St. Francis Retreat Center
Contemplative Connect
"The spiritual life does not remove us from the world
but leads us deeper into it." Henri J.M. Nouwen
Dear Friends,
 
Welcome to the launch   of Contemplative Connect offered by the Saint Francis Retreat Center at Mepkin Abbey.
 
During these challenging times of the pandemic, we have embraced video conferencing technology to create new pathways to stay connected and foster a deeper contemplative life together.

Among the new pathways, we will offer the following: Speakers’ Series, Book Study, Mini Retreats (Friday evening and Saturday from 10:00 AM to Noon and from 1:00 - 3:00 PM), and other Day or Twilight Retreats. All of these will be offered via Zoom so you can join from your home computer or tablet. You will be able to register for them the same way you would register for retreats. See the information below for our upcoming offerings.

These options are in addition to the Zip Code Contemplation Groups which continue to expand and thrive, as well as the Centering Prayer sits offered by Kathy Tosney at 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM on Tuesday and Thursday attended by an average of 60 people. Kathy has generously offered to continue these indefinitely.

We plan to continue to offer these programs even after Saint Francis Retreat Center has reopened for guests. We will keep you posted regularly on what we are offering and invite you to participate in this undertaking .

We are excited to offer these new ways to stay connected to Mepkin Abbey, especially as we give ourselves over to the present reality to find new life for what lies ahead.
 
Gratefully,

Father Guerric  
Online Ignatian Retreat
with Kathy Tosney
May 15-17, 2020

Suggested Donation $80

 Respond to God’s invitation
to refresh, renew, and deepen your relationship with God through
an Ignatian Retreat…
Kathy Tosney is an Interfaith Spiritual Director in Portland, Maine. She teaches Contemplative Prayer Practices for Mepkin Abbey‘s “Institute for Contemplative Eldering Retreats” and has been a retreat team member at Mepkin for the past 8 years. Kathy also directs Ignatian Retreats at Mepkin Abbey and Eastern Point Jesuit Retreat House in Gloucester, MA. Kathy lives in Portland, Maine and is the proud mother of two adult sons and four young grandchildren. 

 
Sacred Grief
Friday, 22 May – Saturday, May 23, 2020
This retreat will explore the Five Gates of Grief from the book
The Wild Edge of Sorrow by Francis Weller
led by: Fr. Guerric Heckel, ocso
Suggested Donation $60

Father Guerric Heckel
Fr. Guerric has been a monk at Mepkin Abbey for 26 years, where he serves as the Director of St. Francis Retreat Center and its Annual Creche Festival. Prior to that, he was a parish priest in the Diocese of Richmond, VA and a hospital chaplain for 11 years.
Praying Out of the Roots
of Our Own Lives:
A Thomas Merton-Grounded Contemplative Practice Retreat
led by Jonathan Montaldo 
May 29-30, 2020


Suggested Donation: $60
We shall reflect upon key moments in Merton's private journals where he exemplifies a way of praying that he taught his novices at the Abbey of Gethsemani:
praying by entering the school of your own life.
The take-away from this retreat will be a
spiritual exercise for our continuing practice.

Jonathan Montaldo is the editor of numerous books by Thomas Merton including  The Intimate Merton ,  A Year with Thomas Merton ,  Dialogues with Silence , and  Choosing to Love the World . He created a ten-volume resource for small group dialogue,  Bridges to Contemplative Living with Thomas Merton . See his website at MonksWorks.com for further information on Jonathan's ministry.
Being Simply Available
with Chuck Coward, DMin, CM, CPC
June 5-8, 2020
Practically speaking, moving contemplative practices into life, every day, everywhere, with everyone, can be a challenge. It’s one thing to be alone with God and yourself in the quiet, but what does that look like along life’s way? This retreat will help you cultivate this ability. Chuck’s hope, prayer, and aim is for you to emerge from these sessions in community, with a new way of living—
The Simply Available Way.


Suggested Donation $80

Dr. Chuck Coward has invested over 30 years in fostering human and community development from a variety of places and roles including as pastor, non-profit executive director, businessman, consultant, and personhood coach. Chuck is currently serving as Director of Development for Doors to Freedom, a
non-profit bringing new life, restored hope, and a beautiful future to
young girls rescued from sex trafficking.
He is the proud husband to Anita, dad to four, and granddaddy to five.
Contemplative Retreat for Elders
led by Lyndall Hare, PhD Gerontologist
Suggested Donation: $60
Lyndall holds a social work degree and a Ph.D. in Gerontological Studies. She has worked in the field of aging for over 25 years, both in the USA, and in South Africa. She has expertise in the transitions facing individuals in midlife and beyond. As an Eldercare Coach, Lyndall helps those navigating the tricky landscape of elder-caring and aging services for loved ones. As an Aging Consultant, she coaches organizations that serve elders by providing innovative visioning and creative programming and planning. Lyndall also offers professional training workshops to those working in the field of aging. Lyndall conducts workshops and groups on life transitions, encore careers, caring for elder relatives, and the spiritual aspects of eldering using a “growth” rather than a “decline” model of aging.
Lyndall has authored various training manuals & professional journal articles, as well as a book: In the Belly of the Beast: South African Women’s Lives of Activism, Exile, and Aging, CPCC Press, 2003.
Mepkin Abbey St. Francis Retreat Center
Contemplative Connect