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Spiritual outreach ministry promotes beauty
(by Sali McSherry - December 17, 2008)
Spiritual outreach ministry promotes beauty
By SALI McSHERRY
Artist and Bainbridge resident Debra Classen has been collecting spiritual quotations all her life. The Bainbridge resident has been known to walk to the bookcase in her living room where her hand reaches, almost magically, for the book she is looking for, opens it to the right page, and finds the quote she wants to share.
She said one of her favorite quotes is by Meister Eckhart, "If the only prayer you say in your whole life is 'thank you,' that would suffice."
Five years ago, she founded Mute Swan, a spiritual outreach ministry dedicated to discovering beauty in all its forms.
"Our goal is to educate and encourage others to live a contemplative life. We believe the radiance of God's beauty is to be discovered in nature, art, relationships, life, even within great suffering," she said.
Mrs. Classen, 51, said her conversion and ministry came about through the tragedy of her mother's rape and murder over 30 years ago. She said in all that time she was never able to pray for her mother's murderers, who were never found. Inspired by the movie, "Rita of Cascia," which she saw a couple of weeks ago, she said she was "compelled to pray for the healing of their souls."
What a day it turned out to be.
She found a letter waiting for her from a chaplain at Sing Sing Prison in New York, who somehow had heard of her ministry and asked if she would donate Christmas cards and beauty prayer cards for the inmates. Mrs. Classen said, "This was no coincidence. Only God could have inspired the heart of this chaplain to contact the Mute Swan so that God's beauty may be revealed in an environment so devoid of beauty, hope and healing," she said.
She also is designing and donating the No. 1 requested card by inmates, the Mother's Day card that they can send to their mothers, along with hope and healing prayer cards. The printing of the full-color cards is expensive, Mrs. Classen said, and the ministry is looking for underwriters to help pay the cost.
Mrs. Classen was also asked to design a series of hope and healing prayer cards for patients facing life-threatening illnesses at South Pointe Hospital in Warrensville Heights. She said she imagined patients who have pets, missing them, so she designed prayer cards with a watercolor painting of a dog, and one with a cat, among other designs. She painted with bright colors and used inspiring spiritual quotes. The cards will be left on patients' pillows every night as a hopeful source of comfort, she said. They are available at the hospital's gift shop.
Mrs. Classen and volunteers create a quarterly e-mail journal of colorful artwork, poems, prayers, articles, and of course, favorite spiritual quotes. The free journal "offers the reader an opportunity to pause and became attentive to God's ever-present beauty -- even in the midst of struggles. In silence, you will discover your inner beauty," she said.
The ministry also encourages a "contemplative life of beauty" through educational workshops, retreats and seminars, she said.
As an offshoot of Mute Swan, Mrs. Classen is developing a Web site forum for individuals to find prayer partners or "spiritual twins," she said. The concept, especially geared to the younger generation, uses technology to support prayer, including text messages and e-mailing, she said.
To make a donation or for more information, call (216) 832-4445.
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