Living Enrichment Center
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Living Enrichment Center (LEC) was a New Thought organization and retreat center in the U.S. state of
Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...
. It was founded in the farmhouse of senior minister Mary Manin Morrissey of Scholls, Oregon, in the mid-1970s; the church moved to a 94,500 square foot (8,800 m²) building on a forested area of 95 acres (384,000 m²) in Wilsonville in 1992. Over the course of its existence, the congregation grew from less than a dozen to an estimated 4,000, making it the biggest New Thought church in the state. Living Enrichment Center maintained an in-house bookstore, retreat center, café, kindergarten and elementary school, and an outreach television ministry. Living Enrichment Center closed in 2004 as a result of a $10.7 million financial scandal. Edward Morrissey pleaded guilty to money laundering and using church money for the personal expenses of himself and his wife. He was sentenced to two years in federal prison. He was released in early 2007. Living Enrichment Center dissolved in 2004, from which several ministries emerged including New Thought Center for Spiritual Living, Celebration Church and Whole Life Center in Lake Oswego.


Founding

The origins of the Living Enrichment Center were in a church called The Truth Center that Mary Manin Morrissey and her first husband started in the living room of their small farm in rural Oregon in 1974. The church was not successful, and in 1979 Morrissey and her husband took the family and their ministry on the road, offering workshops on building self-esteem in churches around the country. After a year on the road, Morrissey founded a church in the Odd Fellows Hall in Beaverton, Oregon, after she felt she had received divine guidance to start a ministry. A church management consultant advised Morrissey and her husband to name the church after what they aimed to do; as they aimed to enrich people's lives, they called themselves the Living Enrichment Center. In November 1992, Living Enrichment Center acquired the former Callahan Center, in Wilsonville, which consisted of a three-level building on a lot. The lot also included 13 cabins, with over 70 rooms, which were used for spiritual retreats conducted via the church's sister organization, Namaste Retreat Center. By 1997 the church were engaged in a campaign via a Portland Sunday TV message, advertising, and outreach programs, to grow the local congregation by an extra 200 members.


Facilities

LEC maintained an in-house bookstore, retreat center, cafe, an outreach television ministry, and an educational institution called the Cristofori School which taught children from kindergarten through third grade. Taking its name from the
sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
word
namaste ''Namaste'' (, Devanagari: नमस्ते), sometimes called ''namaskar'' and ''namaskaram'', is a customary Hindu non-contact manner of respectfully greeting and honouring a person or group, used at any time of day. It is found on the In ...
, the Namaste Retreat and Conference Center billed itself as, "Oregon's leading spiritual retreat center." Many personalities within the
New Age New Age is a range of spiritual or religious practices and beliefs which rapidly grew in Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise definition difficult. Although many scholars consi ...
and New Thought communities conducted retreats at Namaste, including
Marianne Williamson Marianne Deborah Williamson (born July 8, 1952) is an American author, spiritual leader, and political activist. She has written 14 books, including four ''New York Times'' number one bestsellers in the "Advice, How To, and Miscellaneous" cate ...
, Wayne Dyer, Deepak Chopra,
Jean Houston Jean Houston (born 10 May 1937) is an American author involved in the human potential movement. Along with her husband, Robert Masters, she co-founded the Foundation for Mind Research. Biography Early life and education Houston was born in New ...
,
Barbara Marx Hubbard Barbara Marx Hubbard (born Barbara Marx; December 22, 1929 – April 10, 2019) was an American futurist, author, and public speaker. She is credited with the concepts of "The Synergy Engine" and the "birthing" of humanity. Early life and educa ...
, Shakti Gawain, Stanislav Grof, and
Arun Gandhi Arun Manilal Gandhi (born April 14, 1934) is an Indian-American author, socio-political activist and son of Manilal Gandhi, thus a grandson of nationalist leader Mahatma Gandhi. Although he has followed in the footsteps of his grandfather as an ac ...
.


