Distracted During Prayer? Try These Tips to Maintain Focus

Distracted During Prayer? Try These Tips to Maintain Focus

When it comes to connecting with God, contemplation is key. As Sister Nancy Sylvester, IHM put it: “Silence is God’s first language.” Sitting in silence and stillness, then, and focusing only on breath or even a specific word is important in deepening one’s...
Sister Mary Ellen’s Art Debuts at Mariandale

Sister Mary Ellen’s Art Debuts at Mariandale

When Dominican Sister of Hope Mary Ellen Wisner, OP was a small child, her mother taught her and her two sisters to draw. As the girls sat around the kitchen table in the early evenings, they slowly learned about the principles of perspective. As such, all three...
Meet the Sister Who Preaches with a Paintbrush

Meet the Sister Who Preaches with a Paintbrush

Dominican Sister of Hope Lorraine Ferguson, OP has been a teacher and principal, but her true love is art. After becoming a certified art therapist, Sister changed lives through helping others embrace their creativity. While we celebrate the arts during...

Painting Icons, Welcoming Stillness

When Mary Jane Miller’s friend proposed that they paint icons in the church basement one Wednesday afternoon, she thought he was crazy. “We don’t know a thing about icons!” she protested. The pair had no formal training –save a one-week iconography class— and Mary...