Mercy Center Schedule of Retreats:
2008—2009 Schedule
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►Living
in the Present Moment: A Guided Retreat
July 25—August 1, 2008
We can only know the truth that God is present in the here and now
when our minds are still and when we are present, fully and
intensely, in the Now. This retreat will help us discover the
richness of God’s life within us. This quiet retreat begins with
5:30 p.m. supper on Friday, July 25 and closes mid-morning on
Friday, August 1.
Presenter: Carol Marozzi, SSJ, the former director
of Bon Secours Spiritual Center in Marriottsville, MD, has extensive
experience in spiritual direction and retreat ministry.
Non-refundable registration: $25.00
Total cost, including registration:
Resident—$410.00
Commuter—$275.00
Contact: Rita O’Dea
►Yoga Series: Eight Sessions
Tuesday evenings, 5:30—6:30 p.m.
September 30—November 18, 2008
This yoga class will build flexibility, strength, and balance. Learn
stress management techniques to quiet the mind, increase
concentration, and build body confidence.
Instructor: Barb Michael is the owner of Optimal
Lifestyles, a health and fitness company specializing in general
fitness and yoga.
Non-refundable registration: $10.00
Total cost, including registration: $80.00
Single session: $12.00
Contact: Denise Murnin
►The
Sacred Universe—A Six Week Video Series
Wednesday mornings, 10:00—11:30 a.m.
October 1—November 5, 2008
This program celebrates the oneness, beauty, and wonder of creation.
Come view the videos, share reflections on the content, and join in
ritual/prayer.
Oct. 1—Keeping the Earth (A religious and scientific perspective on
the environment)
Oct. 8—The Unfolding Story (Scientists, authors, religious leaders,
and other visionaries relate the story of an interconnected,
interdependent, living universe.)
Oct. 15—The Hidden Heart of the Cosmos with Brian Swimme (Three
parts: The Generosity of the Sun, The Birthplace of the Universe,
and The All-Nourishing Abyss)
Oct. 22—Water: Sacred and Profane (Poets, scientists, and
naturalists share their experience of water.)
Oct. 29—The Great Story with Thomas Berry (The universe as a cosmic
liturgy)
Nov. 5—The Awakening Universe (Includes the Cosmic Walk ritual)
Facilitator: Corlita Bonnarens, RSM heads Mercy
Center’s Creative Spirituality Program.
Non-refundable registration: $10.00
Total cost, including registration: $50.00
Single Session: $10
►Creating and Praying with Clay—Six Weekly Sessions
Tuesday afternoons, 1:30—3:30 p.m.
October 7—November 11, 2008
These sessions are opportunities for adults to express their spirituality in a creative manner. Participants will be guided in meditation and given the freedom to express images in clay. The focus of these sessions is on the process of creating, the spiritual soul work. Instruction in hand-building techniques with clay will be given. No previous experience is necessary. Fee includes all materials and firing.
Facilitator: Corlita Bonnarens, RSM
Non-refundable registration: $10.00
Total cost, including registration: $100.00
►Sabbath: Restoring
the Sacred Rhythm of Rest—A Fall Book Discussion Group
Thursday mornings, 10:00—11:30 a.m.
October 23—November 20, 2008
Come and gather to discuss Wayne Muller’s book Sabbath, a response
to society’s relentless emphasis on productivity which has become a
form of violence. The tradition of Sabbath, an oasis of sacred time,
offers a healing alternative to the demands of 24/7. The book will
be available for purchase at Mercy Center prior to the first
session.
Facilitator: Rita O’Dea is a member of the Mercy
Center Spirituality Team.
Non-refundable registration: $10.00
Total cost, including registration: $55.00
►An Autumn Day of
Prayer led by Paul Coutinho, SJ
Saturday, October 25, 2008
9:00 a.m.—5:00 p.m.
Do you have a real relationship with God, or do you just have a
religion? Have you ever considered believing in a God without
limits, a God powerful enough to enable you to think, love, and live
differently? Join the author of the award-winning book How Big is
Your God? for a day of reflection, sharing, and prayer around these
and similar questions.
Presenter: Paul Coutinho, SJ is an internationally
recognized Ignatian scholar, author, teacher, and speaker who brings
an Eastern flavor to Western spirituality.
Non-refundable registration: $10.00
Total cost, including registration: $30.00 (includes lunch)
Contact: Agnes Brueggen, RSM
►Painting,
Praying, and Playing with Watercolor
Saturday, November 15, 2008
9:30 a.m.—3:00 p.m.
Through a process of centering and guided imagery, one comes into
contact with inner “soul images,” and expresses this inner content
in free-flowing watercolor images. Participants will be introduced
to simple, playful techniques of painting with watercolor. Limited
to 15 participants.
Facilitator: Corlita Bonnarens, RSM heads the
Creative Spirituality Program at Mercy Center.
Non-refundable registration: $10.00
Total cost, including registration: $60.00
►Finding the God of
the Dark—A Quiet Advent Retreat
December 5—6, 2008
While Advent is a season marked by longing for light, it also
invites us to discover the God who dwells in quiet darkness and
deepest night. This guided retreat offers reflective time to explore
the richness of these themes.
This quiet retreat begins with 5:30 p.m. supper on Friday, December
5 and closes at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 6.
Presenter: Marilyn Wussler, SSND is a spiritual
director and a retreat director.
Non-refundable registration: $15.00
Total cost, including registration:
Residents—$105.00
Commuters—$ 65.00.
