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To contact Visitation North, please call 248-433-0950 or e-mail us.
Regular Happenings
Creative Juices: A Spirituality of Creating
"Art is the tangible evidence of the human spirit" - Dory Grade, American artist
Second Saturdays beginning Sept. 13
Time: 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Flexible registration fee ($10-20)
Facilitator: Jean T. Booms, IHM
We invite artists - both professionals and those who simply enjoy creating - to gather:
· To honor and use their creative gifts
· To find inspiration and encouragement in being with other creators
Come and experience the energy of such a connection!
Sacred Space: Invitation to Lay Ministry Support
Last Tuesday of the month beginning Sept. 30
Time: 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Freewill offering
Facilitators: Mary McDevitt, IHM,
Kathy Hasty, Pastoral Associate at St. Joseph, Lake Orion
Now in our second year, we invite lay ministers for prayer and sharing of their call to ministry, its challenges and opportunities. The group offers mutual support and spiritual insight. We ve chosen the book Into the Silent Land: A Guide to the Christian Practice of Contemplation by Martin Laird, OSU, and use a guide geared to members' spirituality and ministry. Join us!
Musing over Mugs
First Saturdays beginning Oct. 4
Time: 10 a.m. to noon
Freewill offering
Facilitator: Monica Stuhlreyer, IHM
Some of the best insights happen over a cup of coffee or tea. In our small-group setting, women gather to explore the grace and challenges of their lives as seen through the eyes of faith. Using readings, reflection and dialogue, participants sift through their "ordinary" life experiences and, in the process, may make spiritual discoveries.
Come join us!
Series
A Practical Guide to Christian Prayer
A four-part series; second Tuesdays: Sept. 9, Oct. 14, Nov. 11, Dec. 9
Time: 10 a.m. to noon
Registration fee: $100 for the series (materials included);
fee adjustment available upon written request
Presenter: Mary Ann Flanagan, IHM, Ph.D.
This seminar journey will focus on the variety of ways one can pray. We will reflect on the purpose of prayer and discover new and traditional ways at the heart of a prayerful life.
We pray with heart, mind and body as we communicate with God, one another and the world around us. We will also examine challenges in prayer: crisis, dark night and suffering.
Some kinds of prayer we'll explore and experience: silence, movement, icons, walking meditation, images and traditional prayer.
Book Club Discussion
Second Fridays from Sept. 12, 2008, through May 8, 2009
Time: 10 a.m. to noon
Registration fee: $10
Facilitator: Monica Stuhlreyer, IHM
Fiction, Memoirs and Spirituality
Most of us love a good book. Fiction offers engaging stories, memorable characters and, sometimes, deep wisdom. Memoirs reveal the spiritual struggles and moral stature of remarkable individuals. Exploring such books can be a spiritual exercise; sharing them in a book "club" can be a most enjoyable conversation and deepen our understanding of what it means to be human. Our September book, Paula by Isabel Allende, is available at bookstores or on amazon.com.
Mid-Life, Long Life Directions Workshop
For individuals ages 40-70+years
A seven-part series; Monday afternoons, Sept. 22 to Nov. 3
Time: 1-3 p.m.
Registration fee: $140 for series or $20 per session (includes materials)
Facilitator: Monica Stuhlreyer, IHM
In the 21st century, adults entering mid-life can expect to live another 40 years. We have the potential for a longer, richer adult life than ever before. But according to Carl Jung, "We cannot live the afternoon of life according to the program of life's morning."
In this personal and spiritual growth workshop, we invite participants to look back over their own life-paths and forward to their own unrealized possibilities.
We'll use a journal, our own unique experience and comfortable sharing. The result can be enlivening and energizing! Ideal for empty-nesters, new retirees, individuals considering life-changes.
Prayer -- Who Does What?
A four-part Lenten series
Friday mornings: March 6, March 13, March 20, March 27
Time: 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Flexible registration fee: $10 to15 per session
Facilitator: Monica Stuhlreyer, IHM
Many of us grew up thinking prayer is something we ourselves must do. But Ruth Burrows, an English Carmelite, offers another perspective in her book, Essence of Prayer. She says, "Faith assures us that prayer is essentially what God does." The message goes against so much writing that implies we reach God "by running faster." What if we don't need to work so hard?
Using her book, we'll take a new look at the essence of prayer.
*Book can be ordered from your local bookstore
Special Offerings Online registration available for workshops listed below.
