The Companions of Mary the Apostle
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Free to Live: Forgiveness as a Path to Freedom
Friday, March 4 - Sunday, March 6
Led by Sr. Elizabeth Broyles, CMA
Cost: $275, deposit: $80
For more information and to register, go to
Holy Cross Monastery Retreats
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Making a Difference: A Course for Those Who Minister
Tuesday, April 19 - Friday, April 22
Offered by the Mastery Foundation; co-led by Sr. Shane Phelan, CMA
For more information contact Sr. Shane Phelan: revdrshane@gmail.com.
Register directly through the
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Practicing These Principles: A Twelve-Step Retreat
Led by Sr. Shane Phelan, CMA
Friday, May 6 - Sunday, May 8
Cost: $275, deposit: $80
This retreat is open to members of all 12-step recovery groups.
Coffee Table Communion
Fridays, 8:30 a.m.
Companions House,
1605 Huntington Lane (just north of Holy Cross Monastery)
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Join the Companions in prayer.
We pray for:
peace, everywhere, now!
Those held prisoner through slavery, mass incarceration, and in solitary confinement, and those facing execution.
Those who work under conditions of exploitation: low wages and unsafe conditions.
All people who suffer with addiction or mental illness.
Our planet, struggling to breathe.
We give thanks for l
ife in community, for our daily bread and shelter, for the chance to worship every day, and
for the growing community of people connected to the Companions.
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Dear Friends,
If you're "churchy," you'll be expecting a message about Lent. Sorry! That's important, but there's a lot of good reflection being offered on that theme. I want to think about another feature of February.
Several years ago the Episcopal Church began a major update of their calendar of saints. The calendar always included people who were not canonized by the Roman Catholic Church, but it tended to feature men from the Bible or men who had been major figures in the history of the Church - bishops and missionaries, the occasional king, you know the type. They were Anglican or Episcopal. There were some women, mostly nuns.
Now February is wide open. Along with traditional favorites (well, to us) like Brigid, Absalom Jones, Janani Luwum and Matthias, we have prayers remembering Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson, Fanny Crosby, Charles Freer Andrews, Frederick Douglass, John Henry Newman, Eric Liddell, Emily Malone Morgan, Anna Julia Cooper and Elizabeth Wright, and John Cassian. We remember the Dorchester Chaplains, who gave their lives to save others in WWII.
This is a marvelous opening of the communion of saints. There are Roman Catholics, Presbyterians, Methodists, African Methodist Episcopalians, and even the occasional Episcopalian. There is a Jewish rabbi among the Chaplains. There are some who fit more than one category in their lifetime.
The variety of their backgrounds, churches, and ministries is breathtaking. It reminds us that the gift of living faith is not restricted to one denomination or manner of life: there are men and women, married and monastic, of varying racial and ethnic backgrounds.
I know some don't like this opening. Who are we, what do we stand for, if we honor all these "others"? For my part, I think we stand with Jesus, welcoming all. We stand for a Church with traditions that enrich but do not divide us, for a faith that sees God at work even in those who do not share our faith in Christ. We stand with Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson,"whose visions of the liberty of the soul illumined by the light of Christ made them brave prophets of religious tolerance in the American colonies; and we pray that we also may follow paths of holiness and good conscience, guided by the radiance of Jesus Christ."
That's a pretty good prayer for Lent!
Blessings,
Shane, for The Companions
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Rethinking Christian Forgiveness
Judy Cannato, Radical Amazement
Brene Brown, Daring Greatly
Several books on the Enneagram:
Riso and Hudson, Wisdom of the Enneagram
Doyle, Archetypes of the Enneagram
Palmer, The Enneagram
Harper Lee, Go Set a Watchman
Anita Diamant, The Red Tent
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Community News
Our
"clearness committee" met on February 11 to help us clear the ground for our relocation. It was a powerful evening of questions and reflection, and we came away with the message that God will bless us in our decisions, that we are ready and capable, that the time is here. Now: where?
We are looking in rural areas to the west of here,
where prices are lower and need is great. We are exploring how we might support those who are working with rural and migrant workers, how we might do our part to "equip the saints." But we remain open to new ideas. We are so grateful to the clearness committee, and to all who are praying and suggesting and looking with us in mind. Please don't be shy - if something comes to you, let us know.
Like the land, we are quiet on the outside but digging down for spring work. Elizabeth's forgiveness retreat is on the horizon, and we are making plans for Holy Week. Shane is doing some local priestly supply work and preparing for the "Making A Difference workshop," while trying to slow down and make room for the Holy Spirit.
Our Covenant Companion Candidates gathered over four days at the beginning of February. We celebrated six months of life together in this way, discussed our shared reading, and generally deepened our ties. We meet via Skype every week for "week in review," a sort of check in centered on the charism and covenant in our lives.
We are grateful for the longer days and occasional warmth. We know that seeds planted now will sprout in the months to come. May you be blessed with patient trust, and the perseverance to make your dreams come true.
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Support Our Mission
- Come to a retreat or quiet day, or invite us to your church or group
- Remember us in your estate planning and will
- Make a donation to support our ministry. We are currently beginning a fund to buy a property where we can grow in life and ministry. We also have a fund to support travel for Covenant Companions who need assistance getting to our annual retreat and gathering.
Donations are tax deductible, can be made to The Companions of Mary the Apostle and sent to us at the address found below.
Heartfelt thanks to all of you who support us in so many ways!
Blessings on you, your community, your ministry!
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The Companions of Mary the Apostle
P.O. Box 99
West Park, NY 12493
(845) 384-3013
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Copyright © 2014. All Rights Reserved.
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