by Mary Gardner | Sep 13, 2024 | Contemplative Life
In this “Space for God: Beauty,” Rev. Mary Amendolia Gardner (Coracle Spiritual Director) guides us into a time of spiritual reflection focused on a seemingly simple painting by Henry Ossawa Tanner. She invites us to notice, imagine, and consider how God...
by Mary Gardner | Mar 28, 2024 | Liturgical Seasons
In this “Space for God: Lent” devotional, Rev. Mary Gardner (Coracle Spiritual Director) guides us into a practice of Visio Divina, or “holy seeing,” focused on the events of Holy Week. She invites us to attend to diverse artistic depictions...
by Mary Gardner | Dec 16, 2023 | Contemplative Life, Liturgical Seasons
In this “Space for God: Advent” devotional, Rev. Mary Gardner (Coracle Spiritual Director) guides us into three spiritual practices focused on Mary’s famous prayer in Luke 1, the “Magnificat.” Using both lectio and visio divina, Mary helps us enter imaginatively into...
by Mary Gardner | Apr 14, 2023 | Contemplative Life, Creation
In this “Space for God: Beauty,” Rev. Mary Gardner (Coracle Spiritual Director) guides us into a meditation on the splendor of flowers—their vibrancy, their diversity, and their fragrance all pointing to the gratuitous love of God in creation. We hope you...
by Mary Gardner | Oct 13, 2022 | Contemplative Life
In this “Space for God: Beauty,” Rev. Mary Gardner (Coracle Spiritual Director) invites us to consider how God speaks to us through encounters with everyday beauty. Drawing together visual art, photography, music, and Scripture, Mary guides us into a rich time of...
by Mary Gardner | Apr 20, 2022 | Contemplative Life
In this “Space for God: Beauty,” Rev. Mary Gardner (Coracle Spiritual Director) guides us through a visual reflection on beauty and longing focusing on various images of doorways. Doors can act as powerful symbols for our present season of life, our...
by Mary Gardner | Feb 8, 2022 | Contemplative Life
In this “Space for God: Beauty” devotional, Rev. Mary Gardner (Coracle Spiritual Director) guides our attention to the many names of God recorded in the Scriptures and how they each highlight different aspects of God’s character. She offers some...
by Mary Gardner | Mar 22, 2021 | Contemplative Life
In this “Space for God” devotional, Rev. Mary Gardner guides us through a contemplative encounter with artistic depictions of prayer, paired with helpful prompts to spark our own prayer. We hope it will be a blessing to you as you pray with your mind,...
by Mary Gardner | Feb 22, 2021 | Contemplative Life
Nearly two years ago my husband and I visited the Boca Raton Museum of Art on our travels through Florida. There I encountered a deeply moving, profound, disturbing, and yet in some ways prophetic piece of art. A model of a life-size work, this piece by artist...
by Mary Gardner | Feb 16, 2021 | Contemplative Life
In this pithy review, Rev. Mary Gardner offers a compelling review of acclaimed artist and Christian thinker Makoto Fujimura’s newest book, “Art + Faith: A Theology of Making.” You can get your own copy of Mako’s wonderful book HERE....
by Mary Gardner | Jan 28, 2021 | Contemplative Life
In this “Space for God” devotional, Rev. Mary Amendolia Gardner introduces us to the life of Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller, a renowned African-American artist from the turn of the 20th Century who faced many obstacles and tragedies throughout her long life, but...
by Mary Gardner | Aug 31, 2020 | Contemplative Life, Justice and Mercy
America, a religious nation, has had throughout our history a type of intellectual leader that has been termed the public theologian. Henry Ward Beecher, Abp. Fulton Sheen, the Niebuhrs, Billy Graham, and Fr. Richard Neuhaus are among the most prominent examples....
by Mary Gardner | May 28, 2020 | Contemplative Life
Download a Free Visio Divina Resource Guide from Mary » Right now, many of us are struggling to pay attention. Psychologist Curt Thompson recently wrote about fatigue and irritability and offered suggestions that may help during this time – including contemplative...
by Mary Gardner | Apr 13, 2020 | Contemplative Life
How might we, as Christians, be a visible presence to the communities where we live? Aside from checking on our neighbors, family, and friends, what might we do to share the love of Jesus with others? As followers of Jesus, we are people of HOPE! We have good news...
by Mary Gardner | Oct 21, 2019 | For the World, Pilgrimage
One of our Spiritual Directors, Mary Gardner, has developed a Prayer Guide for those who would like to pray for the team of 12 who departed on Oct. 20th for nine days in Guatemala and at the US-Mexico border. We encourage you to download a copy and use it to hold our...
by Mary Gardner | Jan 13, 2014 | Contemplative Life
A book review of Tangible: Making God Known Through Deeds of Mercy and Words of Truth by Chris Sicks (Colorado Springs, CO; NavPress, 2013) by Mary C. Amendolia How did an atheist turn into a man of mercy? Tangible: Making God Known Through Deeds of Mercy and Words of...
