"Voyage" by Robert Alberetti

Working from memory encourages me to remember significant visualappearances, objects, textures and other sensory experiences. In "Vogage," Ienvisioned experiences I found in my past travels.

In the Gallery: "Together" by Nancy Earle, SMIC

Presently, in the Marie Louise Trichet Gallery are works which comprise the second of our three retrospectives to celebrate the 15th Anniversary of the gallery. Each of the artists have had a solo show in the gallery since it opened in April, 1994. In the upcoming weeks, we will feature on our blog one of the pieces in the show and a brief reflection by the artist who created it.

Gallery hours are Monday - Saturday 10 am - 4 pm. The present show will run until August 22, 2009.

"Together" by Nancy Earle, SMIC

Through the use of figures, as well as patterns, associations and symbols, Nancy maps out stories around events in life as well as, reflections on nature. Images such as the moon, sun, water, mountains, pots, vessels, crosses and trees convey archetypes. These symbolic images help to dissolve barriers between cultures and spiritualities. Nancy weaves these images into more personal themes in order to create other ways of looking at the familiar so that experiences in life such as healing ,celebration, suffering, death, and birth retain their deeper meaning.

In the Swim of Things

Local youth enjoy swimming lessons offered by Litchfield Parks and Recreation Department and given in the pool at Wisdom House.

For further information call Litchfield Parks and Recreation Department at 860-567-7569 or email Director Brent Hawkins, hawk@townoflitchfield.org.

July 22: Feast Day of Mary Madalene, Apostle to the Apostles

Mary Magdalene, Apostle to the Apostles, is honored as a Saint in the Catholic, Orthodox Christian, Lutheran and Anglican communities. Her feast is celebrated on July 22.

Mary Magdalene in the past, was erroneously thought to be a prostitute who was redeemed by Jesus. This was a teaching of Pope Gregory the Great in the 6th century, but there is no Biblical foundation for this notion. In fact, Mary Magdalene was a leader in early Christianity and is noted in the Bible to have been the first witness to the Resurrection and the first one to whom Jesus appeared after his Resurrection (John 20).

An inspiring image of Mary Magdalene (Mary of Magdala), shown here has been created by artist Janet McKenzie of Vermont.

The tri-fold card shows Mary Magdalene with the women, Mary with Jesus, and Mary with apostles John and Peter. These cards are available through Wisdom House for $5.00 each. For copies, email us at programs@wisdomhouse.org or mail to Wisdom House - Cards, 229 E. Litchfield Rd, Litchfield, CT 06759.

In the Gallery: Hugh O'Donnell

Presently, in the Marie Louise Trichet Gallery are works which comprise the second of our three retrospectives to celebrate the 15th Anniversary of the gallery. Each of the artists have had a solo show in the gallery since it opened in April, 1994. In the upcoming weeks, we will feature on our blog one of the pieces in the show and a brief reflection by the artist who created it.

Gallery hours are Monday - Saturday 10 am - 4 pm. The present show will run until August 22, 2009.

Artist Hugh O'Donnell says: "I made this painting of a Young Tree last year as the wind moved through it like a breath. The tree shook brightness off into the air so that I could not tell the difference between leaves and light. Painting this tree in the landscape has been the most direct and least abstract painting from life that I have ever done and I enjoyed the simplicity of creating it.

"Trees and other miracles of nature are my subject matter, and always they make me want to bring emphasis to something I can say about the sensation of seeing and feeling them. Usually when painting such natural elements they undergo a much greater degree of abstraction as I look into the heart of them to find out what makes them "go." I then work towards an abstraction of an aspect of that quality that emphasizes the struggle for light and space going on in the natural world and within our bodies, aiming to create an image that triggers a physical sensation of it in me. I edit or abstract out other aspects. This abstract process is fundamental to my way of painting."

Mementos of the Medieval Recorder Concert

On June 18, the faculty of the Susan Iadone Recorder Workshop gave a concert of Medieval Recorder Music in the Chapel to honor Wisdom House's 60th Anniversary.

Sister Rose Patricia Reilly, OP, and Sister Maurice Doody, OP, at Wisdom House

Sister Rose Patricia Reilly, OP (left) and Sister Maurice Doody, OP (right) were at Wisdom House the weekend of June 12-14. Sr. Maurice is the founder of the Office of New Directions, Bronx, NY. Sr. Rose is co-director of the office.

Sr. Maurice is a noted lecturer on spirituality and wellness. Her retreats

reflect her own "living of the program." She has been giving Women's AA/ALANON retreats at Wisdom House for the past 13 years.

Quality Summer Reading: A Friendship Like No Other

Summertime finds many of us moving outdoors to enjoy the sun, water, mountains, and clean air. In the spiritual life, it is a time to experience the friendship of God in the midst of nature and creation.

William Barry, SJ, reflects on the nearness of God in his book, A Friendship Like No Other. Why not consider this for summer reading?

Fr. Barry will be offering a retreat by this same title at Wisdom House in January 2010 (click here and scroll down to January) His book ($15 plus $3 shipping) is available through Wisdom House. (programs@wisdomhouse.org ).

The U.S. food supply is controlled now by a handful of corporations that put profit ahead of food safety, the livelihood of farmers, the safety of workers and the environment, according to a new documentary, Food, Inc. The film investigates the unintended consequences and hidden costs of our current system of producing food.

This new exposé of our food-producing system is especially significant because it draws together the system’s many diverse elements in entertaining and informative ways and will be widely distributed in local theaters throughout the summer. Its producers hope the documentary will rattle the industry and shake up complacent consumers.

We have chickens with huge breasts, the perfect slab of ribs, insecticide-resistant, genetically engineered soybeans, even tomatoes that never spoil, yet we also have new strains of harmful bacteria that cause illnesses for an estimated 73,000 annually and spur meat and vegetable recalls that make headlines on a regular basis. (Click here to read the full story and to find the official movie site.)

In the Gallery: "Night Blooming Cereus I" by Judith Petrovich

Presently, in the Marie Louise Trichet Gallery are works which comprise the second of our three retrospectives to celebrate the 15th Anniversary of the gallery. Each of the artists have had a solo show in the gallery since it opened in April, 1994. In the upcoming weeks, we will feature on our blog one of the pieces in the show and a brief reflection by the artist who created it.

Gallery hours are Monday - Saturday 10 am - 4 pm. The present show will run until August 22, 2009.

"Night Blooming Cereus I" by Judith Petrovich

The Night Blooming Cereus is an elusive flower with a single night's life span. After sunset on a midsummer's evening, the tendrils surrounding the bud will start to unfurl.

By midnight, the extravagant flower is fully displayed, emitting a seductive fragrance to entice the evening pollinators. Once you've had the good fortune to witness this event, it is something you yearn for yearly.