Blog

And still other times, a calling begins with love. The kind of love that leaves an ache and a longing after conversation ends. Love that enkindles a burning and yearning for more, even as one recognizes the fire is hot, perhaps at times will be too hot.

Dear Seed of God,

Executive Director

I have purchased a small, used motorhome. Every month in 2022, I will visit my mom and family in Kansas. And every month, I will journey – to the home of a friend; to a forest, meadow or body of water; a retreat center, monument, or labyrinth. I will make room for my studies and for my own spiritual practices, including embodiment and creative expression. And we will see what unfolds.

I look forward to returning to Genesis to coordinate and manage the School for Contemplative Living in April, June, August and October 2022. If you or someone you know is interested, please check the Genesis website for an application. The Executive Committee of Genesis is compiling a job description and will be conducting a search for the next Executive Director of Genesis. Please keep their endeavors and the Genesis community in your prayers.

Liz Walz, ASP

Other times, a calling begins with a dream. A vision or fantasy, perhaps even an irrational and wild idea. In our dominant cultural attitude of practicality, sensibility, and security, making a radical change with an uncertain outcome can be ill-advised. It can be frightening to say “yes.”

Sometimes, a calling begins with inner restlessness. A disquiet or tension, perhaps even an irritation. In the ups and downs of the day-to-day, it is easy to chalk these up to the ordinary trials and tribulations of daily life. Certainly, growing in maturity requires cultivating the ability to hold fast during turbulent times, not jumping ship at every inconvenience or upset.

Such has been my experience over the past several months. My Yes requires leaving my role as Executive Director of Genesis, which I will do on January 1, 2022, to embark on a year of nomadic sabbatical, circumambulating perigrinatio. Circumambulation, a term coined by Carl Jung, describes a process of moving around an object or concept in order to view it from different perspectives and perceive layers of depth. Perigrinatio is an ancient Irish form of pilgrimage where, called by the love of God, one gets into a small boat and throws away the oar, allowing the winds and the currents to carry them to the place of their resurrection, their next incarnation of service to the community, the world.

When the three of these weave a braid, intensity grows, becomes unmistakable. The grieving process begins, letting go of what is to make room for what will be.

With gratitude in Providence,

At Genesis, we believe every person is a seed of God. The mission of Genesis is to nourish the seed toward full maturity.

“Create in me a clean heart, O God.”   -Psalm 51:10

On March 16, the reality of the pandemic hit me suddenly.... Read more!..

Sister Elizabeth pausing in the hallway outside my office door caught my attention as I stood, talking on the phone with I don’t remember who about I don’t remember what. Silently, speaking with our eyes, we agreed I would find her in the Convent when I was free. A few moments later, I discovered her with Annette, Deb, and Trisha outside in the courtyard between the Convent and the Guest Wing, circling a fallen tree. The old, knotted apple full of character with still upraised arms had died a couple years ago and was now resting, held aloft by an elbow branch, the roots that had kept it fast over the years now rotted and gone. The suet feeder managed to make the adjustment and hung suspended from another branch, waiting to welcome and nourish the birds (and a few determined and acrobatic squirrels).

Sr. Kathleen and Sr. Caritas told us, the Sisters always paid attention to the needs of the community in determining their priorities and projects, trusting the funding would work itself out. Allowing Providence to move through them, the Sisters of Providence attended to neglected and forgotten populations, manifesting hope and healing in areas that no one else was addressing. The needs of the community, and of Earth Community, will continue to focus the attention of the laity who will carry forward the work when the Sisters are gone. Gratefully, we graft ourselves onto the guiding charism of the twenty-two Sisters of Providence still with us, soaking in their determination, vision, compassion, and Gospel values.

This past Saturday, in the Carriage House, the Sisters of Providence Ministry Corporation (SPMC) held its inaugural all ministries gathering. Executive Directors with Trustees from the Boards of Providence Ministries for the Needy, Providence Place and Mary’s Meadow, and Genesis gathered with the Board members of the SPMC for a day of inspiration, history and legacy-sharing, and storytelling. To a person, we marveled at the history of the Sisters of Providence of Holyoke, the array of ministries over the past 146 years that were established, grew to fruition, and brought to a close or transitioned to new leadership in their own time, making way for the next iteration of Providence.

We voiced a range of perspectives, seeing simply a dead tree, seeing deeper beauty, the inevitable passing of time, the closing of a chapter; change comes naturally although it is not always welcome. As we gazed, the fallen tree became an icon – a window revealing the invisible, the sacred. Thomas Merton said, “A tree gives glory to God by being a tree.” Even in death. Of all the trees that have ever lived on Earth, no two are exactly alike. Such abundant diversity granted generously by our Creator God is paradoxically awe-inspiring and humbling. In this simple, single, fallen tree is the entire Paschal Mystery, which is also happening all around us, all the time – the suffering, dying, and rising of new life brought into existence by the will of the One Who Calls.

Hello, I am Dulce, head of housekeeping at Genesis, responsible for keeping Genesis spotless.  I make beds, vacuum, handle the laundry, clean, dust, mop, wax, decorate, water our beautiful indoor plants, and that’s not all! I take great pleasure in helping to make Genesis a comfortable, relaxing, and welcoming place for our guests.

