Join the Dominican Sisters ~ Grand Rapids for a unique, seven-night Advent experience of prayer and song to quiet your heart and nurture your spirit during this most holy season.
December 17-23 • 7:00-7:45 pm
December 17 – O Wisdom
Guest Speaker: Rev. Kyle Kooyers, Kaufman Interfaith Institute
Kyle Kooyers is the Associate Director for the Kaufman Interfaith Institute, within the Division of Inclusion and Equity at Grand Valley State University. Kyle is a facilitator for the Inclusion and Equity Institute at GVSU, training faculty, staff, students as well as community partners in areas including Anti-Racism White Consciousness, Multi-faith Considerations in Patient Care, Anti-Racism in Faith Communities, and Interfaith Inclusion. He currently serves as a board member of the Post-Acute Care Committee for Corewell Health and is ordained within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A).
December 18 – O Adonai
Guest Speaker: Rev. BJ Heyboer, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Newaygo
The Rev. BJ Heyboer (MDiv, The University of the South School of Theology) is rector of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Newaygo, MI, and the director of Vera’s House, the community health and wellness center of St. Mark’s. Additionally, she serves as the director of the College for Congregational Development in the Episcopal Diocese of the Great Lakes. Prior to her ordination, Mother BJ worked for more than twenty years in religious book publishing. She is a cofounder of Brazos Press and served as senior marketing director for books published by Brazos and Baker Academic. She is a contributor to Common Prayer: Reflections on Episcopal Worship, edited by Joseph S. Pagano and Amy E. Richter.
December 19 – O Root of Jesse
Guest Speaker: Fr. Bill Edens CSP, Cathedral of Saint Andrew
Father Bill Edens, CSP, Paulist priest in Senior Ministry, in residence at the Cathedral of Saint Andrew. Associate pastor at the Cathedral from 2016 to 2023. Certified Spiritual Director, 2023 to present time.
December 20 – O Key of David
Guest Speaker: Gabriella Ciccantelli, Leah Nawrocki, and Lindy Perez,
Recent Aquinas College Graduates and Social Justice Advocates
Gabriella Ciccantelli, Leah Nawrocki, and Lindy Perez all live in Grand Rapids, MI. As graduates of Aquinas College they all have continued to follow God’s call. This has lead them to many places such as Corpus Christi, Texas serving others and Chimbote, Peru serving with Dominican Sisters.
They have found their way back together and are currently working on starting a Catholic Worker home here in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
December 21 – O Radiant Dawn
Guest Speaker: Dr. Phillip Johnson, Spiritual Director, Psychotherapist, and Dominican Associate
Dr. Johnson is a Spiritual Director, Psychotherapist, Dominican Associate, and Associate Professor of Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology. He is a researcher who has authored journal articles and book chapters. Dr. Johnson hopes to help other spiritual seekers realize a deeper sense of the Divine within themselves, in others, and in the world around them.
December 22 – O Ruler of Nations
Guest Speaker: Bridget Clark Whitney, Kids Food Basket
Bridget Clark Whitney is the President and Founding CEO of Kids’ Food Basket (KFB), the largest nonprofit childhood nutrition program in West Michigan. Clark Whitney graduated from Aquinas College (B) and Marygrove College (M). She is originally from Pittsburgh, then Detroit, and now calls Grand Rapids home with her husband, Matt Whitney (Group Leader, Perrigo) and their two children, Madeline and Jack.
December 23 – O Emmanuel
Guest Speaker: Teresa Burns, Dominican Center Marywood
Teresa Burns is the Associate Coordinator for Formation Programs at Dominican Center Marywood at Aquinas and the Associate Coordinator for Liturgical Life for the Dominican Sisters of Grand Rapids. Teresa completed the Spiritual Direction Practicum at Dominican Center in 2023. She holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in Religious Studies and Sociology from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids and a Masters of Arts in Pastoral Theology from St. Mary-of-the-Woods College in Terre Haute, IN. Teresa and her husband, Deacon Jeff Burns, have been involved in parish ministry for over 40 years.