''Life Keys'' programs

In April 1997, LEC launched ''Life Keys'', a weekly taped television show hosted by Morrissey that was syndicated across several states including
Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
,
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
,
Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
, and
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
, mainly on public access stations. The LEC also produced audiotapes, CDs, and video cassettes of Morrissey's Sunday talks, which were available for purchase through LEC's bookstore. Often, audio cassettes of a Sunday service were available immediately after service. The audio tapes were also available via a mail subscription. Though most of the talks on ''Life Keys'' were delivered by Morrissey, some were recordings of talks given by visiting speakers such as Gandhi, Williamson, and Dyer. ''Life Keys'' was discontinued in 2004 when LEC filed for bankruptcy and closed. Morrissey's last talk distributed in the ''Life Keys'' series was entitled "The Right Questions to Ask" and was recorded on August 1, 2004. It was also her last talk as senior minister of LEC. In this last talk, Morrissey said her life was in "disarray", that her husband is in a mental hospital for depression and that she herself needed to take a break.


Financial scandal

In early 2004, Morrissey was sued by members of LEC for unpaid loans. It was reported that the loans were often made personally to Morrissey, and that the personal finances of herself, her husband Edward, and LEC had not been treated separately. In an e-mail to ''
Willamette Week ''Willamette Week'' (''WW'') is an alternative weekly newspaper and a website published in Portland, Oregon, United States, since 1974. It features reports on local news, politics, sports, business, and culture. History Early history ''Willame ...
'', Steve Unger, Morrissey's attorney, wrote that the Morrisseys had committed
commingling In law, commingling is a breach of trust in which a fiduciary mixes funds held in care for a client with his own funds, making it difficult to determine which funds belong to the fiduciary and which belong to the client. This raises particular con ...
, and that "the finances of heLEC, New Thought Broadcasting, Mary Morrissey and Ed Morrissey were treated not separately, but as a kind of 'financial family.'" By the summer of 2004, the sum total of LEC's debt was reported by ''Willamette Week'' and ''
The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 18 ...
'' as totaling more than $20 million. Throughout the month of June, Mary Morrissey and Harry Morgan Moses conducted a series of talks called "Standing Firm While Your World is Shaking", for a " love offering" of $15 per class or $100 for the series. On July 14, 2004, LEC held "Calling Forth a Miracle: A Benefit for Living Enrichment Center with Very Special Guests" and declared 2004–2005 as "The Year of the Miracle". On April 6, 2005, it was reported that a settlement deal between the Morrisseys and Oregon's Department of Consumer and Business Services had been reached: "As part of this settlement, neither of the Morrisseys may offer or sell securities. Further, Edward Morrissey agreed to plead guilty to a single federal count of money laundering. The plea agreement reached between Edward Morrissey and the U.S. Attorney's Office calls for the government to recommend a 36-month sentence, but that recommendation is not binding on the court." On April 17, Edward Morrissey pleaded guilty, admitting in federal court that he has defrauded members of LEC in soliciting $10.7 million in loans. The fact that Mary Morrissey wasn't charged, despite also pressuring LEC members to make the loans, angered some the plaintiffs. Mary Morrissey agreed to either contribute a portion of her disposable income to refunding former members of LEC. In the August 28, 2006, edition of the ''
