Prairiewoods Praise be! - Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality Center
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Prairiewoods
July/August 2021
A CATHOLIC, FRANCISCAN ECOSPIRITUALITY RETREAT AND CONFERENCE CENTER
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Deep Diving into New Life
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n this moment of “PanDeepening” and the evolution of celebratory event” (ala geologian Thomas Berry), right up to
human consciousness, we find ourselves at an inflection this liminal moment, we are brides “married to amazement.”
point, a watershed in the journey of our Universe. It If we are fully present to what is unfolding right now, what
may seem to many that the current moment reflects a is becoming all around and within us, we open ourselves
dying of sorts. The poetess Mary Oliver, reflecting on the to infinite possibilities. We find ourselves, especially in
imminence of death, notes that it is our inter-connection respect to our personal and communal breath, expanding
with the wider “We” that sustains and energizes us exponentially. Our “We” is so much wider than our own
for the journey into new ways of being, new life itself. ego, even our own human-kin. The Age of the Anthropocene
“And therefore, I look upon everything as (human-centeredness) is fading, and the Age of the Sumbios
a brotherhood and a sisterhood, and I look (being WITH all Life) is emerging (https://theecologist.
upon time as no more than an idea, and I org/2019/feb/27/after-anthropocene). The potency of our
consider eternity as another possibility, and I “Now” is that it encompasses and composts ALL that has
think of each life as a flower, as common as a given and become life and transforms it into something
field daisy, and as singular, and each name a entirely new, something immeasurably more complex,
comfortable music in the mouth, tending, as more unified. Spiritual writer Eckhart Tolle reminds us to
all music does, toward silence, and each body “Die to the past every moment.You don’t need it. Only
a lion of courage, and something precious to refer to it when it is absolutely relevant to the present. Feel
the earth. When it’s over, I want to say all the power of this moment and the fullness of Being. Feel
my life I was a bride married to amazement” your presence” (Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now: A Guide to
(Mary Oliver, excerpt from “When Death Comes”). Spiritual Enlightenment). In other words, to live in this
From the Great Flaring Forth of the Universe some present moment, take a deep breath and dive.
13.7 billion years ago, through the tumultuous and
wildly fecund journey celebrated as a “single, gorgeous, (continued on page 3)
Director’s Corner
PRAIRIEWOODS “At the deepest level of ecological awareness you are
OPERATING BOARD talking about spiritual awareness. Spiritual awareness is
an understanding of being imbedded in a larger whole, a
Marie DesJarlais, cosmic whole, of belonging to the universe.”
FSPA —Fritjof Capra
Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, gave a famous commencement
Director, GATE & GATE
speech in which he said that life may feel random as we move through it
Charitable Giving
because we can’t connect the dots moving forward, we can only connect
La Crosse, Wisconsin them when we stop to look back. Looking back, we are able to see the
ways that each step led to the next, bringing us to our present. In the last
Barb Gay issue of this newsletter, we took a good long look back at Prairiewoods’
Zero Suicide Institute beginnings. In this issue, we hope to give a good idea of where we are now … and, in the next issue,
Manager, Education where we hope the next 25 years will take us!
Development Center I came to Prairiewoods in 2015, arriving the same week as Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’ eco-
(EDC) encyclical, was released. Although these two events had no direct connection, looking back I can see
Cedar Rapids, Iowa the deep impact Laudato Si’ has had on my understanding of Prairiewoods’ mission, bringing alive for
me the foundational theology of the Universe Story. Pope Francis writes, “Everything is related, and
Noelle Holmes we human beings are united as brothers and sisters on a wonderful pilgrimage, woven together by
the love God has for each of his creatures and which also unites us in fond affection with brother
Spiritual Healer, Teacher &
sun, sister moon, brother river and mother earth” (Laudato Si’, paragraph 92).
Advisor
This past year, living in the midst of a global pandemic and, locally, recovering from a devastating
Cedar Rapids, Iowa natural disaster, has made it abundantly clear that we cannot in good conscience approach the world,
our common home, from an individual perspective alone. Our connectedness with Earth, with all of
Ed Meissner, this creation of which we are a part, has been made clear in very direct ways—in a world in which
Secretary/Treasurer we share the very air with every other living being, it doesn’t feel coincidental that so much of our
Supervisory Examiner, collective experience in recent months has revolved around our ability to breathe.
