Lent 2018 online retreat: Thomas Merton, Companion on the Way

Lent and Holy Week: February 14-March 31, 2018

THOMAS MERTON, 

COMPANION ON THE WAY

an online retreat

 

Please join us for an online Lenten retreat inspired by the life and writings of Thomas Merton, 20th century Trappist monk, writer, poet, spiritual teacher, artist, social critic, and pioneer in interreligious and intermonastic dialogue. In his Trappist community, he was known as Father Louis.

Though most of us are not monks, part of Merton's great appeal is that his writings speak to persons in many walks of life. Their honesty encourages our own.

Each week of the retreat will feature short passages from Merton's writings, on themes of prayer, war and peace, solitude, nature, community, suffering, and new life. These writings come in a variety of forms: poetry, prayer, journal, essay, memoir.

These readings (they will be brief: this is a retreat, not a class) will be posted three times a week, usually on Monday morning, Wednesday evening, and Saturday morning. The retreat will continue through Holy Week, until the celebration of the Resurrection on Easter Sunday.

Along with the writings by Merton will be suggestions for reflection, meditation, journal-keeping (verbal or visual), and prayer. Participants can use and adapt these suggestions to their daily life and to their own spiritual practice.

It is up to you to make the retreat your own. You can check the retreat blog in the morning or late at night. You can take longer than the suggested minimum time and delve more deeply into the readings and spiritual exercises. You can do so while remaining anonymous and simply following the retreat on the retreat blog (which is open only to retreatants and not searchable on the internet), or you can participate in conversation with other retreatants through the comments feature of each blog post.

Note: We are also offering three other Lenten retreats this year, for those who prefer to make a shorter commitment of daily practice nine days in a row. The Merton retreat is the only one that lasts all of Lent.

Click here for information about and registration for Feb. 21-March 1 online retreat with writings by Dorothy Day.

Click here for information about and registration for March 5-13 online retreat with writings by Howard Thurman.

Click here for information about and registration for March 16-24 retreat with writings by Dorothee Soelle.

All of the retreats have a structure and a schedule, but they are flexible enough to integrate into your daily life: you are the one who decides when and where to read and pray with the materials in the retreat (day or night, at home or elsewhere) and how to apply the invitations to practice.

An online retreat? How does that work?


* Your Merton retreat offers resources --quotes, spiritual exercises, and prayers (with some images as well to nourish you visually, and a little music for your ears and your soul)-- 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 for the one-time-only sign-in mechanism. After that, the blog will always recognize you.



Registration and payment

1) If you wish to pay by credit or debit card or with a PayPal account, simply register and pay in a single transaction using the secure PayPal button below.

Note: You can use that PayPal button and its secure connection to pay with a credit or debit card even if you don't have a PayPal account. PayPal never shows me your card number, only your name and contact information.

The PayPal mechanism will record your name and e-mail address and serve as your registration. You will also receive an automated acknowledgment from PayPal and a personal e-mail acknowledgment from me.

2) If you prefer to pay by check, write me, Jane Redmont, at readwithredmont@earthlink.net and I will acknowledge your registration and send you the mailing address. I will also notify you when I receive your check.

Payment is non-refundable and due upon registration.

If you are in a situation of financial stress, please use the discount rates on the menu below or write me so that we can arrange for a payment plan, discount (see the "Seriously Broke" rate below), or scholarship.

If you wish to help make possible our scholarships and discounts, just check the "Benefactor" rate below and pay accordingly.

Retreat fees (choose one)

Regular rate $140.00 USD Benefactor rate $200.00 USD Early Bird rate $100.00 USD Seriously Broke rate $65.00 USD

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 wish, 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 (me).

LENT! Four online retreats, two short and two long -- Thurman, Soelle, Merton, desert journey, daily bread

Lent in the Western churches begins early this year.


Ash Wednesday is February 10.

We've got four online retreats for you to choose from this Lent. Click on the name of each retreat below for further information and registration:

FEBRUARY 10- MARCH 27 (Lent and Holy Week):

Two options:

Desert Journey and Daily Bread: New Lenten Perspectives on Food and Fasting

Peace in the Struggle: Lent with Thomas Merton

In case you're still in shock at the early beginning of Lent, or if you prefer a short and more intense experience to an all-Lent-long one:

FEBRUARY 22-MARCH 1:

Howard Thurman: Nine Days in Lent

MARCH 7-15:

Dorothee Soelle: Nine Days in Lent

All of these online retreats call us to simplicity, mindfulness, and holiness. Like the season of Lenten itself, they invite us to repentance and conversion, but also to joy.

Peace be with you. Please join us on the journey of Lent.

* * * * * * *

Lent is the Church's annual long retreat.

We go on this retreat --not necessarily to a different place, but a zone of mindfulness and practice that simplifies our life and peels away its non-essentials-- in order to reconnect, deeply, with God, with Christ, with the Spirit at the heart of God's life, our life, and the life of the world.

So we clear space, or let God help us clear space, and time, to make room for the God of comfort and surprises and to make room for what is deepest and truest in our lives.

