Monday, October 21, 2013

Companions in Justice, Companions in Prayer: A Month of Memory -- November Online Retreat

In Christian traditions, November is sometimes called the month of memory. It begins with the feast of All Saints on November 1, followed immediately by the feast of All Souls or All the Faithful Departed (November 2 goes by different names depending on the tradition).

"Saints" are not just formally recognized or canonized saints, though various traditions in Eastern and Western Christianity do have ways of formally recognizing holy women and holy men and of commemorating them. "Saints" is also the name the early Christians used for themselves and for those who had preceded them in life and death. Saints are our grandmothers and persons we have met on the street, people whom we know only by name and people we know well, companions in faith and struggle, role models and sources of wisdom.

One of the themes in my life's work, including in these retreats, has been the relationship between spirituality and social justice, or what the founding prior of Taizé, Brother Roger, called "struggle and contemplation." Dorothee Soelle, a favorite theologian of mine, spoke of "mysticism and resistance."  

I have found that there is among many people a hunger for deepening this connection between contemplation and justice, so I have designed an online retreat for the "month of memory" that focuses on holy women and men in whom this connection was and is alive. They can become faithful companions to us on our journey as we learn from and about their lives and their writings.



What, when, where

* A month-long online retreat, November 1-30.

* Read, meditate, and pray in a way that suits your schedule and lifestyle.

* You'll need 15 minutes of focused time every couple of days.

 * Reflect on the life and writings of companions in justice and prayer, pray with them, learn from them.

* We will learn about and from three companions a week through

* a brief passage from each companion's writings (not always from a book; our sources are also journals, letters, speeches, poetry, sermons...);
* some biographical information;
* a spiritual exercise for you to practice or a prayer or meditation related to the companion of the day.
* Our companions will be mostly from this past century, many deceased, some still alive. They will include (among others) Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Dorothy Day, Thomas Merton, William Stringfellow, Pauli Murray, Oscar Romero, Desmond Tutu, Bayard Rustin, Clarence Jordan, Cesar Chavez, Maria Skobstova, and Mercy Amba Oduyoye



Cost

* $75 if you register (and mail your check) by Wednesday, October 16.
You may also take advantage of this discount (even if you register after Oct. 16) if you are a recently furloughed government worker, if you are unemployed, or if you are a student or retiree on limited resources.
* $90 if you register from Thursday, October 17 on. (You may join the retreat any time during the first ten days of November.)

* Payment is non-refundable and due upon registration.

 
An online retreat? How does that work?

* The retreat offers daily resources (the quotes, spiritual exercises, and prayers mentioned above, with some images as well to nourish you visually) online on a blog. More specifically, a closed blog.


* What's a closed blog? It's a blog like this, but it is not public: it is open only to those whom the blog owner-administrator (that's me) has signed in. In other words, it is not open to anybody wandering around the internet. It is not "searchable": random web surfers will not be able to view either the blog or our conversations in the comments.


* Once you register for the retreat, I will send instructions on the one-time sign-in mechanism. After that, the blog will always recognize you.

* Here is a recent article about online retreats in which I am quoted.



Registration

To register, write me, Jane Redmont, at readwithredmont@earthlink.net. I will send you full registration instructions with payment address and online sign-up information. (Both of these are simple.)

Privacy and community

During the retreat, you can remain private and just read the blog and use the quotes, spiritual exercises, and prayers on your own.

or

If you are more extroverted and communal or in need of companions on your retreat, you can  share your thoughts, experiences, and questions via the comments function on the blog and engage in conversation with other retreatants and with the retreat facilitator.


Initially posted September 12. 
Edited and reposted October 21 to move the announcement toward the top of the blog.

Note: I am also running a nine-day retreat (with daily check-in) focused on the life and wisdom of Dorothy Day, beginning October 31 and ending November 8: Dorothy Day: A Novena Retreat. Interested? Have a look here. Also note that there is a "package deal" if you wish to take both retreats.

Dorothy Day: Online Novena Retreat October 31-November 8

No time for a retreat? Think again...

Interested in radical Christian commitment, justice, and mercy?



Dorothy Day
Dorothy Day: A Novena Retreat 

What, when, where


* An online nine-day spiritual retreat, October 31-November 8, 2013, with the help of the writings of Dorothy Day (Nov. 8, 1897 - Nov. 29, 1980).
Click here for an informative essay on Dorothy Day. See also at the bottom of this post for a brief biographical description.
* Simple and accessible:

one quote per day
one spiritual exercise per day
one prayer per day


* At home, in your daily life: read, meditate, and pray in a way that suits your schedule.

* You'll need 20 minutes a day of focused time and a computer or tablet with internet access.

* $45 if you register (and mail your check) by Wednesday, October 16 (or if you are financially strained; see below).

* $55 if you register between Thursday, October 17 and Thursday, October 31 .

* Spiritual refreshment, nurture, and challenge.

"Novena retreat" ?

