Celebration of Gratitude

Sr. Jo-Ann Iannotti, OP shares her reflections on working with Sr. Rosemarie for more than 25 years.

Deborah Kelly and Sister Jo-Ann present gifts of gratitude to Sister Rosemarie, which included tickets to MOMIX's performance of  "Opus Cactus," the book, "Defying Gravity", a biography of lyricist Stephen Schwartz by Carol De Giere, a CD of Leonard Bernstein's theatre piece, "The Mass", and tickets to Bernstein's upcoming100th Anniversary celebration at Tanglewood.

Celebration of Gratitude - December 17 - Wisdom House

The Celebration of Gratitude was held on December 17th at Wisdom House.

Opening the program segment of the afternoon were Deborah
Kelly, Executive Director of Wisdom House, musician Thomasina Levy of Litchfield and comments by Sr. Cathy Sheehan, DW, Provincial Leader of the American Province of the Daughters of Wisdom.


Joining in sharing their of reflections were Brian McCormick, Esq., JoAnn Ryan, President of the Northwest Connecticut Chamber of Commerce, and Alan Colavecchio, President of Colavecchio Design of Winsted.

Merry Christmas

Dear Friends of Wisdom House,

On behalf of the entire staff at Wisdom House, I would like to wish you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas.  The words of author Wilda English speak to all that we hope for your Christmas season:

God grant you the light of Christmas, which is faith;

The warmth of Christmas, which is love; 
The radiance of Christmas, which is purity;

The righteousness of Christmas, which is justice;

The belief in Christmas, which is truth;

The all of Christmas, which is Christ." 

At this joyous time of year, we are grateful for our community. It is the people who make Wisdom House the unique and revered place that it is. It has been a blessing for us to walk alongside you in 2017, and we hope that you will join us in 2018 for our programs in spirituality, education, ecology, and the arts.

Wishing you peace and happiness in the Spirit of the Season.

Deborah Kelly

Deborah Kelly

Executive Director

Wisdom House Retreat and Conference Center

'Tis the Season

 

Make this season not about haste, but about love. Spend a retreat day with Sr. Jo-Ann Iannotti, OP, expanding your ideas on love in this holiday season by coming to “New Lessons in Love: An Advent Retreat” on Saturday, December 9th from 9:30AM - 3:00PM.



Wisdom House
www.wisdomhouse.org

French Cuisine Comes to Litchfield

 

Mary Hartnett, Maureen Couvares, Anne Lodge, and Sue Daly, four sisters from Manchester, CT, joined Chef Margaret Jacobs for the creation of the Classic French Cassoulet program at Wisdom House on November 18.
 
Crème brûlée, as dessert, topped off the meal!

Be a Student Again

Click here to read some great information about the upcoming series of Super Moons. NASA keeps us young again by providing some simple actions to understand this phenomenon that still keeps us in awe!

 

Being Mindful

Never be so focused on what you're looking for that you overlook the thing you actually find.

~ Ann Patchett

We Are Each Other's Harvest

We are each other's harvest;

we are each other's magnitude and bond.

~ Gwendolyn Brooks

The community at Wisdom House wishes you a bountiful Thanksgiving and gives thanks for all those who have added to our bounty this year! Below is a sampling of some guests and presenters we have had the opportunity to welcome this year.

Deborah Kelly, Executive Director

Wisdom House

Sr. Mary Antoinette

Sr. Mary Antoinette, DW, of the American Province of the Daughters of Wisdom died a martyr's death on November 19, 1964 in the Congo.

On the 53rd Anniversary of her death, we pray in gratitude for all who sacrificed their lives that day and for the courage of all who continue to put their lives in harm's way to care for the forgotten ones in any society.



Wisdom House
www.wisdomhouse.org

Holiday Foods Fundraiser

Let Wisdom House cook and bake for you this Holiday Season!

Wisdom House is offering a delicious selection of holiday foods for your holiday dining and entertaining. Let us prepare the meal while you enjoy your family and friends at this joyous time.

To see the array of items, click here.

Simply call Wisdom House - 860-567-3163 - to place your order with your Visa or MasterCard. Name the date and your items will be ready for you to enjoy!

