Programs
Cranaleith Memorial/Commemorative Brick Interest
Open Dates
The Brick may be a Memorial Brick or a Commemorative/Celebratory brick (person is living). The first part of our Commemorative Brick Program will be replacing the bricks surrounding our Labyrinth. In the future, there will be opportunities for placing bricks in other areas of Cranaleith. Twice a Year,…
Spiritual Cataracts and New Horizons: The Holy Ideas of the Enneagram – on demand
Nicholas Collura
Open Dates
The wisdom of the Enneagram reveals how our ego’s particular pattern creates a specific “cataract” that clouds our vision of the divine nature. Learn about these cataracts and the process that moves us beyond them.
Intimacy and Inspiration in the Psalms – on demand
Bernadette Rudolph
Open Dates
Soak in the psalmists’ vivid expressions and tease out how they can take your relationship with God deeper. Let the Psalms also serve as inspiration for your own prayers to God.
Converting Vice to Virtue with the Help of the Ennegram – on demand
Nicholas Collura
Open Dates
In this second part of Cranaleith’s Enneagram series, learn spiritual practices to move you beyond the "stuck place" that keeps you from living fully.
Volunteering at Cranaleith
Open Dates
Cranaleith Spiritual Center
Cranaleith offers many rewarding volunteer opportunities for individuals and groups. If you’d like to know more about volunteering at Cranaleith, please complete the interest form and a member of our volunteer team will contact you in the next few days.
The Enneagram: A Tool for Spiritual Growth – on demand
Nicholas Collura
Open Dates
In this first part of Cranaleith’s Enneagram series, learn about the nine personality structures in ways that are enlightening both to beginners and to those with knowledge of the Enneagram.
Solitude Day (self-catered)
Maria DiBello, RSM, Bernadette Rudolph, Mary Trainer, RSM and Margie Winters
Open Dates
Cranaleith Spiritual Center
Seeking a hermitage experience? This retreat allows you to be by yourself throughout your stay and do your own cooking. Let Cranaleith's warmth and beauty provide a renewing space for you!
Scholarship Request Form
Open Dates
Thank you for your interest in coming to Cranaleith. It is part of our mission to provide all persons, regardless of economic situation, access to spiritual renewal and contemplation. Please complete the request form and someone will get back to you shortly.
Individual Virtual Directed Retreat
Maria DiBello, RSM, Mary Trainer, RSM and Bernadette Rudolph
Open Dates
Online
Stay at home or bring your retreat experience to the beach, mountains or wherever you are!
Spiritual Direction Interest
Bernadette Rudolph, Maria DiBello, RSM, Mary Trainer, RSM and Margie Winters
Open Dates
Our spiritual directors offer gentle encouragement to open fully to God’s loving presence and to discern the action of the Spirit around and in you.
Individual Directed Retreat (self-catered)
Maria DiBello, RSM, Mary Trainer, RSM, Bernadette Rudolph and Margie Winters
Flexible Dates
Cranaleith Spiritual Center
For some, retreat time includes the joys of cooking for oneself! The beauty, rest and solitude of Cranaleith await you. Meet daily with a spiritual director during your stay.
Individual Private Retreat (self-catered)
Flexible Dates
Cranaleith Spiritual Center
This retreat allows you to be by yourself throughout your stay and do your own cooking. Let Cranaleith's warmth and beauty provide a renewing space for you!
Knit, Crochet & Women’s Wisdom: July 7-September 22
Cathy Maguire RSM
July 7 - September 22, 2026
Cranaleith
Womens' Circles have been part of our culture and tradition since ancient times. A place for women to connect, share and celebrate. Join us as we knit and crochet projects each week, for various non-profit agencies. We have reflected on the words of Lisa Bogart (Knit, Purl, Pray), Joan Chittister (The…
Evenings of Contemplative Prayer (virtual)
Maria DiBello, RSM
September 14, 2026 - May 24, 2027
A simple time of quiet presence to the merciful heart of God within us and within our broken/blessed world.
Discover Cranaleith: An Outdoor Morning Retreat
Margie Winters
September 19, 2026
Cranaleith Spiritual Center
Come explore Cranaleith’s beautiful grounds during this fall season, experience a few simple spiritual practices, and discover the gift of stepping away from the busyness of everyday life. No previous retreat experience is needed. Simply bring yourself, just as you are.
Celebrate Mercy Week with Us!
Mary Reynolds, RSM
September 22 - 27, 2026
Cranaleith Spiritual Center is celebrating Mercy Week, September 23–27 —a week of reflection on the life and legacy of Catherine McAuley — and the enduring call to Mercy she left the world. Join us as we mark the journey to 200 years since the founding of the first House of…
Catherine the Laywoman: A Dream That Continues
Mary Reynolds, RSM
September 23, 2026
Catherine McAuley envisioned a way of serving people in need that began with the gifts, energy, and commitment of lay people working together. We will explore Catherine's life as a laywoman, her dream for compassionate service, and the circumstances that eventually led to the founding of the religious congregation we…
From Baggot Street to Merion: Catherine’s Dream and the Continuing Mission of Mercy
Mary Reynolds, RSM
September 26, 2026
Motherhouse, Merion, PA
As we prepare to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the opening of the House of Mercy on Baggot Street in 2027, we gather with Sr. Mary Reynolds, RSM, to remember the people, places, and dreams that have carried the story of Mercy across generations and across the ocean.