A novena is a sequence of nine successive days of prayer–usually prayers of either petition or thanksgiving. It is generally a public and popular spiritual practice and is found most often in the Roman Catholic religious tradition.

I am using the word “novena,” meaning nine days, as part of the description of this retreat to indicate that it is nine days long and involves daily meditation and prayer.


Dorothy Day was a Roman Catholic, but the novena retreat is ecumenical and open to all. It is a new twist on the traditional novena.

An online retreat? How does that work?

* The retreat offers daily resources (the quotes, spiritual exercises, and prayers mentioned above, with some images as well to nourish you visually) online on a blog. More specifically, a closed blog.


* What's a closed blog? It's a blog like this, but it is not public: it is open only to those whom the blog owner-administrator (that's me) has signed in. In other words, it is not open to anybody wandering around the internet. It is not "searchable": random web surfers will not be able to view either the blog or our conversations in the comments.


* Once you register for the retreat, I will send instructions on the one-time sign-in mechanism. After that, the blog will always recognize you.

* A recent article about online retreats in which I am quoted.


Registration

To register, write me, Jane Redmont, at readwithredmont@earthlink.net. I will send you full registration instructions with payment address and online sign-up information. (Both of these are simple.)

Cost

* $45 if you register (and mail your check) by Wednesday, October 16.
You may also take advantage of this discount (even if you register after Oct. 16) if you are a recently furloughed government worker, if you are unemployed, or if you are a student or retiree on limited resources.
* $55 if you register between Thursday, October 17 and Thursday, October 31.

Payment is non-refundable and due upon registration.

I will send you the mailing address when you write me to register.

Privacy and community

During the retreat, you can remain private and just read the blog and use the quotes, spiritual exercises, and prayers on your own.

or

If you are more extroverted and communal or in need of companions on your retreat, you can  share your thoughts, experiences, and questions via the comments function on the blog and engage in conversation with other retreatants and with the retreat facilitator.



Dorothy and daughter Tamar Theresa
Dorothy Day (1897-1980) is best known as the co-founder of the Catholic Worker, an anarchist, pacifist, lay Catholic Christian movement, and of the newspaper by the same name. Journalist, activist, mother, speaker, she was also a person of prayer whose Roman Catholic religious observance cannot be separated from her work for social and economic justice and peace and from what Christian tradition calls “the works of mercy.”

Initially posted September 12. 
Edited and reposted October 21 to move the announcement to the top of the blog.

Note: I am also running a month-long online retreat beginning November 1, "Companions in Justice, Companions in Prayer; A Month of Memory." Interested? Have a look here. Also note that there is a "package deal" if you wish to take both retreats.

Monday, October 7, 2013

Contemplation and Justice in the Season of Saints

Do you have (or want to develop) a commitment to integrate
contemplative practice and prayer
with
 active concern for justice and peace?

Two online retreats can support you on this path.

They begin at the end of this month. 
Both are in the Christian tradition
One is nine days long and the other lasts for one month.  

Read on to see which one may be best for your rhythm of life. 
You are, of course, welcome to participate in both retreats.

(1) A Novena Retreat with Dorothy Day



       * October 31-November 8
                                             A daily 15-minute commitment.

        * Each day for 9 consecutive days:

              one quote by Dorothy Day
              one related spiritual exercise
              one prayer

       * $45  if you register (and mail your check) by Wednesday, October 16.

        * $55  if you register between Thursday, October 17 and Thursday, October 31.

       * Registration is open now. To register, write readwithredmont@earthlink.net.

       * More details about this retreat here.

You are welcome to take both retreats, in which case you are also welcome to a "package deal" of $135 if you register from Oct. 17, $110 if you register by Wed. Oct. 16 or are economically strained. 

(2) Companions in Justice, Companions in Prayer: 
              A Month of Memory

      * November 1-30
                                          15 minutes** three times a week for a month.
                                                                                                         ** or more, if you wish!

       * Reflect on the life and writings of companions in justice and prayer, pray with them on your own time, in your own context.

       * Our companions will be mostly from this past century, some still alive, and include (among others)  Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Dorothy Day, Clarence Jordan, Thomas Merton, William Stringfellow, Pauli Murray, Oscar Romero, Desmond Tutu, Bayard Rustin, Cesar Chavez, and Mercy Amba Oduyoye. 



 

       * $75  if you register (and mail your check) by Wednesday, October 16.

       * $90  if you register between Thursday, October 17 and Monday, November 4.

      * More details about this retreat here.  

      *Registration is open now. To register, write readwithredmont@earthlink.net.

While these two retreats may appeal to different audiences 
because of their difference in structure and schedule,  
you are welcome to take both of them
If you do, I will be happy to offer a "package deal" of 
$110 if you register by Wednesday, October 16
or are financially strained
or $135 if you register from October 17 on.


Please note that I will offer an Advent retreat 

December 1-24

 Magnificat! Prayer and Prophecy in Advent

Details forthcoming in late October. 
Registration will open the first week in November.