Sacred Writing Circle: Letters to the Blessed Mother

Facilitator: Gianluca Avanzato, MDiv
Tuesdays in May:
May 5, 12, 19 and 26, 2026
7:30-9 p.m. ET / 4:30-6 p.m. PT
Live on Zoom
Cost: $100
Max participants: 20

Mary is graced with several devotional titles within the Catholic tradition: Mother of God, Queen of Heaven, Star of the Sea, Our Lady of Perpetual Help and so many more. In this Sacred Writing Circle with Gianluca Avanzato, we will honor the Marian month of May by meditating on four distinct aspects of Mary and deepening our awareness of her loving presence.

Through guided meditations, tailored writing prompts and gentle sharing, we will turn to writing to explore the sacred, mysterious and astonishing landscapes of our spiritual lives and journeys. You’ll emerge from this experience with several original written pieces to refine or share or treasure.

All are welcome: all beliefs and backgrounds, all levels of experience and comfort with creative practice. There will be no assignments outside of our meeting time, although participants are always encouraged to develop their work further.

Course Outline

About the Facilitator

Week 1: Mother of God Week 2: Undoer of Knots Week 3: Mystical Rose Week 4: Our Lady of the Way

Gianluca Avanzato is a writer, artist, poet and teacher living in upstate New York. Gianluca holds a Master of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School, where he studied religion and spiritual care. He has engaged in interreligious dialogue trainings and sessions around the world and holds a Diploma in Interreligious Studies from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) in Rome. Gianluca teaches writing as a spiritual practice of self-knowing and offers one-on-one creativity coaching. Along with his work in higher education and teaching Italian, he has developed and led workshops, pilgrimages and programming around the United States and Europe, including Sacred Writing Circles and Apothecary of the Word. Gianluca strives to help others honor, enkindle and cultivate their sacred creativity and connect more deeply to the universe.

Questions?

If you have any questions about the course, email Mike Jordan Laskey at jccucommunications@jesuits.org.

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Gianluca Avanzato

Gianluca Avanzato is a writer, artist, poet and teacher living in upstate New York. Gianluca holds a Master of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School, where he studied religion and spiritual care. He teaches writing as a spiritual practice of self-knowing and offers one-on-one creativity coaching. Along with his work in higher education and teaching Italian, he has developed and led workshops, pilgrimages and programming around the United States and Europe.