Upcoming Events
Community Health Statement
We trust everyone is taking care of their health and thinking about the wellbeing of the community. Please do not come to an in-person event if you are feeling sick. Masking is optional.
Community Grief Ritual
We gather in reverence to feel, honor, and release the grief we carry.
(Postponed) Sunday, March 5th
1:30-5:00 pm
Location: Sophia Rising, 3022 Cherokee St., St. Louis, 63118
Cost: Cost: $40 – 75 sliding scale ($50 suggested – break even)
10% tithe will go to fellow grief-tender Joanna Laws Landis to support her grief ritual work and resources.
Registration required. Space is limited to 10 participants.
We will be working to schedule a new date with those interested so please RSVP below if interested to be part of the new date:
Ritual facilitators: Jennifer Reyes Lay and Kara Bender
This unmet grief,
an elder tells me, is the root
of the root of the collective illness
that got us here. His people
stay current with their grief—
they see their tears as medicine—
and grief a kind of generous willingness
to simply see, to look loss in the eye,
to hold tenderly what is precious,
to let the rains of the heart fall.
from the poem “Bearing Witness” by Laura Weaver
Do any of the words of this poem resonate with you? Are you longing for a space to give voice and vent the many griefs you carry, of all shapes and sizes? Do you wonder about the pain, loss, rage, or numbness you feel or have trouble accessing? Do you wonder about the collective grief– being alive, together, in a time of so much sorrow? Is it time to look loss in the eye, hold tenderly what is precious, and let the rains of your heart fall.
Grief ritual is a gently and lovingly held space where personal and communal grief can be held, felt and expressed in a safe container. Our grief can take many forms including sorrow, rage, anxiousness, numbness, emptiness, or fear. We welcome you and your grief, however it might show up. Together in this safe and sacred space we will engage prayer, poetry, embodiment, reflection, silence, and song to evoke and express the many griefs within us. It’s a come-as-you-are kind of ritual– maybe the griefs you carry are right on the surface, maybe they are buried deep. Together, we will remember what our ancestors knew– that to grieve is to praise, is to love, is to heal. Join us.
Growing in Rhythm with the Heartbeat of Love: A Spring Equinox Liturgy
Date: March 19, 2023
Time: 4:00-6:00pm
Place: Cypress Cathedral at Tower Grove Park (behind Gurney Picnic Site)
Liturgy from 4 – 5:30p with Potluck to follow
Please bring your own chair or blanket, dishes, and a food or beverage to share.
More details to follow.
Join Sophia Rising for Holy Week
Connect: Holy Thursday Meal
April 6
Break: Good Friday Grief Ritual
April 7
Expand: Easter Vigil
April 8
Details coming soon…
Reoccurring Events
Monthly Community Singing Resumes!
“Love, I find, is like singing.” – Zora Neale Hurston.
You, just as you are, right now, are a singer! Did you know that? Singing is an inherent part of being human that allows us to express our creativity, connection, and wide range of emotions. All creation is constantly singing, so let’s join in this sacred chorus together!
Sophia Rising is excited to host a monthly community song circle the 4th Sunday of the month from 3-4:30pm at our space on 3022 Cherokee St. All voices are welcome, no prior experience necessary! Each gathering we will be led in song by local song leaders and priestesses of Sophia Rising, teaching simple acapella songs that help us to re-member our connection to one another and the larger web of life, feel and celebrate the wide range of emotions and experiences of being alive, provide encouragement and resource on our journeys, and embody the love that can flow through song.
Upcoming Dates:
March 26, 2023, 3-4:30pm – Song leader/Space holder TBA
April 23, 2023, 3-4:30pm – with priestess Jennifer Reyes Lay and song leader Kara Bender
May 28, 2023, 3-4:30 – “Song of the Spirit” in celebration of Pentecost
June 25, 2023, 3-4:30 – Song leader/Space holder TBA
We want this space to be accessible for everyone, and to honor the time and gifts of our song leaders and host space.
Suggested donation $25 (sliding scale $10-30)
If payment is an obstacle for you joining, please reach out.
Donate now to save your space or you can bring cash to the event.
or Venmo @Jessica-Gazzola-1
Sophia Rising 