Illuminated I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened —Ephesians 1:18 The window fills with sky one half pewter, laden with drops that splash the cold concrete the other half brilliant blue sunlight pours sidewalk glimmers in that midday dazzle you feel like it could be the first day of creation or the last and you know this moment will not persist you know you will forget later in the drudgery of evening, but for now you remember how rain and sun conspire to show you everything you need to carry on to the end of day. -Christine

Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims, Tomorrow we begin a journey through my newest book Breath Prayer: An Ancient Practice for the Everyday Sacred. We are so excited to be diving deeply into this beautiful contemplative practice in community with our retreat starting tomorrow. I will be leading a weekly live Zoom session on Mondays (always recorded) with poetry, songs, and meditation. John will be reflecting on scripture passages which highlight breath and Amanda Dillon will be inviting us into sacred seeing with reflections on art that illuminate these passages. Wisdom Council member Jamie Marich will be inviting us into embodied practices each

Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims, I am in the final editing stages of my next book Birthing the Holy: Wisdom from Mary to Nurture Creativity and Renewal which will be published in April 2022 by Ave Maria Press. I love all that this project has inspired – another compilation album of songs we are working on and the next week in our Prayer Cycle series – all coming in the spring.  In the book I focus on 31 of Mary’s names or archetypes which offer windows into those qualities we can call upon in ourselves as well. The sacred feminine is not at the expense of