The God Quest: Ever Ancient, Always New
"A tradition that cannot change cannot be preserved..."
- Elizabeth Johnson, C.S.J.
Date: Saturday, Sept. 27
Time: 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Registration fee: $50 (includes lunch)
Presenter: Margaret Brennan, IHM
A reflection of vibrant Christian theologies that have found the living God in the midst of our changing times - and the challenge for future theologies still uncharted and only dimly foreseen.
At the Heart of It All
Making our daily stresses occasions of joy and solidarity
Date: Oct. 9
Time: 7-9 p.m.
Registration fee: $15 per person, $20 for two
Pesenter: Msgr. John Zenz, Pastor, Holy Name Parish, Birmingham
Despite our noble efforts to breathe slowly and deeply and make choices that flow from the core of our being, most of us on the spiritual journey still struggle with the "ups and downs" of daily pressures, frustrations and failure to meet our own expectations.
Can we turn it around?
· Is it possible to make stress something positive,
a simulus to greater humility, compassion and solidarity with others?
· Can stress actually be the gentle hand of God touching us
and holding us ever so gently but firmly?
Spirituality of Marriage
Seeing God's active presence in married life
Date: Oct. 22
Time: 7-9 p.m.
Registration fee: $20 per person; $30 for two
Presenter: Kathy Hasty, Pastoral Associate, St. Joseph, Lake Orion
We offer this evening to encourage married people to discover the "Footprints of God" within their committed love and shared life with one another. This evening session will provide deeper insight into the real-life, everyday meaning of marriage as sacrament. We'll consider practical hints on how to celebrate both the beauty and the rough patches of life together.
About Spiritual Direction
How does theology ground the practice of spiritual direction?
Date: Sat., Oct. 25
Time: 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Registration fee: $50 (includes lunch)
Presenter: Mary Ellen Sheehan, IHM
We will explore in an introductory way how Christian faith is operative in the process of spiritual direction. We've designed this workshop to assist spiritual directors, both experienced and beginners.
Young Adult Catholics: The Future of the Church
Date: Oct. 29
Time: 7-9:00 p.m.
Registration fee: $15 per person, $20 for two
Presenters: Pat Cooney-Hathaway and Tom Hathaway
This session will focus on the concerns, challenges and hopes of our youth and young adults as identified as Gen X and Millennials. Presenters will share information from recent studies regarding the different generations that make up the Catholic Church today and their differing views on faith, belief and institutional affiliation.
Men's Spiritual Journey
Signposts on the Way
Date: Nov. 15
Time: 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Registration fee: $50 (includes lunch)
Facilitator: Don Stone
We've designed this gathering to provide an environment for men to share from within their own journeys through stories, conversations, laughter and fellowship in a respectful atmosphere where all are welcome and all are brothers. As we listen, share and discuss, we will begin to transform into who we really are as men who support each other on our male spiritual journey.
"Let's Do Lunch"
An Advent Offering
Date: Dec. 3
Time: 12-3 p.m.
Registration fee: $25 (includes lunch)
Facilitator: Angela Hibbard, IHM
Advent is "time out," a contemplative season of preparation, waiting for the birth which changed the world. Any woman who has been pregnant knows how she feels in the ninth month. That experience is the best image of what Advent should be. "Doing lunch" is a leisure activity carved out of a busy life. This gathering will be time out from whirlwind December days to reflect on what the seasons of Advent and Christmas actually mean.
Advent by Candlelight
An evening of reflection
Date: Dec. 10
Time: 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Registration fee: $20
Presenter: Mary McDevitt, IHM
Designed for Marygrove Alumni, we will gather in a prayerful setting to discover what the season of Advent has to offer us. We bring our own concerns and the concerns of our world to our prayer.
Grieving as Sacred Space
Date: March 11, 2009
Time: 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Registration fee: $50 (includes lunch)
Facilitator: Mary McDevitt, IHM
Any experience of loss, the death of a loved one or even a pet, the loss of a job or home, a painful divorce or the wider suffering in our current world - may plunge us into significant spiritual and psychological pain.
During this time of reflection and sharing, we wish to discover for ourselves how the mystery of suffering loss may actually have the power to transform us.
Participants will receive input, and share in prayer and reflection on losses we have known. This mutual sharing will help us remain attentive to Christian hope.
Should Christians Go Green?