FDIC Connecting the dots backward, one of the most important decisions made at Prairiewoods’
Cedar Rapids, Iowa founding was to establish an ecospirituality center on this land. Prairiewoods is a place where we
take our responsibility to care for this earth seriously, and it is also a place where exploring and
Michael Morman nurturing relationships with Creator, Earth, self and others is seen as the deeply important work of
Managing Director, Fluid our times.
Looking ahead, toward the next 25 years in this sacred space, we continue to seek ways for
Quip Technologies
Prairiewoods to engage with our community and foster the ecological conversion that Pope Francis
Marion, Iowa
calls for in Laudato Si’. “We are not faced with two separate crises, one environmental and the other
social, but rather one complex crisis which is both social and environmental. Strategies for a solution
Laura Nettles, FSPA demand an integrated approach to combating poverty, restoring dignity to the underprivileged, and
Religious Studies and at the same time protecting nature (Laudato Si’, paragraph 139).” My hope is that Prairiewoods
Philosophy Professor, continues to be a place where engaging with these complexities is encouraged, and where both
Viterbo University peace and transformation flourish.
La Crosse, Wisconsin Peace and all good,
Suzanne Rubenbauer,
Jenifer Hanson, Director
FSPA
Spiritual Director &
Caregiver The Prairiewoods staff collaborates to publish
this newsletter bimonthly. Content, except
Dubuque, Iowa where otherwise noted, is created by our staff
in consultation and with care to offer a uniquely
Lucy Slinger, FSPA Prairiewoods perspective.
Mission Counselor, FSPA Please address all correspondence to:
Leadership Team Prairiewoods is a Catholic ecospirituality retreat and Prairiewoods
conference center in the Franciscan tradition. It is a 120 E Boyson Rd
La Crosse, Wisconsin nonprofit ministry sponsored by Franciscan Sisters of Hiawatha, IA 52233
Perpetual Adoration of La Crosse, Wisconsin. 319-395-6700
www.Prairiewoods.org
Leslie Wright, Chair Mission: Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality Center Ecospirit@Prairiewoods.org
Consultant, Collective is a sacred space where people of all faiths and
Clarity cultures are invited to explore and nurture their
relationships with the Source of All Being, Earth, Self
Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Others with an increasing awareness of the story
of the Universe.
2
Deep Diving into New Life
(continued from page 1) us that only by “sensing, minding and creating” anew with
The sacredness of Holy Breath/Spirit/Wind (from the flow that is the common experience of inter-breathing
the Greek word Pneuma/Pneumatos, which means spirit/ with all creation can we know ourselves in a new way,
breath/wind, and compared to the Latin word Spiritus, feel our way into the “We” we are becoming. Highlighting
which means breath/spirit) permeates all we are, all indigenous rituals such as Walking into the World, The
we do. We swim in it, we live in it and it inheres in us, First Smile and Introducing a Child to the Cosmos, John
although we can’t see it. We see only through it. And reminded us that it is our profound inter-connection with
we share it with every living being in the biosphere creation’s ubiquitous beauty and mystery that we are most
that has been flowing in its cosmic flotsam since the likely to encounter the Holy.
beginning. As Spirituality in the 21st Century (SP21C): Flaring Mary Evelyn Tucker, our other honored co-facilitator
Forth into Fullness of Life co-facilitator David Abram for SP21C, accompanied us through a four-fold prayer
articulated so beautifully, “Air is the utmost mark of invitation of “orienting, grounding, nurturing and
transcendence, and the uttermost archetype transforming” in our reverence for and
of immanence.” The mysterious quality of our celebration of communal Breath.
sacred Air/Wind/Soul-Breath is that it is Learning from the orienting nature of
quite beyond us, transcendent. “The the night sky, grounding ourselves
wind blows wherever it pleases.You in creation’s own rhythms and
hear its sound, but you cannot tell patterns, nurturing our other-
where it comes from or where it is than-human kin as we do
going. So it is with everyone born our human kin, and being
of the Spirit” (New International more and more open to the
Version Bible, from Jesus’ transformative powers that
dialogue with Nicodemus, are within us will aid us on
John 3:8). While the sacred the journey. They all seem
Breath/Spirit is truly beyond to be saying, “Listen, be
us, it is also deeply, intimately present, breathe into
within us, echoing even the the moment.”
