Cranaleith celebrated its 20th Anniversary at a gala September 27, 2018, at Knowlton Mansion in Northeast Philadelphia. More than 200 business and nonprofit leaders and philanthropists attended the event. “Tonight gives us the opportunity to celebrate Cranaleith’s first 20 years, the 80 seasons that Cranaleith has been a place of transformation and healing for thousands including those living in poverty, people struggling with addiction and those with mental health issues, said Charlene Flaherty, Cranaleith Executive Director. Sharmain Matlock-Turner, President and CEO, Urban Affairs Coalition and Maureen H. McCullough, JD, Northeast/Mid-Atlantic Regional Director of Catholic Relief Services received the Catherine McAuley...
Blog
Eco-Spirituality at Cranaleith
![Leslie Porreca Leslie Porreca](https://cranaleith.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Leslie-2-200x150.jpg)
When driving onto Cranaleith’s property, you will notice the expansive lawn and stately historic Victorian house. You may also find Leslie Porreca in the garden or tending her beehives. Leslie is a Sister of Mercy and licensed therapist. She also leads Cranaleith’s Eco-Spirituality program.Leslie’s work includes sustainability and permaculture activities such as recycling, composting, water conservation and buying local. With the assistance of staff and volunteers, she manages an expansive year-round garden featuring a variety of herbs and heirloom vegetables, beehives and a chicken coop. “Fresh and nourishing,” are the wordsretreatants use to describe Leslie’s garden-to-table meals. An in-house gift...
Walking Your Spiritual Journey
![Labyrinth Walk Labyrinth](https://cranaleith.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Labyrinth-Walk2-200x150.jpg)
Just half a mile from the rush of traffic on Bustleton Avenue in Northeast Philadelphia is a permanent outdoor labyrinth with the purpose of inviting visitors to seek inner peace. A labyrinth is a meditative tool, a singular winding pathway that enables the walker to center oneself in thought or prayer. It can be a means of finding peace, answers to troubling questions, or communion with God. “Our Labyrinth is used by a range of visitors from nonprofit professionals to overnight directed retreatants to local neighbors,” said Cranaleith Program Director, Cathy Maguire, RSM. “The walk to the center of the...
Understanding the Dynamics of Religious Leadership
![Dynamics of Religious Leadership Rabbi talking to pastor](https://cranaleith.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Blog-1.jpg)
By Marisa Guerin — For the last 18 years or so, I have had the opportunity to consult to many of the finest people I have ever met – the women and men of religious congregations and the ministries that they sponsor, from various denominations. These people are hard-working, kind, and faithful to their missions —- but that doesn’t mean that leadership is easy in these settings. The real-world challenges are formidable, and the internal community dynamics are subtle and complex. Religious leadership is not what it used to be! Several years ago, I started experimenting with a series of...
New 2018-2019 Brochure is Here!
![brochure Cranaleith brochure cover](https://cranaleith.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/brochure2.png)
Join us for a retreat this year and you will find a warm welcome, quiet peace and a sense of belonging. View it below. Download your own copy (pdf) Request a hard copy via email info@localhost or call 215-934-6206.
Caring for Our Corner of Creation
![Cranaleith foliage Cranaleith autumn foliage](https://cranaleith.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Blog-2-600x500.jpg)
At Cranaleith, we are committed to extending Mercy hospitality to all who come here and to caring for this corner of creation which has been entrusted to us. Our vision ensures that visitors will be able to enjoy the beauty of this place for years to come. Here are some of the ways we are working to sustain and nourish Cranaleith. Kitchen: “¢ We source food locally whenever possible. Many meals are made from scratch, including salad dressings and sauces. This allows us to make only what is needed and eliminate waste. “¢ We serve fair-trade coffee, tea and sugar....
CATCH, Inc. Clients Receive Eco-Therapy
![CATCH, Inc Eco-Therapy at Cranaleith CATCH, Inc Eco-Therapy at Cranaleith](https://cranaleith.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Blog-3-681x500.jpg)
A few times a month, Cranaleith has the privilege of welcoming clients from CATCH, Inc., a behavioral health program in Philadelphia, who participate in days of guided reflection or eco-therapy in our garden. We are gifted by the presence of an enormously talented artist, Mary Kay Eichman, RSM, who enables our guests to respond to each day’s theme with sheer delight, freedom and spontaneity. The diverse and colorful possibilities of their imagination seem endless. Often, they break out into song, utterly present to the joy and beauty of their creative power. During the planting and growing season, these same guests...
When Serving The Salvation Church Isn't Fun
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Pellentesque fermentum massa vel enim feugiat gravida.
In Somerton, Suffragists’ Vision Lives On
![cranaleith_historic-01_l692x424-eee view of main house at Cranaleith](https://cranaleith.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Cranaleith_historic-01_l692x424-eee-200x150.jpg)
Hidden City, October 27, 2016 By Sarah Kennedy Editor’s Note:We travel to the Somerton neighborhood of Northeast Philadelphia where the Cranaleith Spiritual Center sits on a bucolic 10-acre property. The late-Victorian house at the center of the parcel, formerly known as Mill-Rae, was built in the late 19th century for women’s rights activist Rachel Foster Avery and was the defining commission that set in motion Nichols’ career as America’s first independent female practitioner of architecture. On Saturday, October 29, the Cranaleith Spiritual Retreat Center will host an event to celebrate its forthcoming placement on the National Register of Historic Places...
Spirit of Inclusion
![Northeast Times Photo Northeast Times Photo](https://cranaleith.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Cranaleith_historic-_10_l692x424-eee-200x150.jpg)
Northeast Times, October 11, 2016, By William Kenny In a year when the United States may see the elecÂtion of its first woÂman presÂidÂent, a NorthÂeast PhilÂadelphia inÂstiÂtuÂtion is celÂebÂratÂing its role in achievÂing the right to vote for the naÂtion’s woÂmen. Cranaleith SpirÂituÂal CenÂter in SomerÂton didn’t exÂist in 1920 when the states ratÂiÂfied the 19th AmendÂment, but a VicÂtoriÂan farmÂhouse on the spirÂituÂal cenÂter’s 10-acre camÂpus stood back then and once served as a viÂtal meetÂing place for leadÂing sufÂfraÂgists inÂcludÂing Susan B. AnÂthony and its ownÂer, Rachel Foster Avery, durÂing a periÂod in AmerÂicÂan hisÂtory when woÂmen...