SJA's Spirit Cafe
"Come to nourish others and be nourished"

You may have tangible wealth untold, caskets of jewels and coffers of gold.
Richer than I you could never be; I know someone who told stories to me.
--Cynthia Pearl Maus

What is the Spirit Cafe? It is a place to get to know your neighbors, the ones that sit next to you each week at mass. It's a place where we an share our passions and our stories, where we can discuss the homily, the world, and our neighborhood. It's a group of people that meet for about an hour after mass and both talk and listen. Our spirit is what makes St. Joan's so special, and the Spirit Cafe is a place where we are encouraged to share our individual spirits. To talk about the world, our just our own corner of the world.

According to Tom Smith-Myott, "The idea of Spirit Cafe came out of the Life-Long Learning Board's discussion on collaborative ministry and how we can help folks at St. Joan's have more opportunities to meet each other and have a chance to tell their story, as well as a place to connect and share their issues and passions and possibly find people to work together with on them."

Long before I wrote stories, I listened for stories. Listening for them is something more acute than listening to them. When their elders sit and begin, children are just waiting and hoping for one to come out, like a mouse from its hole.  -- Eudora Welty  (RIP, July 23, 2001)
The group that met after the 11:00 mass on July 22nd wanted to talk about the wonderful performance by the The Justice & Peace Street Theatre,  performing their skit, “Bombs Over Baghdad-End the Sanctions Now!” We talked about our image as Americans across the world, how it is a bit tarnished. We talked about what we, individually, could do to make that image better.

We talked about synchronicity*, and how it happens in our lives all of the time - and if we could only recognize it.  How one event sometimes leads us to a better place - like the old closing a door and opening a window story - and how we need to learn to see those events. We came from different places in our lives. Some were very involved in Small Christian Communities, some were interested in becoming involved. Some were there to get to know the people that we see each week just a little better.

 

 

 
The first Spirit Cafe was held on Sun., June 10, the next on Sunday, August 12th. The plan is to hold them twice a month during the school year. Initially the conversations at Spirit Cafe will be led by Life-Long Learning Board members, but the hope is for other interested people to lead the sessions.

Spirit Cafe is a place to come together and tell our stories, hear your stories, and make new connections. Stories are how we connect with others, with the past and with the future. Join us whenever you can - there is always room for one more.

One of the most valuable things we can do to heal one another is listen to each other's stories.
 --Rebecca Falls

*Coincidence of events that seem to be meaningfully related

Janice LaMere is a self-professed (and sometimes publicly acknowledged) girl-geek. She does computer technical support and training, and is a writer, college student, mother of three and grandmother of two. She likes to read, learn, listen to music, walk with her dog (Lady Isabella Augusta, AKA Auggie Doggie) and watch old movies. She can be found on the Internet at www.janissima.com, or email to lamere@janissima.com.
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