Blessings of Lent to you! And blessings of Black History Month too! I’m sending out a quick note to you to invite you to two events celebrating the life of Sr. Thea Bowman, an amazing woman of faith and prophetic voice! She is one of six African Americans who are on the journey to sainthood in the Catholic Church. And to bring Thea Bowman to life, I introduce to you my beloved friend, ValLimar Jansen, a dynamic playwright, storyteller and amazing singer. When Spirit taps you on the shoulder with an inspiration, you sometimes just go for it! That’s what happened for me ..read more

Happy New Year! And happy 9th Day of Christmas! As we move towards the feast of Epiphany I love this magical time of light birthed in the darkness, when life slows down and we pause to we enter the new year, reflecting on all that was, and all that is to come.  This season, I once again had the opportunity to work with the youth for Christmas Eve Mass, which gives me special joy. As they dance about the sanctuary embodying the ancient images, the story awakens and I feel myself as one of the glorious angels announcing the beauty of birth ..read more

Blessings of October and the Feast Day of St. Teresa of Avila! (October 15th.)  Summer days are behind us, and now that we have entered fall, there is so much to grapple with in our world. So much heartbreak, so much need for hope. Having traveled to Israel and Palestine in the past few years, my heart goes out to all those who are suffering trauma and the devastating effects of violence.  We live our small lives, and at the same time, we are called to be part of our big world, and to dedicate our lives to the path of peace. Sometimes, we fail ..read more

Aaargh and shiver me timbers! It’s been a whole summer since I’ve written to you! And during this season you can see that I had a powerful encounter with Captain Hook! As you may remember, it is part of my family tradition to create video productions with my grandnieces/nephews during our summer stay in Michigan together. This year brought forth the story of Peter Pan! What an amazing adventure to enter this story with 7 of my family little ones from 3-13 years old. Not only that, but seven of our adults also jumped in as pirates, plus a brother as videographer and sister ..read more

Happy Easter! I hope you are finding signs of new life sprouting in your soul’s garden! I must say that the journey to this Easter has been a bit challenging for our St. Patrick’s community after undergoing a death of sorts to leave our own church behind. And yet, new seeds of beauty are coming to life in our St. Joseph community. I had the joy of collaborating with a wonderful artist and new friend at St. Joe’s (Eloisa Cardona) to proclaim the Genesis reading at Easter Vigil. Because I was so used to having a dozen or so St. Pat’s members dance this reading with ..read more

New year blessings! Hope you had a joyous Christmas season and are opening your arms to the newness of 2023 unfolding. (For a sweet look back to dancing Christmas, you can scroll to the bottom of the email!)  As we round the corner into February and the Feast of St. Brigid, we are also entering Black History Month. As I pondered how we might dance through this month, I suddenly realized this is the perfect invitation for me to share about my journey with the Black Madonna!  I grew up with the quiet statue of Mary as a pretty big influence in my Catholic household ..read more

Blessings of this holy season of Advent! I hope you were able to celebrate Thanksgiving with some of your beloveds. Seems like we are called to find ways to creatively adapt as we emerge from our COVID cocoons!  I have been in adapting mode as I learn to bridge communities in my new parish at St. Joseph Church. I have begun working with the children, and their hearts are so dear! Movement is already a natural language for them, so it’s great fun to help channel that innate connection into new expressions of American Sign Language and Gospel dramas  ..read more

It is indeed a time of threshold. With the turning of the seasons, on August 28th, we held our last Mass at our beloved St. Patrick Church in Seattle. Such beauty and depth we have shared through for 105 years, and now our doors have come to a close. In the midst of heartbreak, we are in awe of the heart-felt and conscientious process we have been through to honor our history and dance into new birthings. We are so grateful that much grace is attending us as we are welcomed into our new home at St. Joseph Church, a Jesuit Parish up the hill. As you probably remember, I have had ..read more

Greetings! Blessings of this holy season to you! I hope you had a joyous Thanksgiving. Mine was small, but heartfelt! Now we are in the time of lengthening nights and deepening darkness. Are you able to keep your flame alive and hold your candle in the dark? Clearly, our world faces ongoing challenges, and I get tired of keeping vigilant! But at the same time, I know that I have my own unique call, as you do. How is that flame dancing inside of you? How are you called to let it light the way for someone near you, someone far from you? As we dance with differences in ou ..read more

Greetings! Happy Easter! New life seems to be springing up all over! I am so grateful that we got to be back in church celebrating the season in full style at our dear St. Patrick’s Parish. All the joy that you see pictured in our Easter photo is also bittersweet, as it is almost certain that this is our last Easter together at St. Pat’s, and our parish is scheduled to be closed in the next few months. We are heartbroken that the Archdiocese is (so far) not willing to consider creative options in how a parish is run as the numbers of priests are diminishing. Sigh! Our parish is ..read more