awesome silence of the Who we are becoming
unpronounceable Name of is still a mystery, but
the Divine, which pulls in it is clear that we are
breath and exhales breath “cocooning,” and the
around four ineffable Hebrew moment for caterpillars-into-
consonants. The “One Who Is” is butterflies is upon us. Poetically
embedded in all Holy Breath, in Life speaking, we are trembling at
itself. Indigenous cultures and spiritual the brink, composting, alchemizing,
traditions have revered and celebrated, transfiguring, metamorphosing. We
ritualized and prayed with Holy Breath are experiencing the imaginal cells of
for centuries for this reason. How might we the Universe—God’s own Holy Breath—
today—so beset by a global pandemic that affects our conspiring to transform not only us human-kin, but
communal breathing—celebrate and dive deeper into our the cosmic “We” into something truly more complex and
wider “We,” where inter-breathing is helping us to evolve more unified. When we look within, we find the urgency to
beyond our egoic selves? become more fully who “We” are, and we are expanding
A fervent Joanna Macy (Active Hope:The Work That our concepts and our spirituality to accommodate this
Reconnects) protege, Kathleen Rude, reminded us at SP21C fullness. When we look around, we can’t help but notice
to practice the rituals of authentic grieving that lead us to the vast array of Life in all its intense shape and color
embrace our communal pain and our communal identity and variation. It astounds; it attracts. It calls us into an
for healing and new life. Leading us through a ritual calling inexorable union. “Interiority, Diversity and Communion”—
of the Council of All Beings, Kathleen encouraged us to hallmarks of the evolving Universe—are more and more
connect at a deep level with those creature-kin, bodies of at play as we go about learning the daily mini-steps—the
water, arbor-elders and other kin of our common home, “Great Work” (ala Berry) of co-creating this “single,
representing their voices, celebrating their diverse gifts gorgeous, celebratory event” that is our unfolding Now.
and learning from their deep wisdom. Altogether now: Let’s take a deep breath.
Another SP21C co-facilitator, John Grim, reminded And dive.
3
COUNCIL
At
our Spirituality in the
21st Century event, co-facilitator
of all
Kathleen Rude led us in a wonderful
Council of All Beings reflection, where we each
Prairiewoods
imagined ourselves as a more-than-human being, such as
an animal, a plant or a whole eco-system. We were asked to
reflect on what that being might say, and what that being might
want humans to know.
BEINGS We are inspired by that powerful reflection as we give voice
to some of our beloved Prairiewoods friends in our Council of All
Prairiewoods Beings. We offer images of Prairiewoods beings as seen
and heard now, at this time—from a conversation between two pine
trees, to words of wisdom from Grandmother Oak, to the musings
of a decomposing log, to the voice of Dry Creek. We also hear the
Grandmother voice of the deer, often seen in the woods. And if we really listen,
Oak (Joann Gehling, we might hear the voice of Brother Fox, rarely seen and perhaps
FSPA)
living in one of the post-derecho habitats found throughout the
I am Grandmother Oak! My roots
are deep and my branches reach out Prairiewoods land.
in WELCOME to non-humans and We thank the following humans for their gentle
humans alike. I am strong and sturdy— listening ear, for hearing and giving voice to these
yet fragile—missing my companion beings: Rev. Rose Blank, Tom Dean, Sister
trees lost in the Derecho. I am Joann Gehling, Sister Nancy Hoffman,
GRATEFUL for the colorful Amy Nolan and Carol Tyx.
NEW LIFE that now
brightens my day.
Brother
Fox (Amy Nolan)
My golden face sees much from
the shelter of my den. I am safe here,
Decomposing surrounded by lush green and the calls and
footsteps of my brothers and sisters deer, owl,
Log (Carol Tyx)
snake, honeybee and Grandmother Oak. I speak
I was once a home for squirrels
for myself and my fellow foxes, who must travel
and birds, but now fungus and
far and wide for food and shelter, whose bodies I
beetles have taken up residence,
have seen curled, their black feet forever stilled, on
my tough strength given way to soft
the side of the highway, where humans move at
pliability. Don’t think I no longer serve
impossible speeds. I ask that human beings live in
a purpose; I am returning my life-
the wild and beautiful present, to slow down,
giving energy to the earth. I have my
place their hands on their hearts, and
own kind of beauty. Rejoice with
listen. I thank the humans among you
me in the cycle of life that
who are quiet, tread lightly and
nourishes all of us.
behold us in stillness.
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Pine
Trees (Nancy Hoffman, FSPA)
“Hi, my friends call me Dakota. I guess that’s
because I am a Black Hills Pine. I’m about two years old
and I live along Boyson Road.”
