By Katie Beckmann Mahon, Communications Manager
When traveling to the Sisters of Saint Dominic Motherhouse in Blauvelt, most people pass the Prayerful Art Center at El Shaddai without even realizing it.
El Shaddai, which recently celebrated its 30th Anniversary in 2019, has been a retreat and prayer center for many of the Sisters of Saint Dominic of Blauvelt, New York.
Sr. James Bridget Hanley, OP, who ministers as the Director of Prayerful Art Center and a Therapist and Workshop Facilitator at El Shaddai, has spent a significant part of her ministry establishing the Prayerful Art Center into a reputable retreat and program venue.
Along with these accomplishments, Sr. James Bridget can add author to that list with the recent printing of her new interactive journal, “The Language of Images.”
In “The Language of Images,” Sr. James Bridget writes, “The journey of making images and journaling has been a vital part of my path for many years.”
When describing her thought process behind the journal, Sr. James Bridget shares, “The beginning of my story, engaging art materials and the process of visual journaling starts with listening. When in that space of listening into myself, words begin to flow, holding so much more than the literal translation of these words. After hearing a word or phrase, my first action is to go to paper. As I begin to explore the word, or the felt sense of that word with art material in hand, a shape or form appears. I continue to listen to the words that I hear within and write them down with my non-dominant hand. Even if it is hard to read my entry later, I feel comforted knowing I was heard, and the story unfolds.”
Along with many family and friends for guiding her to print this journal, Sr. James Bridget expressed gratitude to the Sisters of Saint Dominic “who embraced my vocation and offered the space for an unnamable search over a long period of time” and “for their support throughout this long project.”
Sr. James Bridget directly mentioned Sr. Pat Horan, OP, “who believed in me long before I could believe in myself.”
To order “The Language of Images,” you can visit www.opblauvelt.org or contact Sr. James Bridget at 845-359-1842.