prayers Will Bring Hope. Our Lights Will Guide the Way. December 2014/January 2015 December 1 to 12, world leaders will try to agree on the fundamentals of a climate change treaty in Lima that will guide the 2015 Paris climate talks. If we are to stop climate change we need a strong meaningful agreement that everyone can…
DetailsPrairiewoods’ friend Chris Gaunt recently wrote an article for Prairiewoods about her extensive attempts to create peace in this world. Here are her thoughts … My Iowa friends and acquaintances from across the country are actively protesting armed drone warfare and going to jail for it. But I am not with them. My history is…
Detailsby Pia Fritsch, Prairiewoods Intern What Greater Cathedral? Why are monuments to the Living God Made of stone? I do not comprehend this Holy Weight. What greater cathedral could we build than an Oak savannah? What taller ceiling than the sky? What greater columns than the Trunks of old oak trees? What purer communion of…
Detailsby Pia Fritsch, Prairiewoods Intern One of the exercises that we did that stretched people the most was the animal embodiment workshop. In this workshop we had to enact an animal that represented who we are. We were split into groups of three that Sister Marj and Sister Joan had tried to mix introverts and…
Detailsby Pia Fritsch, Prairiewoods Intern Delving further into the hero’s journey we looked at the archetype of Parsifal as presented by the movie “Search for the Holy Grail.” Robert A. Johnson, the speaker in the film, tells the story of this archetype as it reflects his life journey and the journey of many modern day…
Detailsby Pia Fritsch, Prairiewoods Intern On Monday as part of the Dream Retreat we watched Finding Joe. This was a really touching and illuminating movie. I have looked at the hero’s journey before, but it was communicated in a novel and heartfelt way in this film. A lot of people appreciated how it expressed religious…
Detailsby Pia Fritsch, Prairiewoods Intern I sat in on the facilities meeting this Thursday. Since I’ve never sat in on a facilities meeting at any other place it’s difficult to have perspective on this, but I am pretty sure that it is run slightly different here. The meeting started with a gong to the singing…
Detailsby Pia Fritsch, Prairiewoods Intern Monday I got the chance to witness the Day of Self Renewal retreat. I spent almost all day walking and sitting outside. There were a lot of animals out there that day. I saw the mother deer with her young. I saw a few other deer as well. A groundhog…
Detailsby Pia Fritsch, Prairiewoods Intern Since helping get things ready for the Garden Party I’ve realized how much work goes into creating those events. I never really thought about how much work goes into that, but somebody has to set the tables out and wrap the baskets. I felt like I could see a lot…
DetailsJulian of Norwich said, “Be a gardener! Dig a ditch! Toil and sweat, and turn the earth upside down, and seek the deepness and water the plants in time. Continue this labor and make sweet floods to run and noble and abundant fruits to spring. Take this food and drink and carry it to God…
Detailsby Pia Fritsch, Prairiewoods Intern I’m getting a better picture of how Prairiewoods functions more and more. It takes quite a few people to get everything ready for guests. A lot of times that just means rearranging furniture and wiping down tables, but these things need to get done. During the facilities meeting I saw…
Detailsby Pia Fritsch, Prairiewoods Intern It was interesting to be here during the silence retreat, because it felt like we were backstage at a show. We had to whisper to each other and do the behind the scenes work to make things happen for the guests. The silence creates the feeling that you are in…
Detailsby Pia Fritsch, Prairiewoods Intern I appreciate how everyone participates in the small chores of keeping the facility clean. I’ve seen different staff members doing dishes, wiping tables, and folding cloths regardless of their position here. I think this is a really great way to run a hospitality center, because since everyone willingly does those…
DetailsThis week, Prairiewoods welcomes our fourth summer intern, Pia Fritsch. She is a student at Maharishi University in Fairfield and is passionate about issues of sustainability. Several times a week, Pia will write a blog about her experience at Prairiewoods. We will post them here and would love to hear your feedback! Reflection 1 by…
DetailsSave the date for Spirituality in the 21st Century April 12–13, 2019, with Charles Eisenstein (author of The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible and gift economy advocate) and Bayo Akomolafe (author of These Wilds Beyond Our Fences and radical paradigm shift activist). Recap of 2018 Spirituality in the 21st Century Chaos, Consciousness, Connection,…
DetailsWhat makes Cedar Rapids a compassionate city? What compassionate movements are you connected with in the corridor, in the Midwest, in the United States or around the world? Please share your insights below. Connect with others focused on compassion: Green World Campaign Planetize the Movement Wake Up For Your Rights Movement Trees Forever Matthew 25…
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