NEW FOR 2019: Now available! An Invitation to Celtic Wisdom draws on myth, folklore, poetry, and the tales of Celtic saints and heroes, to explore the spiritual tradition of the Celtic peoples — a tradition rooted in hospitality, love of nature, and a mystical sense of the presence of God. The Celtic way is more important […]
Judith Valente is a poet, a journalist, a Benedictine oblate, and the author of books including Atchison Blue: A Search for Silence, a Spiritual Home, and a Living Faith and How to Live: What the Rule of Saint Benedict Teaches Us About Happiness, Meaning and Community. Her books of poetry include Discovering Moons and The Art of Pausing: Meditations for the … Continue reading Judith Valente: Silence, St. Benedict, and Writing (Episode 39) → … Read more at Encountering Silence
Here’s a trailer for a forthcoming short film about Thomas Merton and the hermitage he lived in at the end of his life. Take a few moments and watch this. It’s a treat. And be sure to watch it to the end. “Most human speech is devised to evade being,…… Read more at Patheos
On Facebook recently I engaged in a dialogue with a reader named Aaron who commented on my post Letting Go of (Our Limited Image of) God. This reader describes “druidry” as “his main private practice,” although he remains connected with progressive Christianity as well. Our conversation explores the idea that sometimes,…… Read more at Patheos
British writer and educator Dr. Helen E. Lees is an independent scholar, journalist and artist whose work explores topics such as alternative education, silence and sexuality. She is an associate research fellow at York St John University in England. Her books include Education Without Schools: Discovering Alternatives and Silence in Schools. Dr. Lees appears in the movie In Pursuit of Silence and a transcript of … Continue reading Helen Lees: Silence, Politics, and Education → … Read more at Encountering Silence
November 1, 2018 marks the publication date of my new book on Celtic spirituality, An Invitation to Celtic Wisdom . Click here or scroll below to order your copy! If you have been looking for a cup to dip into the deep well of Celtic spirituality, you have found it…… Read more at Patheos
Would you like to spend a week with me in the Scottish Hebrides, visiting stone circles, places of historical and deep natural beauty, and — of course — a couple of days on Iona? If so, then the Elemental Scotland Retreat might be for you! Limited to only 10 retreatants, this will be an intimate, deeply contemplative, deeply prayerful week where we integrate the wisdom and stories of the Celts with a meaningful practice of prayer and contemplation. If you’re interested, follow the link below to learn more.
| Date: | July 20, 2019—July 27, 2019 |
|---|---|
| Event: | Elemental Scotland |
| Topic: | Elemental Scotland |
| Sponsor: | Ardfenaig Lodge |
| Venue: | Ardfenaig Lodge |
| Location: | Isle of Mull Scotland |
| Public: | Public |
| Registration: | Click here to register. |
| More Info: | Click here for more information. |
To invite Carl McColman to speak to your community, click here.
This week was a rough one for the Christian contemplative community. We lost two major authors: Eugene Peterson and Thomas Keating. Peterson was the author of books like A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society and The Contemplative Pastor, while Keating is known for titles like…… Read more at Patheos
Here is a litany created from the words of Julian of Norwich, 14th Century English Mystic. I put together this litany for a Julian of Norwich quiet day I led at a church in Atlanta a few years ago. Yesterday I was going through some papers and found a copy…… Read more at Patheos
Allison M. Sullivan is a mom, wife, yoga teacher, author, podcaster, and spiritual companion. She is the author of Rock Paper Scissors: God’s Mighty Power, Jesus’s Covering Forgiveness, and the Snipping Refinement of the Holy Spirit. She is the host of the Sinner Saint Sister podcast. She and her family reside in Bryan, Texas, where she engages … Continue reading Allison M. Sullivan: Silence, Yoga, and Faith (Episode 37) → … Read more at Encountering Silence
In response to my post Can Christians Use a (Non-Christian) Mantra?, a reader posted this comment on social media: As opposed to being an instrument of thought, when I use a mantra, which now being a Centering Prayer practitioner is rare, what it creates for me is a vibrational, harmonic integration…… Read more at Patheos
“God loves us whether we remain Christian or not.” That’s a statement I made in a previous post, How Should a Christian Respond When a Friend Becomes Interested in Witchcraft and Magic? In response to this, a reader wrote this to me: This is why I love your writing. That said,…… Read more at Patheos
In this episode we conclude our interview with poet and essayist Kathleen Norris. In part one of the interview, Kathleen and Cassidy explored topics such as poetry, creativity, silence (of course) and acedia — a spiritual malady that she wrote about movingly in her memoir Acedia and Me. This is part two of a two part … Continue reading Kathleen Norris, Part Two: SIlence, Poetry, and Acedia (Episode 36) → … Read more at Encountering Silence
Join me this winter at the Ignatius House Jesuit Retreat Center in Atlanta for a special three-night contemplative retreat called “Two Paths to Contemplative Prayer: Spiritual Wisdom from St. Ignatius and Thomas Merton .” This silent retreat will include ample time for personal prayer, conferences each day to invite us deeper into our prayer through the wisdom of St. Ignatius and Merton, and the beautiful facility and grounds of Ignatius House — gorgeous even in the winter!
| Date: | January 31, 2019—February 2, 2019 |
|---|---|
| Event: | Two Paths to Contemplation: A 3 Night Retreat at Ignatius House |
| Topic: | Contemplative Prayer |
| Sponsor: | Ignatius House |
| Venue: |
Ignatius House (404) 255-0503 |
| Location: | 6700 Riverside Drive NW Atlanta, GA 30328 |
| Public: | Public |
| Registration: | Click here to register. |
| More Info: | Click here for more information. |
To invite me to speak to your community, click here.
One of the highlights of my year is the “Wisdom of the Christian Mystics” retreat that I co-facilitate each year with my dear friend, the Trappist monk Br. Elias Marechal (author of Tears of An Innocent God).
This year, Brother Elias and I will be leading this retreat at Holy Spirit Monastery in Conyers, GA, November 16-18.
If you want to go, call now — it usually fills up weeks in advance — and put your name on the waiting list if it’s already full. Sometimes people cancel at the last minute.
| Date: | November 16, 2018—November 18, 2018 |
|---|---|
| Event: | Wisdom of the Christian Mystics Retreat |
| Topic: | Wisdom of the Christian Mystics |
| Sponsor: |
Monastery of the Holy Spirit (770) 760-0959 |
| Venue: |
Monastery of the Holy Spirit Retreat House (770) 760-0959 |
| Location: | 2625 Highway 212 SW Conyers, GA 30094 |
| Registration: | Click here to register. |
| More Info: | Click here for more information. |
To invite me to speak to your community, click here.
