Parenting Classes

–– 5 Wednesdays 1-2:30 , March 12, 19, 26, April 2, 9

Parenting as a Spiritual Practice

Parenting can be incredibly rewarding and exhausting all at the same time.  Sometimes, we enter into a relationship full of loving commitment with our children and wonder what happened to the person we were before we became ‘Mom’ or ‘Dad’.  Our culture expects us to simply layer our identities and wear many hats in a compartmentalized existence of shift work. With Adrien Dawson, mom, spiritual director, artist. See below for more about Adrien.

Free class for parents! Come for one or all five sessions. Free childcare available.

Interested in joining us online? Please contact the parish office.

–– What if….

  • What if family life and your calling to be a parent was not in conflict with the other aspects of your life?  

  • What if parenting became a spiritual practice that informed and shaped your ability to love, act with compassion, set apart time for prayer and rest in God’s arms?  

  • What if you allowed the demands of parenting to become a container for drawing closer to God’s love for you as a beloved child?

    Come explore the spiritual practices made present through parenting and shifting our faith life towards a spiritually embodied integration of prayer and life.

Spiritual Direction

For those who want to go deeper into their spiritual life, Adrien will be available for Individual Spiritual Direction, following each session for a cost of $50 per 45 minute session. (Venmo @adrien-dawson)

2:45-3:30 - Session One | 3:45-4:30 - Session Two | 4:45-5:30 - Session Three

About Adrien

In 2004, I gave birth to my first daughter and wondered if, perhaps, God was joking about being both a parent and a priest? I now had two vocations that seemed to be at war with each other.  I turned to God and demanded that she sort this mess out.  How was I supposed to be faithful to my child, my work, my congregation, and my relationship with God?  In this crucible of learning, I encountered the efforts of other authors and parents who had begun to make a path wide enough for deep faith and parenting all at the same time.  What a relief to discover that I was not alone. In fact, my faith and my relationship with God was transformed into a new incarnation.

For 20 years, I served as an Episcopal priest, community organizer, and spiritual director for churches in the Diocese of Maryland.  I have stepped out from under the steeple to share my skills as a teacher, leader, consultant, and artist with a broader community of people in the world.  I believe that people heal, grow, and flourish when they are known and loved as their whole selves.  I offer insight and healing practices in the liminal and vulnerable space of change, conflict, and growth in community.  

Currently, I serve as Artist in Residence at the Frederick Y Arts Center,  yoga instructor at Sol Yoga, writer on Substack (Broken, Blessed, Beloved), and teaching conflict and change management within the addiction recovery community.  I am forming a consulting business, Watershed Insight, to work with organizations seeking to equip the ecosystem of their business or nonprofit with tools for healthy change and growth. 

I enjoy hiking, creating art, and writing poetry, all of which inspire my ongoing spiritual exploration and love of the natural world.

Formal education

Bachelors of Liberal Arts, St. John’s College, Annapolis, MD, 1996
Masters of Divinity, General Theological Seminary, NewYork, NY 2002
Doctorate of Ministry, Congregational Development, Bexley Seabury Seminary, Chicago, IL  2021-in process