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Center offers chance for peace and relaxation
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| Jamie Larson/Hudson-Catskill Newspapers The Oneness in Peace Center House of Prayer on Main Street in Germantown. |
Jamie Larson
Life is hectic, there is a lot to worry about, stress piles up making people short tempered and depressed. Out in Germantown, however, two elderly but energetic women, one a former Ursuline sister, the other a Franciscan, are giving lessons on how to live a more peaceful life, pass that peace on to the rest of the world, and ending negativity through learning, quiet contemplation and prayer.
The Oneness in Peace Spiritual Center, run by Claire Langie and Vergilia Jim, OSF, is an ecumenical house of prayer located at 49 Main St. in Germantown in an old Victorian home surrounded by well-maintained gardens and grounds.
“We are an oasis of peace for this town, for this nation, and for this universe,” Langie said, sitting on the front porch.
The center offers prayer services in their in-house chapel, and peace and spiritual workshops in their renovated loft meeting space in the barn. Langie says the grounds around the center are very important, getting people relaxed and peaceful so they can leave the center refreshed and ready to send positive energy out into the world.
The center’s theology is based in Catholicism but draws on many religions and disciplines and focuses on spreading peace through positive energy, transference exercises called energetics, community activity, art, and the environment. Langie and Jim spend a portion of their time teaching about peace to children at schools and churches. The pair also instruct educators in their techniques and recently returned from Hawaii, Jim’s home state, where they trained teachers.
The center is meant to be a place of renewal and rest, Langie says, where people can relax in meditation and try and address the anger and negativity in the world with concentrated positive thought. The house is painted in calming colors and features rooms and a guest house where visitors can stay and be calm.
Every wall is decorated with Jim’s art — expertly lit and composed close up photographs of flowers and Asian style brush paintings of similar subjects. Langie says what makes Jim’s art so nice, aside from its obvious peacefulness, is that she doesn’t hold herself just to the traditional techniques.
The loft above the barn was renovated into a space for programs in 2000, with a generous donation from Sally Clark.
What used to be a dirty and dilapidated storage space was transformed into a clean open space painted 1800s library green with light wood paneling, a full kitchen and bathroom. The loft is used for holistic retreats like the upcoming, “Peace, Breathing in, Breathing out the Sacred” on Aug. 31, and Sept. 6, and “Celebrating Life with our God Abiding in Us and Among Us.”
“We call it the Angle Loft because it’s so gorgeous,” Langie said.
Clark is the center’s main benefactor, Langie said, not only paying for the loft but also making donations for upkeep of the grounds. The center has little funding and gets most of its money from boarders, program fees, and Christmas donations. Langie says they are always happy to accept donations and will keep donors’ names in their prayers for nine days.
Jim gave some parting advice on a simple tool to put more peace in everyday life.
“Breathing is the key,” she said. “If you breath in deeply you will not have to react, you will respond.”
“We’re one family,” Langie said. “There’s only one sun that lights up the whole world. We may be different, have different skin or different shaped eyes, but we’re on the same earth in the same universe.”
For more information on programs, literature and booking, call the center at 518-537-5678.
To reach reporter Jamie Larson, call 518-828-1616, ext. 2269, or e-mail jlarson@registerstar.com.
Life is hectic, there is a lot to worry about, stress piles up making people short tempered and depressed. Out in Germantown, however, two elderly but energetic women, one a former Ursuline sister, the other a Franciscan, are giving lessons on how to live a more peaceful life, pass that peace on to the rest of the world, and ending negativity through learning, quiet contemplation and prayer.
The Oneness in Peace Spiritual Center, run by Claire Langie and Vergilia Jim, OSF, is an ecumenical house of prayer located at 49 Main St. in Germantown in an old Victorian home surrounded by well-maintained gardens and grounds.
“We are an oasis of peace for this town, for this nation, and for this universe,” Langie said, sitting on the front porch.
The center offers prayer services in their in-house chapel, and peace and spiritual workshops in their renovated loft meeting space in the barn. Langie says the grounds around the center are very important, getting people relaxed and peaceful so they can leave the center refreshed and ready to send positive energy out into the world.
The center’s theology is based in Catholicism but draws on many religions and disciplines and focuses on spreading peace through positive energy, transference exercises called energetics, community activity, art, and the environment. Langie and Jim spend a portion of their time teaching about peace to children at schools and churches. The pair also instruct educators in their techniques and recently returned from Hawaii, Jim’s home state, where they trained teachers.
The center is meant to be a place of renewal and rest, Langie says, where people can relax in meditation and try and address the anger and negativity in the world with concentrated positive thought. The house is painted in calming colors and features rooms and a guest house where visitors can stay and be calm.
Every wall is decorated with Jim’s art — expertly lit and composed close up photographs of flowers and Asian style brush paintings of similar subjects. Langie says what makes Jim’s art so nice, aside from its obvious peacefulness, is that she doesn’t hold herself just to the traditional techniques.
The loft above the barn was renovated into a space for programs in 2000, with a generous donation from Sally Clark.
What used to be a dirty and dilapidated storage space was transformed into a clean open space painted 1800s library green with light wood paneling, a full kitchen and bathroom. The loft is used for holistic retreats like the upcoming, “Peace, Breathing in, Breathing out the Sacred” on Aug. 31, and Sept. 6, and “Celebrating Life with our God Abiding in Us and Among Us.”
“We call it the Angle Loft because it’s so gorgeous,” Langie said.
Clark is the center’s main benefactor, Langie said, not only paying for the loft but also making donations for upkeep of the grounds. The center has little funding and gets most of its money from boarders, program fees, and Christmas donations. Langie says they are always happy to accept donations and will keep donors’ names in their prayers for nine days.
Jim gave some parting advice on a simple tool to put more peace in everyday life.
“Breathing is the key,” she said. “If you breath in deeply you will not have to react, you will respond.”
“We’re one family,” Langie said. “There’s only one sun that lights up the whole world. We may be different, have different skin or different shaped eyes, but we’re on the same earth in the same universe.”
For more information on programs, literature and booking, call the center at 518-537-5678.
To reach reporter Jamie Larson, call 518-828-1616, ext. 2269, or e-mail jlarson@registerstar.com.
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HudsonValleyNomad wrote on Aug 10, 2009 12:11 AM: