Michigan winters can really affect our mood! If you are feeling the effects of shorter days and temperatures that keep us bundled up indoors, I encourage you to seek some spiritual refreshment from a quick trip, or from any of these online options:
Michigan winters can really affect our mood! If you are feeling the effects of shorter days and temperatures that keep us bundled up indoors, I encourage you to seek some spiritual refreshment from a quick trip, or from any of these online options:
First of all, if you haven’t gone to The Detroit Institute of Arts lately, I encourage you to check it out. The DIA is a world class institution, featuring a wide variety of art, including religious themed paintings, statues, reliquaries, and more! Located on Woodward Ave., at Kirby, you’ll find parking available, for $8.00, in the lighted and secured parking lot behind the building, and general admission is free to residents of Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties. For more information, see: https://dia.org
If you are craving nature in the middle of cold, and bleak days, check out the indoor aquarium, nature center, or conservatory (or even the Dossin Great Lakes Museum), all located on Belle Isle, in Detroit. A wonderful treat awaits as you enjoy the historic architecture, stroll through a lovely variety of foliage, or catch a glimpse of a wide mouthed bass! You’ll need to have a recreation passport, or window sticker on your vehicle, but once on the island, entry to most of the facilities is free of charge. For more info: https://www.belleisleconservancy.org/map-and-access
Did you know that you can take a virtual tour of Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception – Often called “the nation’s church,” it is the largest Roman Catholic Church in North America, located in Washington, DC, and it’s one of the ten largest churches in the world! Log on at, https://www.nationalshrine.org/virtual-tour/ and enjoy!
Lovely colors and artistic renderings of scriptural themes, nature, and more await! If you love stained glass, check out the “Michigan Stained Glass Census at: https://michiganstainedglass.org/ The website is a little clunky to navigate, but the “registered stained glass” button lets you search by building, window, or artist / studio. Don’t miss the fact that they are sorted alphabetically, each letter providing a fairly long list of window names/themes, or cities. Also, when you click on the images, they’ll enlarge, giving you a good opportunity to see the finer details.
Finally, If you appreciate uplifting music, check out the “Catholic Music Initiative’s” offerings on YouTube. There, you’ll find a wide variety of Christian music, whether traditional or contemporary, with about 160 different videos to choose from: https://www.youtube.com/@catholicmusicinitiative