And because we not only live in our bodies but are our bodies, our practices are not only states of mind but bodily actions and attitudes.

"Spirituality" does not mean "outside the body" or "other than the body."

Quite the contrary.

"Holiness," though it may include sacrifice or restraint, is not a forgetting of the body but really "wholeness," a way of not living a life in pieces. "Integrity" may be another way of thinking of it. In Lent we seek to be whole again, or whole in a new way.

In the wilderness, in a life that is even just a little simpler, a little slower, and little more mindful, we can discover or rediscover the integrity to which the Holy One calls us.

(c) Jane Redmont

WISE BROTHER: MERTON AT 100 - Lent 2015 online retreat - registration stays open till 2d week in Lent

Lent and Holy Week, February 18-April 5, 2015

WISE BROTHER: Merton at 100

an online retreat with Jane Redmont

 Thomas Merton was born 100 years ago last month, on January 31, 1915. Communities and individuals around the world are marking the centenary of this 20th century Trappist monk, writer, poet, spiritual teacher, artist, social critic, and pioneer in interreligious and intermonastic dialogue.

We too are celebrating. As we have done before, we are offering an online Lenten retreat inspired by the life and writings of Thomas Merton. 

This year, in honor of the centenary, we invite you to a retreat that is a combination of our usual "Companion on the Way" Merton retreat and a journey through the life of Thomas Merton. 

As in the last couple of years, each week of the retreat will feature short passages from Merton's writings (many the same as the last two years) on themes of prayer, war and peace, solitude, nature, community, suffering, and new life. These writings come in a variety of forms: poetry, prayer, journal, essay, memoir.

These readings (they will be brief: this is a retreat, not a course) will be posted  twice a week, usually on Tuesday evening and Saturday morning.

In addition, there will be a "life journey" thread on this retreat. The journey through the life of Thomas Merton will take place through reflection on short passages from Merton's journals, in chronological order.

These quotes will be posted at least once a week, usually on Thursday.

This "life journey" thread of the retreat will be color-coded and titled differently so you can easily identify it during your online reading. You may choose either to skip that thread or to focus primarily on it -- or you may want to use the "life journey" thread simply as supplemental Lenten reading.

The quotes from the journals will offer you a chance to reflect on your own life journey through the lens of Merton's journey. Though most of us are not monks, part of Merton's great appeal is that his writings speak to persons in many walks of life.

Along with the writings by Merton will be suggestions for reflection, meditation, journal-keeping (verbal or visual), and prayer which participants can use and adapt to their daily life and to their own spiritual practice.

It is up to you to make the retreat your own. You can do so while remaining anonymous and simply following the retreat on the retreat blog (which is open only to retreatants and not searchable on the internet), or you can participate in conversation with other retreatants through the comments feature of each blog post.

Registration and payment

Registration is now open. Although the retreat begins on Ash Wednesday, you may register until the second week of Lent. Ideally, it is best to begin very early in Lent, but most of us don't live ideal lives. If you want the support and opportunity this retreat provides, you are welcome.

Regular rate: $150
Discounted rate: $100
Benefactor rate: $200

To register, write me, Jane Redmont, at readwithredmont@earthlink.net if you plan to pay by check: I will acknowledge your registration and send you the mailing address. I will also notify you when I receive your check.

OR

If you are paying by credit or debit card or PayPal, simply register and pay by using the PayPal button below. (You can use this button and its secure connection to pay with a card even if you don't have a PayPal account.)

The PayPal payment will record your name and e-mail address and serve as your registration. You will receive an acknowledgment from me within 24 hours.

Payment is non-refundable and due upon registration.

If you are in a situation of financial stress, please write me and we can arrange for a discount or scholarship.

If you wish to help make more scholarships possible, just check and pay the "benefactor" rate below.

Retreat fees (choose one)

Regular rate $150.00 USD Discounted rate $100.00 USD Benefactor rate $200.00 USD

Retreat creator and host

Jane Redmont is the author of When in Doubt, Sing: Prayer in Daily Life. She is a spiritual director, retreat leader, pastoral worker, writer, and theologian who has worked in  campus, urban, and parish ministries. An Episcopal Christian, she was also formed in the Catholic tradition and has Jewish and Unitarian Universalist family roots. She has been involved in work for social justice and ecumenical and interreligious relations all her life and has taught college, seminary, and graduate courses in Christian history, theology, spirituality, religious pluralism, African American studies, environmental studies, and women's, gender, and sexuality studies.

Jane has been reading Merton for four decades, has taught his work, and has used his writings as a help to prayer and meditation both for herself and for others.

Jane Redmont is also offering an online class on 

the history and spirituality of the Civil Rights Movement  

beginning February 18. 

See here for information and registration.

Thomas Merton online "Novena Retreat" begins Monday, September 8

Hoping  for some prayerful and reflective time as the new season begins?

Interested in (re-)discovering a wise guide?

Busy but willing to devote 20 minutes a day to spiritual renewal?

Join us!

