Announcements

In Memory of Sister Mary Ann Scofield, RSM

Sister Mary Ann Scofield, RSM, returned gently to God, Sunday, June 3, at about 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time in Burlingame, California, USA. She was surrounded by family, her beloved Mercy community, and the prayers of many. Being Sunday morning, perhaps she knew it was time for Mass and slipped away.

A beloved teacher, spiritual companion, mentor, and friend, Mary Ann was a founding member of Spiritual Directors International and served as the organization’s first executive coordinator in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Her deep passion for spiritual direction nurtured SDI from its humble beginnings, in her bottom desk drawer, to a global movement. Today, the global learning community of Spiritual Directors International includes more than six thousand members in six continents.

A Way with Birds

My Nana was a Saint Francis kind of grandmother. As a child, Nana and I would sit for hours at her kitchen table. Gazing out the window, we admired the birds that came to feast at her many birdfeeders.

“What’s the name of that one?” she would ask. “I think it’s a grosbeak,” I would respond. “What kind of grosbeak?” When I returned a puzzled look, she would bring out her deck of flashcards and patiently test me on the names of the birds. Finally we would find the picture of the bird with the black head and red chest: “a rosy-breasted grosbeak!” She would beam approval before quizzing me about the next bird we noticed at the feeder or perched on a nearby tree branch.

Spiritual Care through Kairos Outside

Photograph credit: sdiworld.org.

Her voice was muted, tentative, pleading: “Aunt Marilyn, do you think you might ever be interested?”  Her name is Susan, and besides being my niece, she is a lovely young woman who at the time was dating a man in prison—someone she met while accompanying her dad visit prisoners. Susan’s dad is a deacon whose ministry was to the incarcerated, he is handicapped and Susan would push his wheelchair during his rounds.

Conversation on the Margins

For several years now, I have had the privilege of walking with women who are homeless. The Ministry of Presence is an outreach program for homeless women who are in hospital or jail. It is run through the Church of Mary Magdalene and Mary’s Place, a church and day shelter for homeless women in Seattle, Washington, USA.

Pass it On

May Membership Drive begins TODAY!

Pass it on.

If SDI were a radio station, you would hear, “This program is being interrupted for the May Membership Drive. Call in now.”

If SDI were an elementary school, you would find a note pinned to your child’s jacket: “Please make cookies for the bake sale.”

If SDI were a symphony, we would throw a gala event where you could meet the French horn and tuba players.

Photograph credit: Theresa O'Bryan

Bring Them On

Blank stares, numinous

Who are these ghostly creatures?

Black, grey, shaded lines

From the depths below

Who are these ghostly creatures?

Here before I yield

Rising I step forth

Who are these ghostly creatures?

Here, there, everywhere

I am not afraid

Who are you, ghostly creatures?

My soul welcomes you

Shadows, bright and dark

You are my ghostly creatures.

Circling ‘round my heart

Lead me, guide me then

Passover: Season of

Liberation and Renewal

Photograph credit: Jana Rickerson

Passover is the celebration and retelling of the Israelites’ liberation from slavery in Egypt. The Passover ritual and meal is called seder, which is Hebrew for “order.” Unlike some of the other major Jewish holidays, the Passover seder is not part of a synagogue-based worship service, but instead takes place in the home or in a communal location. The seder is a rich and lively celebration with special foods, songs, prayers and stories. 

Maundy Thursday

Photograph by Holly Benzenhafer Redford

Love Feast, Lord’s Supper, Communion, and Eucharist, of all the observances during Christian Holy Week, the meal shared by Jesus and his followers on Holy, or Maundy, Thursday is the action that Christians repeat again and again to deepen spiritual communion with the Divine in community.

In the Spotlight: Spiritual Direction Featured in Liguorian Magazine

At Spiritual Directors International, we have the privilege of watching the global movement of spiritual direction grow and take shape. Within the many faith communities of our human family, individuals cultivate peace and compassion through the contemplative practice of spiritual direction.

Pace e Bene

Photo by Rose Slavkovsky

When I was growing up, a Catholic boy in the 1950s in suburban Connecticut, USA, a well-meaning relative enrolled me in a monthly book club for Catholic children. The first book I received was Francis and Clare, Saints of Assisi; it captivated me.