Nine Days in Lent with Dietrich Bonhoeffer: An Online Retreat with Lessons from History

Join us for

Nine Days in Lent with Dietrich Bonhoeffer:

An Online Retreat with Lessons from History

Friday, March 21*
to
Saturday, March 29, 2025

* "soft opening" on Thursday, March 20

Please join us for learning, reflection, meditation, and (if you are a praying person) prayer inspired by the life and work of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945), pastor, theologian, and anti-Nazi resister. DB's life and writings have become known around the world, from South Africa to South Korea to the U.S and Canada. Becoming acquainted with them is always timely -- and now more than ever, in tense and troubled days.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Tegel Prison, Berlin, 1944

 

What

* Spiritual challenge and nurture

* Simple and accessible:

one quotation or short excerpt per day
one spiritual exercise per day
one prayer per day
                                        on nine consecutive days

There will also be some historical posts to help you understand the historical and social context of the readings and of Bonhoeffer's life.

*  The writings, posted online, will be short enough to read in the midst of your busy life and long enough to offer a glimpse into Bonhoeffer's thought, faith, and life commitments. This is not a course with a long syllabus and whole books to read; nor is it an exhaustive examination of DB's work. Nevertheless, this offering is representative of some of the major themes in DB's life and work. It is an invitation to ponder deeply both the readings and their context and, if you wish, to pursue further reading, reflection, and engagement.

Where, when, and how

* This online retreat takes place on a members-only blog.

This means the blog is accessible only to people who have registered and signed onto the blog. It will be private and will not be searchable on the internet. Conversations (taking place in the comments section of the blog posts) will be among participants and closed to all other persons.

* You'll sign onto the blog just once (I will send easy directions once you have registered) and the blog will recognize you after that whenever you click its home page url. You do need to bookmark that home page once you have access to the blog, so that you can find it again easily.

* You will visit the blog daily for the nine days of the retreat but you can log into the retreat at any hour of the day or night that is convenient  for you.

* Have your retreat time at home, on a break at work, in a coffee shop, on vacation, in your daily life: read, reflect, meditate, and pray with the retreat materials in a way that suits your schedule.

* You'll need 20 minutes a day of focused time (any time, day or night) and a computer or tablet with internet access. More than 20 minutes (say, 40 minutes) would be even more enriching, but 20 mns will be fine if that's what you've got!
 

Register and pay

Register and pay in a single transaction using the secure PayPal button below.

Note: You can use the PayPal button and its secure connection to pay with a credit or debit card even if you don't have a PayPal account. The button offers you a choice of payment modalities. The PayPal mechanism will record your name and e-mail address and serve as your registration. You will receive an automated acknowledgment from PayPal and a also personal e-mail acknowledgment from me.

 

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Payment is non-refundable and due upon registration.

If you are in a situation of financial stress, please use the hardship rate on the menu above or write me so that we can arrange for a payment plan or a scholarship. Don't let your lack of money prevent you from seeking spiritual support and nourishment here. If on the other hand you wish to help make possible more scholarships and discounts, just check the benefactor rate.

More FAQ...

Do I have to talk to other people on this bloggy course-retreat? I'm a very private person.

See the answer to the next question.

Can I get some support here? I want some company.

This online offering offers you a choice; it is up to you to find your preferred balance between the solitary and the communal, between privacy and solidarity.

You can and may remain private and just read the blog and use the spiritual practices and meditations on your own. Nobody will force you to speak or disclose who you are.

Or you can and may take part in conversation with other participants. Conversation takes place in writing, through the comments feature on the blog posts. 

Please be prepared to observe confidentiality and to respect other participants' diverse experiences and outlooks.

Use the retreat according to your personality and your circumstances. The online retreat is like a room in which you are welcome to sit in the company of others and to be either visible or invisible.

What, no Zoom? 

Because this is a meditative experience and requires time for reading and pondering, and because participants will be from different time zones, the best format for this offering is a blog.

Questions? Concerns? Write me at readwithredmont@earthlink.net.

We are also offering a nine-day retreat inspired by the life, writings, and work of Dorothy Day. It begins on March 7. (You may begin a day later if you don't see the announcement soon enough to begin on March 7.) Click here for full information and registration.