How to Stay Up in a Down World

Janet Schaeffler, OP
Saturday, February 14, 9:30am-12:30pm
Suggested Offering $25

 

As the calendar turned from 2025 to 2026, social media told a shared story: the year behind us was not an easy one.

 

Personal challenges, news cycles, and global concerns left us feeling worn down.

 

This morning of reflection and sharing invites participants to consider some practical and spiritual ways to nurture resilience, deepen faith, and live with purpose - when circumstances feel discouraging. Together, we’ll explore realistic tools for staying emotionally and spiritually steady in difficult times, cultivating hope, maintaining balance, and responding to life’s challenges with courage and compassion.

 

Janet Schaffler, OP

Janet Schaeffler, OP, is a facilitator of days of reflection, retreats, and workshops.  An author and college educator, she teaches online classes for the University of Dayton and Boston College.  The former director of adult faith formation for the Archdiocese of Detroit, she continues this ministry in a wide variety of pastoral settings.

 

 

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John Lewis“Not one of us can rest, be happy, be at home, be at peace with ourselves, until we end hatred and division.”

Joni Scott, BA
Saturday, February 28, 9:30am-12:30pm
Suggested Offering: $25

 

In the mid-1960’s, Lewis was considered one of the “Big Six” leaders of the civil rights movement. His dedication to public service was guided by his belief in the power of ordinary people to effect positive changes in their communities and the world. He often emphasized the importance of getting into “good trouble, necessary trouble” in the pursuit of justice and equality. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, United States Congressman, good friend, historian, author of books for both adults and children, and a recipient of awards throughout his life, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom. His commitment to non-violent protest and his belief in the inherent goodness of humanity served as guiding principles throughout his life and as a result, he is remembered as “the conscience of Congress.”  All of this and more will be explored as we remember this powerful civil rights icon and peacemaker.

 

Joni Scott

Joni Scott, BA, holds a bachelor’s degree in religious studies from Marygrove College, and is a wife, mother, grandmother, storyteller, and retreat director. She received her training in spiritual director from the Dominican Center of Religious Studies. She recently retired after serving over thirty years in parish ministry in the City of Detroit.

 

 

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Rooted in Presence

Bringing Body, Mind and Soul into Contemplative Stillness

 

Julie Vieira, IHM, MA
Saturday, March 14, 2026, 9:30am-12:30pm
Suggested Offering: $25 

 

Presence is an abundant word that calls us to be here and now with our whole self; however, we are in the moment. Sometimes the here and now of our lives is messy, unpredictable, exhausting and even unbearable. No matter what the moment brings, we can meet it with our full presence.

 

This morning is a contemplative space in which to rest, listen, behold and be held. Our time will include prayer, input, and the opportunity for personal reflection. Along the way, you will find ideas and practices that can guide you along your own journey.

 

Julie Viera, IHM

Julie Vieira, IHM, MA, (she/her) is a writer, presenter, and thinker in spirituality with particular attentiveness to living the darkness and light — the poetry and rough prose — of everyday life. She holds a Master of Arts in Theology from St. Michael’s College at the University of Toronto. She serves as a volunteer crisis counselor for LGBTQ+ youth and as a consultant in the unfolding of religious life and of mission. Visit julievieira.org.

 

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Artwork: “gesture of being held” by Jenny Siegel, watercolor on paper (used with permission of the artist; jennysiegel.com)

Easter Lilies  Lenten Day of Reflection

 

Kathie Budesky, IHM, MA
Saturday, March 28, 10:00am-4:00pm
Suggested Offering: $50, including lunch

 

The words of the Psalms, the ancient prayers of the Jewish people, were frequently on the lips of Jesus as he turned to prayer at critical junctures in his life. Thus, it is fitting for us to look to the Psalms for our prayer as we enter into the holiest season of the year and remember the events of Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. In addition to input, there will be time for personal prayer and reflection, sharing, and a lunch from Panera Bakery. The program will end in time for participation in the Palm Sunday liturgy.

