Laudato Si': A Photo Exhibit at Graymoor

The Graymoor Spiritual Life Center invites the community to view “Laudato Si’” a photo exhibit inspired by Pope Francis’ Encyclical “Laudato Si ´mi’ Signore” featuring the photography of Brother John O’Hara, SA, a Franciscan Friar of the Atonement. The exhibit is open from October 7 through December 7 at Graymoor in the Graymoor Spiritual Life Center’s Pope John XXIII Parlor on the 5th Floor.

Pope Francis uses this encyclical on the environment to draw all Christians into a dialogue with every person on the planet about our common home. In his Encyclical Letter, Pope Francis has said, “The earth is essentially a shared inheritance, whose fruits are meant to benefit everyone.” The exhibit of images created by Brother O’Hara illustrates those fruits in remarkable ways.

Brother O’Hara is a member of the Mission Support team for the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement and is Chaplain for Hudson Valley Hospice. He earned a B.A. in Photography from Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara California, and an M.A. in Theology from St. Michael’s College, University of Toronto. He was a partner in ProCreation Canada LTD of Montreal and Toronto, and owner/proprietor of Verbatim Photography Inc. of Montreal and Toronto. He was a Benedictine monk at the Westminster Abbey in Mission Bridge, British Columbia. He sold his first photo when he was twelve years old. In addition to advertising and corporate photography, and corporate annual reports, Brother O’Hara photographed images of the civil rights movement and focused on performance photography. He has served as photography instructor for the Nikon School. He now specializes in decorative photography and lectures on the Expression of One’s Spirituality through Photographic Process.

Copies of Pope Francis’ Encyclical Letter “Laudato Si’: Care for Our Common Home” can be purchased at Graymoor Book and Gift Center, a ministry of the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement. The exhibit is open 7 days a week, from 9am to 9pm from October 7 through December 7, 2015.

Graymoor Spiritual Life Center is a ministry of the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement, of Graymoor in Garrison, NY. Since 1970, the Center has been offering a year-round schedule of weekend, weekday, and evening retreats and programs designed for both groups and individuals, including married couples, seniors, young adults, clergy, and men and women in recovery. The Center also hosts meetings, conferences, and days of renewal for parish and church groups, high school and college students, and denominational and interreligious organizations. It provides chapel space, meeting rooms, dining facilities, and overnight accommodations and is also the location for weekly holy hours and regular AA, NA, Alanon, and Recovery, Inc., meetings. The Graymoor Spiritual Life Center is located at 1320 Route 9 in Garrison, NY.

For more information, contact the Graymoor Spiritual Life Center, (845) 424-2111 or email GSLC@AtonementFriars.org.

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