Religion in brief Jan. 30, 2010

| The New Mexican

1/29/2010 - 1/30/10

Activist priest to speak Thursday

At 7 p.m. Thursday at St. Bede's Episcopal Church, 1601 S. St. Francis Drive, the Rev. Roy Bourgeois, a Roman Catholic priest, will discuss "A Life Lived from Conscience."

A Maryknoll missioner who protested the U.S. government-funded training of military units in Latin American, Bourgeois is a supporter of women's ordination. He participated in an ordination ceremony in 2008 of a Roman Catholic woman — Janice Sevre-Duszynska — in Lexington, Ky. The Vatican threatened him with excommunication if he did not recant.

Instead, he urged the church to turn away from what he called "the sin of sexism." Bourgeois said he was excommunicated Nov. 24, 2008, latae sententiae — automatically — for not recanting his public statements supporting the ordination of women. He told Catholic News Service that his beliefs are based on his understanding of justice and equality as expressed in the gospel.

The Maryknoll order has confirmed his excommunication.

His visit is cosponsored by the Women's Ordination Conference and Call to Action. For information on these groups, visit www.womenordination.org or www.cta-usa.org.

The suggested donation at the door is $10.

Bible basics offered at Joyful Ministries

From 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on the first and third Saturday of the month at Joyful Ministries, 1161 Siler Road, a Bible Basics Class will be offered for adults and children.

There is a a class for women, men and children that includes Bible trivia, lessons on prayer, prophecy and the Kingdom of God. The event is open to the public and all are welcome.

For more information about Joyful Ministries, visit the Web site at www. joyfulministries.org, send an e-mail to joyfulministries@cnsp.com or call 505-473-1849.

New course begins at Chabad

This February, the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute will launch its winter course, titled "Portraits in Leadership: Timeless Tales for Inspired Living."

Those who take the course will study of the life stories of six figures whose courage and determination helped Judaism weather its darkest hours.

"Students are constantly looking for tools to deal with day-to-day challenges," says JLI instructor Rabbi Berel Levertov. "What better way to find guidance than from the wise example of others who encountered hardships and used them as the impetus for growth and change."

Lessons will examine a range of classic Jewish sources, drawing extensively from the stories of the Talmud and modern commentaries that point out their personal significance to our lives.

From 7 to 8:30 p.m. for six Tuesdays, starting Tuesday, Levertov will be teaching this course at the Chabad Jewish Center of Santa Fe, 242 W. San Mateo.

For more information, send an e-mail to rabbi@chabadsantafe.com or call 920-4224.

Faith program begins Feb. 18

From 6:30 to 8 p.m., beginning Feb. 18, Santa María de la Paz Catholic Community will host six "Awakening Faith" sessions on Thursdays. The series includes topics such as "Spirituality: What's the Buzz?"; "Can I Accept God's Mercy?"; "Can the Mass Make My Life Meaningful?"; and "The Church and Me."

There is no charge for the series. The church is at 11 College Ave.

For more information, send an e-mail to Cakebakers2@yahoo.com to get details, visit the Web site at www.smdlp.org or call 473-4200.

Adult enrichment series continues

At 7 p.m. Thursday the Rev. Oscar Coelho, the associate rector of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, will discuss "Aculturation: A Look at the Changing Face of Indian Christianity."

Sponsored by the Cathedral's Adult Enrichment Committee, the programswill be held at in Crispin Hall on the cathedral grounds, 131 Cathedral Place. There is no charge.

For more information, call 982-5619.

Candlemas set for Sunday

At 6 p.m. Sunday, Our Lady of the Woods will celebrate Imbolc, also called Candlemas, at the Unitarian Church of Los Alamos, 1738 N. Sage St. Those who attend are asked to bring a dish to share for the potluck after the ritual.

Imbolc is a time of new beginnings and initiations. This sabbat is sacred to the goddess Brigid. Common themes of this sabbat are renewing commitments and focusing on goals, recognizing the natural cycles of nature with the birth of the lambs, dedication or rededication to a spiritual path or purpose, dedication of ritual tools, and performing all types of cleansing, from your house to your inner self. Many Imbolc rituals feature the goddess Brigid, who was a triple goddess of healing, smithcraft and poetry.

Our Lady of the Woods is a church and coven of the Wiccan faith serving Los Alamos, Santa Fe and the northern Española Valley. It is led by Rowan, the high priestess. For more information on a specific event, directions to events, or Wicca in general, visit the Web site at www.ladywoods.org or call 672-1278.

