Opening people to encounter and experience the Divine in everyday life through workshops, communities, facilitation, teaching, spiritual direction/companioning, supervision and other resources. Focused on seekers pursuing the path of Christian Contemplative Spirituality.
In addition to the resources available at this site, In Via Lumen offers services to groups and to individuals on their spiritual journey. You can find out more about these services on the Assistance and Contact page.
In addition to the resources available at this site, In Via Lumen offers services to groups and to individuals on their spiritual journey. You can find out more about these services on the Assistance and Contact page.
The winter Quarterly meeting of the North-Central Connecticut Chapter of the International Thomas Merton Society will be on Wednesday, January 18, 2023 from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Easter Time and will be held over Zoom. The topic is Contemplative Dialogue as a reflection and extension of Thomas Merton's Contemplative Engagement with the World. Please express your interest on our NCCTIMS web page.
Please visit our past meetings page to view and obtain the materials from our Fall 2022 meeting.
Please visit our past meetings page to view and obtain the materials from our Fall 2022 meeting.
New Programs coming winter 2023!
Monday mornings 10:30 a.m. -12:00 p.m. Eastern Time, January 23, 30. February 6,13,20,27, March 6,13,20,27 - Offered over Zoom.
Openings are limited! |
THOMAS MERTON'S NEW SEEDS OF CONTEMPLATION, A CONTEMPLATIVE BOOK STUDY!
New Seeds of Contemplation is one of Thomas Merton's most widely read and best-loved books. Christians and non-Christians alike have joined in praising it as a successor in the ancient Contemplative tradition of St. John of the Cross, The Cloud of Unknowing, and the medieval mystics. During our 10-week Contemplative journey we’ll begin exploring Thomas Merton’s insights on Contemplation and Contemplative Living. New Seeds of Contemplation is structured as a series of independent chapters so each week will bring new insights to the group. Having a copy of New Seeds of Contemplation is necessary to participate in this group. |
Wednesday evenings 6:30-8:30 p.m. Eastern Time, March 1, 15, 22, 29 April 5, 12, 19, 26 - Offered over Zoom.
Group size limited to 16 participants. |
Rediscovering the Lost Body Connection – An 8-week Book Study & Practicum
In this eight-week in-depth study and practicum, we will explore the practice of BioSpiritual Focusing, based on the book written by Fr. Peter A. Campbell, Ph.D. and Fr. Edwin M. McMahon, Ph.D, entitled, Rediscovering the Lost Body-Connection Within Christian Spirituality. Each evening will highlight key topics of specific chapters and include a group discussion on these topics and chapters. Also, we will offer actual focusing sessions led by experienced companions. Over the course of this study, you will become more aware of the sacred story you carry in your own body and the movement of grace in your life. Prerequisite: Basic familiarity with BioSpiritual Focusing is necessary, BioSpiritual Focusing: Day of Presence or Weekend Retreat is recommended. You will also need to have a copy of Rediscovering the Lost Body-Connection Within Christian Spirituality |
New Partner Programs coming winter 2023!
Wednesday evenings 7:00 -8:30 p.m. Eastern Time, January 25th, Feb. 1st, 8th and 15th 2023. - Offered over Zoom!
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The Vast Wondrous Realms Beyond Mind
At the font of the hermetic tradition of Hidden Wisdom, the Jewish Kabbalah delineated a graduated scale of Consciousness and Being, a Tree of Life whose branches created four interlocking regions of Light and Life, a sort of spiritual DNA. Come and explore this exquisite and exciting Wisdom, and discover over four weeks how it beautifully and thrillingly coincides with the Levels of Consciousness put forward by other traditions, both East & West, both ancient and contemporary. The corroboration is astonishing; its depth and promise exhilarating! |
Tuesday evenings 7:00 -8:30 p.m. Eastern Time February 21st and 28th 2023. - Offered over Zoom
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The Christ Within: Awakening Jesus' Non-Dual Interpersonal Consciousness
We will explore our everyday awareness as a microcosm of Christ's awareness, calling attention to Jewish, Buddhist, and Sufi analogues of non-dual consciousness, along with psychotherapeutic insights and wisdom. For most of Christian history, followers of Jesus focused almost exclusively on his divine identity. In recent decades, theologians began discussing Jesus as a historical figure. Yet, until now, hardly anyone has explored Jesus’ psychological and spiritual awareness. What does St. Paul mean when he maintains that we have “the mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16)? What is “the mind of Christ,” anyway, and what practices and perspectives might help us to experience it ourselves? |
Here's a current list of Featured Events for the Winter into Spring:
December 2022:
December 10, 2022: Lectio Divina Advent Experience with Frank Pendola and Mike Smoolca, Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road West Hartford, CT 06107
January 2023:
Wednesday January 18, 2023 - 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time: Contemplative Dialogue as a reflection and extension of Thomas Merton's Contemplative Engagement with the World. NCCTITMS Quarterly meeting, Online over Zoom.
