Loss, Grief and Hope for the Future: Meditation on the Two-Year Anniversary of COVID-19 Pandemic Limited In-Person** (Tickets $5 minimum) and Livestreamed (Free with suggested minimum $5 contribution) All proceeds from tickets will support CORE Initiative Collaboration and the work they are doing in the community to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

**All in-person attendees must wear a mask that covers their nose and mouth at all times, and will be required to show EITHER proof of a negative COIVD-19 test result within 72 hours of the event OR proof of vaccination AND photo identification upon check-in. Visit the Rothko Chapel’s Health and Safety information for more details.

The Rothko Chapel extends its prayers and thoughts to everyone impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic since March 2020. We gathered in community for a time of reflection and meditation to observe the two-year anniversary of the beginning of the pandemic. Presenters shared reflections on the current state of the COVID-19 pandemic and community impacts, meditations on engaging loss and grief, our hopes and visions for the future, and the power of ritual in processing our varied emotions and experiences since 2020. In a community ritual, attendees were invited to bring a small memento, photo, or item that has brought meaning to them during the past two years of living through the COVID-19 pandemic to place on an altar.

About the presenters Dr. Alejandro Chaoul is the Huffington Foundation Endowed Director of Mind Body Spirit Institute (MBSI) at the Jung Center of Houston, bringing a new approach for helping healthcare professionals flourish by reducing stress and burnout, and improving health, resilience, and nourish the human spirit. He holds a PhD in Tibetan religions from Rice University. He is currently an adjunct faculty member at UT Medical School and MD Anderson Cancer Center, where since 1999, he has been leading people with cancer and their family members through mind/body/spirit techniques aimed at reducing stress and facilitating healing. He has also engaged in research to assess the benefits of these practices in different populations. Dr. Chaoul is the author of Tibetan Yoga for Health and Well-Being and Chöd Practice in the Bön Tradition. Dr. Chaoul has personally studied Buddhist practices and traditions with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Löpon Tenzin Namdak and Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. He brings over 20 years of experience as a teacher of Bön Buddhism and Tibetan yoga. His affiliation with the Ligmincha Institute has given him the opportunity to instruct throughout the United States, Latin America, and Europe. He is also a senior teacher of the 3 Doors program and has been recognized as a Fellow of the Mind & Life institute. Dr. Chaoul serves as an advisor of the Rothko Chapel.

Rev. Laura Mayo is the Senior Minister of Covenant Church in Houston. She is a graduate of Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tennessee and Wake Forest University Divinity School in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Laura is active in Houston interfaith work including membership in American’s United for the Separation of Church and State clergy advisory group, The Coalition for Mutual Respect (of the Anti Defamation League), The Faith Leaders Coalition, and Interfaith Ministries’ Multi-Faith Council. Laura has been part of many panel discussions including a panel hosted by The University of Houston Law School about what the Bible says about LGBTQ+ relationships, a panel hosted by Project Lifeline concerning the treatment of people at our borders, and panels hosted by The Alley Theatre, The Foundation for Contemporary Theology, Lifeline Chaplaincy, and PFLAG. Rev. Mayo is a Rothko Chapel Board Member.

Cymphoni has been making music since she was three years old. She began with voice, piano, and cello, and now plays a multitude of instruments. She performed throughout North America, and currently serves as the first chair cellist with the Community Music Center of Houston.





Dr. Janeana White currently serves as Deputy Health Authority for the Houston Health Department (HHD), the nation’s fourth largest city with a population of more than 2.3 million. She dedicates her life to empowering people to achieve good health and happiness. From private medical practice and academia to public health leadership, her desire for learning, leading, and mentoring fuels her passion for helping people and communities. A graduate of Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, Michigan, Dr. White completed her residency at the University of Texas Houston School of Medicine, now known as the McGovern Medical School at UT Health. She was selected as one of two Chief Residents in Pediatrics after finishing her residency and remained on staff as an Assistant Professor while completing a Primary Care Fellowship. Dr. White then served as a teaching attending physician and medical director for a Houston area-clinic that offered specialized services for children and their families.

Adriana Winkelmayer is a freshman at Emery Weiner School and a member of the Meta-Four Houston 2022 Poetry Slam Team. Adriana uses spoken-word to enlighten people about topics that they may or may not have been aware of.





All proceeds from tickets will support CORE Initiative Collaboration and the work they are doing in the community to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. CORE Initiative is an advocate for the education, prevention & treatment of health care issues in the lives of people. One of their most important initiatives within their organization is to share insight about the health issues that affect our communities the most through health education classes and support groups.

Special Thanks to our community partners: The Institute for Spirituality & Health, Houston Health Department, Covenant Church, Mind Body Spirit Institute at Jung Center Houston, and Writers in the Schools.