Mercy by the Sea

05/31/2026

Come meet artist Rose Petronella today at Mercy by the Sea Retreat and Conference Center’s Mary C. Daly RSM Art Gallery. Rose will be taking about her exhibition “Honoring the Soul: Prayers and Images for Presence, Justice, and Peace” from 2 to 4 p.m. The exhibit and reception are free and open to the public. 167 Neck Road, Madison, CT

05/29/2026

Tai Chi by the Sea with Dennis McCann

Tai Chi by the Sea resumes tomorrow, Saturday, May 30, 2026, and will be offered every Saturday from 10 – 11 a.m., weather permitting, at Mercy by the Sea in Madison, CT (no sessions July 4 or Aug. 29). 

This free program (goodwill donations appreciated) invites participants to experience the healing power of movement meditation, focusing on mindfulness and compassion by centering in the present moment, releasing physical tension, letting go of fear, anxiety and grief, boosting the immune system, and fostering a sense of oneness with others and nature. 

No registration is required, and all are welcome—beginners, experienced practitioners, and those using mobility aids. Led by Dennis McCann, program director for the Middlesex Health Center for Mindfulness and Compassion, the sessions are offered through his generosity; for more information on the form taught, visit taichichih.org

05/28/2026

Volunteers heading out to check the status of our gardens. Report: they’re full-bloom beautiful!

05/26/2026

Onsite Weekend Program
June 12 - June 14, 2026
Praying with Creation: Finding Healing, Connection and Purpose with Christina Leaño

Facilitated by Christina Leaño, the associate director of the Laudato Si' Movement (https://laudatosimovement.org/), Praying with Creation: Finding Healing, Connection and Purpose helps participants
step away from the pace of daily life and enter a weekend of renewal, reflection and reconnection. Together, we will move, listen, and pray with the natural world; awakening our senses and opening new pathways for healing and hope.

Through guided meditation, gentle outdoor experiences inspired by forest therapy, and contemplative dialogue, you will actively engage with creation as both teacher and companion. You’ll be invited to slow down, notice more deeply and rediscover the Sacred woven through the elements of earth, air, water, and light.

https://www.mercybythesea.org/programs-and-retreats/upcoming-programs/praying-with-creation/

05/25/2026

05/18/2026

Heaven and earth, the Celtic tradition tells us, are only three feet apart and in “thin places,” that distance disappears. As John O’Donohue wrote, these are the places where the veil lifts, and we sense peace, wonder, and something sacred breaking through.

Mercy by the Sea is a thin place.

A sanctuary where countless lives have been renewed in silence, beauty, and the quiet presence of the Sacred.

We are now at 95% of our $120,000 goal and we need your help.

Your gift sustains this sacred ground: caring for the land, opening doors to retreat and healing, and keeping this place of peace available to all who need it. Every contribution matters.

If Mercy by the Sea has been a thin place for you—or if you believe the world needs more of them—please give today.

For more information or to donate, visit https://www.mercybythesea.org/donations/

05/17/2026

Happen to be browsing the shelves at Mercy by the Sea's (MBTS) bookstore? Keep an eye out for "Journey of the Dream Team." Written by Sarah E. Grote (https://www.sarahgroteart.com/), an author, photographer, painter and MBTS facilitator, the book is told from the perspectives of two Percheron geldings rescued by the Connecticut Draft Horse Rescue (CDHR). Encompassing the "themes of love, connecting, friendship, beauty, appreciation, grief and loss," Grote's book is both touching and inspiring.

A great time to meet Sarah is during her upcoming ekphrastic writing program co-facilitated with Madison's Poet Laureate Ed Lent on October 22. Stay tuned for the opening of its registration.

05/16/2026

Onsite Program
June 30 - July 2, 2026
"Journey-Faith in an Entangled World" with Sr. Nancy Sylvester, IHM

Do you seek to express your experience of God in ways that reflect your evolving understanding of self, others and the world? Do you feel that the world is at an impasse yet desire to do something about our future? “Journey-Faith in an Entangled World” is a good place to start.

Using the metaphor of an art exhibit, where your words are paint and paper is your canvas, Nancy Sylvester, IHM, invites you to become an active participant with her as she grapples with integrating her faith experience with contemporary insights from theology, philosophy, science and psychology. Critical to this synthesis is contemplation and its capacity for transformation both of self and one’s engagement with the world.

Register for Journey Faith in an Entangled World if you are in search of meaning in this chaotic world and are open to being transformed in Divine Love and becoming a conscious participant in evolving our future in justice and love.

To learn more and register, visit:
https://www.mercybythesea.org/programs-and-retreats/upcoming-programs/journey-faith-in-an-entangled-world/

05/15/2026

Wishing Chef Aaniya pure joy as she begins her new journey.

05/10/2026

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mamas, of all kinds, out there.❤️