SHALOM PRAYER CENTER - FALL 2011 CALENDAR

Dear Friends,

          Welcome to the Shalom Fall Calendar of retreats! Consider this calendar as a standing invitation to come to Shalom Prayer Center.

          Of all the places to go for a retreat, you will find Shalom Prayer Center very special because it exists
within the living, praying, hospitable monastic community of Queen of Angels Monastery. Come to the quiet peace of Shalom Prayer Center.

          We look forward to welcoming you!

                                                      Sister Dorothy Jean Beyer
                                                      Director, Shalom Prayer Center

 AUGUST

August Retreat: Discerning Your Calling

          This workshop provides principles and guidelines for discerning or refining a sense of calling, especially as it relates to passionate purpose in life and work.
Presenter : James D. Henry, MDiv has more than 35 years’ experience in Christian ministry, career and organizational development, and management training.

          Friday, August 26, 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. $25, deposit $10; lunch $6.50 or bring your own lunch.
Register by August 23.

With Hearts Expanding:  Spiritual Direction Training Program

          Do you desire to explore and learn how one becomes a spiritual director? Shalom Prayer Center offers a two-year ministry formation program of 24 three-hour classes per year. This formation provides the time and the space to integrate your skills with your ministry and spirituality. The first class for Year I is August 30.           

          For more information, contact Sister Joan Pokorny, 503.845.2779 or jmposb@yahoo.com.

SEPTEMBER

Spirituality of Work, Prayer and Leisure according to St. Benedict

           St. Benedict tells us “Ora et Labora” (Pray and Work) but also teaches us about a balanced life. In today’s world of hectic activity that balance includes leisure, time for reflection and especially time for family and friends. Join us for teachings, prayer, silence and discussion on this Labor Day weekend.

Presenter: Sister Jeanette von Herrmann, OSB.

          Friday, September 2, 7 p.m.; Saturday, September 3, 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
$110, $25 deposit, includes Friday dinner and overnight accommodations, Saturday breakfast and lunch. Start the retreat with Vespers at 5 p.m. Check in by 4:30 p.m.  $65 commuter fee, includes Saturday lunch.
Register by August 30.

Dreams: the Language of the Soul

          How can we embrace the truth and transformative power of dreams? How can we appreciate the uniquely individual language of dream metaphors and symbols? This workshop will share experiences of dreams through the use of active imagination, exercises derived from Mindfulness Meditation, and lecture-prompted discussions. Participants will be able to recognize and respond appropriately to various types of dreams. Participants can expect to have an opportunity to work through dreams that they bring to the workshop and to experience the transformational power of dream images.

Presenters: Dean Schlecht, M.Div., the manager of a crisis respite facility for very poor and homeless persons undergoing psychiatric crises in Eugene, OR, maintains a small private practice offering psychotherapy and spiritual direction.  Peggy McGurn, PhD., is a staff member at Shalom offering contemplative meditation as a spiritual director.
          Friday, September 9, 7:00 p.m.; Saturday, September 10, 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. $120, $25 deposit, includes Friday dinner and overnight accommodations, Saturday breakfast and lunch. Start the retreat with Vespers at 5 p.m. Check in by 4:30 p.m. $75 commuter fee, includes Saturday lunch.
Register by September 6.

Book Talk
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
Led by Tim Nelson and Linda Jensen
Saturday, September 17, 9:30 a.m. – noon.
No charge for lunch or for the discussion.

Bullies, Victims and Scapegoats:  Creating Non-Violent Solutions
          The problem of bullying is just one aspect of violence prompting an urgent response from all of us, spiritual directors, mental health professionals, teachers, school personnel, parents, and anyone interested in promoting a more peaceful world. It builds on an understanding of human violence (which creates victims and scapegoats) from literature, anthropology and theology.
Presenter: Trudie Atkinson has been a Licensed Professional Counselor for morethan 20 years. She has been a therapist and clinical supervisor at a residential treatment facility for severely abused children. She is currently in the private practice of mental health counseling and supervising counselor interns.
          Friday, September 16, 7:00 p.m.; Saturday, September 17, 9:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. $115, $25 deposit, includes Friday dinner and overnight accommodations, Saturday breakfast and lunch. Start the retreat with Vespers at 5 p.m. Check in by 4:30 p.m., $70 commuter fee, includes Saturday lunch.
Register by September 14.