I appreciate the many “thank you” cards and words of appreciation that I receive from our guests. Those moments give me a feeling of worth and accomplishment, and I’m grateful that I can do my part to help our guests relax, focus on themselves and their inner peace or whatever their objectives are while at Genesis. Sure, things can get challenging from time to time, like when there is a very short turn around time (hours) between one group leaving and another group arriving.  I find that those challenges cause me to work even harder to prepare the space properly for the next group. Sometimes, I have to rely on our Genesis team to get things done on time.  That’s what we do at Genesis.

I love my job because I can make a difference for our guests during their stay with us.  I understand that guests come from near and far, and are away from their home and living environment.  I strive to make sure that each guest’s needs are taken care of during their stay at Genesis.

That’s what happens at Genesis.

The COVID-19 pandemic created unique challenges, with all of the restrictions and extra cleaning efforts required.  Sanitizing the bed linens, towels, rooms, as well as the community areas, has really kept me running around.  Although the number of guests and activities are less than in previous years, the slower pace has enabled us to implement important upgrades to our facilities, including (but not limited to) new carpets, chairs, linens, and window dressings.

We host guests from all over the world and I enjoy greeting them and talking with them when I can. I connect with all of our guests, and sometimes a guest stands out for me a little more than others. Sister Constancia Mosakeng from South Africa was very special to me. We connected right off.  I felt like I already knew her and she felt that way about me.  We talked every day in passing and sometimes during my breaks.  I had the opportunity to meet her family via face-time.  She has a lovely family.  To this day we still talk on the phone.  I guess you could say we developed a providential spiritual kindred spirit with each other. I’m grateful and feel blessed to have met her!

“Let us never rest in the review of what we may have done, but rather press forward to what remains still to be accomplished.” - Mother Mary of Providence

An early morning meditation these past weeks has been pruning 30+ tomato plants, in anticipation of tomatoes of all sizes and various colors. I’m not a very experienced as a gardener, but I do understand the concept of pruning low and unproductive branches to send energy to the fruit. However, as I squat by each plant grasping a perfectly healthy leaf, I find myself doubting, “Do I really need to take this one off?” It feels like an unkindness to the plant. In like manner, I acknowledge that perhaps it would be easier to prune Genesis’ abundant programming list, if we could tell which offerings would bear fruit. And I recognize the drain of being over-extended, trying to feed too many leafy branches, but unable to decide what to let go of.

And although Wayne and Dan successfully banished the groundhog from underneath the shed which holds the banquet chairs, it did not go far, as evidenced by the teeth-marks in the summer-squash, and 18-inch tall rows of headless Zinnias and Dahlias. In Diarmuid O’Murchu’s recent retreat, Doing Theology in an Evolutionary Way, he reported on the work of various theologians regarding the spirits and souls of animals. Dogs and cats, OK, yes, I could get behind that. But could they possibly mean the groundhogs, too? I guess there is work yet to be done in the transfiguration of my own heart, to be that generous.

Marketing

Megan mentioned “you ought to see the Mulberry tree,” and so I did. Spent berries littered the ground, near the compost pile, they crunched underfoot as I harvested ripe berries from overhead. Washed and de-stemmed, they garnished garden salads, fruit salads, and cooked as a sauce, cheesecake. It took time to pick, process and prepare them. All the while I marveled at the abundant goodness of God, even as I wondered, “Do the trees know of the political disagreements vexing our nation and the world?” And I took solace in the repetitive, mindfulness in motion tasks of bringing fruit to table for the delight of Genesis’ guests.

News

Programs

The Great Spirit is at work around and among us as summer unfolds. The earth is sodden with rain, which will nourish the gardens even as it is flooding the basement of the Convent and Friendship Hall. There are fruits yet to be harvested and shared at table, more than enough even to share with the robins and the groundhog.

The words from the psalmist arise unbidden as my arm methodically pushes and pulls the vacuum cleaner along the long hallway floor in the guest wing. ...  “…a clean heart, O God.”

These past weeks I’ve had occasion to cover Genesis’ kitchen so our beloved Chef Jen could have a couple of days off. I delighted in harvesting tart cherries from the tree behind the Carriage House and incorporating them into Rainbow Chard, bacon and cherry pizzas, Chilled Persian Soup, and cooking them down for a sauce over vanilla ice cream. The robins scolded me, although they surely enjoyed their fair share of fruit from the high branches.

We have been experimenting with ‘microgreen farming’ in the glass corridor and the shelved area at the end of the Guest Wing. Microgreens are nutrient dense, colorful and flavorful. The early crops took a while to germinate as it was chilly in May. June crops did well; we compared and contrasted different varieties of greens. In late June, the heat took a few crops from us – it was difficult to keep the soil moist and we learned that we need to move the small flats of crops to various locations, depending on the weather. In July, a crop of beet microgreens germinated so quickly it took my breath away. I gave thanks as I sprinkled them on avocado slices atop garden salads.

Lilies of the Field Blog

Join Genesis via ZOOM as we pray Novenas