Between Seasons

Helping Hands

Students from Taft School recently gave a community service day to Wisdom House and helped with our Fall clean up. They were Elvira Garcia, "Bawa," Claudia Black (Taft faculty), and Morgan
Malcolm.

All Souls

Milestones – Work of Thelma Appel

For those of you who couldn’t make it to our recent gallery opening, here are some pieces from the show and the link below will give you access to videos of the artist talk.

The videos were created by Doug Parker, editor of Litchfield.bz, our town’s online magazine. Visit the Wisdom House BZ page: http://www.bzmedia.bz/wisdom_house.htm.

The show runs until December 9, 2017. Gallery hours are Mon.-Sat. 10 am – 4 pm.

Milestones

Milestones

Works by Thelma Appel

  

The exhibit runs from September 16 - December 9, 2017 at the Marie Louise Trichet Art Gallery at Wisdom House.

On Saturday, September 16, the exhibit is open from 3-5 pm with an artist talk at 3:30pm. The Marie Louise Trichet Gallery hours are Mon. – Sat. 10 am- 4 pm.

Come

Spend a quiet weekend of prayer with the companionship of a gifted spiritual director.

An autumn directed retreat will be held September 8-10 in Wisdom House's Farm House. Time for prayer, spiritual reading, walking quiet country roads, journaling, and personal reflection will be built in to the weekend. Spiritual directors for the weekend will be Cathy Murtha, DW and Mary Schneiders, OP.

Visit www.wisdomhouse.org, call 860-567-3163, or email programs@wisdomhouse.org to reserve a private room.

Treasuring the NOW

You do not need to know precisely what is happening, or exactly where it is all going.  What you need is to recognize the possibilities and challenges offered by the present moment, and to embrace them with courage, faith, and hope.

~ Thomas Merton

Surprised

 Photo: Dr. Beth O’Shea, University of San Diego

On August 3, the Women Geoscientists Writing Retreat at Wisdom House was blessed with a lively thunder storm followed by a beautiful and short-lived rainbow.

Stillness

Stillness within one individual can affect society beyond measure.

~Bede Griffiths

Our Norway Spruce

Our Norway Spruce is resting in peace.  It was taken down on July 26. The number of its rings shows that it was about 120 years old and the spacing of the rings shows that it suffered, in the past 15 years, from an abundance of water and after that from drought.  

So we now reflect on this experience of our environment, of too much and of too little.

Wisdom is a Tree of Life for all who embrace her (Proverbs 3,18). 

Click here to view a slideshow of the tree removal.

Franciscan Volunteer Retreat

Pictured are Sr. Rosemarie Greco (right) with Katie Sullivan, Executive Director of Franciscan Volunteer Ministry (left), with Franciscan Friar Chris Posh. A group of young adults belonging to the community of Franciscan Volunteers, who have been giving service in various American locations this year, attended an end of the year retreat at Wisdom House recently. The group lived in community and served at risk sectors in large cities across the United States this year.

Kabbalah and the Divine Feminine

Rabbi Rami Shapiro returned to Wisdom House to introduce guests to the Kabbala and the Divine Feminine.


Wisdom House
www.wisdomhouse.org

Transfourming Sorrow: Installation Closes July 29

The installation “Transfourming Sorrow” in Wisdom House Chapel by Kardash Onnig will close on Saturday, July 29.  A catalogue of the installation is available in Wisdom House bookstore for $22 + postage. Call 860-567-3163 or emailprogramming@wisdomhouse.org to reserve a copy.

Visitors are welcome to come to Wisdom House Chapel to experience this mulit-sensory experience.

Hours for visiting the Chapel and MLT Gallery are Monday-Saturday, 10am – 4 pm.

Shoko Iwata Brings Ikebana to Wisdom House

On July 22 at 10 am, Shoko Iwata, trained in the Shogetsu School of Ikebana, will demonstrate the creation of a piece of Ikebana and lead participants in the creation of their own piece. Program will be followed by lunch. 

Click here for program details: www.wisdomhouse.org 

The Contemplative Art of Ikebana

Wisdom House
www.wisdomhouse.org

2017 Summer Events

First

The first rose of 2017 at Wisdom House.

Daniel Berrigan

Daniel Berrigan (1921-2016)

Daniel Berrigan: Priest, Poet, Peacemaker

with Robert Ellsberg

June 23-24, 2017

An overnight retreat remembering the contributions of this Jesuit priest and advocate for justice and non-violence.

