[3] Beginning in 1972, Henes – known as Mama Donna – designed and led multi-cultural, non-denominational celebrations to mark the passage of seasons, using ancient, traditional rituals and contemporary ceremonies.
[3] For 18 years, until the 9/11 attacks in 2001 when the events could no longer be held, The Port Authority of New York and The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council supported Henes' production of her Celestially Auspicious Occasions.
In 1998, after Henes led a celebration of the Winter Solstice on a beach in Staten Island, she and a few dozen fellow observers there were arrested for trespassing because they did not have a permit; the charges were later dismissed.
She published a monthly Ezine, The Queen's Chronicles Archived February 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine and also wrote columns for The Huffington Post, Beliefnet and UPI's (United Press International) Religion and Spirituality Forum.
[3] Henes suffered a fall in 2021 that began a decline in her health, and she died at a rehabilitation hospital in Ossining, New York, on September 21, 2024, at the age of 79.