Programs &RetreatsSeptember – December 2019

Additional OfferingsRetreatsStudium: A Scholar’s ProgramStudium places special emphasis on the love of learning and honoring scholarship as a sacred ministry. Whether your project (book, essay, poem, composition, whatever) is ready to begin, underway and you’re stuck or almost done—whether it’s a slog or a snap—Studium may be what you need. Stay from a week to four months. Visit www.sbm.osb.org/ministries/spirituality-center-studium/#tab-id-2.

Spiritual DirectionMeet with a spiritual companion who is trained in the art of listening and helping others recognize the movement of the Holy Spirit. For more information or to set up an appointment with a spiritual director, call (320) 363-7179 or email jbehnen@csbsju.edu.

Sophia Program for Women in MinistryThe Sophia Program is an ecumenical program for women in ministry which provides a life-giving spiritual network, offering support and encouragement in meeting the demands of ministry and family/personal life. Each Wisdom Circle, composed of six to eight women, gathers three times a year for two years. For more information or to receive an application form, call (320) 363-7028 or email mholicky@csbsju.edu.

HermitagesSpend time in solitude, quiet and reflection for a day, a couple of days or a week in a cottage on the monastery grounds overlooking fields and woods. For more information, email spirituality@csbsju.edu.

Spiritual R & R DaySpirituality Center TeamTuesday, October 15, and Friday, December 139 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.“Come away and rest awhile” (Mark 6:31). Throughout the Gospels, Jesus encourages his disciples to take time away to let their souls catch up with their bodies. The Spiritual R & R Day offers time for quiet prayer, reflection, reading, walking, resting and meeting with a spiritual director, if desired. Group prayer begins and ends the day. Midday prayer with the sisters at the Oratory and noon meal with the sisters at the monastery are also options. Free will offering accepted. Noon meal at the monastery is $8.50.

Lectio Divina RetreatHélène Mercier, OSBFriday, November 1, 6:30 p.m., through Sunday, November 3, 1 p.m.Come to the quiet and listen with the ear of your heart. Participants will be introduced to three methods of lectio divina. The teaching of a method will be followed by the practice of praying with it. There will be optional sharing at the end of each teaching and practice. Fee: $250 (includes meals and overnight accommodations)Commuters: $140 (includes Saturday and Sunday noon meals)

The Paradox of Addiction—The Promise of GraceChristian Morris, OSBFriday, November 22, 7 p.m., through Sunday, November 24, 1 p.m.Gerald May’s book Addiction and Grace sets the theme for this weekend retreat, which focuses on the baffling power of addiction in its many forms and the promise of Divine Grace as a means to becoming “happy, joyous and free” (AA Big Book). Anyone following a 12 Step Program or anyone desiring greater freedom from destructive attachments is welcome to this program.

Prayer and silence, conversation and some teaching will be part of the weekend. Fee: $250 (includes meals and overnight accommodations)

Celebrating the Season of AdventMargaret Michaud, OSBMonday, December 29 a.m. – 1 p.m.It is easy to get wrapped up in shopping, writing cards, cooking, baking, decorating and gathering with family and friends during the busy days before Christmas. In her wisdom, Holy Mother Church provides us with the opportunity during the season of Advent to prepare our minds and hearts for celebrating with joy and renewed understanding the wondrous event we celebrate, the incarnation of our God as a member of our human family. On this first Monday of Advent, participants will reflect on the Gospels of Matthew and Luke as we prepare for the Nativity of Christ in our lives. Participants may wish to bring their personal Bibles to this session.Fee: $65 (includes noon meal)

Prayerful Pause: Advent TendingMary Catherine Holicky, OSB, and Eunice Antony, OSBThursdays, December 5, 12, 1911:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.Gather to share common prayer of lectio divina (prayerful reading) using the Gospels of the Sundays of Advent, followed by a shared meal and fellowship. Meet with a sister spiritual companion for 30 minutes during each week of Advent.Limit: 10 participantsFee: $90 for all three sessions

Advent Centering Prayer RetreatKatherine Howard, OSBFriday, December 6, 7 p.m., through Sunday, December 8, 1 p.m.A silent retreat with several periods of Centering Prayer and one teaching session each day and optional group reflection times.Fee: $250 (includes meals and overnight accommodations)

Cover photo by Carleen Schomer, OSB Spirituality Center•Studium

St. Joseph, MinnesotaSaint Benedict’s Monastery

We, the Spirituality Center•Studium of the Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict, St. Joseph, Minn., share the Benedictine monastic tradition of fostering the love of learning and desire for God for the sake of the Church and the world.

Mission

Letter From the DirectorsDear friends,

Autumn speaks to the heart. Without words, we can hear the earth’s song of gratitude, abundance and awe. It’s as if our life story has reached a crescendo and we’re mesmerized by its brilliance. We hear the voice of God speaking, “The place on which you are standing is holy ground.” We invite you to consider “taking your shoes off” as you stand on holy ground (Exodus 3:5).

Allow the Living Word to speak to your life story. Whether in time at our hermitages, walking the labyrinth, participating in our programs with companion pilgrims or in creative writing and scholarship, there is a place for you here at the Spirituality Center•Studium.