Date: March 28, 2009
Time: 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Registration fee: $50 (includes lunch)
Presenter: Mary Ellen Sheehan, IHM
In this session of input and reflection, we will attempt to articulate current concerns about the peril of our planet and the emerging Universe Story within a Christian perspective.
Some people see our planetary responsibility as a Gospel mandate. What do you think? Is the care for polar bears and the fear of global warming really a faith problem? Come for a day of exploration.
A Pilgrimage: From Visitation North to the City
Date: April 25, 2009
Departure from Visitation North at 10 a.m., return by 3:15 p.m.
Registration fee: $50
Tour Guide: Angela Cerna-Plata, IHM
A pilgrimage is a spiritual journey. Often the pilgrim's goal is to visit a sacred place, a shrine or a religious site, for a variety of reasons - to offer thanksgiving, to practice an act of devotion, to discover something as yet unknown. At Visitation North we sponsor a yearly pilgrimage--into the city of Detroit.
We prepare with prayer. Then we will board a bus to two sites, each with its own mission: the Capuchin Soup Kitchen and the Father Solanus Center. We will lunch as pilgrims with others served in the "Food Line" followed by a guided tour of the newly renovated Father Solanus Center.
Visitation-on-Call
The staff of Visitation North is available to facilitate an on-site or off-site retreat day, weekend, evening of reflection or workshop. We can help you design what best fits the needs of your group. All programs have a basic fee plus travel. Call us for details. Some topic suggestions:
· Seeing Earth as a Revelation of God
· Advent/Lenten Days of Reflection
· Deep Waters: Contemplation in the Elder Years
On Your Own
"Spiritual Spa Day"
When is the last time you did something for your spirit? Anyone who's been to a spa knows the healing effects on body and mind that make such a day unforgettable. On a spa day for your spirit, you'd step into a place of peace and quiet welcome. Someone would help you listen to your own Spiritual Journey, suggest reading and prayer exercises, all in the silence and beautiful atmosphere for communing with your God, and then send you off with a renewed sense of the "dearest freshness deep down things." An unforgettable day! Call for an appointment. We offer morning or afternoon appointments, either for a half day or more.
Suggested donation: $50
Please bring your own lunch.
Knapsack Days
Our lovely space at Visitation North is available for anyone desiring a day of quiet reflection and reading. Just bring whatever you need for a day to "let your soul catch up"-- perhaps your Bible, your journal, your lunch. To ensure a contemplative space will be available, you'll need to call in advance.
Suggested donation: $10-20
Refund Policy
Please note: If Visitation cancels an event, we will fully refund your registration fee. For cancellations that are made at least two weeks before an event, we will refund all fees except the deposit. Deposits are not transferrable to other events but a substitute partipant may attend in place of the registrant. If registering online, full payment is required.
Spiritual Direction
Spiritual direction provides an opportunity for individuals to share their lives and experiences of God with a person specifically trained in areas such as spirituality, pastoral ministry and interpersonal communication. The spiritual director, sometimes called a spiritual companion or guide, listens and explores with the person the signs of God's activity in his or her life and the direction to which God seems to be calling.
We offer spiritual direction by appointment at Visitation North, providing an atmosphere of respect for persons of all faith traditions who are engaged in the quest for God. To make an appointment with one of our spiritual directors, please contact Visitation.
All Visitation spiritual directors are certified, having completed academic studies and training at centers and institutes that specialize in spiritual direction. Staff members are from a variety of backgrounds, bringing a wide range of experience to their role as listeners and spiritual companions.
If you are unfamiliar with our spiritual directors, a staff member can provide information to guide your decision.
Suggestion donation: $40
Registration
To register for an event
· E-mail us with your name, contact information and event desired
· Call 248-433-0950
Unless otherwise specified, registration is due with a deposit of one-half the fee two weeks in advance.
To make payment -
· Mail either a check or money order in U.S.
currency payable to Visitation, or
· Pay online using Visa or Mastercard
Cancellations
· If Visitation cancels an event, we will fully
refund your registration fee.
· If you cancel a registration at least two weeks before an event,
we will refund all fees except the deposit.
Deposits are not transferrable to other events but a substitute participant may attend in place of the registrant. Because our goal is to provide resources for spiritual growth to all who see it, persons with limited income may submit a request in writing for available scholarships. We rely on the generosity of benefactors to help make this ministry possible.
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