TRANSFORMATION IN CHRIST
A THOMAS KEATING SERIES

Fridays    1:00 – 2:15 PM

This series condenses the accumulated wisdom of Father Thomas Keating’s many years of teaching and practice into nine essential topics. Each of our nine sessions will include 20 minutes of Contemplative Prayer and viewing and discussing one of the nine 20-minute DVD’s of Thomas Keating. This program invites all who feel called to a deeper, quieter prayer, to more centeredness, joy and interior peace. Come to as many as you can. Donation: $100 for the series or $15 each session.

CELTIC SPIRITUALITY:
ITS MYSTERY, MAGIC, MUSIC

Sunday, October 3

9:30 AM – 2:30 PM

The contemplative heart of the Celt embraced God in all the ordinary aspects of life. Explore the Mystery (the stories), the Magic (the images), and the Music Within (the landscapes) of that Celtic heart as it invites women and men of a new millennium to embody a spirituality that spans thousands of years. Donation: $25 Please bring a bag lunch. Presenter:  Sister Sheila Holly, SSJ

NOTHING BUT PRAYER

Tuesday    6:30 – 7:30 PM

We will gather for one hour of prayer, nothing but prayer. We will have two 20-minute periods of Centering Prayer with Lectio Divina between them. Come and pray!  Love Offering.

FALLING INTO THE ARMS OF GOD
STUDY OF ST. TERESA OF AVILA

3  Wednesdays    9:00 – 10:30 AM

This 3-part program is for those who would like to read St. Teresa’s Interior Castle but find it challenging. Megan Don, in Falling into the Arms of God, has simplified the task without diminishing this spiritual classic. If your prayer life needs a lift and you feel God’s invitation to go deeper, please come. It is worth the effort to understand how God takes you through the seven dwelling places of your soul.  Donation: $50 (includes book)

TASTE AND SEE

Thursdays    8:45 – 9:45 AM

October 7 to December 9

Invite God into your relationship with food! This weekly gathering will help us eat healthfully, enjoy food as God desires and enjoy God even more than food! Are you willing? Pray for the grace and act as though you have it. We will also read  Addiction and Grace by Gerald May and Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life by Thich Nhat Hanh.  Donation: $100 for the series or $10 single session.

LEARNING TO PRAY
THE LITURGY OF THE HOURS

Thursday, October 7

7:00 – 8:30 PM

So many people say the have a desire to pray the Liturgy of the Hours, but find the book confusing to follow. This night at Francis House will clarify the method and make it possible for you to enjoy this wonderful way to pray throughout the day. If you need the book, register by September 24 so I can order it. Donation: $10 for the session; $30 for the book if needed.

ENNEAGRAM INTRODUCTORY COURSE

Saturday, October 9

9:30 AM – 3:30 PM

The Enneagram is a study of spiritual patterns that affords profound insight into the workings of human consciousness. It is one of the world’s oldest models for understanding how people relate to each other and to God. Based on nine personality types, the Enneagram allows us to identify the central motivation of our actions. This recognition leads to compassion for ourselves and others. This workshop is for those who are new to the Enneagram. Donation: $50 (includes materials) Please bring a bag lunch.

HEALING AND NURTURING
THROUGH NATURE

Saturday, October 9

9:30 AM – Noon

God heals us through our connection with nature. We will share important moments spent in nature and do some activities that will help us “Reconnect with Nature.” These are important in our ongoing relationship with God, ourselves, one another and nature and will be helpful for healing on many levels.

Donation: $20. Presenter:  Sister Mary Anne Zakreski, SSJ

HEALING THROUGH
THE ACT OF CREATION

Saturday, October 9

1:00  – 3:30 PM

Being creative is not just for a special few. Rather, it is the nature of God which is embedded in the DNA of the universe. Through various materials of visual art, the participants will express and enrich themselves, while participating in the creativity of God and in the creative processes of the cosmos. Healing comes as we allow our God-given nature to be and live and grow! Donation: $15. Presenter: Sister Mary Anne Zakreski, SSJ.

CONFRONTING FEAR:
THE ROOT OF VIOLENCE

Monday, October 11

9:30 AM – 2:30 PM

Some say that there are only two things in the world: God and fear. Also, there is not a single evil in the world that you cannot trace to fear. Come and explore the truths that underlie these statements. Donation: $25. Please bring a bag lunch. Presenter: Sister Sheila Holly, SSJ

PERSONAL RETREAT DAY

Wednesday    9:30 AM – 2:30 PM

Take a day away from the busyness of your life to rest awhile in the Lord and experience God’s presence. Come to Francis House for silence, personal prayer and optional spiritual direction. The day begins and ends with a brief prayer together. Donation: $10; $40 with spiritual direction. Please bring a bag lunch.

