St. Francis
Retreat
Center
July/August Offerings
"The spiritual life does not remove us from the world
but leads us deeper into it." Henri J.M. Nouwen
Suggested donation is listed on retreat description;
Don't let financial hardship keep you from participating.
If you need a partial or full scholarship,
please email [email protected] to register.
Online Introductory
Enneagram Retreat:
Apply the Enneagram's Wisdom to Your
Everyday Life
with Dr. Christine King

July 13-16, 2021


Tuesday-Thursday
10:00 am to Noon & 2:00 – 3:00 pm EDT
Friday Closing Session-10:00 am-Noon EDT

"The Enneagram is the finest tool I know of to support an authentic spiritual life. It doesn't allow us to hide behind being 'good' and makes room for being 'real.'
Fr. Richard Rohr, Franciscan priest
Dr. Christine King, the author of Choosing Compassion: The Enneagram's Nine Pathways, is an Enneagram researcher, consultant, and teacher, "After forty years of university teaching and global consulting, I continue to be in awe of how the Enneagram helps people experience their lives with fresh perceptions, seeing through an uncluttered lens of kindness, compassion, and beauty."
Christine has been a University professor in Asia, Europe, and the US, and she facilitates global team workshops worldwide. She now lives outside of Asheville, North Carolina on a small farm, the 'home' of her consulting work, Fresh Perceptions.

Welcoming Prayer
Online Mini-Retreat
With Cynthia Fore

July 17, 2021
10:00 am-Noon & 1-2:30 pm EDT
suggested donation $50
Cynthia Fore is a Spiritual Director, facilitator of contemplative retreats and Centering Prayer workshops and groups. She holds certification with The Transforming Center, Wheaton, Illinois; Christos Spiritual Formation, Minneapolis, MN; and Enneagram Motions of the Soul iEnneagram, Marshall, MI. She is in full-time, para-church ministry as well as serving in multiple ways at Christ Church Episcopal, Greenville, SC. She incorporates Ignatian Spirituality in her individual Spiritual Direction sessions as well as in the retreat setting. Cynthia guides a 2-year, quarterly retreat experience in which small communities come together quarterly for learning and practicing ancient spiritual practices. She is married to John; has three grown children and two grandsons. Her hobbies are knitting, crocheting, Soul-collages, movie-watching, cocktail-making, and hanging out with friends and family playing cards and dominoes. 
Respond to God’s invitation to refresh, renew,
and deepen your relationship
with God through an Ignatian Retreat
in-person at Mepkin's beautiful
St. Francis Retreat Center
Directed In-Person
Ignatian Retreat
with Donna Meyer and Mary Pat Barth
at Mepkin Abbey's St. Francis Retreat Center
July 23-26, 2021
Suggested donation$400
Meet the Leaders
Donna Meyer has a diverse nursing background and her attraction to spirituality led her to study theology. The combination of these two disciplines has convinced her that each person’s story is sacred and God meets people where they are. She incorporates Ignatian Spirituality in her practice and has accompanied people through the Spiritual Exercises using the 19th Annotation. In addition to her nursing education, she received her BA in Psychology and Religion from Smith College, Northampton, MA, a Master of Divinity from Weston Jesuit School of Theology, and a Certificate for Spiritual Direction Supervision from Together in the Mystery. Donna recently retired from Bon Secours St. Francis Health System where she was Director of Mission, Ministry Formation, and Spiritual Care. She is a member of Spiritual Directors International, Phi Beta Kappa, and the Associate Community for the Sisters of Bon Secours. 
Mary Pat Barth has been involved in Ignatian retreats & spirituality as a Chaplain at the College of the Holy Cross, Georgetown, and Duke Universities for the past 30 years. She has led Ignatian Retreats at retreat centers in North & South Carolina, Pennsylvania, New York, and Louisiana as well as parishes in NC. Mary Pat received her spiritual direction training in Chicago, and she regards the experience of companioning women and men on Ignatian retreats and in her interfaith spiritual direction practice as sacred privileges. She holds two Master’s Degrees from Jesuit Universities and experienced the 30-day Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola in Los Altos, California. She is a member of Spiritual Directors International and resides in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Vast Space, Vast Self:
Reflections on Spirituality and Commuting in New York

an online lecture
with Chad Thralls
August 2, 2021
7-8:30 pm EDT
suggested donation:$20
Chad Thralls is a Teaching Fellow in the University Core Curriculum at Seton Hall University. His research interests include the history of Christian contemplative spirituality, the practice of contemplation, contemplative pedagogy, and how the practice of contemplative spirituality is influence by place, specifically the city. Recent publications include Deep Calls to Deep: Mysticism, Scripture, and Contemplation. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2020.  “From ‘Get Out of My Way’ to ‘Shining like the Sun’: Thomas Merton on Cities, Community, and Solitude.”  The Merton Annual 31 (2019): 146-157.  “Urban Parks as Sacred Places: Pilgrimage, Solitude, and Access to Nature.”  Studies in Spirituality 28 (2018): 211-231. Chad grew up in West Virginia and when he is not in the city, he enjoys hiking in the mountains.  
Praying with the English Mystics: Aelred of Rievaulx, 
The Cloud of Unknowing,
and Caryll Houselander

An In-Person Retreat
at Mepkin Abbey's
St. Francis Retreat Center
With Carl Mc Colman
August 16-20, 2021
suggested donation $450
Carl McColman is a contemplative writer, speaker, teacher, soul friend, and storyteller. He is the author of numerous books, including The Big Book of Christian Mysticism, Answering the Contemplative Call, An Invitation to Celtic Wisdom, and Unteachable Lessons. Carl’s writing appears on numerous websites, including Patheos, the Huffington Post, Day One, Contemplative Life, and Medium. He regularly posts new content to his personal blog at www.carlmccolman.com on topics such as Christian mysticism, contemplative practice, Celtic spirituality, and interreligious dialogue.
Carl McColman • Soul Friend & Storyteller