Pillars & Foundations

Notre Dame Spirituality Center, Ipswich, MA: Centering Prayer Pillars & Foundations documents an exploration of communities, as well as faith through religious institutions. My intent is to share experiences, and spread the positivity that I observe.  How I Stumbled Upon Notre Dame Spirituality Center Over the past year some of you may know that I've engaged in this journey exploring different churches, denominations, and faiths. Through this I've attended courses on Buddhist Meditation at the Tibetan Buddhist, Kurukulla Center in Medford, Massachusetts. I've also on occasion attended Zen based meditation through Reading Unitarian Universalist Church . Most recently prior to this I attended a Centering Prayer group at Melrose Highlands Congregational Church . From reading Seven Storey Mountain and Thoughts in Solitude , by Thomas Merton , to Thich Nhat Hanh 's Living Buddha Living Christ , and Peace in Every Step , I've been quite curious about mi

Centering Prayer at Melrose Highlands Congregational Church, Melrose, MA Pillars & Foundations documents an exploration of communities, as well as faith through religious institutions. My intent is to share experiences, and spread the positivity that I observe.  Background of Centering Prayer Mindfulness, being mindful, learning to be present, these popular terms/ideas have infiltrated popular culture over the past decade due to a surge in interest in meditation, largely focused on roots from eastern origins. Many meditation groups have popped up, both secular for the purposes of training the mind or destressing, as well as those with a spiritual focus, tied closely to Buddhist and Hindu origins. It is perhaps not as well known that the Christian tradition also has its own version of meditative practices. While some recognize traditional prayer itself as a type of meditation, another activity made recognizable by Thomas Merton, a Trappist Monk and author from the 20th cen

The First Church of Christ, Scientist, Boston, Massachusetts Pillars & Foundations documents an exploration of communities, as well as faith through religious institutions. My intent is to share experiences, and spread the positivity that I observe.  The old, original church is still attached to the massive Romanesque Revival church (pictured in the blog from the inside) Somehow, despite the First Church of Christ, Scientist , being a major draw for most people who explore Boston thoroughly, I've managed to evade ever going inside this building until this past New Year's Eve. They have an impressive Mapparium on the campus in the Mary Baker Eddy library which is said to be quite interesting, however I have not seen this. I strolled around the fountains and the gorgeous reflecting pool in the middle of the campus many times during my past 19 years in the Boston area, and it absolutely is one of my favorite spots in the city. The pool surrounded by the impressive