Category Archive for : ‘Center News’

“You all have given me wisdom that I carry with me and treasure.”

In May we said goodbye to our Program Director of the last three years, Rachel Lyons. Read her message to participants, partner agencies, and the entire Darst Center community below. 

One of the activities we facilitate here at the Darst Center is called What’s My Role? It invites each participant on a retreat or a workshop to contemplate what roles they play in the collective work of equity, justice, liberation, and solidarity. Created by Deepa Iyer, the roles form

At the send off event for 2834 S. Normal on April 24, 2021, we were honored to have Mindy Rueden speak, the former Executive Director of the Darst Center and the heart of this space for over a decade. Read her message below and add your own memories of the Darst Center to our online booklet here (instructions on how to add a post are at the bottom of the Padlet page).

The mission of the Darst Center is one of great importance and one that will continue to create space

It was early August of 2020. I found myself having a conversation with the Br. David Darst Center Executive Director, Keith Donovan, about being assigned to the center for my year of ministry practicum as part of my theological studies at Catholic Theological Union. When I interviewed with Keith last April, I was excited about possibly ministering with the Darst Center and was elated when I heard the news that I was being assigned there. However, this conversation a few months later brought anxiety. Questions arose about whether I would

The Darst Center annually gives two awards to recognize individuals and/or organizations without whom we would not be able to succeed.

The Heart of the Mission Award, lovingly referred to as the “Darstie,” was first given in 2016 and is presented to an individual or individuals from within the Darst Center whose grit, determination, and dedication to the Darst Center mission have allowed the organization to thrive.  This individual or individuals has/have made significant contributions to the program, operations, vitality, growth, and/or sustainability of the mission.

The 2021 Heart of the Mission

I’m waving “see you soon” to the Darst Center with deep gratitude and a new perspective. My time at Darst has truly made me see Chicago differently. Our partner agencies have grounded me in an interconnected, communal view of our city — in both its triumphs and its failures. I have learned so much over the past year about our burning issues and how they intersect and play out in Chicago. Most importantly, however, Darst has taught me not to get too caught up in the head-space of knowing every fact, but to

By Maddie Cox, Darst Staff 2018-2019

Staff member Maddie Cox with Archbishop Elias Chacour at Fourth Presbyterian Church in May 2019.

At 4 o’clock in the morning, I said goodbye to a mighty group of six from Manhattan College after spending six quality days on retreat together in May 2019. By the end of it, they had stolen my heart, and apparently enough to make me wake up at 3:45 a.m. to make sure they had a proper send-off from the Darst Center to begin their 14-hour trek home. As they drove

Join us Saturday, September 23 at the Br. David Darst Center for a masquerade-themed Murder Mystery Dinner. Enjoy a four-course plated meal and an elegant wine reception while having the time of your lives at a performance to “die for” from the The Murder Mystery Company.

Come dressed to impress in your ballroom best (evening wear, ball gowns, Venetian masks, tailcoats, and top hats) as we try to solve the mystery afoot at the annual Billionaires Club Masquerade Ball.

Tickets are $50.00 per guest and include a

The Br. David Darst Center is pleased to announce it has recently received three major grants to help support their social justice education programs.

The Center was awarded a $25,000 grant from the Sisters of Mercy Midwest, a $6,000 grant from the Priests of the Sacred Heart and a $5,500 grant from the Christian Brothers of the Midwest’s LaSallian Mission Opportunity Fund. The funding will be used to provide resources for the Center’s Urban Immersion Retreats and Social Justice Workshops, which educate youth and young adults on the real life experience of the many