Wheaton Franciscans

Outdoor Summer Yoga
2025-09-13 09:00 - 10:15 (America/Chicago) | Tau Center, 26W171 Roosevelt Road, Wheaton, Illinois, 60187, United States
Release Your Inner Strength

Take your yoga practice outdoors and be inspired by the beauty of nature. The yoga sequence taught is a blend of breathing techniques, simple stretches, and gentle yoga postures, enabling the body to release deep layers of tension and inviting connection of body, mind, and spirit.

Important Information

MEET AT ENTRANCE 5 parking lot (outdoor, weather permitting).

Bring your own yoga mat and whatever you need for comfort.

There is NO ACCESS to the building or restrooms for this offering.

Phone registration is required: to register contact Patti Essig: 630-355-7103. Online registration is NOT available.

For more information, please visit: www.yogaenergy.biz

Additional Dates

September 20, 2025

September 27, 2025

About Our Instructor

Patti Essig is a certified second level Amrit Yoga teacher and has been teaching yoga and presenting wellness workshops in the Chicagoland area since 2001.

Active Hope: Through the Lens of the Labyrinth
2025-09-17 09:00 - 12:00 | Tau Center, 26W171 Roosevelt Road, Wheaton, Illinois, 60187, United States
Register

This contemplative program invites you to journey through the soulful practice of walking the labyrinth, guided by Joanna Macy’s Work That Reconnects. Together we’ll explore gratitude, honoring our pain, seeing with new eyes, and moving forward with renewed courage.

Through guided exercises, reflection, and conversation, the labyrinth becomes a living metaphor for personal and collective transformation. Weather permitting, portions will be outdoors, deepened by the beauty of nature. Gentle walking is included; the program is limited to 10 participants.

Open to all, this sacred space offers clarity, renewal, and active hope in the face of uncertainty. No prior experience required.

Our morning ends at noon, but you are welcome to bring a lunch and stay for more conversation together on the patio in the St Clare Garden

About Our Presenter

Karen Bychowski is passionate about guiding others to explore and live out the greatest purpose, offering both Individual Spiritual Direction (in person and virtual) and Personal Retreat Days. Previous programs at Tau Center have included Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life and Living in Alignment.

For nearly 20 years Karen traveled extensively across the United States and around the world, helping large organizations navigate change as part of her work with a Global Fortune 100 Consulting Company. After prayerful discernment, she left her corporate job to follow a deeper calling she felt from God.

Karen completed her training in Spiritual Direction through the Hesychia School of Spiritual Direction and is a Professional Certified Coach through the International Coaching Federation.

Outdoor Summer Yoga
2025-09-20 09:00 - 10:15 | Tau Center, 26W171 Roosevelt Road, Wheaton, Illinois, 60187, United States
Release Your Inner Strength

Take your yoga practice outdoors and be inspired by the beauty of nature. The yoga sequence taught is a blend of breathing techniques, simple stretches, and gentle yoga postures, enabling the body to release deep layers of tension and inviting connection of body, mind, and spirit.

Important Information

MEET AT ENTRANCE 5 parking lot (outdoor, weather permitting).

Bring your own yoga mat and whatever you need for comfort.

There is NO ACCESS to the building or restrooms for this offering.

Phone registration is required: to register contact Patti Essig: 630-355-7103. Online registration is NOT available.

For more information, please visit: www.yogaenergy.biz

Final Session

September 27, 2025

About Our Instructor

Patti Essig is a certified second level Amrit Yoga teacher and has been teaching yoga and presenting wellness workshops in the Chicagoland area since 2001.

Outdoor Summer Yoga
2025-09-27 09:00 - 10:15 | Tau Center, 26W171 Roosevelt Road, Wheaton, Illinois, 60187, United States
Release Your Inner Strength

Take your yoga practice outdoors and be inspired by the beauty of nature. The yoga sequence taught is a blend of breathing techniques, simple stretches, and gentle yoga postures, enabling the body to release deep layers of tension and inviting connection of body, mind, and spirit.

Important Information

MEET AT ENTRANCE 5 parking lot (outdoor, weather permitting).

Bring your own yoga mat and whatever you need for comfort.

There is NO ACCESS to the building or restrooms for this offering.

Phone registration is required: to register contact Patti Essig: 630-355-7103. Online registration is NOT available.

For more information, please visit: www.yogaenergy.biz

About Our Instructor

Patti Essig is a certified second level Amrit Yoga teacher and has been teaching yoga and presenting wellness workshops in the Chicagoland area since 2001.