“Well hello, Dakota. Call me Whitey. I’m the large White Pine right behind
you, the one with my top third cracked off. I am 25 years old. Sorry that I fell
right on top of you during the derecho.”
“Oh that’s OK, Whitey. The feeling of love I got when the people pulled you off me and
made happy sounds more than made up for the jolt I got from you. I hope you are OK.”
“Yes, I’m just happy they left me to live, because I want to continue my life’s work of absorbing
enormous amounts of CO2 from the many cars traveling Boyson Road. And don’t forget all the
wonderful O2 that I breathe out. My thick branches act as a buffer for all the noise while adding
beauty to the area. Our friends the deer and the rabbits like to shelter under us. Some people claim
we give off a very vibrant energy.”
“Well, Whitey, I may be small, but I have a mighty request of our human family. Service your cars to
limit the CO2 emissions.”
“Ugh! It makes me choke. Please plan your route to accomplish many errands on one trip. Oh my,
would you please, please stop throwing your garbage out the window? It’s unsightly and so harmful
to my bird and animal friends. If everyone in those thousands of cars that pass each day would do
something to limit global warming it would make a great impact. We trees feel the effects of the
warming. I’m told that you elder trees never used to suffer so much from the lack of or access
to rain.”
“The erratic temperature changes affect us too. I have a whole list more but I’ll stop
with this final plea to stop putting all those chemicals on your lawn. Really, you must
know where that all goes. My young roots and my veins can give you a clue.”
“Oh, Dakota, such wisdom already, you give me hope. I will watch over
you and send you nutrients through my roots if you need help. Let
us along with all other creatures continue to praise God
for this wonderful Earth.”
“Friends forever, Whitey!”
Dry
Creek (Rev. Rose Blank)
I am the voice of Dry Creek—hardly
dry at all, but a living, vibrant ecosystem that
nurtures the land through which I flow as well as
the creatures who inhabit this rich land around me. I am
alive with the wonder and joy that fill me as I wander through
farmland and cityscape until I come to this space at Prairiewoods.
It is such a sacred space for me. I delight in the quiet of the people
who walk nearby, the reflective nature of those who sit by my banks in
contemplative prayer—these things are a small part of what feeds me for Deer
the rest of my journey as I make my way downstream. While there is much (Tom Dean)
joy in being a gurgling creek as I make my way around the bends and turns I have a gentle nature and a
of the land here, there is also a great sadness in the garbage that flows graceful bearing, but know that it
in my waters. I long for people to care for me, as I care for them. I want comes from my fierce protectiveness
them to know I am part of what some Indigenous peoples call the First and constant vigilance. I can stand regally
Medicine that binds all of life. Along with all the plants and animals for many moments, yet I move quickly and
who find nurture here, the minerals of the rocks that line my bed change direction when my sharp senses
and my shoreline, the people who sit by me for the refreshment and deep instincts tell me to do so. At
of their spirits, we are all part of the sacredness of all creation. all times, my life is about profound
Come, sit by me; pray for me and all my Sister waters. Do attention to the world. In our
what is yours to do so that you might help every interconnectedness, I hope you
waterway to be clean so we might nurture will share such mindfulness
and offer joy to all beings who are with me.
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one in our Creator.
What We Know Now
E Q14: What type of programs have you
arlier in 2021, in preparation for our 25th Jubilee
year, we decided it was time to learn from all of you! attended at Prairiewoods?
We sent an electronic survey to our email list and
received 533 responses! We thought you’d be interested
in some of what we learned. We asked 24 questions; each Artistic/creative
yielded many individual responses, so we are only able to
share a small snapshot with you here. (Please note: where Ecological
we’ve listed responses in quotation marks, these are a small
sampling of the individual responses for that question.)
Garden Party
Q1: When and how did you first get involved
with Prairiewoods?
Holistic health
When: answers ranged from every year since 1990
through 2021, and from “before you broke ground” to “I
discovered you online during the pandemic” Retreats
How: “Attended a workshop with Kathleen Duffy in
March 2021”
Spiritual
“Just went there to walk”
“Day of Caring 5 years ago”
“Spirituality in the 21st Century in 2019 with Charles Spirituality in the
21st Century
Eisenstein and Bayo Akomolafe”
“I participated in a Day of Self Renewal” I have not
“Through my church” attended
“Attended a concert by Johnny Lipford”
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
Q3: Do you currently receive our newsletter?
Q15: Which of the following services have you
Electronic participated in at Prairiewoods?
