THE INNER PILGRIMAGE
Monday, June 20 – Friday, July 24
The presenters will describe the dynamics of the spiritual journey from purification to theosis as well as the rhythmic movements between suffering /darkness and consolation/union/joy. Material will be drawn not only from traditional monastics and mystics, but also from contemporary psychology.
Presenter: Fr. Francis Benedict, OSB, Abbot Emeritus
Audrey Spindler, PhD, RD Obl.OSB
Room, board, and tuition: $380 single; $300 shared
BOWED DOWN WITH GRIEF
Friday, June 24 – Sunday, June 26
This retreat looks at our losses and examines what happens to us when someone we love dies. We will attempt to look at grief through the eyes of faith as a personal journey with Jesus, the saints, and Holy Scripture. Time will be given for personal sharing and for rediscovering better coping skills for stress, loss, and depression.
Presenter: Fr. Isaac Kalina, OSB
Room, board, and tuition: $260 single; $170 shared
BENEDICTINE SPIRITUALITY FOR THE LAITY
Wednesday, June 29 – Sunday, July 3
This mid-week through weekend workshop is intended to introduce and deepen for the Oblates of Valyermo those values and practices we share in common, whether as Benedictines in the cloister or in the world.
Presenter: Fr. Francis Benedict, OSB, Abbot Emeritus
Room, board, and tuition: $380 single; $300 shared
A POWER GREATER THAN OURSELVES: Reflections on Twelve-Step Spirituality
Friday, July 8 – Sunday, July 10
This retreat is a personal exploration of Twelve-Step Spirituality for those in recovery and those who have seen the efficacy of these spiritual principles in the lives of those who practice them.
Presenter: Fr. Francis Benedict, OSB, Abbot Emeritus
Room, board, and tuition: $260 single; $170 shared
MANY ARE CALLED
Monday, July 11 – Friday, July 15
It is the vocation of every Christian to be Christ’s presence in the world. While some are called to be parents; some, as single men and women of faith; some others hear a call to ministry or religious life. This retreat is intended to give those discerning ministry or religious life the time and space for quiet reflection and prayer. Brief conferences will be offered as well as opportunities to speak with a monk, but the primary goal is to simply listen to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit.
Presenter: Monks of Valyermo
Room, board, and tuition: $380 single; $300 shared
SPIRITUALITY AND CONTEMPORARY CINEMA: Summer Session
Friday, July 15 – Sunday, July 17
The greatest human and spiritual truths are always embodied in stories and narratives. Today much of the burden of storytelling is carried by movies. This year we are continuing the theme of Major Life Transitions. We will view four films on ‘...and then there were three’ and have intensive discussions on how spiritual realities are shown through their plots, symbols, acting and so forth. This workshop seeks to raise and focus consciousness of the medium and offer ways to use it in the ongoing project of spiritual growth.
Presenter: Nikki Tucker, Obl.OSB
Room, board, and tuition: $260 single; $170 shared
LEADERSHIP AND COMMUNITY: Gonzaga University Annual Reunion
Monday, July 18 – Friday, July 22
(This is a closed course for students enrolled at Gonzaga University.)
Presenter: Dr. Michael Carey, Obl.OSB
Room, board, and tuition: $380 single; $300 shared
WOMEN IN EARLY JUDEO-CHRISTIAN TRADITION
Wednesday, July 27 – Sunday, July 31
From Ruth and Esther to Mary, the Mother of Jesus and Mary Magdalene to the desert mothers, Syncletica and Mary of Egypt, we will examine the importance of the roles of women in the development of religious traditions of Judaism and Early Christianity using both biblical texts and other writings. Time will be allotted for prayerful reflection on these texts and group discussion.
Presenters: Br. Patrick Sheridan, OSB
Michaela Ludwick, Obl.OSB
Cheryl Evanson, Obl.OSB
Room, board, and tuition: $380 single; $300 shared
THE JESUS PRAYER
Friday, August 5 – Sunday, August 7
“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” The Jesus Prayer is an ancient monastic means to “prayer of the heart.” This workshop will help put the contemplative Jesus Prayer tradition at the service of contemporary Christians who seek to encounter God, “heart to heart.”
Presenter: Fr. Maximos Davies
Room, board, and tuition: $260 single; $170 shared
THE ART OF SPIRITUAL FRIENDSHIP
Monday, August 8 – Friday, August 12
Friendship has always been an important and essential part of human experience. Cicero called it a “necessity.” Aristotle said true friends seek the good in each other, love each other not for what they can get out of the relationship but for what they are. Spiritual friendship goes deeper and has been described in depth by Aelred of Rievaulx and St. Francis de Sales. Its most profound characteristic is that its foundation is in the love of God and the desire to share with each other a deepening of each person’s relationship with God. We will explore all these facets of friendship and focus on developing the skills that can intensify a spiritual relationship, particularly deep listening of the heart.
Presenters: Fr. Francis Benedict, OSB
Milania Austin Henley, Obl.OSB
Room, board, and tuition: $380 single; $300 shared
THE THEOLOGY OF EVIL AND THE NOVELS OF CHARLES WILLIAMS
Friday, August 19 – Sunday, August 21
Charles Williams, a contemporary of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, was a lay-theologian, poet, playwright, and novelist. In this workshop we will focus on two of Williams' seven novels: War in Heaven, and Descent into Hell. Though admittedly obscure, Williams' novels have been described as some of the noblest and most moving pages in English literature. He was preoccupied with the Christian view of evil and the contention between the forces of good and evil in the world. Accordingly, as an introduction to the two novels, we shall study the Christian understanding of evil in the world as well as the life and theology of Charles Williams.
Presenters: Fr. Luke Dysinger, OSB
Buzz McCoy, Obl.OSB
Room, board, and tuition: $260 single; $170 shared
PROTESTANTS ON MONASTICISM
Friday, August 26 – Sunday, August 28
Though the institution of monasticism was dissolved in most Christian traditions that were born out of the sixteenth-century Reformation, there were always Protestant leaders who mourned its loss and argued for its return. This retreat will look at those authors’ rationale for the re-institution of monasticism among Protestant churches and explore communities that have come into existence as a result in the past two centuries.
Presenter: Dr. Greg Peters, Obl.OSB
Room, board, and tuition: $260 single; $170 shared