Monday mornings 10:30 a.m. -12:00 p.m. Eastern Time, January 23, 30. February 6,13,20,27, March 6,13,20,27, THOMAS MERTON'S NEW SEEDS OF CONTEMPLATION, A CONTEMPLATIVE BOOK STUDY! - Offered over Zoom.
Monday evenings 7:00. - 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time, January 23, 30. February 6,13,20,27, March 6,13,20,27, Integrating the Gospel of Thomas into your life - Offered over Zoom. (Group currently at capacity)
Wednesday evenings January 25, February 1, 8 and 15, 2023 - 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time: The Vast Wondrous Realms Beyond Mind with Fr. Michael Holleran, Online over Zoom.
January 28, 2023: The Contemplative Spirituality of Icons and Iconography with Marek Czarnecki, Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road West Hartford, CT 06107
February 2023:
February 11, 2023 - 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. : Centering Prayer Introductory Workshop with Mike Smoolca, Trinity Episcopal Church, 36 Main Street, Newtown CT. Contact Cindy Anderau for more information.
February 18, 2023: Body Presence and Contemplative Awareness: BioSpiritual Focusing Day of Presence with Donna O’Connor and Mike Smoolca, Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road West Hartford, CT 06107
Tuesday evenings February 21and 28, 2023 - 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time: The Christ Within: Awakening Jesus' Non-Dual Interpersonal Consciousness with Robert A. Jonas, Ed.D, M.T.S, Online over Zoom.
February 25, 2023: Centering Prayer Introductory Workshop with Mike Smoolca, Our Lady of Calvary Retreat Center, 31 Colton Street, Farmington, CT 06032
March 2023:
Wednesday evenings March 1,15, 22, 29 April 5, 12, 19, 26, 2023 - 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time: Rediscovering the Lost Body Connection – An 8-week Book Study & Practicum with Donna O'Connor and Mike Smoolca, Online over Zoom.
March 18, 2023: The Mystical Experience of Everyday Living with Sophfronia Scott, M.F.A., Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road West Hartford, CT 06107
March 25, 2023: Centering Prayer Introductory Workshop with Mike Smoolca or Frank Pendola, Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road West Hartford, CT 06107
April 2023:
April 15, 2023: Fear, Freedom, and Levels of the Mind: Cultivating Interior Freedom in Fierce Times with Mark Kutolowski, Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road West Hartford, CT 06107
Our Featured Events list continues to be updated to reflect those events in which In Via Lumen, LLC is involved. More events will be added as time goes on.
December 2022:
December 10, 2022: Lectio Divina Advent Experience with Frank Pendola and Mike Smoolca, Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road West Hartford, CT 06107
January 2023:
Wednesday January 18, 2023 - 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time: Contemplative Dialogue as a reflection and extension of Thomas Merton's Contemplative Engagement with the World. NCCTITMS Quarterly meeting, Online over Zoom.
Monday mornings 10:30 a.m. -12:00 p.m. Eastern Time, January 23, 30. February 6,13,20,27, March 6,13,20,27, THOMAS MERTON'S NEW SEEDS OF CONTEMPLATION, A CONTEMPLATIVE BOOK STUDY! - Offered over Zoom.
Monday evenings 7:00. - 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time, January 23, 30. February 6,13,20,27, March 6,13,20,27, Integrating the Gospel of Thomas into your life - Offered over Zoom. (Group currently at capacity)
Wednesday evenings January 25, February 1, 8 and 15, 2023 - 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time: The Vast Wondrous Realms Beyond Mind with Fr. Michael Holleran, Online over Zoom.
January 28, 2023: The Contemplative Spirituality of Icons and Iconography with Marek Czarnecki, Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road West Hartford, CT 06107
February 2023:
February 11, 2023 - 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. : Centering Prayer Introductory Workshop with Mike Smoolca, Trinity Episcopal Church, 36 Main Street, Newtown CT. Contact Cindy Anderau for more information.
February 18, 2023: Body Presence and Contemplative Awareness: BioSpiritual Focusing Day of Presence with Donna O’Connor and Mike Smoolca, Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road West Hartford, CT 06107
Tuesday evenings February 21and 28, 2023 - 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time: The Christ Within: Awakening Jesus' Non-Dual Interpersonal Consciousness with Robert A. Jonas, Ed.D, M.T.S, Online over Zoom.
February 25, 2023: Centering Prayer Introductory Workshop with Mike Smoolca, Our Lady of Calvary Retreat Center, 31 Colton Street, Farmington, CT 06032
March 2023:
Wednesday evenings March 1,15, 22, 29 April 5, 12, 19, 26, 2023 - 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time: Rediscovering the Lost Body Connection – An 8-week Book Study & Practicum with Donna O'Connor and Mike Smoolca, Online over Zoom.