Wilsonville Spokesman The ''Wilsonville Spokesman'' is the local weekly newspaper in Wilsonville, Oregon, United States. Started in 1983 in the southern suburb of Portland, Oregon, the publication has a circulation of approximately 3,500. Published on Wednesdays,
'', editor Curt Kipp wrote that she had repaid $24,000 of LEC's debt. After a year in prison at Terminal Island, in August 2006, Edward Morrissey was transferred to a
halfway house A halfway house is an institute for people with criminal backgrounds or substance use disorder problems to learn (or relearn) the necessary skills to re-integrate into society and better support and care for themselves. As well as serving as a ...
in
Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
. He was released from the halfway house on February 2, 2007. In a letter to ''
Willamette Week ''Willamette Week'' (''WW'') is an alternative weekly newspaper and a website published in Portland, Oregon, United States, since 1974. It features reports on local news, politics, sports, business, and culture. History Early history ''Willame ...
'' in 2004, the lawyer for Mary Morrissey's then-husband, Edward Morrissey, admitted that the couple had committed
commingling In law, commingling is a breach of trust in which a fiduciary mixes funds held in care for a client with his own funds, making it difficult to determine which funds belong to the fiduciary and which belong to the client. This raises particular con ...
. Mary Manin Morrissey's second ex-husband, Edward Morrissey, pleaded guilty to money laundering and using church money for the personal expenses of himself and his wife, and spent time in federal prison. The '' Seattle Times'' reports that the Morrisseys committed "financial improprieties" and that some former members of Living Enrichment Center were upset with the deal the Morrisseys struck with federal prosecutors. Former congregant John Trudel of Newberg, Oregon, is reported to have loaned the church $100,000 between 2000 and 2002. Trudel is quoted as saying that church money was being diverted. ''
Willamette Week ''Willamette Week'' (''WW'') is an alternative weekly newspaper and a website published in Portland, Oregon, United States, since 1974. It features reports on local news, politics, sports, business, and culture. History Early history ''Willame ...
'' wrote that Steve Unger, lawyer for the Morrisseys, admitted that the couple had committed
commingling In law, commingling is a breach of trust in which a fiduciary mixes funds held in care for a client with his own funds, making it difficult to determine which funds belong to the fiduciary and which belong to the client. This raises particular con ...
. ''The Oregonian'' writes that Mary Morrissey signed a consent agreement with state securities regulators, agreeing to repay $10.7 million to her former congregation, but she is in default and that at the rate Mary Morrissey is making repayment it will take her 300 years to repay congregation debt in full.Ex-church leader falls far behind repayment schedule
by ''
The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 18 ...
''.
KATU KATU (channel 2) is a television station in Portland, Oregon, United States, affiliated with ABC. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group alongside La Grande–licensed Univision affiliate KUNP (channel 16). Both stations share studios on N ...
writes that the debt may never be repaid. ''
Wilsonville Spokesman The ''Wilsonville Spokesman'' is the local weekly newspaper in Wilsonville, Oregon, United States. Started in 1983 in the southern suburb of Portland, Oregon, the publication has a circulation of approximately 3,500. Published on Wednesdays,
'' has reported that the amount of money Mary Morrissey has repaid would amount to less than half a penny per dollar of debt. ''KATU'' reported that Edward Morrissey agreed to plead guilty to money laundering on the condition that Mary Manin Morrissey not be charged with a crime. ''The Oregonian'' wrote in 2009 that Mary Morrissey signed a consent agreement agreeing to repay the debt, but that she is in default of the consent agreement.


