Before heading off to the World Youth Day Opening Mass at Błonia Park, our group made a Mercy Pilgrimage. We visited the Saint John Paul II Sanctuary and the image of the Divine Mercy. World Youth Day and the city of Kraków is hosting about 1.2 million pilgrims, so you can only imagine how large … Continue reading WYD Kraków 2016 | Day 3: You See What You Need to See
Our second (technically our first full day in Poland) brought us to Częstochowa. After a 7 hour flight and about 2.5 hours on line for customs, add another few hours of bus travel and waiting a few minutes on line at McDonald's, we made our first stop of our pilgrimage- gazing at the beautiful Our … Continue reading WYD Kraków 2016 | Day 2: What Would You Pray For
My sister Joelle and I are headed off to Poland for World Youth Day, where will be dancing in the Youth Festival in Kraków! First off, let me say that I can't believe it's been three years since my last World Youth Day, a life-changing experience that I'll never forget. It was a dream come … Continue reading WYD Kraków 2016 | Day 1: Why We Dance
If you have ever taken a workshop with me (if you haven't yet, check-out UPCOMING WORKSHOPS) then you may have heard me say this: All dance is sacred as long as the intent is sacred. This phrase was taken from a workshop that I took nearly three years ago with sacred dance pioneer Carla De … Continue reading A Match Made in Heaven: What It’s Really Like to Be Paired with a Sacred Dance Pioneer as Your Mentor
This post was originally featured in the Dance/NYC Junior Committee blog. For the past nine months, the Junior Committee has organized several events from The Bessies After Party, our professional development series, and most recently, the Dance/NYC Symposium After Party. Even after a string of success, it is interesting that our next major topic of … Continue reading Failure/Success through the Eyes of a Dancer Who Gave Up
As a woman who dances sacred and liturgical dance, I often hear my dancing called "beautiful." I have no problems with my dancing being called "beautiful," except for this one time. I was speaking with a man who taught Theology of the Body about the work I do, when I was interrupted with "That's such … Continue reading “When You Call My Dancing ‘Beautiful'” from a Dancing Woman in Worship
We are ecstatic to announce that Jessica will be co-hosting New York Catholic Youth Day with Fr. Joe Espaillat! Expect lots of surprises, and of course, lots of dancing! For more info & to register for this event, http://www.oymny.org.
I saved an extra month for resolutions. Call it procrastination or call it "heavy contemplation." The truth is I was overthinking this. I have lots of ideas and dreams for The Moving Prayer in the new year that I simply could not choose one. Instead, I'm choosing a simple mantra- ponder less, do more. All … Continue reading 2016 Resolutions – Ponder Less, Do More
I had the pleasure of seeing and hearing Pope Francis speak twice. All I have for proof for these two encounters are these far away shots, one of a jumbotron. During WYD, I was even close enough to take a picture but decided not to. He looked right at me and I'd never been happier … Continue reading Why I’m Okay with Not Seeing Pope Francis in New York
This meme of Stan Lee, creator of Spider-Man, has been making the rounds of social media this week. The first time I saw it posted by a former cast member of mine, it struck a deep chord. For the longest time, I had felt exactly the same about my own profession and dreams. I felt … Continue reading All of my friends are nurses and teachers, and me?
The Moving Prayer 