For an extra night—add $55.00
Contact: Agnes Brueggen, RSM
►Taizé Prayer for
Advent
Sunday evening, 7:00—8:00 p.m.
December 14, 2008
This is an ecumenical service of song, silence, and scripture. That
Little Springtime—an introductory video about the history, spirit,
and prayer style of Taizé—will be shown at 6:30 p.m. Donations
welcomed.
Contact: Rita O’Dea
►Soul
Feast: An Invitation to the Christian Spiritual Life
A Spring Book Discussion Group
Thursday mornings, 10:00—11:30 a.m.
March 5—April 2, 2009
Marjorie Thompson, author of Soul Feast, observes, “There is a
hunger abroad in our time, haunting lives and hearts…a hunger for
spiritual depth and integrity that is gaining momentum.” Come gather
to discuss this insightful book which explores practices aimed at
satisfying the spiritual yearning of our time.
The book will be available for purchase at Mercy Center prior to the
first session.
Facilitator: Rita O’Dea is a member of the Mercy
Center Spirituality Team.
Non-refundable registration: $10.00
Total cost, including registration: $55.00
►Seven Times Seventy-Seven: The Process of
Forgiveness
A Quiet Lenten Retreat
March 13—14, 2009
Forgiveness is one of the greatest and most complex challenges of
the Christian faith. This guided retreat, rooted in Scripture, will
explore the process of forgiveness of self, of others, and—yes—of
God. This quiet retreat begins with 5:30 p.m. supper on Friday,
March 13 and closes at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 14.
Presenter: Joan Delaplane, OP engages in the
ministry of spiritual direction and gives retreats and workshops in
the St. Louis area.
Non-refundable registration: $15.00
Total cost, including registration:
Residents—$105.00
Commuters—$ 65.00
For an extra night—add $55.00
Contact: Rita O'Dea
►Taizé Prayer for Lent
Sunday evening, 7:00—8:00 p.m.
March 15, 2009
This is an ecumenical service of song, silence, and scripture. That
Little Springtime—an introductory video about the history, spirit, and
prayer style of Taizé—will be shown at
6:30 p.m.
Donations welcomed.
Contact: Rita O’Dea
►A Journey with Thomas Merton—A Guided Retreat
May 17—23, 2009
This quiet retreat will explore some of the dynamics of conversion in
the life and work of Thomas Merton. Ample time will be provided during
the retreat day for reading, reflection, prayer, and
rest. This quiet retreat begins at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 17
and closes with lunch on Saturday, May 23.
Presenter: Tom Nelson, CM serves as adjunct faculty at Naropa University
in Boulder, Colorado and directs 8 and 30-day retreats nationally and
internationally.
Non-refundable registration: $25.00
Total cost, including registration:
Residents—$350.00
Commuters—$250.00
Contact: Rita O'Dea
►From Here to Hope: Six Degrees of Reconciliation—A
Guided Retreat
July 24—31, 2009
In a world divided by religion and race, culture, creed, and class, how
do we arrive at a place of peace? This retreat explores six themes
essential to a ministry of reconciliation: Recognition, Recollection,
Honesty, Hospitality, Humility, and Hope. This quiet retreat begins with
5:30 p.m. supper on Friday, July 24 and closes mid-morning on Friday,
July 31.
Presenter: Joe Nassal, CPPS has been engaged in
retreat, renewal, and reconciliation ministry since 1988 and is the
author of eight books, including Premeditated Mercy.
Non-refundable registration: $25.00
Total cost, including registration:
Resident—$410.00
Commuter—$275.00
Contact: Agnes Brueggen, RSM
ALSO AT MERCY CENTER
►A Workshop with Diarmuid O’Murchu
June 13—14, 2009
Diarmuid will share reflections from his latest book Ancestral Grace: Meeting God in Our Human Story. Diarmuid O’Murchu is a member of the Sacred Heart Missionaries who works as a counselor and social psychologist in London. He has
lectured internationally and written extensively on spiritual issues
of our time. His books include Quantum Theology, Evolutionary
Faith, and Reclaiming Spirituality.
New Awakenings Contact: Ron Nimer at nimron@sbcglobal.net or (636)
227-0772
► Bridges to Contemplative Living with Thomas Merton—Vol. 4: Discovering the Hidden Ground of Love.
Wednesday evenings, 7:00—8:30 pm, September 24—November 12, 2008.
These sessions follow a four-fold process of spiritual development—awakening, compassion, contemplation, and unity—and are guided by the series Bridges to Contemplative Living. Be guided by such voices as Sogyal Rinpoche, Mevlana Rumi, and Leonard Cohen to a place of interior silence and transformation. The booklet is included in the fee for the series.
Facilitator: Betty Leiwe, CSJ is a Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet with a background in theology, liturgy, and spirituality.
Call Mercy Center at (314) 966-4686 for information or registration.
►Transformational Relationships: Exploring our Capacity for Profound Change through Life-Giving Relationships
Thursday evenings, 7:00-9:00 PM, September 25, October 2, 9, 16, 23, 2008
Presented by Maury Boehmer, a member of New Awakenings Community who holds graduate degrees in Theology and in Culture and Spirituality, and who has given various workshops, seminars, and adult education programs in the St. Louis area. Come and explore our capacity for relationships in which we can awaken to the underlying connectedness and oneness of all beings. These sessions will help us discover new ways of finding a sense of healing in our lives, a sense of meaning to everything, and a sense that our lives are making a difference in our world. These five evenings are about the mystery of life and about our journey together to find the life that we long for.
For information or registration, contact: Maury Boehmer at MAGB324@aol.com or at (636) 256-9067
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