In Her Words Writing Retreats
The women who have “mothered” the Christian faith have abundant gifts to share with us. With passion and theological clarity, they speak to us in their own words, their own writings, which have been preserved for us for generations. We are blessed by the richness of their spirituality, born of their prayerful and absolute fidelity to the Jesus of the Gospels before all others.
We can receive our Mothers’ wisdom and create the space for the Wisdom that speaks today. We need only be willing to ask, “What is it you want to teach me?” And “How is my spirit moved by what you are saying?”
During these retreats we will ask these questions within the spiritual posture of the specialized prayer practice I have created, the Dialectical Written Prayer Method©. When we write, we create and reveal our deepest truths. Writing in conversation with a particular holy woman, in response to her own written witness, we will allow her words to feed our souls.
Your transformative writing retreat experience will engage one of the following spiritual classics, each written by our spiritual companion herself:
See how grace abounds when we allow their voices to speak!
See how God’s love for us is made new and fresh through their words!
See how our prayer life changes when we pray with those who have walked before us!
Each Retreat Includes:
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Opening and closing worship, as well as prayer during each meeting session.
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3-hour program segments of lecture, spiritual practice, and discussion.
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Guided instruction in the Dialectical Written Prayer Method© in each session.
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Lectures / presentations with theological and historical reflection.
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Large and small group reflection work.
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Facilitated discussions and harvesting of spiritual gifts.
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Handouts for additional reading and reflection.
Lecture and discussion will include:
Best Time of Year?
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In Her Words retreats can be scheduled at any time during the year.
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Consider creating a series of retreats and spend time with more of these holy women over the course of a year!
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Create a retreat to coincide with one of the women’s feast days or with Mother's Day!
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A great way to welcome the New Year!
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Easter season!
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End of summer before “back-to-school” sets in.
Who Should Attend?
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Open to all community members, including ministers and leaders.
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Especially relevant to women’s faith and spirituality, but men ARE welcome!
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These retreats would make a nice complement to any parish or community work related to personal vocation.
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Anyone in a personal discernment process.
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All who love to write or who love to explore language and the written word.
Scheduling:
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3-day retreats: 5 3-hour sessions (Fri evening through Sun morning)
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These retreats can be expanded to 5- or 8-day retreats.