Upcoming Events

All are welcome

Luminaria 2025
Dec
18

Luminaria 2025

Join us for this well-loved Assisi Institute tradition to remember and honor your loved ones. We will lovingly assemble the luminarias and carefully line them up and down the sidewalk in front of our building. They will remain lit for several hours to bring cheer and hope to the many people who will travel Winton Road during that time.

The service will include prayer, a short meditation, music, and the loving reading of the names of all those whom we remember and honor. Service will also feature heavenly music from Tommy Gravino.

You may dedicate a luminaria in memory of or in honor of a loved one. The cost of each luminaria is $10. There are two ways you can order your luminarias this year. Orders are due by Monday, December 15 by 5 pm.

  • Click here and you will land on a page with the option to pay and to write in the names of those you are honoring using PayPal. (Please wait 10 seconds after you make your donation to be redirected to the online form)

  • Or, if you prefer, mail or dropoff your check at The Assisi Institute. Then, fill out this online form. (If you prefer, you may fill out a paper form on the front desk at The Assisi Institute.)

We look forward to being with you, seeing the beautiful sight, praying through this beautiful service, and hearing all the names of our loved ones.

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Saturday Evening Prayer and Potluck (December)
Dec
20

Saturday Evening Prayer and Potluck (December)

Join this warm smaller community for evening prayer (5 - 5:30), and then enjoy a vegetarian potluck dinner and conversation. Most months, there will be an additional activity to enjoy. This is a great way to get to know us! If you have questions, please email Muktima here.

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Annual Christmas Meditation and Service
Dec
21

Annual Christmas Meditation and Service

Our Annual Christmas Meditation and Service:

  • Join us for silent meditation in the temple from 10am to 1pm. This year, the service will feature beautiful, inspiring music from Bruce McClellan, Tim Shannon, and Megan Hook. 

  • At 1pm, Isha Das will lead us in our annual Christmas Service.

  • At the end of the service, we will enjoy Christmas tea and treats. (Your baked specialities are welcome!)

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Spiritual Book Circle (December)
Dec
29

Spiritual Book Circle (December)

On the fourth Monday of the month, community members enjoy a time of quiet, meaningful conversation on Zoom. After a few moments of silence, we take turns sharing our thoughts and experiences and then responding to each other. We are basing our time together on Pema Chodron's Things Fall Apart. We read a few short chapters ahead of time each month.

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Tommy and Charu: A Night of Love
Feb
7

Tommy and Charu: A Night of Love

We were thrilled when our good friend Tommy Gravino appeared at Carnegie Hall this year with Charu Suri. Now Tommy is generously bringing Charu and other musicians to our spiritual home for a memorable concert of world-class music, with a warm-up by Megan Hook and Bruce McClellan. 

CHARU is a pianist and composer who has brought Indian classical music into her work, featuring pieces designed to complement different emotions and different times of day. She has appeared at Carnegie Hall five times and plays for sold-out audiences worldwide. Charu has been nominated for a Grammy in 2026! The winners will be announced February 1, just before she arrives to be with us. 

This concert is sure to bring many visitors to our doors, so plan to get your tickets early! This evening would make a perfect Valentine's outing. Tickets will also be available at the door until we sell out. 

Visit Charu's website here to learn more about her.

Purchase tickets ($25 each) using the button below or mail in or drop off your clearly designated payment at The Assisi Institute, 1400 N Winton Road Rochester, NY 14609.

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Women’s Satsang with Shantima (December: Holding Heart Space)
Dec
6

Women’s Satsang with Shantima (December: Holding Heart Space)

Our beloved Swami Shantima brings us her rich spirituality, decades of teaching experience, and knowledge of mysticism each month at Women’s Satsang. During the gathering, Shantima shares her special love and understanding of a woman’s spiritual journey along with meditation and a sacred ritual. Join her and a welcoming group of women for connection and wisdom in our temple.

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Spiritual Book Circle (November)
Nov
24

Spiritual Book Circle (November)

On the fourth Monday of the month, community members enjoy a time of quiet, meaningful conversation on Zoom. After a few moments of silence, we take turns sharing our thoughts and experiences and then responding to each other. We are basing our time together on the book The Wisdom of No Escape by Pema Chodron. We read a few short chapters ahead of time each month.

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Saturday Evening Prayer and Potluck (November)
Nov
15

Saturday Evening Prayer and Potluck (November)

Join this warm smaller community for evening prayer (5 - 5:30), and then enjoy a vegetarian potluck dinner and conversation. Most months, there will be an additional activity to enjoy. This is a great way to get to know us! If you have questions, please email Muktima here.

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The Marriage of Heaven and Earth: Healthy Chakras for Body, Mind, and Spirit
Nov
8

The Marriage of Heaven and Earth: Healthy Chakras for Body, Mind, and Spirit

Paramahansa Yogananda tells us, “Your soul is a beacon of heavenly power. You can expand that power from within and give light and health and understanding to others.”

As human beings, we have been blessed with a highly evolved nervous system, centered around the chakras within the spiritual spine. If we are to thrive physically, psychologically, and spiritually, we must learn to care for both our bodies and our chakra system. To the degree that our chakras open and function optimally, our potential to live healthy, meaningful, and creative lives is unlimited!

To empower us to understand the chakras and the role they play in our flourishing, The Assisi Institute invites you to participate in a workshop with Isha Das and Christianne Asper-Contant on Saturday, November 8 from 9 am to 1 pm EST, at The Assisi Institute. No previous understanding of the chakra system is necessary! 

This workshop is for you if you want to:

  • Deepen your conscious contact with God on a daily basis, including awareness of the physical and astral body

  • Reveal your inborn physical, mental, and spiritual capacity to live a life filled with truth, beauty, and goodness

  • Transform frustration and fatigue into ease and clarity

  • Discover simple, daily practices that restore your natural rhythm and ground you in the present moment. 

  • Step away from simply "doing life" and start living a life of genuine meaning

We are going to have a wonderful day, full of God's peace, learning, and loving community. Please join us! 

In gratitude and love,

Isha Das and Christianne

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Women’s Satsang with Shantima (November: The Scent of Peace)
Nov
1

Women’s Satsang with Shantima (November: The Scent of Peace)

Our beloved Swami Shantima brings us her rich spirituality, decades of teaching experience, and knowledge of mysticism each month at Women’s Satsang. During the gathering, Shantima shares her special love and understanding of a woman’s spiritual journey along with meditation and a sacred ritual. Join her and a welcoming group of women for connection and wisdom in our temple.

View Event →
Spiritual Book Circle (October)
Oct
27

Spiritual Book Circle (October)

On the fourth Monday of the month, community members enjoy a time of quiet, meaningful conversation on Zoom. After a few moments of silence, we take turns sharing our thoughts and experiences and then responding to each other. We are basing our time together on the book The Wisdom of No Escape by Pema Chodron. We read a few short chapters ahead of time each month.

View Event →
Saturday Evening Prayer and Potluck (October)
Oct
18

Saturday Evening Prayer and Potluck (October)

Join this warm smaller community for evening prayer (5 - 5:30), and then enjoy a vegetarian potluck dinner and conversation. Most months, there will be an additional activity to enjoy. This is a great way to get to know us! If you have questions, please email Muktima here.

View Event →