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The Spiritual Life Committee is a fairly new group at the Chapel of the Cross. We were established in May 1999 at the invitation of the Rev. Tammy Lee and the Rev. Vicky Jamieson-Drake. Our mission is "to support the growth and nurture of our relationship with God by offering quiet days, retreats, pilgrimages, and various other programs and resources, and to stay in communication with and offer support to other groups and programs in the parish that foster spiritual life."
You might ask, "What is spiritual life?" Of course, there is no easy answer. One suggestion is that it is any experience that draws us closer to God. If we define spiritual life this way, our committee is really trying to focus on a few of the many aspects of this life. The liturgy at the heart of our life in God together is, for instance, outside our range. So, at least directly, are the many facets of our lives that often touch on the spiritual, but are not usually labeled that way: connections with the natural world, relationships with family and friends (and enemies), jobs and recreation. We might try to help parishioners notice the Holy in the worldly facets of life, but we probably won't be offering direct training or experiences in them.
Our focus is on activities outside the liturgy that are intentionally spiritual. We sponsor parish quiet days (retreats) four times a year. One retreat is an opportunity for "letting go of your hectic pace and resting for several hours in God's unconditional love for you" (Shalem Institute, Fall 2000 brochure). Each Saturday meeting has a particular theme and focus, yet each offers a simple time to be still in God's presence in a holy place. We sponsor educational and prayer events, such as the presentation last year by Teri Danner on "Retreats and Retreat Centers," Joan Fouts' guided meditation during Advent, with special opportunities for prayer and meditation during Holy Week. Last fall the Adult Education Committee held an evening session on worship in the style of the Taize ecumenical monastery in France. We also have issued some helps for spiritual practice and plan to continue in this vein. In 1999, we published an annotated listing of resources for spiritual life at the Chapel of the Cross. Later in the year we provided a guide to retreat centers.
Throughout Lent we offered suggestions for spiritual reading for the season. We hope that these have been useful to some parishioners and would like to hear ideas of other helpful possibilities. This committee supports our parish's recent tradition of pilgrimages to holy sites around the world. We hope to offer new opportunities over the next couple of years to locations like South Africa or Canterbury; and somewhat closer to home, we will offer a special chance for our parishioners to make a pilgrimage to our amazing National Cathedral in Washington. We share a special concern to make these opportunities as affordable as possible, and we would like to help participants appreciate the ancient tradition and spiritual meaning of such trips to these hallowed locations.
A final focus for the Spiritual Life Committee has been attending to our own chapel as a sacred space. We want to make sure that everyone realizes what a glorious resource we have in our original church, that has been sanctified by so much prayer over many decades. It is a quiet place for prayer. You may meditate any time throughout the day or evening, in addition to accessing its many liturgical uses. We are working to place signs at the chapel entrances to remind visitors of the chapel's purpose, maintaining the "prayer board" at the back of the chapel for those who wish to use it, and we are in the process of arranging the old sacristy as a spiritual resource center that will house literature and other resources for spiritual practice. It will also function as a small prayer chamber itself, furnished with an icon and perhaps other aids to spiritual attentiveness. Please send us your thoughts and suggestions about any of these arenas, and let us know if you would like to be involved in any of these projects, or at some point, become a member of our group.
Whenever I get frazzled from being too busy I know it is time for a retreat day to help me find my center again. While there are a few retreat centers nearby and many further away, a one-day retreat may be all I have time for during most of the year. That's why I feel lucky to be part of a parish that is able to provide some retreat days for just that purpose -- to get in touch with God, who is our center. Over the past few years, I have taken advantage of many opportunities for retreat or quiet days at the Chapel of the Cross, and have found them to feed both my soul and my body.
Retreat days are structured around a theme. The theme may be based on a liturgical season, such as Advent or Lent, or on another topic of interest, like patience, or the meaning of Sabbath. The structure of the day provides both support and direction while providing some freedom for the participants. We usually start around 10:00 a.m. with a brief introduction to the theme, a time of introduction to each other, and then the leader begins with the first meditation. These meditations are selected to bring the theme of the day to light, and give something to think and pray about for the quiet time that follows. There are usually two meditations before and one after a simple lunch provided by the church. Often music will be playing during the meal. Following the last meditation and quiet time after lunch, we gather. During the final gathering, we share what we have experienced. If a priest is present, there may be a closing Eucharist. Although some retreat themes necessitate more conversation, the majority of the day is usually quiet. When we are quiet, the retreat leader, a priest, or a deacon occasionally invites those who need to talk to come to a designated place for that purpose. During the quiet time, we may go for a walk, draw a picture, read the Bible or write in a journal. If the Spirit moves us in a direction different than the topic at hand, that's fine too! The purpose of the day is to be open to wherever the Lord leads us during the time set aside. The church grounds, buildings, and other areas have often been the locations for retreat days. We have used Camp New Hope for the past two Advent retreats. This camp provides a more rural setting with lots of space to roam. I find these retreats help to broaden my spiritual experience and refresh me as I continue in my journey through life. Time spent in quiet fellowship with others and with the Lord gives me a chance to know some new and not so new folks in a different way. During the retreats, I have become better acquainted with many people, and joined the Spiritual Life Committee to help plan such days on a regular basis in the future. If you would like to attend, watch in "Crossings" for the next meeting time and location!
The Spiritual life Committee and the Education Committee are sponsoring a prayer series for Lent. The goal, once the series is complete, is to form small prayer groups throughout the parish. The focus of the series will be to educate and "try out" various forms of prayer, to determine what might be right for you. The series will include personality "typing" with the hope of matching personalities to prayer practices. The series is intended to include novices or newcomers to individual prayer, as well as those who would like to further explore or enhance their current prayer practices.
The series will begin with a Saturday session, March 3 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. It will serve as the parish's "seasonal retreat." After introduction and inspiration from our Rector, participants will be offered the opportunity to explore their own personality types. They will then be provided with the prayer "options" that might be most meaningful, and will be given the opportunity to explore different forms of prayer. The session will include a light lunch; please call the parish office to reserve a spot by February 28.
Participants may attend as many follow-up sessions as desired, and there is no requirement to attend all of them. These sessions will offer more in-depth instruction in prayer forms, the opportunity to practice that particular type of prayer, and a discussion and comparison of the experience.
The schedule for the entire series is listed on page 13 of this issue of "Cross Roads." All sessions will take place in the church parlor. They will each include time for discussion and practice. For Lectio Divina, attendees should bring their own Bibles. For more information and to sign up for the first session, please call the parish office.
The story of Easter, the central story of our Church and the focal point of our Christian heritage, is a story for all ages.
Come make the events of the Passion come alive through story, liturgy, crafts and play at our Second Annual Palm Saturday Event on Saturday, April 7, from 3 to 4:30 p.m.
In the "Prayer Walk of the Passion" you can accompany Jesus on his triumphal entry into Jerusalem and experience the events preceding his crucifixion and resurrection.