Upcoming Events

"How good it is to center down! To sit quietly and see one's self pass by! The streets of our minds seethe with endless traffic; our spirits resound with clashing, with noisy silences, while something deep within hungers and thirsts for the still moment and the resting lull."  ~ Howard Thurman

Join us for a day of contemplation at Mariandale where we seek to heed Thurman's advice to "center down."

The day will include the following:

• Grounding moments to slow down and become aware of our inner lives and the world around us.
• Conversations with other young adults around what it means to incorporate contemplation and rest in our daily lives.
•  Nature Divina meditation on the land here at Mariandale.
• Time and space for private reflection and journaling.

We will be led by Guesnerth Josue Perea who serves as Director of Black Lives and Contemplation for the Center for Spiritual Imagination. 

This retreat is open to all in their 20's and 30's in order to create processing space for young adults.

If you are interested in attending this program but are unable to afford the cost of the ticket, please contact Liam Myers at lmyers@ophope.org.

Cost: $35 - $50 - $75, sliding scale. 

Guesnerth Josue Perea serves as Director of Black Lives and Contemplation for the Center for Spiritual Imagination, and Executive Director of the afrolatin@ forum. He was part of the team that founded the AfroLatine Theology Project and was Executive Producer of the documentary Faith in Blackness. His perspectives on AfroLatinidad and spirituality have been featured in prominent publications such as the New York Times, the New Yorker, and USA Today and his writing has been featured in Sojourners, the Los Angeles Review of Books, and anthologies such as Let Spirit Speak!, the Revista de Estudios Colombianos and Engaging Religion. A dedicated Brooklynite, he wholeheartedly believes that cultivating our inner lives through contemplative practice is instrumental for liberation, allowing us to embody Biggie's call to spread love "the Brooklyn way."

https://www.guesnerth.nyc/about

The Center at Mariandale's 50th anniversary is on September 8, 2026. Join us for a very special Breakfast & Reflections Celebration.

On that date, we'll celebrate Mariandale’s 50th year as sacred ground and spiritual home to so many who have passed through its doors for spiritual direction, retreat, respite, wellness services, contemplation, reflection, prayer, and liturgies.

We'll launch this very special year with a Breakfast & Reflections celebration, including reflections by Gaynell Cronin, Beth McCormick, OP, and Margaret McHale. 

This event is free to the public, but we ask that you register so that we may get a sense of the numbers attending. Free will donations, are, of course, welcome!

Save the date to your calendar now, and register so we can expect you!

Date & TIme:  Tuesday, September 8, form 10 to 11:30am

Fee: Free will donation

Come explore the stories and wisdom of the desert mothers and fathers from the Fourth Century and be nourished by their humanity, devotion, and commitment.

Using the book entitled The Way of the Desert Elders by Lisa Colòn Delay as a guide, we will learn much about companionship and acceptance.

This day program includes lunch, and you are welcome to come early and stay late to walk the grounds, or just find a spot to sit and enjoy the view. 

One does not need to read the books in order to attend these Interreligious Dialogues.

Date & Time: Saturday, September 12th, from 10am to 2pm

Fee: $40 (In Person, including lunch) or $20 (On Zoom) 

Discussion Facilitators: Fernando Camacho & Maeve Eng Wong

About the Facilitators: 

Fernando Camacho, MD is an ordained lay Buddhist priest of the Dharma Teacher Order, a Western group of Vietnamese Zen lineage committed to developing ecumenical bridges and relationships across all religious traditions. Fernando is recently retired from practicing as a medical oncologist in the Bronx, a former Director of the Community Oncology Program of the Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care.

Maeve Eng-Wong, LCSW, RYT is an ordained lay Buddhist priest in the Dharma Teacher Order. Maeve is a psychotherapist in private practice in Garrison and Cold Spring, New York in the Hudson Valley.