Spiritual
Print direction
Both Massage
Neither Reflexology
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% Healing touch
Q8: Do you currently participate in a faith I have not
participated
community?
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
Yes
Q23:What ecospirituality topics do you hope
to see at Prairiewoods in the future?
No “Indigenous speakers/authors”
“Writing”
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% “Silent retreats”
“Stress and trauma response; building resilience”
“Forest meditation”
Q7: What religion do you identify as?
“Water quality”
While the majority of respondents identified as Christian,
others also selected Baha’i, Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, “Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass”
Muslim, Secular Humanist, Unitarian Universalist and “More poetry, please!”
spiritual but not religious. “Anything about connecting health to spirit”
Thank you to all who responded to our survey!
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iriewoo Prairiewoods
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an at-home celebration
NO tickets. NO three-course meal. NO auction.
You’re invited to stay home and celebrate a special 2021
Garden Party! As part of a community of supporters who
make our mission possible, will you join us this year in spirit
for an event that will not take place in person in 2021? Don’t
dress up, don’t leave home and don’t join us at a fancy venue.
2021 Garden Party Challenge
We challenge you to give at least $25 in honor of our
25th Jubilee! Your donation is tax deductible.
Last Chance to Match
All donations received by June 30, 2021, will be
ED through the generosity of Franciscan Sisters
MATCH
of Perpetual Adoration to our endowment.
For more information or to donate by credit card, please visit
www.Prairiewoods.org/Garden-Party or call 319-395-6700.
Thank you for your support.
We couldn’t do this work without you!
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Retreats & Programs
The following are retreats and programs that Prairiewoods is hosting online via Zoom or in person in the next
few months. For more information or to register, visit www.Prairiewoods.org or call 319-395-6700.
Post-Covid Spirituality: A Deep Dive into the Wider “We” Metta Yoga
Retreat Mondays & Thursdays; July 1–Aug. 30;
Friday, Aug. 13, 6:30 p.m.–Sunday, Aug. 15, 1 p.m. 9:30–10:30 a.m., 10:45–11:45 a.m. &
Facilitators: Ellen Bruckner & Laura Weber, PhD 5:30–6:30 p.m.
Where do we find ourselves spiritually after a year and a half Facilitator: Heather English
immersed in a global pandemic? In the spirit of Prairiewoods' process Experience the healing powers
of PanDeepening and Go Deeper Thursdays, we offer a weekend of meditative yoga from the spiritual
retreat to learn and practice some of the skills we need to expand environment and natural beauty of
our consciousness about who “We” are in these unprecedented Prairiewoods. Join us as we link our
times. We will explore and practice: movements with our breath and cultivate
1. our self-concept and expression of our own unique role in this Age strength, flexibility and relaxation through
Beyond the Anthropocene (human-centeredness) regular hatha-style yoga classes. RYT-200
2. relanguaging some concepts around spirituality, community, Hour Certified Yoga Alliance Instructor
creation and God-imagery to help us during this transition Heather English offers Gentle/Beginner’s
3. mapping our breath and collective presencing in our circles of trust Yoga every Monday and Thursday. People of
We will learn how to read and enter into conversations of the all fitness levels and abilities are encouraged
more intimate circles of which we are a part, such as our families, to participate whenever available. Heather
neighborhoods and communities of many kinds. Saturday evening began practicing yoga for the mental health
and Sunday morning will offer extended quiet time for processing benefits and became a yoga instructor in
what we've explored in the three sessions Friday night, Saturday order to share these amazing benefits with
morning and Saturday afternoon. This will be a hybrid in-person and others. She is inspired by the potential that
Zoom retreat, and those who participate via Zoom will be online a regular yoga practice has for impacting
and in break-outs Friday evening, 6:30–9 p.m. Central; Saturday so many areas of life. In fact, it was her
morning, 9 a.m.–noon; and Saturday afternoon, 2–5 p.m. Breaks will yoga training that motivated her to begin
also be included in our online time. Also, we encourage everyone to crafting as a career, to share her crafting
consider joining Go Deeper every third Thursday online as a way of with others, and to regularly explore the
continuing to practice our skills with this learning community. Prior intersection of yoga and creativity. Let’s see
participation in Go Deeper Thursdays is not a prerequisite. how Heather can help us benefit from yoga!
