Christian Contemplative Community events and resources as the programming season winds down.
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“Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road...”
Luke 24:32
May the Joy and Hope of the Easter season continue for each of you throughout May and May Love fill hearts of all mothers this upcoming Mother's Day. As spring continues to unfold into summer, local Contemplative programming is winding down. In Via Lumen would like to bring your attention to a consolidated list of opportunities and resources that fill out these upcoming months..
Future updates will focus on an exciting lineup of Contemplative Events set to be offered this fall.
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May we continue to keep the situation in Ukraine in our hearts and in our prayers as it enters its third month. May their courageous and valiant struggle result in freedom and new life. May our witness to the loss of all life and destruction prompt us to renounce the violence of war. May our prayers inspire us to find ways to provide assistance to all those suffering.
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There have been many renditions of the patriotic Ukrainian folk song Oi u luzi chervona kalyna (Ой у лузі червона калина). Here are a few versions: Remix with several folks joining Andriy Khlyvnyuk who made this popular soon after the Ukrainian Invasion and another simpler version. And, of course, here is the release that Pink Floyd made based on this song.
Translations of this song can be found across the Internet, here is the Wikipedia link which provides some background along with a translation.
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Here is a summary of Christian Contemplative Programming for May, June and July 2022
- Saturday, May 14, 2022, 9:00 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time - All Parts of You Are Welcome Here, Jenna Riemersma, Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road West Hartford, CT 06107
- Saturday, June 11, 2022, 9:00 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time - The Way of the Heart: Mysticism Across Spiritual Traditions, Rev. Matthew Wright, Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road West Hartford, CT 06107
- Wednesday, June 15, 22 and 29, 2022 6:30 pm-8:30pm Eastern Time - Six Continuing Sessions of the Introduction to the Centering Prayer Practice, Contemplative Outreach of CT
- Wednesday July 13, 2022 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time - North Central CT ITMS Summer Quarterly meeting Merton's Visual Art as Spiritual Expression, Mike Smoolca and Paul Uccello, Online and In Person at Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road West Hartford, CT 06107
- Sunday July 31 - Saturday August 6, 2022 Eastern Time - 6-Night Guided BioSpiritual Focusing Retreat, BioSpiritual Focusing Leadership Team, Genesis Spiritual Life Center, 53 30Mill Street, Westfield, MA 01085
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I'd like to take a moment to focus on the upcoming May 14, 2022 Christian Contemplative Experience workshop entitled All Parts of You are Welcome Here happening online and in person at Holy Family Retreat Center in West Hartford, CT.
Do you do and feel things you don’t want to? Do you long to connect with God exactly as you are and not as you “should” be? In a rare appearance, Jenna Riemersma, nationally renowned speaker, author of All Together You: Experiencing personal and spiritual transformation with Internal Family Systems therapy, and therapist synthesizes Christian faith with the groundbreaking insights of Internal Family Systems to address these questions and more.
Internal Family Systems (IFS) leads to the healing and normal functioning of the various aspects of your ego (known as parts in IFS) and their healthy integration with your higher Self (the Divine core in each of us). The purpose of IFS isn’t to get rid of these parts, but to understand and heal them through self-compassion so that they can be transformed into their highest expression. This process leads to living more fully integrated human lives in which your higher Self and parts exist in harmony.
No prior knowledge of IFS is needed to attend this workshop. Jenna will provide background information on IFS, share various experiences aimed at helping you get in touch with your higher Self and parts and provide resources for you to go further on your own.
This workshop is for anyone who is looking to become a more integrated person. The material presented can be especially useful for Therapists, Chaplains, Pastoral Counselors, Spiritual Directors/Companions. There are deep insights and resonances for those with Body Presence and Contemplative Awareness practices like Welcoming Prayer and Focusing among others.
Here's an interesting and informative YouTube podcast that will help you get to know Jenna and what she will be sharing, The Faces of God: Grace for all of your parts!