The Way of the Heart — A Lenten Program
2026-02-24 09:00 - 11:30 | Tau Center, 26W171 Roosevelt Road, Wheaton, Illinois, 60187, United States
Let us take some time this Lent to enjoy the spirituality of the desert fathers and mothers. We will use the short book, The Way of the Heart, by Henri Nouwen, as our guide. This program includes three in-person sessions as well as two short recorded videos to bookend the series.

The in-person sessions are every two weeks on the following Tuesdays, from 9am to 11:30am: February 24, March 10, and March 24, 2026.

Each session will explore a section of the book, starting with solitude, then silence, and finally prayer. Additionally, time will be allotted for experiencing these spiritual disciplines as well as some guided (optional) small group sharing. Participants are asked to secure a copy of the book The Way of the Heart, by Henri Nouwen.

Registration is requested by February 9, 2026. Visit our event site

Praying With Color
2026-03-14 09:00 - 12:00 | Tau Center, 26W171 Roosevelt Road, Wheaton, Illinois, 60187, United States
A Spiritual Practice for the Lenten Season

Register for this Event

As we journey into the reflective season of Lent, consider a fresh, creative approach to prayer that engages your heart, mind, and spirit. In this interactive session, we’ll explore the practice of Praying with Color, inspired by Sybil Macbeth’s book, Praying in Color. This unique form of prayer combines drawing, doodling, and coloring, offering a meaningful way to connect with the divine beyond words.

Together, we’ll learn how to incorporate these visual and tactile elements into our spiritual practices, whether you are seeking a new way to pray, exploring creative expression, or simply looking to deepen your connection with God during this sacred time.

No artistic skill required! A combination of guided activities to help you get started and self-directed time to explore your own expressions of prayer. We’ll also explore how this practice can be woven into your personal Lenten reflections.

All materials, including paper and coloring pencils, will be provided. However, if you have favorite supplies you enjoy using, feel free to bring them along.

Saturday March 14, 2026

9:00 a.m. – Noon, Doors open at 8:30 a.m.

$25.00 donation

Registration requested two weeks prior to the program

About Our Presenter

Karen Bychowski is passionate about guiding others to explore and live out the greatest purpose, offering both Individual Spiritual Direction (in person and virtual) and Personal Retreat Days. Previous programs at Tau Center have included Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life and Living in Alignment.

For nearly 20 years Karen traveled extensively across the United States and around the world, helping large organizations navigate change as part of her work with a Global Fortune 100 Consulting Company. After prayerful discernment, she left her corporate job to follow a deeper calling she felt from God.

Karen completed her training in Spiritual Direction through the Hesychia School of Spiritual Direction and is a Professional Certified Coach through the International Coaching Federation.

Seasonal Pause - Spring (ONLINE)
2026-04-01 18:30 - 20:00 | Tau Center, 26W171 Roosevelt Road, Wheaton, Illinois, 60187, United States
Register for this Event

Space to breath and reconnect with yourself

In the midst of full calendars and daily responsibilities, it can be a gift to pause—to slow down, breathe deeply, and gently notice what is stirring within and around us.

This 90-minute online gathering offers quiet space for reflection shaped by the natural season we find ourselves in.

Through shared prayer, personal reflection, and small group conversation, we’ll create room to explore the rhythm of each season’s invitation and notice what’s present.

About Our Presenter

Karen Bychowski is passionate about guiding others to explore and live out the greatest purpose, offering both Individual Spiritual Direction (in person and virtual) and Personal Retreat Days. Previous programs at Tau Center have included Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life and Living in Alignment.

For nearly 20 years Karen traveled extensively across the United States and around the world, helping large organizations navigate change as part of her work with a Global Fortune 100 Consulting Company. After prayerful discernment, she left her corporate job to follow a deeper calling she felt from God.

Karen completed her training in Spiritual Direction through the Hesychia School of Spiritual Direction and is a Professional Certified Coach through the International Coaching Federation.

Earth Day 2026
2026-04-22 11:30 - 12:00 | The Wheaton Franciscans, 26w171 Roosevelt Rd - Entrance #5, WHEATON, Illinois, 60187, United States
Prayer, Song, & Community

Join us as we celebrate Earth Day!

People around the globe are celebrating the 56th Anniversary of Earth Day. We will gather in the St. Clare Garden to celebrate our amazing Mother Earth and join together in caring for our home while supporting meaningful ways to protect our planet and its inhabitants. Bring a friend—or meet someone new!

In the event of inclement weather, we will gather in Our Lady of the Angels Chapel

View & Download the Flyer

Please Remember

We ask all participants to be vaccinated and boosted to the extent possible.

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