Annual event to benefit Santo Niño

The 11th annual Mardi Gras and Carnival with the Archbishop — a dinner, dance with live and silent auctions — will be held Feb. 12 at Santa María de la Paz Parish Hall, 11 College Drive. Proceeds will benefit Catholic education and the Santo Niño Regional Catholic School.

The event begins at 6 p.m. with a no-host bar and silent auction. At 7 p.m., dinner begins, followed by dancing and the live auction.

Tickets are $135 per person, or $1,250 for a table of 10 people. Checks should be made payable to Santo Niño School.

For more information, send an e-mail to snrcs@santonino.k12.nm.us, fax 505-473-1441 or call 424-1766.

HaMakom presents ceremonial art

From 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday at RainbowVision, 500 Rodeo Road, HaMakom, the Place for Passionate and Progressive Judaism, hosts a slide show and presentation by Lia Lynn Rosen titled "Forming the Vessel: Southwestern Jewish Ceremonial Arts in Clay."

Rosen's art unites the aesthetics of the Puebloan Southwest with Jewish women's vessels for prayer, healing and renewal.

The presentation is part of the HaMakom Continuing Education Program, which is supported in partnership with the Jewish Federation of New Mexico. The suggested donation is $5 for members, students and seniors, and $10 for nonmembers.

International food to benefit shelter

From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 13 at Holy Trinity Orthodox Church, 231 E. Cordova Road, an international feast is planned to benefit the Interfaith Homeless Shelter in Santa Fe.

Those who attend can sample Ukrainian pierogi and halupki, Egyptian lamb and baklava, and other world cuisine. Those who dine in will hear live Irish music; or you can carry out the food and dine at your leisure.

A portion of the proceeds will benefit the shelter.

Call Molly at 505-699-7148 for more information.

Kabbalah groups continue

The Santa Fe Kabbalah Study Groups meet from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Anyone interested in the study of Kabbalah is welcome at either the Beginners or Advanced groups.

The Beginner's Group meets Thursday to study the prerequisites one normally encounters in the study of Kabbalah and Kabbalistic work.

The Advanced Group meets Feb. 11 to begin an examination of the interconnectedness, from a Kabbalistic perspective, of the Ten Commandments as they are set out on the Tree of Life and Jacob's Ladder.

For more information, call Steve Russell, the groups' tutor, at 466-3137.

Series continues at Beit Tikva

At 6 p.m. on Fridays at Congregation Beit Tikva, a four-part Eleanor and Richard Brenner Educational series of simulcast programs from the 92nd St. Y in New York City continues. Admission is $15 per showing or $45 in advance for all four programs. The series dates and topics are:

• Feb. 16: Malcolm Gladwell and Adam Gopnik: A free flowing discussion about world ideas.

• March 17: Jon Meacham and Fareed Zakaria: American and World Affairs.

• April 15: Elie Wiesel: A World in Crisis — What Are Our Moral Obligations?

For more information, call 820-2991.

Chalice Guild to meet

From 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, the Chalice Guild offers the weekly series titled "Toward Knowing Ourselves."

This is an opportunity to breathe, practice, study and remember the search for knowledge and truth based on the essence of Sufi teachings and the practices and teachings of Reshad Feild.

Newcomers are welcome. The topic of the evening will be "Respect."

Call Penny Russell at 466-3137 for more information.

New path at The Celebration

At 10:30 a.m. at the Sunday service of The Celebration, Kevin Blackwell will discuss "A New Path to Awakening: The Transformative Power of Emotions, Living from an Open Heart and the Way of Love."

The Celebration meets at the National Education Association, 2007 Botulph Road. Each service includes music, a reading, meditation and a talk by a member of the congregation or a guest speaker. This Sunday, the choir will sing.

The Celebration is a joyful gathering that honors all paths and celebrates life. Child care is provided. For more information, call 699-0023.

Pranic healing group meets Tuesday

From 6 to 8 p.m. on the first and third Tuesday of the month, the Pranic Healing Group meets at the Quaker Meeting House, 630 Canyon Road.

The meeting is free, but donations to the Quaker Meeting House are optional and welcome.

For more information on pranic healing, visit the Web sites at www.pranichealing.com or www.yourhandscanhealyou.com, or call Tomas at 820-6321or Vera at 983-6708.

Dharma program continues

The Santa Fe Vipassana Sangha continues a residency with dharma teacher DaeJa Napier on Tuesday.

Each Tuesday there will be a meditation sit at 6:30 p.m., followed by a dharma talk at 7:15 p.m. The program will be held at Mountain Cloud Zen Center, 7241 Old Santa Fe Trail.

Classes for beginning meditators begin at 6:15 p.m. Tuesday.

For more information, visit the Web site at www.santafevipassana.org.