Sisterhood of St. John the Divine
October 2018
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We have many amazing weekend retreats, quiet Saturdays and special opportunities coming up!
Click on any of the poster images below to download the poster
to share with your church, family and friends!
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For a few days now, everywhere I go, I check to see if the lights have been turned on. The lights are on, it’s just that the morning light comes later and the evening dark comes earlier. We are seriously into autumn now with trees changing colours and overnight frost predicted in some areas. Very shortly we will be celebrating Thanksgiving.
I was surprised to learn that Thanksgiving Day has been celebrated in Canada since 1879, although it wasn’t until 1957 that its date was fixed for the second Monday in October. Vincent Massey, the then Governor General, issued a proclamation stating: "
A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed – to be observed on the second Monday in October.
"
It seems quaint today - not only the idea of Canada as a nation giving thanks to Almighty God but also the idea of harvesting our food for the coming winter. We no longer believe that the phrase ‘Almighty God’ conjures up the same image for everybody and the closest most of us get to harvesting our own food is a pick-your-own apple orchard. But somehow we are still observing Thanksgiving.
What is the meaning, and role, of thanksgiving in our lives? Is there a way to move beyond the formal recognition of an annual day and instead live our lives in, and with, gratitude?
In
The Gifts of Imperfection
Brené Brown writes about her surprise when she discovered that “
Without exception, every person I interviewed who described living a joyful life or who described themselves as joyful, actively practiced gratitude and attributed their joyfulness to their gratitude practice
.” Brown goes on to say, “
Both joy and gratitude were described as spiritual practices that were bound to a belief in human interconnectedness and a power greater than us
.”
Until completing this research Brené Brown was convinced that joyful people were grateful. Her research showed her instead that grateful people are joyful. If you want to be more joyful you have to start by being grateful. So then, how do we cultivate gratitude in our lives? I think the answer is to be found in both intention and practice. In other words, be deliberate in giving thanks and do so repeatedly.
If the thought of regular practice takes you back to childhood piano lessons or a similar horror, take heart. It is said that an elderly sister was asked by a young inquirer, “
What do you do all day in the convent?
” “Oh,” she said, “
We fall down and we get up, we fall down and we get up again
.”
This autumn I encourage you to begin sowing seeds of gratitude so that you might reap a harvest of joy!
~~ Sister Wendy Grace Greyling, Guest House Team
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Silent
Directed
Retreat
Tuesday - Thursday
October 2 - 4
Sorry - Registration now CLOSED.
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Mosaic of C
o
l
o
u
r
s
Saturday October 6
Sorry - Registration now CLOSED.
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A Heart's Journey:
A Sacred Journey
October 12 - 14
Registration must be RECEIVED by October 5
Our hearts have a way of “knowing” that is beyond reason and logic, beyond all visible reality. Our hearts have a way of “hearing” even the softest whisper and beyond it the depths of silence.
Through creative reflection and ritual, scripture story and imagery, music and song, Monica and Hilary will draw participants into a renewed appreciation of a spirituality of the heart.
We will explore the mystery of the Universe Story as the mystery of our own story
Led by
Hilary Musgrave
and
Monica Brown.
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Compassionate Chair Yoga
Alternate Tuesdays
- October 23
- November 6 and 20
- December 4 and 18
Join us in a practice of compassion for your body, mind and spirit. Wear loose comfortable clothing suitable for the Yoga practice.
- 10:30 am to 1:15 pm
- 1 Hour Yoga practice followed by service of Holy Eucharist at Noon and Dinner (10:30 am to 1:15 pm).
Recommended donation for each session: $38 ($20 for Yoga practice, and $18 for dinner: the portion for the Yoga practice will go as an unreceipted donation to the Sisterhood.) Payable by personal cheque or cash only.
Led by
Barb Rosen
, a certified Kripalu (Compassionate) Yoga Teacher
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Spirituality for Activists
Saturday October 27
Registration must be RECEIVED by October 20
Many Christians are activists by nature – seeking ways to make a difference through involvement in service, politics, social justice, and community life.
We can be tempted to be disappointed and discouraged when things don’t get better, or to assume that we are responsible.
Take time on this Quiet Day to still your heart, to ask the Spirit for the strength to persist, to take on the mind of Christ, and to find your true centre in God.
Led by
the Rev. Maylanne Maybee
, a deacon who recently retired as Principal of the Centre for Christian Studies in Winnipeg.
Before that, she worked in the areas of peace, justice, and ecology for the office of General Synod, served in inner city communities and parishes in Toronto, and coordinated a cross-Canada network of faith-based practitioners of social ministry.
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PLEASE NOTE
ALL three options for the John Philip Newell weekend Nov. 2-4 are now full: overnight retreat, commuters for the retreat, and the Friday night lectures.
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Saturday, December 1
Registrations must be RECEIVED November 24.
Have you ever wondered why, to save us from ourselves, our almighty God would choose to become a helpless infant, dependent in every way?
In the course of this Advent Quiet Day we will explore how this remarkable vulnerability is revealed in the Incarnation and how we, as human beings on a spiritual journey, are called to live into this vulnerability in order to come closer to God and to deepen our relationships with each other.
Led by
Sr. Susanne Prue
, SSJD.
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Sunday - Wednesday
December 23- 26
Registrations must be RECEIVED December 16.
In Lectio Divina we pause from our busy lives and to listen “with the ear of our hearts” to the words of scripture. In Visio Divina we are invited to gaze “with the eye of our hearts” at the truth of God’s word in visual form.
Sr. Constance Joanna will draw on her love of scripture and art in leading participants to reflect anew on the Christmas story both in words and in visual images of the Nativity.
Share with the Sisters in the festive liturgies, meals, and celebrations of Christmas.
Led by
Sr. Constance Joanna Gefvert,
SSJD.
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New Year's Retreat: Ring out the Old, Bring in the New
The Wisdom of Teresa Avila
Saturday, January 26, 2019 (Maureen McDonnell)
see here »
Praying with Evelyn Underhill
February 8-10, 2019 (Deborah Smith Douglas)
see here »
Lenten Quiet Day: Life, Death and Resurrection
Saturday, March 9, 2019 (Bishop Riscylia Shaw)
see here »
Click here
to see all scheduled upcoming opportunities!
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Read the latest edition of the
EAGLE
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