Thomas Merton: An Online Novena Retreat

September 8-15, 2014

Thomas Merton (Fr. Louis) was a Trappist monk, poet, spiritual teacher, hermit, and social critic. Merton wrote about prayer and monasticism, but also about war and peace, solitude, nature, suffering and joy, and community. He is probably the best-known monk and most influential Catholic writer of the 20th century.

What, when, where

* An online nine-day spiritual retreat, September 8-15, 2014, with the help of the writings of Thomas Merton (1915-1968).

* 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.

* $50 if you register (pay online or mail a check, see below) by Friday, August 29.

* $65 if you register from August 30 to September 8.

Some discounts are available for those in financial hardship. Talk to me.

* 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. It is a new twist on the traditional novena.

Our novena retreat is ecumenical: Merton was a Roman Catholic and well rooted in his Catholicism and his (Trappist) monastic tradition, but he delved into Christian sources, biblical and historical, from before the great schisms of the 11th and 16th centuries. His writings are accessible to Christians of many backgrounds, East and West. They are also beloved by many from other religious traditions. Merton was a pioneer in interreligious conversation, especially Buddhist-Christian dialogue. This retreat is open to all and in that sense it is also interreligious, though it offers an explicitly Christian perspective in the writings of the 20th century's most famous Catholic monk.

This is a retreat, not a class. It is a learning experience, but not only that. There are readings, but they are very short and meant to be pondered and used as a springboard for prayer and action.

 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.

** These are invitations to reflection, action, meditation, journal-keeping (verbal or visual), and/or prayer which participants can use and adapt to their daily life and to their own spiritual practice.

* 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 for the one-time-only sign-in mechanism. After that, the blog will always recognize you.

Registration

To register, write me, Jane Redmont, stating your intention to take the retreat, and make your payment.

Cost and payment

* $50 if you register by Friday, August 29.

You may also take advantage of this discount (even if you register after July 25) if you are unemployed or if you are a student or retiree on limited resources. If cost is still a hardship with this discount, please write me.

* $65 if you register between August 30 and September 8, the day the retreat begins.

It's best to register before September 8, but you are still welcome if you sign up at the 11th hour!

Payment is non-refundable and due upon registration, by check or online electronic payment.

If you prefer to pay by check, I will send you the mailing address when you write me to register.

If you prefer to pay online by credit card or PayPal, please click below to pay via the Redmont Retreats secure PayPal account. (Note: you don't have to have your own PayPal account to use this online payment method.

[The PayPal button is now fixed -- sorry for the glitch!]

Retreat fee (choose one)

Aug. 30 - Sept. 8 - regular registration rate $65.00 USD through Aug. 29 - early registration rate $50.00 USD

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.

Do you have questions or concerns after reading the retreat descriptions, here and on the linked pages? E-mail me.

* * * * * * * 

Jane Redmont is the author of When in Doubt, Sing: Prayer in Daily Life. She is a spiritual director, retreat leader, pastoral worker, writer, and theologian who has worked in  campus, urban, and parish ministries. An Episcopal Christian, she was also formed in the Catholic tradition and has Jewish and Unitarian Universalist family roots. She has been involved in work for social justice and ecumenical and interreligious relations all her life and has taught college, seminary, and graduate courses in Christian history, theology, spirituality, religious pluralism, and women's, gender, and sexuality studies.

Jane has been reading Merton for forty years, taught his work, and used his writings as a help to prayer and meditation both for herself and for others. She has led online retreats on Merton during Lent for the last two years.

Thomas Merton and the Dalai Lama, 1968

Summer session 2014: online retreats!

Online retreats are back... with a whole season full of choices!

Details and registration instructions at the links highlighted in bright yellow below. Registration is now open for the first two retreats of the summer.

Here is a quick look at the summer offerings (June 19 to September 15):

Hurry Up and Slow Down: 
Spiritual Practices for Daily Life

A six week online retreat
offering
techniques and inspiration
for slowing down
in this busy world
and for living more mindfully --
wherever you are,
whoever you are,
whatever your schedule.

offered twice!

early summer:  June 19 - July 30
late summer: August 3 - September 13

see here for full details/registration

about "Hurry Up and Slow Down" 

Novena Retreats

For some, it is easier to commit to a short time (in this case, nine days) during which there is focused reflection, meditation, and prayer each day. You may, of course, take more than one of these short online retreats.

Each retreat uses as its inspiration the writings and the life of one person:

June 24 - July 2 - Dorothy Day      details/registration info here

July 7-15 - William Stringfellow    details/registration info here

July 21-29 - Dorothee Soelle             details/registration info here

August 4-12 - Howard Thurman    details/registration info here

August 18-26 - Ada María Isasi-Díaz   rescheduled for winter!

September 8-15 - Thomas Merton    details/ registration info here

These are retreats, not classes. There are readings, but they are very short and meant to be pondered and used as a springboard for prayer and action.

Do you have questions or concerns after reading the retreat descriptions, here and on the linked pages? E-mail me.

Top two photos (c) Jane Redmont (2013, 2014)