Eunice Antony, OSBMary Catherine Holicky, OSBAnn Marie Biermaier, OSB

Spirituality Center ProgramsAll programs are offered at the Spirituality Center, unless indicated.

Spirituality (320) 363-7112Center: mholicky@csbsju.edu eantony@csbsju.edu www.sbm.osb.org/ministries/ spirituality-center-studium/

Studium: (320) 363-7172 studium@csbsju.edu www.sbm.osb.org/ministries/ spirituality-center-studium/ #tab-id-2

Financial aid is available for all programs upon request. Oblates and volunteers receive a 25% discount on programs. Employees receive a 50% discount on programs. If you need directions to the Spirituality Center•Studium or have any questions, visit www.sbm.osb.org or call (320) 363-7112 or (320) 363-7172.

Artistic Tools for MeditationMary Jane Berger, OSBThursdays, October 3, 10, 174 – 7 p.m.Three ways of artistic means to meditation will be presented and practiced. The first session picks up on the popular trend of adult coloring. The second session will be devoted to Bible journaling, involving both coloring and drawing. Lastly, the popular Zendoodle/Zentangle designs will be introduced and used in the third session. A variety of designs and tools for coloring, such as colored pencils, crayons and gel pens, will be provided. Registrants can determine if they would like to purchase their own materials after the first session. A light meal will be provided within each session.Limit: 10 participantsFee: $40 for a single session or $100 for the series

The Celtic Way: Writing Toward WholenessMara Faulkner, OSBSaturdays, October 5, 12, 199 a.m. – 12 p.m. The ancient Celtic Christians of Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Britain brought together realities that are often divided or fragmented in our world—humans and nature, men and women, the sacred and the secular, to name a few. Because of the human longing for wholeness, the Celtic spirit, silenced for many centuries, is now reemerging. Guided by Celtic writing and art and the world around us, we will write prayers, chants, blessings, stories, poems—going where the spirit leads us. We will read and respond to each other’s work and put together a little collection of our work.Limit: 12 participantsFee: $180 for the series

Christ and EvolutionKatherine Howard, OSBTuesday, October 229 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. How do we understand and experience Christ in evolving creation? What does it mean for our daily lives? After both the morning and afternoon presentation, there will be personal reflection time followed with shared insights.Fee: $125 (includes noon meal at the monastery)

Caution: Poetry at Work Again: Part IIMara Faulkner, OSBThursdays, September 5, 19, 266:30 – 8:30 p.m.In this workshop, we will continue to explore the work poetry does in ourselves and in the world and accept the invitation to write and share our own poems. Everyone is welcome: those who participated in the first part of this workshop, writers new to poetry and those who feel shut out of the world of poetry. We’ll try out themes such as “Work of Transition,” “Life Work” and “Poems for an Occasion.” Sister Mara will read and respond to your poetry and be available for individual conferences.Limit: 12 participantsFee: $120 for the series

Rainbow Support EveningMyrna Ohmann and Eunice Antony, OSBThursdays, September 12 and November 147 – 9 p.m.Parents/allies/friends and GLBTQI persons gather to pray, share stories and support each other.Confidentiality is maintained.Free will offering accepted.

Sacred Circle GatheringMary Kay Carle and Susan ClarkeThursdays, September 12, October 10, November 14, December 122 – 3:30 p.m. Using the Sacred Circle principles, we engage in deep listening within small circles of six to eight people and share the stories of our lives to gain insight and to give meaning to our lives. An intentional circle of caring and confidentiality provides us with new perspectives for our own personal journeys. Leadership is shared among all circle members. Free will offering accepted.

Writing Our Way From Grief to Grace to GiftMara Faulkner, OSBWednesdays, November 6, 13, 206:30 – 8:30 p.m. Sometimes our personal, family and communal lives seem filled with loss and the grief that inevitably follows. We lose family, friends, health, country, culture, peace and the living creatures that share the Earth. One way to face these losses is to write about them, searching for the moment of grace that can make the writing a gift to ourselves and others. We’ll read many examples, do guided writing and read and respond to each other’s work. Writers of all kinds and at all levels are welcome. Sister Mara will read and respond to your work and will be available for individual conferences.Limit: 12 participantsFee: $120 for the series

Ancient Prayers for a New Millennium: Finding God, Christ and Creation in the PsalmsChristian Morris, OSBThursdays, November 7 and 146:30 – 8:30 p.m. “The Psalms are the songs of [women and] men who knew who God was” (Thomas Merton). Who is the God of the Psalms? How can we pray the Psalms, enter the Psalms and experience the Psalms? This two-evening workshop explores these questions and others through presentations, practice and time for participant interaction.Fee: $80 for the series

“God is Speaking Today—Are You Listening?”Mary Reuter, OSBSaturday, November 169 a.m. – 4 p.m.“Listen with the ear of your heart…welcome it and put it into practice” (Rule of Benedict, Prologue 1). To what are we invited to listen? How do we welcome what we hear? How do we decide what to put into practice? This class will study some of St. Benedict’s principles and guidance that can support all people who want to live as disciples of Christ. Limit: 14 participantsFee: $125 (includes noon meal at the monastery)