Judith's Upcoming Events
2026
January 10
Online Retreat
“Writing the Prologue to Your New Year”
Sponsored by the Siena Center, Racine WI
9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Central Time
Register at https://www.sienaretreatcenter.org/retreats/new-year/
Contact: Vicki Curtiss at vcurtiss@sienaretreatcenter.org or
262-898-2584
In Person Retreat
“To Pray and Live in Our Current Times”
Spring Workshop sponsored by Contemplative Outreach of Chicago, The Well and Dominican
University
9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. Central Time
Dominican University, Oak Park IL
Contact: Al Krema at alkrema@gmail.com or Rachel Hart Winter at
rhartwinter@dominican.edu
In Person Presentation
“La Dolce Vita: What Italy Can Teach Us About Living More Mindfully and Joyfully”
St. Peter’s University, Jersey City, NJ
Time 6 p.m. Eastern Time
Building: TK
Contact: Liliana Huerta at lhuerta@stpeters.edu
In Person Presentation
“La Dolce Vita: What Italy Can Teach Us About Living More Mindfully and Joyfully”
St. Barnabas Church St. Joseph Celebration
10134 S Longwood Dr., Chicago, IL 60643
Following the 4 p.m. Central Time Mass
Contact: Margie Wegrzyn at mwegrzyn@stbarnabasparish.org
In Person Retreat
“Two Themes from Thomas Merton: The Search for Home and Contemplative Prayer”
Sophia Spirituality Center, Mount St. Scholastica Monastery, Atchison KS
Contact: Donna Coleman at sophia@mountosb.org
In Person Poetry Reading from “How to Be a Contemplative: Poems and Brief Reflections by
Judith Valente”
Sunday Salon Chicago at Roscoe Books, 2142 W. Roscoe St, Chicago IL
2 p.m. Central Time
For more information please visit: https://sundaysalon-chicago.com/ or contact Ignatius
Valentine Aloysius at ignatius2u@gmail.com or Roscoe Books at 773-857-2676
In Person Retreat for Benedictine Oblates
“Being Benedictine in the 21st Century”
St. Mary Monastery, Rock Island IL
Contact Sister Bobbi Bussan at rbussan@smmsisters.org
In Person Retreat for Retired Marianist Priests
“Stirring the Ashes of a Well-Lived Life”
Marianist Center, 22683 Alcalde Rd,Cupertino, CA 95014
In Person Oblate Institute
Mount St. Scholastica Monastery, Atchison KS
“Yearning for Life: The Timeless Wisdom of the Benedictine Rule for Troubled Times”
Contact: Faye Miller at femiller@mountosb.org
In Person Poetry Reading Judith Valente with Albert DeGenova
“Leaning Into Summer: Poetry and Pizza Event” with flutist Mary Beth Godfrey
And Special Guest author Steve Vogel
11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Central Time
Mennonite Church of Normal, 805 S. Cottage Ave, Normal IL
Contact: Holly Zehr at hmzehr@hotmail.com or church@normalmennonite.org
Free and open to the public
In Person Retreat
“Searching for Home: Thomas Merton and Thomas Berry in Conversation”
Prairiewoods Ecological Spirituality Center, 120 E. Boyson Rd., Hiawatha IA 52233
Contact: Sister Ann Jackson at ajackson@prairiewoods.org or 319.395.6700, ext. 203
In Person Talk
“La Dolce Vita: What Italians Can Teach Us About Living More Mindfully and Joyfully”
6:30 p.m. Central Time
Evermode Institute, 4857 LaVerna Road, Springfield, IL 62707
Free and Open to the Public
Contact: Nancy Davis at ndavis@hsosf-usa.org or 217-737-7706
Annual “Benedictine Footprints” Contemplative, Cultural, Culinary Retreat/Pilgrimage to Italy
Contact: Judith Valente at jvalente17@msn.com
[Retreat is full for 2026; those interested in 2027 retreat should email JValente17@msn.com]
September 19- 20
In Person Retreat
Church of the Ascension, Balally, Dublin, Ireland
“The Timeless Wisdom of the Benedictine Rule”
Contact: Father Jim Caffrey at jcaffrey73@gmail.com or Cinzia Angius at cinziaangius@balallyparish.ie
September 30
In Person Poetry Reading
Annual Sister Elizabeth Michael Boyle Memorial Poetry Celebration
11 a.m. – 12:50 p.m. Eastern Time
Caldwell University, 120 Bloomfield Avenue, Caldwell, NJ 07006
Contact: Dr. Mary Ann Miller at mmiller@caldwell.edu
October 8
Online Talk for Word & Life Spirituality Series
Talk Celebrating 50 years of Word & Life
11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Pacific Time
Contact: Judith McDermott at judithkmcdermott@gmail.com
October 12 – Nov 17
Tour of Australia to speak to Benedictine lay associates across the continent
Contact: Marie Mohr mtmohr@goodsams.org.au or Marie Milne at mmilne@goodsams.org.au