Week of Events Scheduled for “Honoring Grief”; Guests Include Buddhist Monk Who Will Create Sand Mandala in St. Ann’s Lobby

Remembering loved ones and honoring the human experience of grief will be the key components of a weeklong series of events and programs in November at St. Ann’s Community. The public is invited to join in the week’s events.

“Grief is experienced with the loss of a loved one or the loss of a something meaningful such as a home, a job, or our health,” said Sister Mary Louise Mitchell, Director of Pastoral Care at St. Ann’s Community. “If we desire to heal from grief, then we must face it and honor it through a variety of spiritual practices.  Such spiritual experiences will be offered throughout this week.”

“Honoring Grief” will begin Nov. 5 with the construction of a Tibetan Buddhist sand mandala in the lobby of St. Ann’s Home, 1500 Portland Ave. A mandala is a spiritual symbol that brings harmony and peace to the world. As an object of meditation a mandala serves as a spiritual tool for developing compassion.  The mandala will be created over five days by Venerable Tenzin Yignyen, a Buddhist monk and visiting professor of Tibetan Buddhism at Hobart & William Smith Colleges in Geneva, NY. Tenzin has created the sand mandala at locations across the U.S. and Canada including schools, art museums, Times Square, and Washington D.C.  While creating the mandala at St. Ann’s he will offer spiritual meditations and take questions from spectators.

When:   Nov. 5, 6, 8 & 10, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Nov. 11, 2:00 p.m. – Dismantling ceremony

Where:  St. Ann’s Home, 1500 Portland Ave.

Other “Honoring Grief” events include the following:

Sunday and Weekday Liturgies: The liturgies celebrated this week in St. Ann’s Chapel will focus on grief as experienced through the paschal mystery. The Sunday, Nov. 5 liturgy is at 10:00 a.m. and the Monday through Thursday liturgies are at 3:45 p.m.

Tree of Life: Throughout the week, people are invited to write the name of a loved one on a paper leaf and add it to the Tree of Life outside St. Ann’s Chapel. Names may also be entered in the Book of Life to be remembered throughout November.

Ecumenical Worship Service: Pastor Keith Campbell of Redeemer Lutheran Church will lead the service in St. Ann’s Chapel on Tuesday, Nov. 7 at 10:30 a.m.

Labyrinth: Throughout the week, people are invited to walk a labyrinth that will be set up in St. Ann’s Chapel. The labyrinth represents a purposeful journey to one’s center and back out again into the world. Sessions on mindfulness will be held in conjunction with this activity.

Veterans Day Service: The service will be held Friday Nov. 10 at 10:30 a.m. in the Chapel.

Remembrance Services: These will be held throughout the week on each floor of St. Ann’s Home.

Coping with the Holidays: Michele Allman, Bereavement Coordinator with Visiting Nurse Hospice, will discuss dealing with loss during the holidays. Wednesday, Nov. 8, 11:00 a.m. at St. Ann’s Community at Chapel Oaks, Irondequoit. Also Thursday, Nov. 9, 1:30 p.m. at St. Ann’s Community at Cherry Ridge, Webster