Panel Discussion

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 24
2:00 - 3:00 PM EDT

Panel Discussion: Labyrinths for People in Prisons
Moderator: Helen Curry

This will be a discussion of the various issues that need to be addressed around using labyrinths in prisons, how prisons have been approached in the past, and the ways in which labyrinth programs behind bars have been structured.  Matters that are similar to all labyrinth experiences, and those that are unique to prisons, will be explored, with time for questions and answers.


Helen Curry, Moderator, was the Founding President of the Labyrinth Society, the Founder and Executive Director of the Labyrinth Project of Connecticut, Inc. and one of Lauren Artress’ first labyrinth students before she created Veriditas.  Helen has been an inter-faith minister performing labyrinth weddings and other ceremonies.  She initiated and led a labyrinth ministry at Danbury Federal Prison in CT for over 15 years.  Her book The Way of the Labyrinth was published by Penguin Putnam in 2000.

 

Rūta Janulevičienė is a Labyrinth facilitator for kids, adults, disabled people, prisoners, and ex-prisoners.  She is an internationally recognized Reiki Master with more than 17 years’ experience designing and implementing projects for socially excluded groups. Since 2015, Ruta has been a psychodrama practitioner and a member of the Lithuanian Psychodrama Society. She is an active volunteer in the Lithuanian prison & probation systems and has experience leading programs in high security places. She is the Labyrinth Society Regional Representative for Lithuania, has served on the Nominating Committee and is currently on the TLS Board of Directors as Chair of Special Projects.

Peter Clark lives in the North of England but has had a church ministry in several countries.  The last five years have seen his immersion into multiple aspects of the labyrinth and a growing awareness of its contribution to communal and institutional contexts.  The use of “pop up” labyrinths in parks, on beaches, and in workplaces have featured regularly.  The making of impermanent but enduring labyrinths in parks and historic sites has led to supporting schools in creating permanent labyrinths. During the last two years he has concentrated on making the labyrinth available in a high security prison.

Laura Spurrell is a Spiritual Director who has volunteered at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility (Oregon's prison for women) for almost 10 years. About seven of those have been facilitating labyrinth walks. She has been a member of Labyrinth Network Northwest for over ten years. Laura is a mother to three children and Oma (grandmother) to three. She enjoys traveling, quilting and walking labyrinths.

 

 

Cathy Rigali has worked as a nurse and teacher in a variety of settings. She facilitates creative writing workshops and lectures on substance abuse. Cathy leads labyrinth walks throughout Massachusetts and assists in promoting and developing new labyrinth programs. She is the director of Pathway to Change: The Jail Labyrinth Project, a film that documents the six-year odyssey of a formal labyrinth program at the Hampshire County House of Correction in Northampton, Massachusetts. Cathy is passionate about bringing labyrinth experiences to wider circles of people. 

Lorraine Villemaire is a Sister of St. Joseph with a BA in English and an MA in Education with over forty years of teaching, administration and curriculum development experiences. She is the author of two labyrinth books: The Labyrinth Experience: An Educator’s Resource and The Labyrinth Program: An Educational Model for Transformation.