Fee: $230 includes sessions, lodging and all meals Beginning in July, yoga will resume meeting
Commuter fee: $180 includes sessions, Saturday lunch and dinner, in person at Prairiewoods.
and Sunday lunch Fee: $99 for eleven-punch card or $60 for
Zoom fee: $100 includes three sessions six-punch card, one punch per session
Bridges to Contemplative Living with
Thomas Merton
Save the Date! Thursdays; July 1, July 15, Aug. 5 &
for retreats this fall: Aug. 19; 6:30–8 p.m.
Honoring Grief & Celebrating Life Retreat, Sept. 2–3 Facilitator: Carole Butz
The practice of contemplative living
Spiritual Exercises in Everyday Life (S.E.E.L.) Opening, helps us respond to everyday experiences
Sept. 11 with greater
Jubilation! Retreat in Honor of Prairiewoods’ 25th Jubilee, awareness of our
Oct. 8–10 connections with
Silent Mindfulness Meditation Retreat, Nov. 12–14 God and others.
It becomes a
Winter Solstice: Opening to the Light Retreat, Dec. 17–19 positive force
Watch future newsletters and www.Prairiewoods.org for details on in our lives
these upcoming retreats! and provides
direction for our
8
Programs
journey, enabling us to embrace Prayer Experience Series Prairiewoods Grand Prairie Picnic &
our truest selves. This group Tuesdays, July 6–Aug. 31, Field Day
meets via Zoom on the first 11:30 a.m.–noon Saturday, July 31, 11 a.m.–3 p.m.
and third Thursday evenings of Facilitator: Angie Pierce Join us for a celebration of everything
each month. We use the Bridges Jennings we’ve co-created with nature on the land
to Contemplative Living series, We are blessed with many at Prairiewoods! The day will include
which includes excerpts from ways to pray and reflect including games and activities for the whole family,
the writings of Thomas Merton songful prayer, contemplative as well as the opportunity to browse
and other authors, to explore prayer, visio divina, embodied through a time line of Prairiewoods land
the truths of human existence. prayer, silent prayer, guided care. Check out our edible landscaping in
The process involves readings, meditation, and many others. the Garden of Eat’n, our Healing Garden
reflections and contemplative All are welcome to join this and the Green Prairie Garden, which
dialogue. Registration is not ongoing prayer series via Zoom provides fresh, organic produce to the
necessary. and experience the joys of Metro Catholic Outreach food pantry.
Fee: Free-will offering prayer and meditation together. Learn more about how we’ve responded
Registration is not required. to the devastation of last year’s derecho;
Fee: Free-will offering enjoy our groomed walking trails,
outdoor labyrinth and Cosmic Walk;
Prairiewoods Knitters & and participate in field day activities
Stitchers for all ages, featuring our community
Tuesdays, July 13 & Aug. 10, partnerships with a number of area
9:30–11 a.m. organizations, including Trees Forever,
Facilitators: participants Backyard Abundance, the City of Cedar
Practice knitting and Rapids Stormwater Division, Green
stitching in the company of Iowa AmeriCorps, I-Renew and Metro
new friends! This is a group of Catholic Outreach.You may choose to
crafters of various skill levels add lunch for $8 or to bring your own
who create handmade goods lunch. Registration is appreciated for the
for charity. New participants are event and required for lunch.
Going Inward with Sounds & always welcome, including those Fee:
Vibrations who are new to knitting and Free, or
Mondays; July 5, July 19, Aug. crocheting. Together we create you may
2 & Aug. 16; 6:30–7:30 p.m. hats, mittens, blankets and baby choose
Facilitator: Kathy Broghammer items for charity. Grab your to add
Experience sound, stillness, needles and join us! This group lunch
playfulness and relaxation will resume meeting in person. for $8 (if
through the enigmatic vibrations Registration is not necessary. reserved
of Himalayan and crystal singing Fee: Free in
bowls. During this in-person advance)
hour, Kathy Broghammer will Nature & Forest Therapy
lead us to connect with our Experience
inner selves through the song Evening Sessions:
of bowls. We will be invited to Wednesdays, July 14 &
sit or lie down to listen and just Aug. 4, 6–8 p.m.
be. We will hear the sounds and Afternoon Session: Monday,
feel the vibrations of the singing July 19, 2:30–3:45 p.m.
bowls going inward. Let’s let our Facilitator: Emelia Sautter
souls rest and allow ourselves to We invite you to join
be recreated! the land at Prairiewoods and
Fee: $10 per session certified Nature and Forest
Therapy Guide Emelia Sautter
for a walk with the natural world.