Prayer and the Universal Call to Contemplation
          Cyprian Consiglio, OSB Cam, a monk, musician, spiritual teacher, internationally known performer, recording artist, and composer, will guide participants in the call to contemplation, based on his book, Prayer in the Cave of the Heart: The Universal Call to Contemplation. Come and experience the silence, the music, and prayer in this unique opportunity to learn more about contemplation and how to invite it more into your life.
Presenter: Cyprian Consiglio, a monk of the Camaldolese Congregation. Much of both his music and his teaching revolve around the Universal Call to Contemplation through  spirituality and the arts. A student of the writings of Bede Griffiths and Abhishiktananda, Cyprian has done work in inter-faith ritual and world music.
          Thursday, September 22, 7 p.m. – Sunday, September 25, 1 p.m.
$250, $25 deposit, includes 3 overnight accommodations and 9 meals. Start the retreat with Vespers at 5 p.m. on Thursday. Check in by 4:30 p.m. Commuter fee for the entire retreat: $155 includes lunch each day.
Register by September 16.

Silence – When God Speaks to Our Hearts
          Silence is the fertile ground where God sows the seeds of his love and presence. Using teachings and Lectio, we will focus on the theme of silence as found in the Scriptures and the Rule of Benedict, searching for the meaning of silence and how silence opens our hearts to God’s presence.

Presenter: Sr. Jeanette von Herrmann, OSB.

          Friday, September 30, 7 p.m.; Saturday, October 1, 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. $110, $25 deposit, includes Friday dinner and overnight accommodations, Saturday breakfast and lunch. Start the retreat with Vespers at 5 p.m. Check in by 4:30 p.m., $65 commuter fee, includes Saturday lunch.
Register by September 27.

OCTOBER

Herstory: The Place of Story in Women’s Lives and in Culture

          All of us have powerful stories to tell-those richly embroidered strands of women’s lives that bond and root us in our heritage and personhood. Yet we live in a culture that largely devalues this important art form. How do personal and communal narratives shape us, and what are the spiritual threads woven within those? Participants may contribute heroines in their lives, grandmother tales, great women writers, dream stories, and whatever else may be meaningful in the creation of Herstory. Please bring along a journal as we will create or recreate our personal stories.

Presenter: Penelope Lichatowich, a mother and grandmother, a Benedictine oblate, spiritual director, and passionate advocate for women.
          Saturday, October 1, 9:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. $50, deposit $25, buy lunch for $6.50 or bring your own. Minimum of eight participants.  Register by September 28. 

Information Session on Spiritual Direction
          You are invited to a complimentary afternoon on Saturday, October 1, to learn about Spiritual Direction and its benefits for your spiritual life, from 1-2 p.m. RSVP by calling 503 845-6773 or emailing shalom@mtangel.net.

Northwest Spiritual Directors Fall Conference

Invited to Imagine: Push into Deep Water and Let Out Your Nets.

          Working in the luminal realms of imagination and intuition engenders hope that helps people “fish” for spiritual experience. During the two days of this conference, we will consider ways of doing so. You are invited to join us for this exciting conference!

          Featuring: Susan S. Phillips, Ph.D., author of Candlelight: Illuminating the Art of Spiritual Direction.  Susan is a spiritual director, a trainer and supervisor of spiritual directors, and teaches Christian spirituality for several seminaries and graduate schools.

          Friday, October 7 and Saturday, October 8, 2011 at Shalom Prayer Center,
Visit www.sacredpathministry.org to register.  For further information: Elaine Andres, Sacred Path Ministry, elaine@sacredpathministry.org or call 541.246.2030
Overnight accommodations: Please contact Christine Zollner at 503.845.6773 or shalom@mtangel.net.

Book Talk
Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter Miller
Led by Tim Nelson and Linda Jensen
Saturday, October 15, 9:30 a.m. – noon.
No charge for lunch or for the discussion.

Taizé Prayer Service
Sunday, October 16, 7-8 p.m.
Benedictine Sisters‘ Queen of Angels Chapel
All are welcome!

The Spirituality of Weaving
          Find a new bridge between your handiwork and your spirituality. Bring your current weaving, crocheting, knitting, etc. project to this retreat with Sr. Dorothy Pulkka. Enjoy a wonderful reflection about the history and spirituality of weaving. How might God be speaking to you through them“work of your hands?” Come and enjoy working with othersmand be enriched.

Presenter:  Sr. Dorothy Pulkka, OSB
         Saturday, October 22, 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.m$40 ; $25 deposit, bring a lunch or buy lunch for $6.50
Register by October 20.

