St. Benedict understood that life lived in community was essential to the spiritual growth of the individual monk, and we know how important it is for our own health and development to have a community of people who both support and challenge us. What can we learn from the Benedictine dynamics of stability, obedience, and conversatio—which monks commit to when entering the monastery—to assist us as we form community in the time of social distancing? This workshop includes small group interactions on questions related to the practice of relationship during the current pandemic.

Dr. Michael Carey is an oblate of Valyermo. He is an Associate Professor of Organizational Leadership at Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA. He has taught leadership studies at the graduate level for 33 years at Gonzaga and works to ensure that Gonazaga's graduate leadership programs follow in the tradition of Jesuit education that stretches back to St. Ignatius of Loyola. But his first love is St. Benedict and the community of St. Andrew's Abbey, which he has been connected to since 1971.

, a Massachusetts native, is a monk of the Camaldolese Congregation of the Order of St. Benedict and lives at the Monastery of the Risen Christ in San Luis Obispo, where he is director of oblates. He is a retreat director, spiritual director, and is involved in other formation ministries at the Hermitage in Big Sur and at San Lorenzo Seminary in Santa Ynez. He is a graduate of St. John's School of Theology in Collegeville, MN and holds degrees in Christian Spirituality from Creighton in Omaha and in Pastoral Leadership from Chaminade in Honolulu.

CANCELLED TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR LIFE
Wednesday, October 14, 2020, 10:00a.m.-3:00p.m.

Life has way of making so many demands on our time and energy. Sometimes the harder we try the more frustrating it can become. Taking time out to slow down and refocus can do wonders for our mind, body and spirit.

Life often offers us many challenges but you do not have to go it alone. On this one-day retreat, you will learn some very valuable and workable techniques that can assist you in your daily life. Christ is present among us and offers us His "Light" to guide our way. It is possible to turn a life of chaos into a life of peace and calm.

Presenter: Sr. Joan Marie Sasse, OSB
Donation: $45 per person includes tuition, morning beverages, and lunch after Mass

Sr. Joan Marie Sasse is a Benedictine Sister who was a member of Holy Spirit Monastery in Grand Terrace for many years. When the Community left California in 2012, she joined St. Lucy's Benedictine Community in Glendora. Sr. Joan Marie has earned degrees in Education, Theology, and Neuro Linguistic Programming. She was a teacher and school administrator in various elementary schools for over twenty years and served as a Parish Administrator or Pastoral Associate for thirteen years. Sr. Joan Marie was a Retreat Director at Serra Retreat House in Malibu for five years where she published five Meditation CD's and two CD's for self-improvement. Sr. Joan Marie currently gives weekly Retreats at Grand Terrace, CA.

Wil Hernandez, PhD, Obl. OSB, is an international retreat leader, spiritual director, and author of several books on Nouwen. A Benedictine oblate of Saint Andrew’s Abbey in Valyermo, CA, he

devotes a lot of his time propagating the enduring legacy of Nouwen through retreats, courses, workshops that he conducts all over the US, Canada, and abroad. Aside from managing the Nouwen Legacy Associates (www.nouwenlegacy.com), Wil serves as the executive director of CenterQuest – an ecumenical hub for the study and practice of Christian spirituality ( www.CQCenterQuest.org).