Kindred Hearts Ministries, Thousand Oaks, USA

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This year the Sisters of the Rosa Mystica Province in California have dreamed of a new ministry through the inspiration of Sister Marie Paul Grech.  The Sisters of Notre Dame have long offered their help as ministers in local schools and parishes. They have provided staff and faculty support, adult education, spiritual direction, retreats and more. Sister Marie Paul Grech began a project to bring those services under one umbrella, called Kindred Hearts Ministries. Sister Marie Paul spent nearly 40 years teaching and administering in Notre Dame high schools including Notre Dame Academy in West Los Angeles, St. Mathias in Huntington Park, La Reina in Thousand Oaks and Saint Bonaventure in Ventura. Sharing the spirit of her sisters was always important to her work.

“How are we going to make our heritage and mission stay alive in the schools once we turn them over to lay administration?” she asked, “That question has always been in the heart of what I do.”

“As the sisters have moved from schools to parishes, we’ve seen what a hunger there is for spirituality,” she said.

“Parish members want to hear about scripture and pray with someone who can direct them,” she said, “We can share our charism with them, which is focused on God’s goodness and provident care. We are rooted in hope, and sometimes those things are hard to find in our fractured world.”

Some of the prayer experiences being offered through the Kindred Heart Ministries will include the following:

• Seasonal days and evenings of recollection
• Special prayer opportunities
• Opportunities for personal quiet and reflection
• Bereavement hospitality and support for individuals
• Book studies using contemporary and traditional resources
• Scripture reflections and bible studies
• Spiritual resources
• Spiritual direction

Some of the prayer experiences “on the road” include:

• Mission talks
• Vocation talks
• Speakers on a variety of spiritual topics
• Faculty and staff retreats
• New teacher orientations
• Board and faculty resources
• Speakers and facilitators
• SND charism outreach for schools
• Women’s spirituality groups

“I think people respect the fact that we are authentic and collaborative, and we try to set an example for what it means to be a community that can count on each other,” she said. Ministry inquiries can be directed to Sister Marie Paul at khm@sndca.org