Spirituality at work. We all look for it.

Anytime we greet others with warmth and a smile, we foster a spirit of light. Whenever we truly listen to others, we give the gift of light. Our choice to forgive rather than hold a grudge creates a glow that emanates beyond our immediate circumstances. Sharing stories of inspiration and challenge instead of workplace gossip is a form of leadership that unites and energizes. Acknowledging and fostering the gifts of our children, our neighbors, or our co-workers lights more sparks, the warmth of which touches others. Every time we spend our money, our energies, and our talents in ways that give life, build unity and care for creation, we are overcoming the darkness with light.

So says Vie Thorgren, Founder for the Center for Spirituality at Work. For years she has labored to build a set of programs that foster key Vincentian values:

• We recognize the inherent dignity of every person and honor that dignity in all circumstances.
• We foster mutually transformative relationships between those who are poor and those who are not poor and know that it is through these relationships that community life is strengthened and healed.
• We support and encourage the development of skills and leadership by people on the margins and those most impacted by injustice.
• We train and serve in order to address the root causes of suffering.We understand work to be an expression of self and of our connectedness to community. It is inventive and transformative activity with the potential to create a more just society.
• We appreciate the value of partnerships in building social justice.

One of its cutting edge programs is “Making Choices,” which teaches decision-making and life-planning skills to women incarcerated at Denver Women’s Correctional Facility (DWCF). These skills, and the support provided by solid mentoring, facilitate successful re-entry to the community. Since 1999, Making Choices has brought together more than 650 incarcerated women with volunteer teachers and mentors.

From their website:

The Center for Spirituality at Work is an educational, charitable, and community-based nonprofit organization. Our mission is to unite diverse people for spiritual transformation and social justice. Our primary strategy for effecting change puts the emphasis on mutually transformative relationships that engage people on the margins together with people of privilege in a shared project.