Experience Forest Therapy, a
9
Programs
sensory- are the “We” we’re becoming? Join Day of Self Renewal
focused us on the third Thursdays in person Monday, Aug. 16, 8:30 a.m.–
practice at Prairiewoods or via Zoom as we 4:30 p.m.
that invites come together to breathe deeply, Facilitator: Angie Pierce Jennings
us to slow engage in collective presencing, and Find rest and relaxation for
down and reflect on how we are gracefully mind, body and spirit! This tranquil
be present composting our life experience and day features two 30-minute holistic
with self spiritual wisdom to grow into our services, group guided meditation,
and the evolving sense of the whole. Together access to walking trails and all
natural we learn, and together we go deeper. that Prairiewoods has to offer, a
world around us. According to the Fee: Free-will offering fresh lunch and hours of free time.
Association of Nature and Forest (Choose from massage, head and
Therapy, “Forest Therapy is a practice Offered in Partnership with shoulder massage, reflexology,
that supports health and wellness Unity Point Hospice healing touch, spiritual direction or
through guided immersion in forests Soul Care: Creative Arts Grief yoga.) Registration, a nonrefundable,
and other environments to promote Support Group nontransferable deposit of $50 and
the well-being of both people and Wednesdays, July 21 & Aug. 18, your top three services choices are
the land. It is inspired by Shinrin 5:30–7 p.m. required five days in advance. Enjoy
yoku, the Japanese practice of ‘Forest Facilitators: Jamie Siela, LISW, & a relaxing day stay. (Private guest
Bathing.’” Much research has been Kristine Shultis, MDiv, LMT, CHT rooms are not available for this date.)
done on the healing and therapeutic Take time to connect with others Fee: $95 includes guided meditation,
benefits of Forest Therapy. Hundreds in grief and engage the creative spark. singing bowl prayer, two holistic
of clinical and non-clinical studies Jamie Siela and Kristine Shultis from services and lunch
show numerous positive effects Unity Point Hospice facilitate this
including reductions in stress, anxiety, monthly grief group open to anyone
depression, mental fatigue, anger and grieving loss through death. On the
pain. Improvements include better third Wednesday of each month,
cognitive functioning, sleep, mood, come to Prairiewoods or join us
confidence and creativity. Time with online to explore a different creative
our nature kin also boosts our art medium.
immune system, regulates blood • In July, our art work will be salt
pressure, improves relationships, painting. In grief we may experience
increases feelings of gratitude emotions that seem to explode
and much more. Registration is when they are least expected.
required by noon three days prior Using glue, salt and paint, we
to the session. Please dress for being will create a seasonal firework
outdoors the entire time and bring a masterpiece. Singing Bowl Prayer
water bottle. • Our August artwork will be Monday, Aug. 16, 12:45–1:30 p.m.
Fee: $30 for evening sessions, $20 understanding grief masks. Using Facilitator: Kathy Broghammer
for afternoon session paper mâché masks, we will Throughout history, singing bowls
acknowledge the brave face many of have been used around the world to
Go Deeper Third Thursdays us wear while grieving. These masks foster meditation, relaxation, prayer
Thursdays, July 15 & Aug. 19, are sometimes used to hide our and mind-body-spirit wellness. In
4–5 p.m. true feelings from the outside world. this session, we will let the resonant
Facilitators: Ellen Bruckner & We will compare how we let the sounds of Himalayan and crystal
Laura Weber outside world see us with what we singing bowls relax the entire body
This time of “PanDeepening” feel on the inside. and create a pathway for clearer
over the past year has offered a Registration is required by noon connection with the divine. We will
generous foray into the wellsprings of eight days in advance. As a joint be invited to just receive and breathe.
shifting paradigms and an exploration program with Unity Point, Covid Join us as we return to in-person
of what it means to be part of a screening questions will be asked gathering. Registration is required by
wider “We” with not only all of upon arrival for those in person. noon.
humanity, but all of creation. Who Fee: Free includes all art supplies Fee: $5
10Donors (March & April 2021)
We appreciate all of the generous people who donate their time, money and other gifts to Prairiewoods! For a
complete, up-to-date list between Newsletters, please visit www.Prairiewoods.org/Donate.