           

Co-sponsored by Fairfield University Center for Catholic Studies.

For registration information, visit www.wisdomhouse.org or call 860-567-3163.

Amherst Early Music

One of the workshop sessions of the Amherst Early Music group which met at Wisdom House on Memorial Day weekend.
Workshop leader is Larry Lipnik of New York.

TransFOURming Sorrow on “Crossroads” TV Program

For those who were not able to tune into Connecticut’s WCCT on Sunday, May 28 to see the segment on the installation in our Chapel, Transfourming Sorrow by Kardash Onnig, it is now on the website of the Crossroads magazine.

The link to that website is:

http://www.ortv.org/streaming/Crossroads_stream.htm

We’re the program of 5/28 and in the last segment at 14:55-20:20.

The public is invited to join a walk-about with Kardash Onnig on Saturday, June 3 from 3:30-5:00PM in Wisdom House Chapel.

Everything Strawberry

At a recent program demonstration of "Everything Strawberry", Chef Margaret Jacobs, assisted by Jessica Maher, prepared an array of tastings, including Five Ingredient Strawberry Ice Cream, Cream Cheese Strawberry Stuffed Bread, and Strawberry Vinaigrette Salad Dressing.

Our next cooking demonstration and tasting will be on July 22nd from 2-3:30PM, with the theme "Picnic Without the Grill."

Wisdom House
www.wisdomhouse.org

Historic Barns of Connecticut

Did you know?

Our barn (Spruce Brook Barn) is listed on our State Registry of historic barns.

Click :  http://connecticutbarns.org/find/details/id-20788



Wisdom House
www.wisdomhouse.org

TransFOURming Sorrow - On Local TV and Radio

The story on TransFOURming Sorrow, the present installation in the chapel of Wisdom House, will air this coming Sunday, May 28th at about 10:40am on WCCT-TV. The video segment was produced by the Office of Radio and TV of the Archdiocese of Hartford. The installation is the work of artist Kardash Onnig of Stanfordville, New York. 

Also on Sunday, the audio of the story will be on WJMJ-FM 88.9 at about 12:40pm. Tune in if you can, then come visit Wisdom House!


Wisdom House
www.wisdomhouse.org

Remembering Brings A Strong Presence

This Memorial Day Weekend, let us remember and honor all who have died serving us and our country by serving in our military.

TRANSFOURMING SORROW

Wisdom House will be opening a new exhibit in the Chapel at Wisdom House on Saturday, May 20 from 3-7PM. It is an installation titled, "Transfourming Sorrow" and the work of
sculptor Kardash Onnig.

Click on this link, which is the blog of artist and author Tony Carretta, who is the curator of the event. The article, written by Joseph Montebello, appeared originally in the Litchfield County Times on April 28, 2017.

The exhibit will run through July 29, 2017. Regular exhibit hours are Monday-Saturday, 10AM-4PM.

For further information, call 860-567-3163.

Introducing Centering Prayer

Nancy Stimac, a representative of Contemplative Outreach, gave an introductory program about the history and practice of Centering Prayer at Wisdom House on April 22.

Wisdom House will begin a Centering Prayer meeting this fall.


Wisdom House
www.wisdomhouse.org

Chamber Hall of Fame Induction

Alan Colavecchio, President and Owner of Colavecchio Design in Winsted, CT, is pictured here with Sr. Jo-Ann Iannotti, OP and Sr. Rosemarie Greco, DW. 

He was recently inducted in the Northwest Connecticut Chamber of Commerce's Hall of Fame. Alan is the graphic designer of all of Wisdom House's publications and is one of the founding members of its Marie Louise Trichet Gallery's Exhibition Committee. He also has been a presenter of programs in the arts at Wisdom House, especially in initiating the program, "The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity."

Feast of St. Louis De Montfort, Co-Founder of the Daughters of Wisdom

Yesterday, we celebrated the Feast of St. Louis De Montfort.

            
Eternal Wisdom asks but one thing of you - your heart.
            And in return, She offers nothing less than Her Own.


"The Love of Eternal Wisdom,"
A Revisioning of St. Louis De Montfort's Contemplation on Divine Wisdom by Rabbi Rami Shapiro, #132