March 18, 2023: The Mystical Experience of Everyday Living with Sophfronia Scott, M.F.A., Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road West Hartford, CT 06107
March 25, 2023: Centering Prayer Introductory Workshop with Mike Smoolca or Frank Pendola, Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road West Hartford, CT 06107
April 2023:
April 15, 2023: Fear, Freedom, and Levels of the Mind: Cultivating Interior Freedom in Fierce Times with Mark Kutolowski, Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road West Hartford, CT 06107
Our Featured Events list continues to be updated to reflect those events in which In Via Lumen, LLC is involved. More events will be added as time goes on.
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In the fall of 2021, Mike Smoolca was interviewed by Dr. Kevin Reese for his Inner Peace Podcast. Our conversation just came out and I invite you to listen to it. You can find Kevin's other podcasts here:https://linktr.ee/inner.peace.pod |
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Mike Smoolca continues to offer Thursday evening online Contemplative Prayer meetings on Zoom. These sessions run from 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. and will use the following format:
Participants are encouraged to join the Zoom meeting at 6:45 p.m so that any issues can be resolved in advance and so that the group is able to start on time. Please contact Mike Smoolca via email (msmoolca@hotmail.com) directly if you're interested in participating in these sessions!
Please visit the Contemplative Outreach of Connecticut Chapter web site!
I will continue revising the In Via Lumen, LLC web site to stay current with the inspirations of my developing spirituality and areas I'm actively engaged in. -- Mike Smoolca
- Body Scan into Welcoming Prayer
- Video/Audio teaching with Sharing.
- 20 minutes of Centering Prayer
- Scholastic Lectio Divina Practice on an excerpt from the upcoming Sunday Gospel
Participants are encouraged to join the Zoom meeting at 6:45 p.m so that any issues can be resolved in advance and so that the group is able to start on time. Please contact Mike Smoolca via email (msmoolca@hotmail.com) directly if you're interested in participating in these sessions!
Please visit the Contemplative Outreach of Connecticut Chapter web site!
I will continue revising the In Via Lumen, LLC web site to stay current with the inspirations of my developing spirituality and areas I'm actively engaged in. -- Mike Smoolca
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Featured Programs
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Thomas Merton
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Of lasting interest:
Please visit the web page for the newly forming Farmington Valley League of Light Multifaith Community. This community is a wonderful means of Multifaith solidarity. I'd like to draw your attention to the Contemplative Dialogue page.
I'm keep a running history of the pages I've changed below until the site has been updated to my satisfaction:
Latest Blog Entry finalized on 9/25/2016.
Here's a link to the archived recording of my recent radio interview on: WESU's Reasonably Catholic Radio show.
The Day of Christian Contemplative Reflection on June 11, 2016 sponsored by the Christian Contemplative Prayer groups of Northern CT and being hosted by Holy Family was a wonderfully enriching Contemplative experience exploring the Spirituality of Thomas Merton.
We've completed two years (2014-2015, 2015-2016) of the Contemplative Outreach, Contemplative Formation Program in Central CT. Here are the Community pages for both years:
Community Page for Living Flame 1 Experience
Community Page for Living Flame 2 Experience
In the Summer of 2015 Contemplative Outreach Boston sponsored Contemplative Outreach Centering Prayer Presenter Training offered in the greater Hartford Area. Seven folks were trained over two weekends, since then, 2 of the 7 have become Commissioned Presenters of Centering Prayer.
Here are the final updates on the Second Annual Day of Prayer held on June 6, 2015.
Please visit the web page for the newly forming Farmington Valley League of Light Multifaith Community. This community is a wonderful means of Multifaith solidarity. I'd like to draw your attention to the Contemplative Dialogue page.
I'm keep a running history of the pages I've changed below until the site has been updated to my satisfaction:
- Reflections (7/7/2018)
Latest Blog Entry finalized on 9/25/2016.
Here's a link to the archived recording of my recent radio interview on: WESU's Reasonably Catholic Radio show.
The Day of Christian Contemplative Reflection on June 11, 2016 sponsored by the Christian Contemplative Prayer groups of Northern CT and being hosted by Holy Family was a wonderfully enriching Contemplative experience exploring the Spirituality of Thomas Merton.
We've completed two years (2014-2015, 2015-2016) of the Contemplative Outreach, Contemplative Formation Program in Central CT. Here are the Community pages for both years:
Community Page for Living Flame 1 Experience
Community Page for Living Flame 2 Experience
In the Summer of 2015 Contemplative Outreach Boston sponsored Contemplative Outreach Centering Prayer Presenter Training offered in the greater Hartford Area. Seven folks were trained over two weekends, since then, 2 of the 7 have become Commissioned Presenters of Centering Prayer.
Here are the final updates on the Second Annual Day of Prayer held on June 6, 2015.