DONATIONS Riki Menning MEMORIALS Doug Beadle
Al-Anon Norma Mikkola In memory of Pat & Ray Duane Beaudry
James Anderson, Jr. Nancy A. Miller Brown Madeline Berg
Elizabeth Baker Mary Mockler Dave & Linda Langston Rose Blank
Jean Barbaglia Diane & Frank Olsen In memory of Dr. Carl Gretchen Bloomberg
Carla Barrow Chuck Peters William Bruch Bill Clark
Bob & Vicki Bauman Margaret R. Polson Janet & Ron Nimer Paul Coe
Adele Bonney Dr. Linda Railsback In memory of Betty Paul Crawford
Rosemary Bowers Nancy Schrimper Daugherty, FSPA Marie DesJarlais, FSPA
Dian Boysen Jeff & Kathy Schumacher Tamara McReynolds Martha Donnelly, PBVM
Carla Brems Dan and Kim Seward In memory of Elena Doherty Judith Edwards
Jim & Dianne Brenneman Gina & Lyndon Sison Macdonell Ginny Fleming
Ellen & Juergen Bruckner Sisters of St. Francis Maureen Byrne John Fletcher
Joan Cimaglia Rita Tacheny In memory of Donald Heires John Frankhouse
Pat Clemen, OSF Mary Thompson Jolene Frankhouse
Carol Cook, BVM HONORARIA In memory of Antoni & Barb Gay
James Daubenmier Charity In honor of Julia Andrews Dorene Moreau Noelle Holmes
Fund David Coughlin & Kristin Colleen & Jim Nieman Mary Ireland
Marie DesJarlais, FSPA Hutson In memory of Esther Sand & Mike Ireland
Ed & Peggy Dettmer In honor of Earth Day Nellie Smith Zach Kehoe
Martha Donnelly, PBVM & Arbor Day M.L. Anita O’Gara Christine Kirpes
Julie Eich Folkedahl-meehleder In memory of Mary Jim Lorenz
Diane Forster, BVM In honor of Joann Gehling, Skallerud Jessica Lien Mollie Lorenz
Fr. Ken Gehling FSPA Jerry Gehling In memory of John & Patricia Mark McCright
Janet Goetz, PBVM In honor of Nancy Hoffman, Snyder, Robert & Betty Ed Meissner
Jean Govern FSPA Jacqueline Severidt Ulstad Mary Mockler
Helene Hembreiker In honor of Nancy Hoffman, Jane & Steve Ulstad Mary Moore
Suzanne Hemesath FSPA, & Ann Jackson, In memory of Donald Mike Morman
Tammy Jennings PBVM Anonymous Stewart Jessica Lien Diane Morris
Carol Johnson Deb & Steve Kennedy Rachael Murtaugh
JeanAnn Kern In honor of Prairiewoods’ 25th IN-KIND DONATIONS Laura Nettles, FSPA
Kathy Knipper Jubilee Dorothy Bean Kathleen Newhouse
Dale & Helen Kueter Dave Higdon Al Boyden Roger Norfolk
Jessica Lien Sheila Rouse Martha Donnelly, PBVM Sandy Norfolk
John & Mary Logan In honor of the Prairiewoods Judy Hines Vince O’Connor
Ann & Mark Lorenz staff Karen Lueck, FSPA Karen Phillips
Dottie Mathews M.L. Folkedahl- Charles Luster Jeanette Rops
Sara McAlpin, BVM meehleder Dale Peterson, Ever-Green Suzanne Rubenbauer, FSPA
Sheila McCarthy- Mark & Pat McCright Landscape Mike Sanders
Daskovsky In honor of Linda Severidt Delores Phillips Rick Sandstrom
Mary McCauley, BVM Casey Dreher Linda Ponder Gina Sison
Kathy Schumacher Lucy Slinger, FSPA
Bonnie & Steve Sovern Jay Stolba
Carole Teator Matteo Tormene
Alina Warner
VOLUNTEER SERVICE John Weber
Jan Aiels Kyle Wissenberg
Fred Althoff Leslie Wright
Zae Young
11120 E Boyson Rd
Hiawatha IA 52233
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bur oak
s
THEN
&
NOW
1996
Prairiewoods’ beloved bur oaks stood together for many years,
growing together and reaching out to each other with their
branches and root systems. Above, they are pictured in 1996,
by the south entrance of the Center, just a few months before 2021
Prairiewoods would open its doors for the first time. Over the
years, many Prairiewoods visitors remember enjoying their shade,
admiring their beautiful welcoming presence, and sitting in their tree swings, peacefully held
by the strong branches of those two sister trees. Now, 25 years later, one tree stands, while
the other fell during the derecho. And yet, there is still so much life in our fallen bur oak
friend, and a new oak sapling is growing and being nurtured in her stump.
2021You can also read