Closure

Living Enrichment Center abandoned the Wilsonville facilities in June 2004. The church moved to Valley Theatre, a movie theater in Beaverton. The first service at Valley Theatre was held on July 4, 2004. On August 5, 2004, in an e-mail to her congregation, Morrissey announced her resignation as Senior Minister, President, and Board Member of Living Enrichment Center. The final service was held on August 29, 2004, at Valley Theatre. Three separate ministries grew out of the demise of Living Enrichment Center. ''Friends of Mary'', an organization established by Mary Morrissey, eventually evolved into ''Life Soulutions''. Several other former LEC ministers established New Thought Ministries of Oregon. Barry Dennis, a former LEC musician, established "Celebration Church". In 2013, Josh Kulla of the Wilsonville Spokesman wrote that the building that stood on the Living Enrichment Center site had been demolished and the plot of land was slated to be developed as part of the future expansion of the Villebois housing development.


The Morrisseys

Mary Manin Boggs Morrissey Dickey was the founder (along with her then-husband Haven Boggs) and senior minister of Living Enrichment Center. Edward Morrissey married Mary Manin Boggs (thereafter known as Mary Manin Morrissey) in the mid-1990s, and shortly after the marriage Edward Morrissey became the
CFO The chief financial officer (CFO) is an officer of a company or organization that is assigned the primary responsibility for managing the company's finances, including financial planning, management of financial risks, record-keeping, and financ ...
of the church. In the October 16, 2006, '' Oregonian'' article "Forgiveness, for minister, starts with self", staff writer S. Renee Mitchell indicated that Mary Morrissey and Ed Morrissey have divorced. Mitchell wrote, "When the smoke cleared, Morrissey — who had once cozied up to the Dalai Lama and other world spiritual leaders — was divorced, houseless and in debt for more than $10 million." After a year in prison at Terminal Island, in August 2006, Edward Morrissey was transferred to a halfway house in
Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...
. He was released from there on February 2, 2007. Both Mary Manin Morrissey and Edward Morrissey have injunctions against them, prohibiting them from heading or being agents in
nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
s. Both are also prohibited from selling
securities A security is a tradable financial asset. The term commonly refers to any form of financial instrument, but its legal definition varies by jurisdiction. In some countries and languages people commonly use the term "security" to refer to any for ...
. Mary Morrissey is the author of ''Building Your Field of Dreams'' which chronicles Morrissey's realization of her dream to create a ministry, and ''No Less Than Greatness, The Seven Spiritual Principles that Make Love Possible'' Mary Manin Morrissey also appears in '' The Moses Code''. Mary Morrissey has also authored several audio programs, including the popular co-produced audio, ''The Eleven Forgotten Laws'' with Bob Proctor. Morrissey appeared in the movie ''The Inner Weigh'', written and directed by Dave Smiley. The movie is about tapping into the power of one's subconscious mind to create the body and the life that one wants. Mary Manin Morrissey also operated two companies, "Life Soulutions" and "Evolving Life Ministries". ''
The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 18 ...
'' reported in 2007, that the organization of Life Soulutions has prompted questions from the state of Oregon because Morrissey's partner, Karen Hanzlik, in the venture receives as much as 40% of revenue, meaning that this portion is not required to be diverted to the restitution fund. "State officials have asked Morrissey for documents detailing the corporate structure of LifeSoulutions," writes ''The Oregonian''. "Morrissey told them that on the advice of an attorney, there are no such documents. Nothing was put in writing. 'We're researching the law and considering our legal options,' Whang said. 'But it is a very unusual situation.'"
KATU KATU (channel 2) is a television station in Portland, Oregon, United States, affiliated with ABC. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group alongside La Grande–licensed Univision affiliate KUNP (channel 16). Both stations share studios on N ...
, Portland's ABC affiliate, reports that because Mary Morrissey was permanently prohibited from holding the position of Officer, Financial Manager or Financial Fiduciary for any charitable or religious non-profit entity, her current companies, Life Soulutions, Evolving Life Ministries, and her church in
Lake Oswego, Oregon Lake Oswego () is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon, primarily in Clackamas County, with small portions extending into neighboring Multnomah and Washington counties. Located about south of Portland and surrounding the Oswego Lake, the town w ...
, are operated as for-profit entities. KATU also reports that in an interview Morrissey was evasive about her finances, but the news team tracked online donations to Morrissey's business, discovering they make their way to a Portland mail box controlled by Morrissey. Investigators from the state of Oregon want to make sure that Morrissey is not diverting money from her income, as a stipulation of her plea bargain with the state was that a portion of her income must be used to repay her debt to her former congregation. KATU reported in 2007, that Morrissey has repaid only $74,000 since her plea bargain was struck in 2005.KATU News: Prophet of Profit
(11/8/07): "Manin-Morrissey said she is following those rules. Her current church operates as a for-profit business, according to the state. She would not talk specifically about her finances, but we tracked down where the online contributions go. They are sent to a UPS store on Barbur Boulevard - to a post office box controlled by Manin-Morrissey. State investigators told KATU News they want to make sure Manin-Morrissey is not diverting income because a portion of her pay is supposed to go into an account for victims. So far, there is $74,000 in the account. She and her ex-husband owe $10.7 million. and as of 2021 lives in a $3,167,100 7 bd 6 ba 6,055 sqft home in 5 Canada Oaks, Coto De Caza, CA 92679"


References


External links


State of Oregon's complaint against Morrisseys

DCBS announces settlement with former Living Enrichment Center leader Mary Manin Morrissey and Edward Morrissey in securities case


{{NewThought Churches in Washington County, Oregon New religious movements New Thought churches Religion in the Pacific Northwest Religious organizations established in the 1970s Buildings and structures in Wilsonville, Oregon 1974 establishments in Oregon