Tag: Holy Cross Monastery

• In Person Retreat: Practical Mysticism, Contemplative Spirituality for a Joyful Life

  I’ll be returning to one of my favorite monasteries — Holy Cross Monastery in West Park, NY, just north of Poughkeepsie — for a weekend retreat this spring on the topic of “Practical Mysticism: Contemplative Spirituality for a Joyful Life.” 

  The 20th century theologian Karl Rahner famously said “The Christian of the future will be a mystic or will not exist.” But what could he have meant by this? What is mysticism, and what does it have to do with ordinary people leading ordinary lives?

  This retreat is for anyone who wants a deeper spirituality, and who suspects that the great mystics, visionaries, and contemplatives of the Christian tradition have something to share with us. From medieval saints like Julian of Norwich to more recent figures like Howard Thurman or Thomas Merton, every generation has produced people whose lives are steeped in prayer, silence, and a palpable spiritual joy.

  We’ll bring mysticism down to earth and consider how the contemplative life is for everyone — not just saints or nuns and monks. We’ll reflect on what mysticism is, why it matters, and how we can draw on the wisdom of the mystics to find a deeper and more meaningful spiritual life, right here and right now.

  Suggested reading for retreat: The New Big Book of Christian Mysticism.

  For more information and to register, click here: Practical Mysticism Retreat at Holy Cross Monastery.

  April 6, 2024

  Holy Cross Monastery, Mysticism, Retreat

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• In Person Event: Praying with the Desert Mothers and Fathers (July 8-10, 2022)

  I am SO excited to be returning to Holy Cross Monastery in West Park, NY! I was honored to lead several online retreats for this monastic community during the pandemic; now, God willing, it will be a joy to return to the beautiful monastery on the Hudson River to lead a weekend of prayerful reflection on the wisdom of the Desert Mothers and Fathers. New York is beautiful in the summer — I hope I’ll see you there!

  Date: July 8-10, 2022
  Time: 5 PM Friday – Noon Sunday, Eastern Time (USA/Canada)
  To register for this retreat, click here.

  Invite Carl McColman to speak to your community: Book an Event.

  April 19, 2022

  Desert Mothers and Fathers, Holy Cross Monastery, New York, Retreat

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• Praying with the English Mystics

  Dear friends, I have now experienced what it is like to direct a spiritual retreat online.

  And while it is certainly not the same thing as a retreat in person (especially at a monastery, surrounded by the atmosphere of prayer and the timeless cadences of monastic chant), it is still a way for us to pause, take a deep breath, and attend to our souls — especially in this time of pandemic and social distancing.

  Thanks to Br. Aidan of Holy Cross Monastery in West Park, NY, who invited me to lead this retreat online. The topic he and I chose was Praying with the English Mystics. The retreat consisted of three conferences, exploring the prayerful wisdom of Evelyn Underhill, Julian of Norwich, and the anonymous author of The Cloud of Unknowing.

  In case you missed it, we recorded the three sessions, which you can watch below. Also, below the videos is a link to a bibliography of recommended books by and about our three English mystics (along with a few other suggested titles).

  Hope you enjoy this retreat — and that it encourages you to move deeper in your own journey of prayer, meditation and contemplation.

  The first conference explored Evelyn Underhill’s teaching on meditation and contemplation from her books Mysticism and Practical Mysticism.

  With the second conference we went back in time to the 14th century, where the medieval mystic Julian of Norwich spoke about the spirituality of seeking God, and deepening prayer through generosity and trust.

  We finished the retreat by considering an anonymous book written during Julian’s lifetime, The Cloud of Unknowing, which offers detailed instructions for a contemplative way of praying — which in turn inspired the 20th century’s Centering Prayer movement.

  Click here to download the Praying with the English Mystics Bibliography

  May 16, 2020

  English Mystics, Evelyn Underhill, Holy Cross Monastery, Julian of Norwich, Retreat, The Cloud of Unknowing, Via Mystica

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