We invite you to share with us an exciting year of presentations in spirituality in celebration of our beautiful new Norbertine Library. These talks by renowned authors and spiritual masters are free and open to all seeking a better understanding of spirituality, with practical tools for a deeper and more authentic response to God in our lives. Come join us in a shared search for wisdom that leads to mutual understanding, communion and peace among diverse religious traditions.
|Search the Library Catalog|Information About Other Retreats and Events|
Walking In a Sacred Way:
A Pathway to Spiritual Wisdom
Fr. Francis Dorff, O. Praem.
Saturday, September 20, 2008, 9:30 am to Noon
This presentation will take us on a journey into the five step LifeProcess for walking in a sacred way. Fr. Dorff will then guide us through a meditative experience of this process.
Fr. Francis Dorff is a priest of the Norbertine Community and a former professor of philosophy and theology. Fr. Dorff’s present work is focused on experiencing and sharing a life-integrating approach to spiritual development. He is a specialist in the depth psychology of Ira Progoff, and the author of eight books on living spiritually.
Anglican, Contemplative Threads
of Wisdom and Unity
Rev. Brian C. Taylor
Saturday, October 18, 2008, 9:30 am to Noon
Fr. Brian will present an historical perspective on the Anglican tradition’s way of celebrating the divine order and the unity of creation from its early Celtic roots to contemporary social gospel perspectives. The spiritual practice we will experience together is a type of contemplative prayer developed by Fr. Brian out of an Anglican methodology drawing from the medieval English classic The Cloud of Unknowing, from Eastern Orthodoxy’s Prayer of the Heart, and contemporary Vipassana Buddhist meditation. We will conclude our gathering with Anglican hymns and conversation.
Reverend Brian Taylor has been Rector of St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church in the North Valley of Albuquerque since 1983. He is the author of several books on spirituality.
The Experience of Spiritual Unity:
Non-Dual Thinking and the World Religions
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM
Saturday, November 15, 2008, 9:30 am to Noon
Why do three of the Eastern religions specifically teach non-duality and yet the monotheistic religions do not? Or do we? Fr. