Cradling Christianity, a Columbus-based group that has been supporting Christians in the Holy Land since 2016, is sponsoring a one-day pilgrimage to the historic Shrine of the Holy Relics and St. John the Baptist Church at Maria Stein in west central Ohio on Thursday, June 5.
The shrine is the home of one of the largest documented collections of holy relics in the United States, consisting of more than 1,200 relics of saints and five relics of the True Cross.
A bus for the pilgrimage will board at Columbus St. Andrew Church, 1899 McCoy Road, at 8 a.m. for the two-hour drive and return by 7 p.m. The day will include lunch; a talk by Father John Puodziunas, president of the Franciscan Foundation for the Holy Land; time to explore the grounds, museum and gift shop; and a wine tasting with local wine expert Dan Tarpy, paired with charcuterie meat and cheese items.
There will be no fundraising at the event. The cost of $115 per person includes a bus tour, guides, a light breakfast, lunch, the wine tasting and tips.
To register, go to www.ffhl.org/regions/columbus/rsvp. For more information, call Sharon Hess at (614) 204-5111.
Bridgettines sponsoring retreat, euchre party
The Bridgettine Sisters will host a mini-retreat on “The Power of Mary’s Intercession” from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 3. The speaker will be Father Daniel Bowen, O de M.
The program will begin with Mass at Columbus Holy Family Church, 584 W. Broad St., followed by a light breakfast at the Bridgettine convent adjacent to the church, before the talk.
There is a suggested donation of $40 per person. For more information, email BridgettineSisters@gmail.com.
The Bridgettines also will sponsor “Cards for a Cause,” a euchre night, from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, June 20 at Columbus Our Lady of Victory Church, 1559 Roxbury Road. Doors open at 6 p.m.
The cost of $50 per person includes a taco bar, beer and wine. Cash prizes of as much as $250 each will be awarded to the top two winners.
Shepherd’s Corner announces coming events
The 19th annual Shepherd’s Corner 5-kilometer run and walk will be a highlight of summer activities at the Shepherd’s Corner Ecology Center, 987 N. Waggoner Road, Blacklick, an outreach of the Dominican Sisters of Peace.
The sisters are offering programs for homeschooled children on the third Wednesday of each month. Activities for middle-school aged children will be presented from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., with a program for those of elementary-school age from 1 to 3 p.m. The cost is $5 per student. Activities for 3- to 6-year-olds also are being planned. For more information, go to the center’s website, www.shepherdscorner.org.
Other activities scheduled at Shepherd’s Corner are:
Tuesday, May 20, 7 to 8:30 p.m., labyrinth walk. Cost $5. Theme: “April Showers Bring May Flowers.”
Wednesday, June 11, 7 to 8:30 p.m., labyrinth walk. Cost $5. Theme: “Summer Solstice.”
Saturday, June 14, 10 a.m. to noon, soap making. Make cold process soap with lye. Cost $20. For ages 12 and older.
Saturday, June 14, batiking, 1 to 4 p.m. Cost $25. Create a 36-by-12-inch project consisting of three 12-by-12-inch designs.
Mondays, June 23 to Aug. 25, 10 a.m.to noon, gardening volunteer days. Registration required. See website for more details and to register.
Friday, July 11, 7 to 8:30 p.m., labyrinth walk. Cost $5. Theme: “Summer Refresh.”
Friday, Aug. 1, 7 to 8:30 p.m., labyrinth walk. Cost $5. Theme: “Breath.”
Saturday, Aug. 2, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., felting. Cost $20. Learn how to transfer wool and prefelt into a garden mosaic using the wet felting technique.
Friday, Aug. 8, 9 to 11 a.m., yoga and Ayurvedic tea making. Cost $20.
The sisters’ annual Shepherds Fest will be from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 13 and will give those in attendance a chance to walk the trails of one of eastern Franklin County’s few farms in an area surrounded by suburban housing and to meet and feed the farm’s sheep and other animals.
Registration is required for all programs. To register, call (614) 866-4302 or visit the website.
Check the website or Facebook to see when the site is open to the public. A donation of $2 per person is requested. The sisters also request that visitors bring shelf-stable food that will be donated to the food pantries receiving produce from the farm. The site also is open on demand to small groups.
Rental of the site’s barn or labyrinth is offered to groups whose mission is compatible to that of Shepherd’s Corner. Check the website for details.
Hartley Class of 1965 to gather
The Columbus Bishop Hartley High School Class of 1965 will celebrate its 60th anniversary reunion from 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 17 in the Paddock Pub of the Links at Groveport, 1005 Richardson Road, Groveport.
The cost is $45 per person and reservations and money are due by Tuesday, July 15. Checks should be made out to John Loeffler and mailed to 11604 Canterbury Ave. N.W., Pickerington, OH 43147.
For more information, call Loeffler at (614) 284-0434 or email him at jjloeffler3@gmail.com or contact Mary Hollern Fricke at (740) 973-8189 or twaman4947@aol.com.