Registration deadline: Monday, March 23, 12:00 noon.

 

 

Kathie Budesky, IHM, MA

Kathie Budesky, IHM, MA, the director of Visitation Spirituality Center, has many years of experience in secondary education, both in the religious studies classroom and in the principal’s office. A graduate of the Institute in Creation-Centered Spirituality at Mundelein College, she was a staff associate in the Ignatian Program in Spiritual Direction and Retreat Ministry at Guelph, Ontario.

 

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St Matthew

Lenten Reflection

Kathie Budesky, IHM, MA
Saturday, April 18, 2026, 9:30am-12:30pm
Suggested Offering: $25

 

Each of the Evangelists wrote their Gospel for a particular audience with unique questions and concerns. As a result, each of the Gospels offers today’s readers differing insights into the person of Jesus and what it means to live as a disciple of Jesus. This year, the liturgical readings focus on the Gospel of Matthew. There is little question that understanding the spiritual vision of this Gospel can enrich our celebration of the Eucharist and animate our efforts to live lives of Christian discipleship. The morning will include input, time for personal prayer and reflection, as well as lively conversation.

 

 

Kathie Budesky, IHM, MAKathie Budesky, IHM, MA, the director of Visitation Spirituality Center, has many years of experience in secondary education, both in the religious studies classroom and in the principal’s office. A graduate of the Institute in Creation-Centered Spirituality at Mundelein College, she was a staff associate in the Ignatian Program in Spiritual Direction and Retreat Ministry at Guelph, Ontario.

 

 

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Preachers and Teachers

Barbara Bacci-Yugovich, MA, IHM Associate
Saturday, April 25, 2026, 9:30am-12:30pm
Suggested Offering: $25

 

Join us as we explore and reflect on key women and men in Scripture -- Prisilla, Phoebe, Deborah, the daughters of Philip, John the Baptist, Peter, and Mary Magdeline -- all who functioned as preachers and teachers of God's Word. They continue to hold a significant place in our understanding of leadership and teaching to this day.

 

With these biblical men and women as our backdrop, participants will be invited to reflect on contemporary men and women, leaders and preachers, who serve as a source of inspiration, The morning will include input, time for personal reflection, table conversation, and large group sharing.

 

 

Barbara Bacci-Yugovich, MA, IHM Associate

Barbara Bacci-Yugovich, MA, IHM Associate, holds a Masters in Pastoral Studies from Marygrove College and is a certified Lay Ecclesial Minister and Former Assistant Director of the Faith Formation Office in the Archdiocese of Detroit. She facilitates retreats and workshops for Catechists and Parish Faith Formation Programs, including The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. In addition, Barbara serves as the Coordinator of the IHM Associate Office in Monroe, MI. 

 

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Women in the Old Testament

 

Annemarie S. Kidder, PhD, IHM Associate
Saturday, May 16, 9:30am-12:30pm
Suggested Offering: $25

 

While women play a key role in the life and ministry of Jesus, they make only sporadic or tangential appearances in the stories of the Old Testament.

 

In this presentation, we will meet those who through faith and fortitude were able to advance salvation history, despite obstacles and outside interference.  Among them are Sarah, the wife of Abraham; Rebekka, the mother of Jacob and Esau; Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron; Deborah, a judge and leader of her people; Ruth, the companion of Naomi; and the midwives of the Hebrews, Shiprah and Puah, along with Moses' mother, Jochebed.

 

The hope is to detect in the stories of these women a common thread that might strengthen and empower our own walk of faith in Christ.

 

Annemarie S. Kidder, PhD,Annemarie S. Kidder, PhD, is an ordained Presbyterian minister who has served churches in Michigan and Ohio.  A former seminary professor, she is the author and editor of ten books on historical theology, spirituality, and biblical studies.  Some of her more recent works are Making Confession, Hearing Confession (Liturgical Press), Karl Rahner’s The Mystical Way in Everyday Life (Orbis Books), and Karl Rahner's Ignatius of Loyola Speaks (St. Augustine Press).

 

 

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