Dear Friends, Sr. Maria stands at my office desk and points, suddenly, past my shoulder to the open window behind me. I turn to see two young deer peering in at us—less than a foot away from the screen, their dark eyes wide, ears tilting. A few minutes later, Warren Cooper, Campaign Coordinator of “Take...
Before I describe Thursday, Oct. 17 and Friday, Oct 18 of my pilgrimage in Rome with over 100 graduate and undergraduate students and thirty faculty and staff from fourteen US Catholic universities, I wish to express my gratitude to Maureen O’Connell, PhD, a former Cranaleith Board member and current member of the Mission and Governance...
Greetings again from Rome! Before I share with you what the CENTERS pilgrims did on Tuesday, Oct 15, and Wednesday, Oct 16, I wish to highlight a moment of encounter on Sunday that reminded me of where to keep my attention in the midst of the grandeur of Rome. The students, Becky McIntyre and I...
Ciao, amici! I am enjoying a pilgrimage to Rome, Italy, with over 100 students and thirty faculty and staff from fourteen US Catholic universities this week. The Catholic Church’s four-year Synod on Synodality — or more properly, on Communion, Mission and Participation – is in the midst of the Second General Assembly, building on what...
Dear Friends, Monday morning, Sr. Maria rings my home number to let me know the news. An enormous branch from Cranaleith’s 400-year-old American elm tree has fallen—its heavy weight crashing across the driveway, leaving a fatal gash down its trunk, blocking the path to the house. Maria and I pause in silence for a minute,...
For what is the mystical life but God coming to do what we cannot do? – Ruth Barrows, OCD Dear Friends, I hunch over my phone, obsessively tracking the progress of the Lyft drivers scheduled to arrive any minute at Cranaleith. The teenage girls and staff –now enroute to Cranaleith from IDAAY (Institute for the...
“The retreat really allowed us to see a side of our coworkers that we had not experienced before. It allowed a vulnerability that we typically do not see in healthcare leadership. It was refreshing to see that humanistic side of our peers.” – program participant from Jefferson North nurse managers Cranaleith is proud to share that...
Dear Friends, For our staff retreat on Monday, I hurry to the boardroom, gripping two heavy boxes of mirrors that nearly slip from my hands. In the room, I ask everyone to lift the mirrors in front of them and invite them to gaze into their own eyes for 5 minutes. It’s a contemplative practice,...
Dear Friends, My husband, youngest daughter and I will be racing to upstate New York this Monday, chasing the solar eclipse. In the Path of Totality, we hope to stand in the moon’s shadow, marvel at the stars revealed in the daytime sky, stand breathless in the darkness and watch in wonder at the radiant...
As I was approaching retirement from a long career in Philadelphia City government, I started to think about what was I going to do with the balance of my life. I had always been interested in Religion and I was active in several groups at our parish. I also studied Theology at LaSalle University before...