Saints and Holy People

          Probably none of us will make the Church’s official calendar of saints; however, each of us is called to holiness. During this retreat time, through teachings, silence, prayer and discussion, we will explore what it means for each of us to be called to sanctity and what role saints play in our daily lives.

Presenter: Sister Jeanette von Herrmann, OSB.

          Friday, October 28, 7 p.m.; Saturday, October 29, 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. $110,  $25 deposit, includes Friday dinner and overnight accommodations, Saturday breakfast and lunch. Start the retreat with Vespers at 5 p.m. Check in by 4:30 p.m., $65 commuter fee, includes Saturday lunch.
Register by October 25.

A Reunion for the Alumni of the Spiritual Directors’ Training Program (1985 -2011)

          The Spiritual Directors’ Training Program (With Hearts Expanding) at Shalom Prayer Center has thrived for 26 years of vitality. We are planning a gathering of all who have sat in those sacred circles and discussed the call to the ministry of Spiritual Direction. Our theme will be “The Charism of Prophecy in the Ministry of Spiritual Direction.”

          Friday, October 28, 7:00 p.m.; Saturday, October 29, 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.  Register at Shalom at 4:30 on Friday, October 28.   $84, deposit $25. Commuter cost: $64.  Prayer with the monastic community at 5 p.m. followed by dinner at 5:30 p.m. on Friday.
Please RSVP by October 24.

NOVEMBER

Dictation from the Soul: Writing the Image

          Using charcoal and pastel chalk, students explore the process of free writing on large sheets of paper to access the imagination. Through guided exercises, words gradually merge and personally relevant content is revealed in a written image. This is a meditative, easy process to learn. No drawing experience is necessary and the process is suitable for all skill levels.

Presenter: Mary Stupp-Greer has an MFA in Visual Design/Drawing and taught college art classes for 27 years after a career in design and advertising. Her drawings, mixed-media pieces and photographs have been exhibited nationally.

          Saturday, November 5, 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. $40; $25 deposit, plus $15 for materials. Bring a lunch or buy lunch for $6.50   Register by November 2.

Transitions: Your Journey Through Grief and Loss
           This retreat will provide insight, hope, prayerful support, as you journey through a time of grief: loss or anticipated loss of a loved one, loss of good health, loss of a job, retirement, loss of a relationship.

Presenter: Susan Van Tobel, teacher, spiritual director, and psychotherapist.

          Friday, November 11, 7:00 p.m.; Saturday, November 12, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. $110, $25 deposit, includes Friday dinner and overnight accommodations, Saturday breakfast and lunch. Start the retreat with Vespers at 5 p.m. Check in by 4:30 p.m., $65 commuter fee, includes Saturday lunch.
Register by November 7.

School of Sustained Lectio Divina

           Based on the teaching in Lectio Matters, Before the Burning Bush by Sister “Meg” Funk, OSB, about sustained Lectio Divina, Shalom Prayer Center is inaugurating a school of sustained lectio with Sister Meg Funk as the master teacher.  An application process is required before registration is initiated. Please call 503.845.6773 or email shalom@mtangel.net for an application form.
Option 1: $410, Wednesday - Sunday, November 16-20, 2011 (4 overnights and 12 meals) Deposit: $50 non-refundable.

Option 2: $380, Thursday – Sunday, November 17 – 20, 2011 (3 overnights and 11 meals) Deposit: $50 non – refundable.

Option 3 - Commuter fee: $266, Wednesday – Sunday. (no overnights and 7 meals {Lunch and Dinner, Thursday – Saturday and Brunch on Sunday}) Deposit: $25 non-refundable. 

          Contact: Mari Miller, the coordinator for the school, millermari@q.com or Sister Dorothy Jean Beyer, djbosb@mtangel.net.
Book Talk
Friend of My Youth by Alice Munro
Led by Tim Nelson and Linda Jensen
Saturday, November 19, 9:30 a.m. – noon.
No charge for lunch or for the discussion.

Taizé Prayer Service
Sunday, November 20, 7-8 p.m.
Benedictine Sisters’ Queen of Angels Chapel
All are welcome. Donations welcome.

Advent Retreat: Preparing Your Heart for the Coming of the Lord!
          Spend this retreat time early in the season to ready the way of the Lord in your life. Experience the peace of Advent and Christmas by entering into the silence, the teachings and the prayer of this retreat.

Presenter: Sister Jeanette von Herrmann, OSB.

