Step Quietly into March at Dominican Center

A new series of programs have been developed at Dominican Center to draw you out of the long, difficult West Michigan winter. The season of Lent begins on March 5 with Ash Wednesday. Traditionally, Lent is the Christian season of preparation before Easter. In Western Christianity, Ash Wednesday (March 5 this year) marks the first day of Lent (a six-week season that preceeds Easter).a time when many Christians prepare for Easter by observing a period of fasting, repentance, moderation and spiritual discipline. Whether you do something extra or give up something you love for a while, silence is always a good place to go to discover what you are being called to do during lent and perhaps life . Be silent. Listen. This is a good place to begin.

Class information and brief summaries for programs beginning in March are below. The active links take you to a presenter biography and online registration for each specific class.

SILENCE: A LENTEN PRACTICE 086-037
Presenter: Diane Zerfas, OP, Spiritual Director, DCM Program Director
Dates/Time: Three Tuesdays – Mar. 11, 18, 25: 6:30-8:00 p.m.
This year let’s give up noise for Lent, the distractions of outer commotion and inner static. Silence can be the language of God, the language of peace. Each session will encourage the practice of silence.
1. Our first session will reflect on the biblical call to “be still and know that I am God.”
2. Our second session will go to the desert with Jesus and the desert mystics.
3. Our last session will focus on the silence of death and the cross.
Cost: $30.00 for the series, $12.00 per session for walk-ins. Info/Register: Click Here

GRACE 086-029-03
Presenter:Mary Kay Oosdyke, OP, Director of Dominican Associate Life
Date/Time: Wednesday, March 19, 2014: 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Grace is a mysterious power that is offered every second of every day. Grace is both an identity and a relationship. Can we see it?
Cost: $15.00. *CFD: Theology.  Info/Register: Click Here

EMPATHY IS A GIFT: YOU HAVE IT! 086-095       
Facilitator: Ann Walters, OP
Date/Time: Tuesdays, March 18 & 25; April 1 & 29 from 7:00-8:30 p.m.
This program strengthens the relationships of care-givers, parents, grandparents, spiritual directors, couples, and any others interested in fine-tuning their interpersonal communication skills.  Participants, through input, dialogue, and role playing, will learn, experience, and practice:

• the characteristics of empathic listeners,
• operative principles for empathic listening,
• what empathy is and is not,
• listening empathically to another,
• in what ways empathy is already operative in their present relationships, and
• recognizing the ways empathy can be misused.

Cost: $40.00
Info/Register: Click Here

SPIRITUAL GROWTH: CREATE, PRAY, HEAL 086-082 (BILINGUAL OFFERING: ENGLISH/SPANISH)
Facilitator: Zulema Moret,
Date/Time: March 15, 2014: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
This workshop aims to deepen our overall growth as spiritual beings. A key objective of this individual experience and group will be to encounter the creative power and God's healing in our lives, through prayer, reflection and art. We are going to dance, paint, write, sing, pray and reflect.
Cost: $30.00.  Info/Register:Click Here

TÍTULO: CRECIMIENTO ESPIRITUAL: CREAR, ORAR, SANAR 086-082 (PROPUESTA BILINGÜE: ESPAÑOL, INGLÉS) Coordina: Zulema Moret,
Fecha: Hora: Marzo 15, 2014: 09 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
El objetivo de este taller es el de profundizar en nuestro crecimiento como seres espirituales. Vamos a experimentar el poder sanador de Dios en nuestras vidas, de manera individual y grupal, a través de la oración, la reflexión y la práctica artística. Vamos a bailar, pintar, escribir, cantar, orar y reflexionar. Coste:$30.00.  Información/Registrar:Click Here

DO HEAVEN AND HELL STILL EXIST? WHY? WHY NOT? 086-045
Presenter: Joachim Lally, CSP, Paulist Priest, Artist, Musician
Date/Time: Thursday – March 27: 7:00-8:45 p.m.
In this presentation, Father Lally will be sharing some of the theology through the centuries of how heaven and hell have played into the picture of our faith. We will be looking at the evolution of thinking that has taken place up until the present and how this affects our spiritual lives and religious practices. Be prepared for some lively discussions.  Cost: $15.00.  Info/Register: Click Here

YOGA – Recurs on Thursdays for 8 weeks.
Instructor: Susan Duesbery, adjunct at DCM and WMU
Dates/Times: Thursdays, March 6 – Apr 24; Chair Yoga (4-5 p.m.); Basic (7:00 p.m. – 8:15 p.m);  Beyond Basics (5:30–6:45 p.m.)
Yoga is a gift you give yourself. It acknowledges that you are worthy enough to take time to care for and nurture your body, mind, and spirit. It is a gift that invites you to feel whole, happy, and healthy. Give yourself this gift. Come cultivate flexibility, strength, and balance in your body, calm and quiet in your mind, and peace and joy in your spirit.  Cost: $80.00 for series of 8 sessions. Walkins are welcome as space provides for $12 per session.  Info/Register: Click Here

BREATHE AND BE WELL 086-091
Instructor: Susan Duesbery, adjunct at DCM and WMU
Date/Time: Wednesday, March 5, 2014; 6:30-8:00 p.m.
When we breathe shallowly, we send a signal to our brain that a crisis is about to happen; our bodies get flooded with stress chemicals. But when we breathe deeply, we send a signal that all is well. We are calm, peaceful and filled with a sense of well-being. Come learn several breathing techniques to help you manage stress and anxiety; energize yet calm your body and fill your system with vitality.
Cost: $15.00.  Info/Register: Click Here

submitted: rsteers, dcm social media coordinator