Thomas Merton
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SPRING 2016
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Our Lady of Calvary Retreat Center
Sisters of the Cross and Passion
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During Pope Francis’ visit to the United States in October 2015 he addressed a Joint Session of Congress and singled out Thomas Merton as one of four “great Americans.” Of Merton, the Pope remarked that:
“He remains a source of spiritual inspiration and a guide for many people… Merton was above all a man of prayer, a thinker who challenged the certitudes of his time and opened new horizons for souls and for the Church. He was also a man of dialogue, a promoter of peace between peoples and religions.”
It is wonderful to explore to share the legacy of Thomas Merton together through these programs.
“He remains a source of spiritual inspiration and a guide for many people… Merton was above all a man of prayer, a thinker who challenged the certitudes of his time and opened new horizons for souls and for the Church. He was also a man of dialogue, a promoter of peace between peoples and religions.”
It is wonderful to explore to share the legacy of Thomas Merton together through these programs.
THOMAS MERTON, A SPIRITUAL JOURNEY IN MODERN TIMES
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Click here to register for the Morning Program: 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m
Click here to register for the Evening Program: 6:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
During the entire course of our lives, God calls us to a make a spiritual journey of continuing depth and transformation. Though each of our journeys is unique, it is often helpful to have a guide who has come before us, charting a path and showing us what we may encounter. Thomas Merton is such a guide in our contemporary times.
Merton’s lasting legacy is his honest exposition of a constantly unfolding spiritual journey of deep transformation and constant conversion. Merton intimately shared his journey in writing with openness and honesty and spoke about his deep mystical insights as well as his doubts and struggles. His writing and insights on the spiritual journey continue to be vital for the world we live in today.
During the course of this program we’ll explore the arc of Merton’s spiritual life, share the key challenges and the important insights he writes about. The day is based on four conferences that trace the path of his journey:
Conference 1. What you should say is that you want to be a saint
Conference 2. My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going
Conference 3. It was like waking from a dream of separateness
Conference 4. The things that are on the surface are nothing, what is deep is the Real
along with periods of silent reflection and group dialogue.
We hope you will join us. Please pass along a brochure for this program available here:
Click here to register for the Morning Program: 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m
Click here to register for the Evening Program: 6:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
During the entire course of our lives, God calls us to a make a spiritual journey of continuing depth and transformation. Though each of our journeys is unique, it is often helpful to have a guide who has come before us, charting a path and showing us what we may encounter. Thomas Merton is such a guide in our contemporary times.
Merton’s lasting legacy is his honest exposition of a constantly unfolding spiritual journey of deep transformation and constant conversion. Merton intimately shared his journey in writing with openness and honesty and spoke about his deep mystical insights as well as his doubts and struggles. His writing and insights on the spiritual journey continue to be vital for the world we live in today.
During the course of this program we’ll explore the arc of Merton’s spiritual life, share the key challenges and the important insights he writes about. The day is based on four conferences that trace the path of his journey:
Conference 1. What you should say is that you want to be a saint
Conference 2. My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going
Conference 3. It was like waking from a dream of separateness
Conference 4. The things that are on the surface are nothing, what is deep is the Real
along with periods of silent reflection and group dialogue.
We hope you will join us. Please pass along a brochure for this program available here:
| thomas_merton_03-09-2016.pdf |
EXPLORING CONTEMPLATIVE LIVING WITH THOMAS MERTON’S NEW SEEDS OF CONTEMPLATIONSix Wednesday's, March - May 2016 7:00 - 9:00 pm
The following themes will be covered |
New Seeds of Contemplation
Please obtain a copy of New Seeds of Contemplation to follow along with us during each session.
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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 notable successor in the ancient Contemplative tradition of St. John of the Cross, The Cloud of Unknowing, and the medieval mystics.
For Merton, "Every moment and every event in every man's life on earth plants something in his soul. For just as the wind carries thousands of winged seeds, so each moment brings with it germs of spiritual vitality that come to rest imperceptibly in the minds and wills of men. "
Our 3-month Contemplative journey will explore Thomas Merton’s insights on Contemplative Living. The (typically) bi-weekly workshop sessions will follow the well-established format used in Contemplative Living with Thomas Merton workshops.
In our sessions we will explore themes and writings from Thomas Merton’s New Seeds of Contemplation and explore questions designed to engage us in the process of self-exploration and personal sharing. We will encourage participants to incorporate insights gained each evening into their lives during the intermediate period between sessions and we’ll have time to share them at the start of each session.
The following chapters will be covered along with each theme:
We hope you will join us. Please pass along a brochure for this program available here:
For Merton, "Every moment and every event in every man's life on earth plants something in his soul. For just as the wind carries thousands of winged seeds, so each moment brings with it germs of spiritual vitality that come to rest imperceptibly in the minds and wills of men. "
Our 3-month Contemplative journey will explore Thomas Merton’s insights on Contemplative Living. The (typically) bi-weekly workshop sessions will follow the well-established format used in Contemplative Living with Thomas Merton workshops.
In our sessions we will explore themes and writings from Thomas Merton’s New Seeds of Contemplation and explore questions designed to engage us in the process of self-exploration and personal sharing. We will encourage participants to incorporate insights gained each evening into their lives during the intermediate period between sessions and we’ll have time to share them at the start of each session.
The following chapters will be covered along with each theme:
- Contemplation - Chapters 1, 2
- God's Will, Faith and Freedom - Chapters 3, 18, 27
- Our True Selves - Chapters 4, 5, 6
- We Are One - Chapters 7,8,9
- Sin, Evil and Hatred - Chapters 13,16,17
- We are United to God In Christ - Chapters 21,22, 39
We hope you will join us. Please pass along a brochure for this program available here:
| exploring_contemplative_living_series.pdf |
Presented by Mike Smoolca, a Spiritual Director, active in ministries in his parish, St. Mary, Simsbury. Mike is an experienced contemplative group and workshop facilitator and dedicated student of Contemplative practices. He has been reading Thomas Merton for 10 years and applying Merton’s insights to guide his own spiritual journey while facilitating Thomas Merton workshops for the past 3 years. Mike retired from a nearly 30 year career in Business and Technology to focus on deepening his relationships, spirituality, teaching and service to others.