Confluencia

Sr. Jo-Ann Iannotti, OP, read some of her poetry as part of a literary event titled "Confluencia," sponsored by Naugatuck Valley Community College and held on March 28 at Palace Danbury in Danbury, CT.

Other works were read by (from left to right) Jocelyn Cullity, professor of English at Trinity College, Hartford, who read a selection from her novel about women in 1857 India, Mairanell Meddrano-Mara, Ph.D., poet and facilitator of the panel and organizer of the event, Juana M. Ramos, poet and writer from El Salvador, Margarita Drago, former political prisoner, poet, born and raised in Argentina, and Ira Joe Fisher, poet and Emmy award-winning writer for television.

"Confluencia" refers to a community gathering to share the experiences of different cultures via the written word.

Soul Sisters

 

Poet and author Edwina Gateley recently gave a weekend retreat for women at Wisdom House titled: "Soul Sisters: Women Called to Birth Hope and Healing in a World of Pain and Fear."

Her enthusiastic and inspiring presentations gave encouragement to all who attended.

Two Women Mystics

We are struck by the similarity of spirituality of two women mystics:  Julian of Norwich, 14^th century England, and Edwina Gateley, 21^st century United States.

Julian’s feast is celebrated on May 8.

 

“I saw that our Lord was never angry, and never will be.  Our Lord is God and is good, is truth, is love, is peace.  God’s power, wisdom, charity, and unity do not allow God to be angry….  God is that goodness which cannot be angry for God is nothing but goodness.  I saw no anger in God.”

~ from The Showings, Julian of Norwich, Translation by Edmund Colledge, OSA and James Walsh, SJ, 1978, Paulist Press, Ramsey, NJ

Edwina Gateley

“I came to know with great certainty that God longs to comfort and assure us that, no matter what we have done, where we have been,  or even how we have lived – we will never be abandoned or excluded from God’s embrace.” 

~ from In God’s Womb: A Spiritual Memoir, Edwina Gateley, 2009, Orbis Books, NY – also available through Wisdom House / info@wisdomhouse.org

Feast of Blessed Marie Louise Trichet

Blessed Marie Louise Trichet, co-founder of the Daughters of Wisdom, 1703.


Her feast day is May 7.

In addition to founding this congregation of women, she was the administrator of the hospital and "Poor House" in Poitiers, France. A businesswoman by necessity rather than by choice, several new foundations found her confronting administrators and sometimes even bishops, contract in hand, to save the original nature of an apostolic congregation of universal dimensions.

(Excerpt from "The Lure of the Saints", Jon Sweeney, Paraclete Press, 2005, p. 89.)

The Journey of the Artist

On Sunday, April 29, Wisdom House sponsored its 6th Art and Spirituality Forum, whose theme was "The Journey of the Artist."  Moderating the conversation among the artists on the panel was actor Jack Gilpin. The panelists were sculptor Linda Hoffman, composer Joshua Stone, author Dani Shapiro, and artistic director Darko Tresnjak.

The attached slide show has shots of the program, participants, guests, and the opening of Linda Hoffman's exhibit, "Riding the Ox." The exhibit will be in the MLT Gallery at Wisdom House until August 25.

A video of the program was created by Doug Parker, editor of www.Litchfield.bz.  Click here to view the video.