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January 31, 2025, Adrian, Michigan – Brother Guy Consolmagno, SJ, the Director of the Vatican Observatory, visits Adrian in March to offer a program titled A Jesuit’s Guide to the Stars and for an evening reception and short presentation.

A Jesuit’s Guide to the Stars is from 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Thursday, March 13, 2025, at Weber Retreat and Conference Center. The cost for the program, which is in person and livestreamed, is $35. Registration is required. The reception – 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on the same day at Weber Center – is free and open to the public. The evening will include soft drinks, hors d’oeuvres, and a half-hour presentation.

Jesuit spirituality is centered on “finding God in all things,” represented by the universe itself. In this program, Brother Guy describes how we find God in the joy we experience in observing the sky. Brother Guy, a native of Detroit, earned degrees in Planetary Science from MIT and the University of Arizona, was a research fellow at Harvard and MIT, and served in Kenya with the U.S. Peace Corps. He taught university physics before entering the Jesuits in 1989 and has served at the Vatican Observatory since 1993. Pope Francis appointed him Director of the Vatican Observatory in 2015.

To register for the afternoon program, visit www.webercenter.org and click on “programs,” call 517-266-4000, or email [email protected]. Limited scholarships are available.

Weber Center is on the campus of the Adrian Dominican Sisters Motherhouse, Adrian, Michigan. On East Siena Heights Drive, turn into the driveway between Adrian Rea Literacy Center and the solar panel-covered carport. Follow the signs to Weber Center. For information, call the Weber Center at 517-266-4000.
 

By Marilín M. Llanes, OP
Director of the Portfolio Advisory Board and Office

January 14, 2025, Fort Pierce, Florida – In October 2024 two powerful hurricanes left widespread devastation in the southeastern United States. Communities in Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, and beyond were walloped by the hurricanes within a two-week span, leaving lives disrupted and lost, homes destroyed, and critical infrastructure severely damaged.

In response to the serious needs arising from these cataclysmic storms, the Solar Energy Loan Fund (SELF) has been a beacon of hope, acting swiftly to deliver relief.  

St. Lucie, Florida, in the county where SELF is headquartered, was directly affected by Hurricane Milton, which caused considerable damage to the area. Historically, SELF has offered financial assistance to residents of hurricane disaster areas with great success and impact. SELF stepped up again for the residents who needed the most assistance. Partnering with SELF, the Adrian Dominican Sisters Portfolio Advisory Board (PAB) is part of these rebuilding efforts.  

On December 3, 2024, the PAB approved a Hurricane Recovery Loan for $100,000 with a very low interest to offer home repair loans of $10,000 to the most at-risk homeowners. With these loans, homeowners can make necessary repairs and replacements to ensure that their homes are safe and sanitary and do not continue to deteriorate further. 

SELF is the first nonprofit in the country dedicated exclusively to climate equity, storm resilience, and sustainability in under-resourced and underbanked communities. SELF began its journey in 2009 as a U.S. Department of Energy pilot program in St. Lucie County, Florida, and has since expanded operations to four states – Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina – focusing on projects in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods with a default rate of less than 2 percent. Since 2013, SELF has been a lending partner with the PAB. 

We stand in solidarity with SELF in their diligence in providing hurricane relief to residents by offering low-cost loans with grace periods that allow ample time to repair their homes. Truly, SELF is a green beacon of hope in these challenging times.  
 

Caption for above feature photo: These residents, like many others, receive service from the Solar Energy Loan Fund as they deal with devastation caused by hurricanes.
Photo Courtesy of the Solar Energy Loan Fund