          Friday, November 25, 7 p.m.; Saturday, November 26, 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. $110, $25 deposit, includes Friday dinner and overnight accommodations, Saturday breakfast and lunch. Start the retreat with Vespers at 5 p.m. Check in by 4:30 p.m., $65 commuter fee, includes Saturday lunch.
Register by November 22.

DECEMBER

Thinking and Praying with John O’Donohue

          The Celtic Spiritual Perspective. This would situate John within the broad and vibrant context of Celtic theology and spirituality which has been for him an enormously rich habitat.

         The Influence of Meister Eckhart, OP. Although John’s work on Eckhart has never been finished and published, the impact of this great German mystic on his spirituality has been profound. This conference would explore some of the rich seams of Eckhartian spirituality.

          Thinking and Praying with John O’Donohue. Referencing all the published work of John O’Donohue, this conference will be given over to a presentation of his core thinking about God and creation, about the human person vis-a-vis God, and about prayer.

Presenter: Owen Cummings, professor at Mt. Angel Seminary.

          Saturday, December 3, 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. $50, $25 deposit, bring a sack lunch or buy lunch for $6.50.  Register by December 1.

Shalom Open House 

Saturday, December 3 -- 11 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Refreshments, Displays, & Specials in the Gift shop

The Annual Thomas Merton Retreat - Psalmody, Contemplation and Merton
          Monastic communities in both ancient and modern times chant the psalms several times each day. Immersion in the scriptures was central to Benedict as expressed in his Rule.  This was very true for the monastic Thomas Merton in his life at Gethesmane Abbey, Kentucky. In this retreat with the aid of Thomas Merton’s writings, the monastic tradition of psalmody will be studied and practiced by participants in order to help them experience the psalms as a passage into contemplative experience of the Divine Presence.

Presenter: Sister Antoinette Traeger, OSB.

          Friday, December 9, 7 p.m. – 8 p.m.; Saturday, December 10, 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. $110, $25 deposit, iincludes Friday dinner and overnight accommodations, Saturday breakfast and lunch. Start the
retreat with Vespers at 5 p.m. Check in by 4:30 p.m., $65 commuter fee, includes Saturday lunch.

Book Talk
Sharing Poetry (Bring a poem or two to share.)
Led by Tim Nelson and Linda Jensen
Saturday, December 10, 9:30 a.m. – noon.
No charge for lunch or for the discussion.

Taizé Prayer Service

Sunday, December 11, 7-8 p.m.
Benedictine Sisters ‘Queen of Angels Chapel
All are welcome. Donations welcome.

New Year’s Preparation Retreat
          The year of 2012 is about to arrive! You are invited to this day of remembering and looking forward, of thanksgiving and of openness. Together we will learn, reflect, share stories, laugh, and pray for the grace needed for the new year.

Presenter: Sister Dorothy Jean Beyer, OSB.

          Friday, December 30, 9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. $25, $10 deposit, bring a lunch or buy lunch for $6.50.
Register by December 27.

Speakers and Space Available

          Do you need a speaker and/or facilitator for your church or organization’s retreat or workshop? The staff at Shalom Prayer Center is available to come and speak on a variety of topics. Contact Sister Dorothy Jean for more information, 503.845.6773.
          Meeting Space Available for your group, church or organization.  Let Benedictine hospitality and a peaceful environment refresh your spirits! Call Sister Dorothy Jean Beyer, 503.845.6773, or email her welcome@mtangel.net for rates and services.

Spiritual Direction

          Are you looking for a Spiritual Director? We at Shalom Prayer Center believe that it is very beneficial for most people to have someone to listen to them, to help them on their faith journey, and to facilitate reflection on the presence of God in prayer and in the events of ordinary life. Frequency of visits varies with each person and with the happenings of life at a particular time. If you wish assistance in finding a spiritual director through Shalom Prayer Center, we ask you to call the Center at 503.845.6773. Spiritual Direction does have a fee connected with it, since the Center needs to salary directors, but we would not like cost to be a deterrent for anyone. $55 is the suggested fee, but can be negotiated with the director.

Group Supervision for Spiritual Directors

Facilitated by Sister Joan Pokorny
9 a.m. - noon. Meeting dates: 9/9, 11/11, 12/9. Cost: $30 per session. Cost for lunch: $6.50 or bring your lunch

Scholarships

If you need financial help to participate in any of the programs, please inquire by calling Sister Dorothy Jean. 503.845.6773.