Prisoners in California and New York Crowd Cosmology Classes By Marya Grathwohl, OSF
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magine being defined by the worst thing you’ve ever done. Imagine being isolated from those you love and who care about you. Imagine daily life characterized by violence, chaos and hopelessness. Now, imagine being invited to participate in a class that offers you a different self-perspective and sense of community. Welcome to the Earth Hope Cosmology Course designed for use in jails! In this three-month GED-eligible course, prisoners voluntarily gather in a safe setting where they learn about the evolution of the Universe from its birth in a flaring forth of energy to the emergence of stars, galaxies, Earth, life, extinctions, regeneration, and the magnificent web of life that holds all of humanity, including each of them. Essential for our cosmology students, they experience their inherent connection with the human community. They gain new insights into how they can participate in beneficial, nonviolent ways. Through guided imagery, music, Universe DVDs, scientific study, conversation, and art, participants are released from the chains of destructive self images and motivated to fulfill their potential for positive change, personally and for their families.
The Earth Hope Cosmology Education Program, designed by Sister Marya Grathwohl, OSF and volunteer educator, Ms. Cece Gannon, collaborates with others: the CND’s of Wilton, Connecticut, dedicated volunteers who teach the program, and prison education personnel. It helps transform the lives of people in prison and has the potential to impact positively the communities prisoners return to upon release, as well as society as a whole. It impacts our Universe by teaching its sacred Story for healing, empowerment, and enjoyment. It fulfills the prophetic Marya and Mary Nerney CND message of Jesus by liberating those held captive by hopelessness. It promotes peace through classes that help build right relationships among people desperate for alternatives to anger, fear, and unjust systems. When asked why he attends the Cosmology Class a student said, “When I’m in this class I forget I’m locked-up.” A woman in Rikers Island Jail, New York City said, “It gives me the understanding as a human that there’s hope for me.” And another wrote, “This class is peaceful, inspiring, and fun.” A guard asked to sit in on a class because “I notice positive change in the guys who come here and I wanted to see what it was all about.” Cece Gannon, S. Mary Nerney CND, educator and long-time jail volunteer, and I have developed and taught a one-day teacher training session for the program in the Billings, Montana area. We are currently accepting invitations to share this program with other jail and prison volunteers. Two small grants enable us to travel to training sites and provide the materials needed to teach the course. Now, imagine yourself gently releasing the creative potential of the Universe Story for prisoners and other locked-up persons.
Loretto Earth Network News
A publication of the Loretto Community
Editor: Mary Ann Coyle SL 3126 S Osceola Street Denver, CO 80236-2332
Email: macoyle303@comcast.net
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Layout: Nancy Wittwer SL
Marya teaching in a California prison
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LENN Autumn 2012