Dear Children of the Earth

Annual retreat for children ages 6-12 and their parents, grandparents or mentors
May 11-13, 2012
7pm Friday - 7pm Saturday
Retreat House at Rolling Ridge Study Retreat


In our grasshopper and salamander days, who among us didn't ask why the grasshopper could jump so far -- or why the salamander had black dots on its orange body.  We lived by wonder, for by wondering we were able to multiply a growing consciousness of being alive. -- Richard Lewis, Living by Wonder

We warmly invite you to a special treat for Friday night and Saturday of Mother's Day weekend, May 11-12, 2012. The retreat begins with dinner at 7:00 p.m. on Friday and concludes with supper on Saturday and is designed especially for pairs of one adult and one child (ages 6-12).

The retreat includes:

Quiet Days Apart: Springtime Newness and Resurrection Possibility

A year of new mini-retreats for 2012 with Trish Stefanik at Priest Field Pastoral Center
April 28, 2012 (also planned June 30, August 18, October 20, December 1)
Priest Field Pastoral Center in West Virginia


Sisters of Mercy foundress Catherine McAuley once said: "We have one solid source of happiness in all our journeying - we can keep our hearts fixed on God."

But how can we do that? Busyness fills most of our days, and many things pull at our hearts. Jesus knew this. And that is why he himself repeatedly went off to a quiet place apart to be able to fully engage with others in his life and ministry. We are encouraged to do the same: "Come away…and rest a while" (Mark 6:31).

Retreat gives us the opportunity to prayerfully reflect on who we are and where we are, and tap into the wellspring of the Spirit for guidance and wisdom. Our God-given gifts and call are unique to each one of us; but for all of us, it takes time in silence and prayerful reflection for these to be nurtured.

Good Friday and After

A meditation on loss, vulnerability and transformation amid spring in the wilderness
Friday, April 6 - Saturday, April 7, 2012
A 24 hour retreat experience: 3 pm Friday - 3:30 pm Saturday
Retreat House at Rolling Ridge Study Retreat

 


A 24 hour retreat experience

3 pm Friday, April 6 - 3:30 pm Saturday, April 7, 2012

Experience the ancient Stations of the Cross anew as we pilgrimage through the forest and sacred spaces of Rolling Ridge in a walking meditation with pauses for reflection, prayer and awareness.

In the hushed anticipation of Holy Saturday consider the deeper meaning of this interlude in the Easter story. What happened during those forgotten, sacred hours when Jesus lay in the tomb?

Led by Lindsay McLaughlin, who is a writer, contemplative dance artist and member of the residential community of Rolling Ridge Study Retreat.

Sacred Male Sexuality

A Retreat for Men on a Journey
March 30 - April 1, 2012
Still Point Mountain Retreat

More to follow.

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with Green Work

March 17, 2012
Retreat House at Rolling Ridge Study Retreat

Calling all Members, Partner Groups and Friends!

St. Patrick loved to wield a rake, saw or garden hoe and we do too!  Join us on Saturday, March 17, 2012, for a joyful day of working together on the land.  We plan wood cutting, gardening and trail work.

Coffee and muffins at 9:30; work begins at 10. Lunch and supper provided. After supper join us for a campfire, Irish folk tales and more, music and games.

The Retreat House is open and available for overnight stays (no charge) on both Friday and Saturday.  Bring your own food for meals other than Saturday lunch and supper. Hours worked count toward membership and partner group volunteer commitments.

Exploring Life's Seasons, Creating One's Path

A Retreat for Women of All Ages
March 9-11, 2012
From dinner Friday 7:00 pm through Sunday 2:00 pm
Still Point Mountain Retreat



Join us as the season changes from winter to spring
Walk winding paths in the slowing changing woods
Dabble creatively--or pursue a passion--to mark one’s path
"Come away and rest awhile"

Through walking, writing, observing, breathing in silence, sharing and "hands-on marking" using a variety of multi-art spaces and supplies, we will reflect on our own paths and share their intersections.

Featuring:

Quiet Days Apart

A year of new mini-retreats for 2012 with Trish Stefanik at Priest Field Pastoral Center
February 18, 2012 (also planned for April 28, June 30, August 18, October 20, December 1)
Priest Field Pastoral Center in West Virginia


Sisters of Mercy foundress Catherine McAuley once said: "We have one solid source of happiness in all our journeying - we can keep our hearts fixed on God."

But how can we do that? Busyness fills most of our days, and many things pull at our hearts. Jesus knew this. And that is why he himself repeatedly went off to a quiet place apart to be able to fully engage with others in his life and ministry. We are encouraged to do the same: "Come away…and rest a while" (Mark 6:31).

Retreat gives us the opportunity to prayerfully reflect on who we are and where we are, and tap into the wellspring of the Spirit for guidance and wisdom. Our God-given gifts and call are unique to each one of us; but for all of us, it takes time in silence and prayerful reflection for these to be nurtured.

Men's Rites of Passage at Rolling Ridge

With Richard Rohr and Stephen Picha
October 12-16, 2011
Arrival 2-4pm Wednesday, Depart 3pm Sunday
FLOC at Rolling Ridge

"It's like jumping or being thrown into a life-changing stew where you simmer for five days in the transformational mix of silence, wilderness and ritual."

Fr. Richard Rohr, Founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, New Mexico will join with Stephen Picha, Director of the Center for Action and Contemplation, and the Washington DC Regional MALEs team (Men As Learners and Elders) to host this area's first Men's Rites of Passage near Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, from Wednesday afternoon October 12, 2011 through Sunday afternoon October 16, 2011.

Restoring Gratitude in a Fast Paced World

With Patricia Carlson and Margaret Wakeley
September 2-4, 2011
Rolling Ridge Retreat House and Still Point

This retreat is designed to help refill the reserves of people suffering from burn-out that results from compassion fatigue, overwork, or (as is often the case) a confluence of the two. We will explore gratefulness as a way of life with specific practices that restore our sense of sufficiency and wonder in the present moment - the only moment fully given to us - thus easing our anxiety about whether we have enough money, friendship, and other resources to get by. Through guided meditation, journaling, dialogue, life review, music, quiet space to breathe, and other tools, we will reconnect with what most inspires us. This is a non-judgmental retreat in which it is okay to be ungrateful, which is sometimes a necessary step in peeling off layers to a fundamental gratitude that springs from simply being alive.

Pilgrimage of Peace 2011

A Retreat of Song and Silence with Br. Stefan aka Macushla
August 1-14, 2011
Still Point at Rolling Ridge in Harpers Ferry, WV

"The restoration of the church will come from a new monasticism which has in common with the old only the uncompromising attitude of a life lived according to the Sermon on the Mount in the following of Christ. I believe it is now time to call people to this."
-- Dietrich Bonhoeffer, A Testament of Freedom

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