Final Blog

Dear Friends,

As of April 30, we will be discontinuing our blog, "At Wisdom's Table." We thank you for your support and enthusiasm about our postings over the years.

We are grateful for the artful management of our blog by Andrew Ford of Digitas Productions, LLC.

We will continue to be sharing our life and mission at Wisdom House through Facebook and postings on Twitter and Instagram. We invite you to follow us there.

When our new website is ready to "go live," we will be inviting you to see the new face of Wisdom House. Be on the lookout for our announcement.

We look forward to you joining us again soon!

Sincerely,

Deborah Kelly

Executive Director

Wisdom House

dk@wisdomhouse.org

A New Gift

The Church celebrates the feast of St. Louis de Montfort on April 28 and Blessed Marie Louise Trichet on May 7.  Together, they are co-founders of the Daughters of Wisdom, the group of sisters who established Wisdom House here in Litchfield, the Company of Mary (Montfort Fathers), who established the Lourdes Shrine, and the Brothers of St Gabriel.
   
Who are these holy people?
   
St. Louis de Montfort is called the Apostle of Mary. St. Pope John Paul II the Great said his own life took a “decisive turn” due to the writings of St.Louis de Montfort. He was a preacher of the Gospel, a poet, sculptor and missionary priest. Blessed Marie Louise Trichet was an administrator of a hospital for the poor. She had an innate gift of leadership that brought competence, compassion, and dignity to the care of the people. She and her sisters lived a rule of life to acquire Divine Wisdom.  
    
These founders and spiritual guides loved God as Divine Wisdom. They urge us to seek Wisdom in the experiences of daily life, in the mystery of the Cross, as well as in the joy of the Resurrection.
         
Their message is over 300 years old, yet it continues to challenge us today.  Their spiritual legacy lives on in thousands of followers worldwide and through the ministries of Lourdes’ Shrine and Wisdom House. 
    
Recently, Wisdom House gave relics of St Louis de Montfort and Blessed Marie Louise Trichet to our local parish, now renamed St. Louis de Montfort Parish. May these two holy people intercede to God for the parish and our town, that they, too, may grow in Divine Wisdom.

Climate Justice Teach-in

Ann Gadwah, Political Chair of the CT chapter of the Sierra Club, and Rosemarie Greco, DW, pause for a moment before the Climate Justice "Teach-in", Feb. 24.

Sierra Club's mission is to "explore, enjoy, and protect the planet; to produce and promote responsible use of earth's ecosystems." 

Learn more at Sierraclub.org.

Lent - A New Season

Each year the Church gives us the season of Lent, which is the great retreat of the Christian people.  During this period of 40 days, we are encouraged to engage in our prayer, fasting, and alms giving as we journey with the catechumens in our parishes in their final preparations for Baptism.

During this Lenten season our lives and actions can help transform us into the likeness of Christ.

A prayer in the Byzantine Vespers puts it this way:

While fasting with the body, let us also fast in spirit.

Let us undo the knots of every contract made by violence.

Let us tear up unjust agreements,

Let us give bread to the hungry and welcome to our house the poor who have no roof to cover them.

During this special season, consider taking time for prayer and works of mercy and, perhaps, a retreat.

Call us at Wisdom House for information on upcoming retreats or spiritual direction.  Our phone number is 860-567-3163.  Our website:  www.wisdomhouse.org.

Words of Gratitude

"I am grateful for my family's support so that I could minister so many years at a distance from our family home, grateful for the trust placed in me for this ministry at Wisdom House, and grateful for the momentum we experienced when Sister Jo-Ann joined me. We were then able to "initiate and not imitate."

~Rosemarie Greco, DW
12.17.2017

Friends and Family

Family members Victor and Annette, Dulcimer musician Thomasina Levy, and Province Leader Cathy Sheehan, DW, each contributed to the joy of the Celebration of Gratitude for Rosemarie.

Gathering Around a Table of Plenty

"Wisdom welcomes all to her table" - a basic mission of Wisdom House where diversity of cultures, faiths, and experiences are nourished and valued.  The guest book gathered names of those who enjoyed the offerings at the table for the Celebration of Gratitude for Rosemarie Greco, DW.

All are Welcome

Over 200 guests from the tri-state area gathered to take part in the Celebration of Gratitude for Sister Rosemarie Greco at Wisdom House. In Sr. Rosemarie's closing comments, she said, "A center of spirituality is not an entity in itself.  It is invigorated by participation in the concerns of the people...."

The Feast

"Wisdom has built her house, set her table and invited her guests."
(Proverbs 9,1)

The reception for the Celebration of Gratitude for Sister Rosemarie featured delicacies and hand crafted appetizers prepared by Food Service Director, Chef Margaret Jacobs.

Over 200 people enjoyed the spread and the festivities at Wisdom House, Dec. 17, 2017.

Framing a moment in time - Wisdom House, January 5, 2018

A Community Gathers to Celebrate

A celebration of gratitude on Sunday, Dec. 17, 2017, thanked Sister Rosemarie Greco, DW for her 27 years as Executive Director of Wisdom House.

Sr. Rosemarie and vocalist Helen Falcone are shown here. Sr. Rosemarie notes: "There is no separation of the 'sacred and secular'.  We are all one serving our communities."

Helen sings: "Sometimes... not often enough, we reflect upon the good times... and our thoughts always center on those we love."

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