You can register for Jenna's workshop here:
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Rev. Matthew Wright is coming to share our June 11, 2022 Contemplative Day of Reflection with us. Matthew is an Episcopal priest, writer, and leader working to renew the Christian Wisdom tradition within a wider inter-spiritual framework. He is a senior student of Cynthia Bourgeault. Alongside his practice of Christianity, Matthew has studied and practiced within the Islamic Sufi and Vedanta lineages.
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You can find further information about the Contemplative Day of Reflection here:
If you haven't yet heard Matthew teach, I invite you to listen to his sermons available on SoundCloud. Here is a recent Easter-time sermon on the theme of Thomas' Doubt: https://soundcloud.com/stgregoryssermons/direct-experience-thomas
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As part of CCE, a weekly Christian Contemplative Prayer group is offered each Thursday evening which meets online or in-person at Holy Family Retreat Center in West Hartford, CT as conditions allow. For more information on how to join us, please contact Mike Smoolca at cce@holyfamilyretreat.org or msmoolca@hotmail.com
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Spiritual Direction and Companioning
If you're a Christian Contemplative seeker in need of deep listening and a caring spiritual presence, In Via Lumen offers Spiritual Direction and Companioning specifically focused on serving Christian Contemplatives.
If you would like to explore these options further, please use the contact form on these pages or email Mike Smoolca at: msmoolca@invialumen.org.
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Contemplative Outreach of CT - The Connecticut Chapter's mission is to support, grow and share the Contemplative Outreach Prayer Practices as well as to foster and enhance the Christian Contemplative Community in the Connecticut and Southwestern New England area.
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Among various things, our Chapter offers Introductory workshops in Centering Prayer, Lectio Divina and Welcoming Prayer by Contemplative Outreach Commissioned Presenters as well as online training to become a Contemplative Outreach Commissioned Presenter of Centering Prayer.
Another class of Centering Prayer Presenter training is occurring this May. If you're interested in finding out more about becoming a Commissioned Presenter of Centering Prayer and expressing your interest in future trainings please visit: https://www.co-ct.org/co-ctpresentertraining.html
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Contemplative Outreach of CT is offering a facilitated experience of Fr. Keating's follow-up to the Centering Prayer Introductory Workshop starting June 15, 2022: https://www.co-ct.org/co-ctsixfollowups.html
These sessions are ideal to deepen your understanding and practice of Centering Prayer. They are especially recommended for those who have recently attended a Centering Prayer Introductory workshop.
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Body Presence and Contemplative Awareness - Our bodies are warehouses of our life experiences, and they connect us directly to the rest of Creation and to God. Getting in touch with how our bodies react to our daily experiences leads to integration and healing while also opening us up to a direct connection to Creation and God "In whom we live and move and have our Being" (Acts 17:28).
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Upcoming Body Presence (BioSpiritual Focusing) events:
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Our summer Quarterly meeting will be held on Wednesday July 13, 2022 from 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
The topic we'll be sharing is: Merton's Visual Arts as Spiritual Expression.
This will be a hybrid meeting held over Zoom and in person at Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, 303 Tunxis Road West Hartford, CT. More details and a registration form will follow soon.
Members of the North-Central CT Merton Chapter email list will receive more information on this event. If you're not already a member of our Chapter's email list, you can sign up at the bottom of our web page: https://www.invialumen.org/northctitms.html.
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I hope you will take advantage of some of these opportunities to enrich yourself and strengthen the Christian Contemplative Community as this programming season transitions from spring into summer.
I invite you to visit the In Via Lumen, LLC web page for more information and other resources. Among a variety of resources, you'll find a month-by-month list of featured programs that is updated periodically.
Please forward this email to anyone who you feel might be interested in any of this programming. Also, if you have a need or an idea for a program that you feel would enrich the Christian Contemplative Community, please send me an email!
Hoping that spring and the Easter Season will be a time of Light, Hope and Joy on your continuing Christian Contemplative Journey!
Peace, Prayers, and Blessings of Hope and Joy,
Mike Smoolca
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