Words Made Flesh: Creating Silent Present Moment Mantras with Brother Mickey McGrath, OSFS
Michael O'Neill McGrath, OSFS
September 26, 2026
Cranaleith Spiritual Center
In this retreat, Brother Mickey will help us give visual form and colorful shape to our morning prayers. Art is a perfect way to get lost in the present moment awareness that we are never alone and that creating beauty is the best way to calm our fears and anxieties.
The Power of Place: From Baggot Street to Cranaleith
Mary Reynolds, RSM
September 27, 2026
Cranaleith Spiritual Center
As we prepare to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the opening of the House of Mercy on Baggot Street in 2027, we gather with Sr. Mary Reynolds, RSM, to remember the people, places, and dreams that have carried the story of Mercy across generations and across the ocean.
Wise Enough to Play the Fool: A Series for Chaplains, Session 1 (online)
Jack Geracci and Bernadette Rudolph
October 6, 2026
Join this community of chaplains as we reclaim our status as professional humans and reconnect with our sense of being Beloved. Session 1: Naming the experience of walking in a liminal space
Wise Enough to Play the Fool: 3-Part Series for Chaplains (online)
Jack Geracci and Bernadette Rudolph
October 6 - 20, 2026
Embrace the role of the Wise Fool in the life of the chaplain. Join this community of chaplains as we reclaim our status as professional humans and reconnect with our sense of being Beloved.
Wise Enough to Play the Fool: A Series for Chaplains, Session 2 (online)
Jack Geracci and Bernadette Rudolph
October 13, 2026
Join this community of chaplains as we reclaim our status as professional humans and reconnect with our sense of being Beloved. Session 2: Celebrating this liminal role through story-telling and wisdom-gathering
In Conversation with Mechthild of Magdeburg: Love, Longing, and the Divine (Session 1)
Colette Lafia
October 15, 2026
Online
Join Colette Lafia as she introduces us to Mechthild of Magdeburg within the world of the Beguines and helps us explore her passionate vision of relationship with God, marked by longing, intimacy, vulnerability, and love.
In Conversation with Mechthild of Magdeburg: Love, Longing, and the Divine (2-part series)
Colette Lafia
October 15 - 22, 2026
Online
Join Colette Lafia as she introduces us to Mechthild of Magdeburg within the world of the Beguines and helps us explore her passionate vision of relationship with God, marked by longing, intimacy, vulnerability, and love. Then, through poetry, contemplative reading, and spiritual journaling, we’ll listen for what her words might…
Wise Enough to Play the Fool: A Series for Chaplains, Session 3 (online)
Jack Geracci and Bernadette Rudolph
October 20, 2026
Join this community of chaplains as we reclaim our status as professional humans and reconnect with our sense of being Beloved. Session 3: Owning and leaning into the role to strengthen our practice and improve the care seeker’s experience
In Conversation with Mechthild of Magdeburg: Love, Longing, and the Divine (Session 2)
Colette Lafia
October 22, 2026
Online
Join Colette Lafia as she introduces us to Mechthild of Magdeburg within the world of the Beguines and helps us explore her passionate vision of relationship with God, marked by longing, intimacy, vulnerability, and love. Then, through poetry, contemplative reading, and spiritual journaling, we’ll listen for what her words might…
Overnight, Silent, Directed Retreat October 23-24, 2026
Margie Winters and John Buettler
October 23 - 24, 2026
Cranaleith Spiritual Center
What might happen if you took twenty-four hours to enter into the quiet and stillness with God? Allow yourself the opportunity for spiritual renewal.
Tibetan Singing Bowls: For Healing, Balance, & Hope
Phyllis Strock and Audrey Garrett
October 26, 2026
Cranaleith Spiritual Center
Take some time out during this autumn season to renew, recenter and connect. Our time together will include listening and experiencing the sounds of the singing bowls, hands on experience, and sharing and connecting with each other and the Spirit.
America at 250: Catholic Schools, Racial Justice & the Courage to Teach “All Are Created Equal” for Educators in Catholic K-12 Schools
November 14, 2026
St. Joseph's University
This symposium will bring together 150 Catholic elementary and secondary educators from across the Archdiocese of Philadelphia for a day of prayer, learning, networking, and engagement with classroom-ready resources on racial healing. Participants who implement these materials will have access to ongoing mentoring from experienced educators.
From Loss to Light: Transforming All Our Griefs
Ellen Browning-Lafferty and Sharon Browning
November 15, 2026
Cranaleith Spiritual Center - Conference Room
Come explore your griefs as creating space for personal transformation and sacred activism. Our day together will include time for reflection, discussion, and several Family Constellations processes. In the shelter of each other, we will examine the deep roots of our fertile griefs, open ourselves to healing what is, and…
The Grace of Unknowing: A Retreat for Women Veterans
Maria DiBello, RSM
November 21, 2026
Cranaleith Spiritual Center
On this day of quiet presence to our unanswered questions and anxieties, we will help one another to view them as sacred ground, and opportunities for deep hope. We will draw on the insights of the mystics and poets, as well as the truth we find in one another. The…
Unpacking Significant Spiritual Experiences in Your Work as a Chaplain
Jack Geracci and Bernadette Rudolph
November 21, 2026
Cranaleith Spiritual Center
Name and celebrate two meaningful spiritual experiences from your work as a chaplain: an experience of loss and an experience of receiving. Savor memories, share stories and harvest the wisdom in each experience through art, ritual and discussion.