cozy songs recap & may kindred details!
our may finale!
Dear Friends,
It was so wonderful to see each of you for Kindred on Saturday, April 20th for a cozy night of song and stories with the wondrous Nora Meier! <3
I am so grateful for everyone that has continued to show up, for the people who stroll into our gathering for the first time with open and curious hearts, and for all of the familiar and friendly faces. Kindred is really starting to feel like a solid community and I am so excited for the opportunities we have to rest and grow together!
I love seeing people drawing and painting and writing poetry, openly sharing stories, connecting, laughing, and being off their phones for nearly 2 hours. It is so restorative to be a witness of such goodness!!
It heals the part of me that is deeply hurting about society - and I know so many of you have expressed the same thing to me. To rest and be together in peaceful circumstances, to engage with Loving Kindness Meditation and to process and rest with the act of creation is felt across the whole world. This quality of time we spend can only extend out.
Kindred / Resting Together, Sunday, May 19th from 7-8:30pm, Peace House.
Kindred is excited to welcome Erin Shea Hogan & Special Friends to Peace House for an evening of contemplative music and community time <3 Reserve your spot at this LINK to our eventbrite page.
About Erin Shea Hogan:
Erin Shea Hogan, a vocalist from Boston, possesses a celestial soprano voice, perfect for devotional music and cross-genre collaborations. Her passion for musical exploration has led her to diverse collaborations in classical, jazz fusion, folk, and world music. Erin's journey as a musican and community builder intertwines with Peace House in Cambridge, MA, where she curates Kindred, a sanctuary bridging mindfulness and the arts for spiritual engagement and creative rest.
What to expect at a Kindred:
A few moments to slow down, meet the community, and share your state of soul
loving-kindness meditation
contemplative listening and interactive song with Erin Shea Hogan & Special Friends
friendly small group discussion & water color painting, journaling, drawing, or simply taking it in!
intentions/wishes/prayers for the week ahead
lots of warm tea and snacks <3
We welcome those who come with hearts ready for connection and socializing as well as those who would like to quietly "be" with us. You are allowed to participate as little or as much as you please.
Peace House, located in the heart of Cambridge, is a monastic residence that has generously opened up their living space as a place of refuge for meaningful connection and peaceful, compassionate, and contemplative community offerings. To learn more about Peace House and their mission, please visit their website https://www.cambridgepeacehouse.org/about.
$5-$20 suggested donation for reservations - all proceeds go directly to Peace House.
Kindred Updates…
10 months ago, a gathering like Kindred was merely an idea in my head. We will be taking a short pause to reassess Kindred and plan to resume in August or September of 2024. For transparency, there are some shifts preventing us from meeting at Peace House starting in July. With that, we are uncertain that the house will continue to be our refuge. I want to express my gratitude to a few people who have made Kindred possible!
To Sara Hayden and the Presbyterian Church of the USA - 1001 New Worshipping Communities:
I am so grateful to Sara for her ministry and support to people like myself who wish to create healing spaces that fulfill the needs that must be met within the spiritual, creative, and social dimensions of wellness! We have been generously supported with a grant to pay all of our visiting artists, and I am so touched by this feeling of being held and encouraged <3
To Cora McGold, executive director of peace house & resident monks
I am so grateful to Cora for her generosity, support, and loving kindness. It was in July of 2023 when Cora warmly opened the door to Peace House for me on my way to a Wake Up Sangha meditation and thus started our collaboration in creating Kindred. She has been such a wonderful support to me and Christian as we have navigated these waters of gathering and creating community. Peace House is an incredible space because of Cora, her gentle and wise leadership, and her ability to program a wide array of creative, engaging, peaceful, and spiritually healing programs at Peace House.
Thank you to the resident monks for allowing us to be in your home and for generating the quality of peace, tranquility, and love. Because of your practice and ministry, every single person that walks through the peace house feels more able to rest and experience this earthly life. We are so grateful for you.
To Christian Calawa
Christian - my neighbor, my friend, my co-creator! I am so deeply grateful to you! It was almost 4 years ago that I met Christian at Church of the Advent, where I am a chorister and he a parishioner! His calm, grounded, and inquisitive nature have helped me immensely. His creative eye, warmth, and spiritual gifts have contributed so positively to our community. He has created our VIBE and has been the leader of our marketing/visuals. There would be no kindred without you, Christian <3
To Brian Walsh
BRIAN! Thank you for taking the load of sending emails off my plate. The little things add up - and I am thankful that you have helped me in this way so enthusiastically and generously. I am so grateful to you and look forward to growing in collaboration with you as we continue to blossom this kindred community together <3 !!!
With a full heart,
Erin Hogan