Welcoming Center and Land Restoration Dedication Held

In their current direction statement, the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary call for others to “join them in bringing about God’s dream for this beautiful, yet wounded world.”

After years of planning and commitment on the part of many sisters, friends, and professional advisors, the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary dedicated the Welcoming Space at the IHM Center on Thursday evening, April 19, 2018. Over 150 guests attended the blessing. Enhanced by the Land Reclamation Project, which was funded by private donors and various grants, the new space offers a setting of peace and natural beauty with its emphasis on water conservation and the sacredness of Planet Earth. Rain gardens, swales, wetlands, meadows and natural species of flora and fauna grace the outdoor space. Inside at the IHM Center, areas are available for meetings and social gatherings and the chapel is open for times of prayer and liturgy.

During the dedication, five sacred spaces were blessed: the Welcoming Space areas inside of the IHM Center, and on the outside: the Meadow, the Wetland, the Butterfly Garden, and the Friendship Garden. Snow gently flurried outside the windows of the Theresa Maxis Center during the blessing, reminding all that the Welcoming Space and the Land Restoration are contemplative places for all seasons.

The dedication was followed by refreshments and an interactive concert performed by Joyce Rouse, “Earth Mama,” whose vision claims that “Everything from the universe is a blessing.”

L-R: Sister Donna Korba, Jan Novotka, Sister Jean Louise Bachetti, and EarthMama, Joyce Rouse