ADVENT BLESSINGS TO YOU AND YOURS:  "Devotion-by-Distance Insights" (Week of 11/30/20)

As we enter the sacred season of Advent in anticipation of the birth of Christ, this is the perfect time to follow some of the traditions that have been practiced throughout the centuries.  

Advent is a wondrous time of expectation and hope.  The term "Advent" means "arrival" or "coming", and it encourages us to take a moment each day in December to focus on why Jesus came at Christmas. 

Traditions vary by country, but some of the more common methods of understanding Advent and the coming birth of Jesus are through prayers, wreaths, candles, and calendars. 

The first Advent wreath was formed on a wagon-wheel in Germany in 1839, having been created by a Lutheran minister, and it included candles to light each day of Advent. As time went on, the Advent wreath was adapted using evergreens and the colored candles lit on each Sunday of Advent (purple on the 1st, 2nd, and 4th Sundays with pink lit on the 3rd Sunday). Special prayers accompany the lighting of the candles along with perhaps an appropriate Advent hymn and Scriptural reading.  

Ideally, any Advent tradition throughout December should involve families or those with whom we share our lives each day, helping each of us remember why we celebrate the blessed feast of Christmas. (Adapted from L. Richie, www.crosswalk.com)

Now ask yourself, "What special Advent traditions or customs will I bring into my home, and into my heart, as I prepare for the coming of the Lord at Christmas?  What do I need to do today to make this happen?" 

(More on Advent traditions in next week's "Devotion-by-Distance Insights".  Please share your comments and ideas via email [email protected] or call 716/754-7376, Ext. 1.)

COVID-19 PANDEMIC ANNOUNCEMENT (12/1/20) 

Unfortunately, due to the increased rise of the COVID-19 virus in Western New York, the Center of Renewal Retreat & Conference Center has had to temporarily suspend any daytime or overnight guest visits, meetings, or retreats until at least the end of December 2020.  

TO CONTACT OUR STAFF:  Please call us at (716) 754-7376 to make reservations for future dates from January 2021 through December 2024.  Our offices are staffed on a flexible basis, and phone messages are retrieved daily.  We look forward to welcoming you in the near future to the Center of Renewal at Stella Niagara. 

In the meantime, please return frequently to our website for "Devotions-by-Distance Insights", i.e., periodic inspirational thoughts and readings such as our Advent Blessings above on our homepage, other distance learning retreat options, and more. 

PLAN NOW TO ENJOY OUR INTERFAITH HOSPITALITY

Stella Niagara's Center of Renewal Retreat & Conference Center provides the ideal location for your next retreat ... or perhaps your first one.  We have been sharing our interfaith hospitality for over 46 years in retreat center ministry here in Western New York.  Only 10 miles north of majestic Niagara Falls, New York, Center of Renewal at Stella Niagara is a community of service. In the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi, we provide hospitality, promote spiritual growth, and foster the development of people. Individuals and groups are welcome to this environment of peace and beauty.

Center of Renewal Retreat & Conference Center at Stella Niagara (COR) is a welcoming interfaith retreat center sponsored by Sisters of St. Francis of Penance & Christian Charity, Holy Name Province.

Able to house up to approximately 50 guests and multiple groups applying COVID-19 safety limitations in our overnight faith-based facility, Center of Renewal is located on the grounds of Stella Niagara, two miles north of the Village of Lewiston, New York and only ten miles north of majestic Niagara Falls, an easy drive on the Niagara Scenic Parkway. Currently in our 46th anniversary of retreat center ministry, COR officially opened in July 1974 and has operated year-round since then. 

The retreat center offers sponsored retreats, faith-based workshops, values-based programs, excursions & adventures, plus hospitality for retreats and meetings of varying types of organized groups and not-for-profit organizations.  New offerings in late summer 2020 will include various online programs in spiritual growth and wellness provided in a variety of formats. 

Center of Renewal at Stella Niagara provides a wide variety of spiritual enrichment and learning opportunities for adults seeking growth, relaxation, reflection, study, and healing.

A quiet, peaceful site, Center of Renewal at Stella Niagara offers:

• Retreats (single days, evenings, overnights)

• Reflective, contemplative times and locations on property including outdoor labyrinth, nature trails, Peace Garden, riverside chapel, Stations of the Cross and more

• Arts and crafts (by advance arrangements)

• Music (piano in Main Lounge and organ in COR Chapel meeting room)

• Spiritual directors available by advanced appointment for private or group retreatants

• Various sponsored and group programs

• On-site professional group facilitator plus spiritual directors available for customized retreats and workshops on various topics and themes  

• Events include private or group retreats, workshops, spiritual and wellness events, excursions & adventures, and more

• Located immediately across the road from Stella Niagara Preserve (leading to the Lower Niagara River), owned and operated by the Western New York Land Conservancy

As an option to further enhance your group day and overnight retreats and meetings, our executive director is a certified master trainer and facilitator who is available to deploy programs, workshops, and retreats on multiple customized topics for your group.

Call us today to schedule your upcoming retreat, workshop, program, gathering, or meeting (716) 754-7376, Ext. 1 or 2.  We look forward to welcoming you to the Center of Renewal at Stella Niagara!

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