Day Retreat
Thomas Merton: Dialogue in Prayer
| Date: | Saturday, 22nd April 2023 |
| Time: | 9:30am - 3:30pm |
| Location: | Monastery Guesthouse |
| Price: | $70 |
Spirituality with Thomas Merton
One-Day Retreats
“In one sense, we are always traveling, and traveling as if we did not know where we were going. In another sense we have already arrived. (...) But oh! How far have I to go to find You in Whom I have already arrived!”
~ Thomas Merton, The Seven Storey Mountain
New Norcia is pleased to be hosting a series of one-day retreats in 2023 conducted by Sylvia Grevel, a theologian, writer and researcher on Christian spirituality. The retreats days will be based on the writings of Thomas Merton. Merton was a Trappist monk, who wrote countless books and articles on the spiritual journey within the context of our Christian traditions. He also engaged deeply and fruitfully with other religious systems and the creative arts.
April 22nd – Dialogue in Prayer
As you would expect of a monk, prayer is at the heart of Thomas Merton’s writing and spiritual guidance. He offers two ways of thinking about prayer: as raising mind and heart to God, and as the discovery of God within. In prayer we discover our true self, have the awareness of God’s presence, and the realisation that true prayer always involves an entrance into mystery – the mystery of God we never can name.
Prayer, mediation, and contemplation, they are all practices to help us open the door to God from the inside out. We can be engaged in liturgical prayer, but for Merton it is important that all prayer should be informed by a contemplative spirit. On this retreat day we will raise awareness to our own prayer practice, and will focus on how we can let our contemplative spirit grow so we can open the door to the Mystery from the inside out.
The retreats will be in the Monastery, from 9.30am - 3.30pm, with morning and afternoon tea and lunch included. The reading texts for each day will be provided.
The cost is $70 per day, with numbers limited to 20.
To enrol, please email to info@sylviagrevel.com.
Please note: this is not an Institute of Benedictine Studies event; please do not contact the Institute about this event, but rather email Sylvia directly.