MONTHLY SPIRITUAL EXERCISES

Wednesdays    3:30 – 4:45 PM

If you need or desire a retreat but simply cannot get away, please give yourself the gift of this retreat that invites you to pray with Scripture each day using the format of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. We will meet monthly for sharing and input on the next month’s prayer.  This is a wonderful way to experience the Spiritual Exercises.    Love Offering

STUDY OF ST. JOHN OF THE CROSS

Thursdays    1:00 – 2:15 PM

We continue our study of St. John of the Cross this year using The Science of the Cross by Edith Stein, OCD.  St. Edith Stein is remarkable in her treatment of the works of St. John of the Cross.  We will follow with Lectio Divina and Contemplative Prayer from 2:30 – 3:30 for those who can stay. Donation: $150.

ABANDONMENT TO DIVINE PROVIDENCE

Thursdays    4:00 – 5:00 PM

Spend the next few months being saturated with the words of Fr. Jean Pierre de Caussade, S.J. who insists, in his classic, Abandonment to Divine Providence, that abandoning ourselves to God and God’s will for us changes anxiety into peace and fear into confidence. He teaches us how to give ourselves over to God and actually live in consolation and trust. Donation $50 (includes book)

FRIDAY MORNING RETREAT
LISTEN TO THE MASTERS

Francis of Assisi, Evelyn Underhill,
The Cloud of Unknowing and Mother Teresa

Fridays    9:30 AM  –  Noon

We all need consolation. These readings provide just what we need for strength and encouragement on the journey. We will spend one morning each month together, and the rest of the month praying over the content of these treasures, allowing their words to saturate us with wisdom and peace. These retreat mornings provide time for private prayer and direct our prayer and reading for the month.  Donation: $150 (includes 4 books)

LANDSCAPES OF THE SOUL:
A SPIRITUALITY OF PLACE

6  Mondays   9:30 AM  – Noon

A new awareness of place is developing in those who are serious about their spiritual lives. This new awareness seeks to pay attention to how the ordinary places, the places where we live our everyday lives, shapes and forms our spiritual consciousness. Come to be with others who are experiencing this new awareness and to deepen this activity of God in you. These sessions will provide time for private prayer and will enrich our prayer and discussion. Donation: $175 includes book. Presenter: Sister Sheila Holly, SSJ

CLASSICS ON CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER

Tuesdays     6:30 – 8:30 PM

We will be instructed in contemplative prayer by the best teachers.  We will begin with the classic, The Cloud of Unknowing and follow that with The Contemplative Heart, by James Finley. The evening includes Lectio Divina and two 20-minute sessions of contemplative prayer.  We will also view some 20 minute DVD’s of Thomas Keating as time permits.     Donation: $150 (includes both books).

SPIRITUAL READING GROUP

Fridays    6:30 – 8:30 PM

Good spiritual reading is a must for spiritual growth. Companions on the journey help with the practice of this spiritual exercise. This will be fun as well as fruitful. Can you devote one Friday night a month to this pursuit? This year we will feast on a variety of spiritual gems:

Becoming Who You Are……… James Martin, SJ
Mystical Hope………………….. Cynthia Bourgeault
The Gift of Peace…… Joseph Cardinal Bernardin
Faith in the Darkness……………. Mother Teresa

Donation: $150

LIVING CONTEMPLATIVELY

Saturdays    9:30 AM – 3:30 PM

This program calls out to those who desire to live more contemplatively in the world, to grow in union with God and others, and to become more aware, intentional and free.  God liberates us and heals us through the practice of contemplative prayer.  It’s worth a day a month and an hour a day.  We will focus on three works of Thomas Merton and use his Bridges to Contemplative Living series as our guide throughout the year. Bring a bag lunch. Tuition: $325.

NATURE, SILENCE, WORSHIP:
CONNECTING POINTS TO THE DIVINE

Sunday, October 24

9:30 AM – 2:30 PM

Howard Thurman, a twentieth-century African-American mystic, found God in nature, silence and worship. His experiences of the Divine led him to live from the depths of his being. Come and spend this day learning about Howard Thurman’s experiences of God and how your own experiences of nature, silence and worship can indeed be connecting points to the Divine in your own life.  Donation: $25. Please bring a bag lunch. Presenter:  Katherine Andrews, PhD

DIRECTED RETREAT WEEKEND

7:00 PM Friday to 1:00 PM Sunday

Due to the frantic pace of contemporary life, it is essential for our spiritual and physical health to take time to pray. The Weekend Directed Retreat offers you the opportunity to experience the graced rhythm of life in which rest restores your body and God revives your soul.  Liturgy, Spiritual Direction and optional Contemplative Prayer periods are included. Donation: $125/$40 non-refundable deposit with registration.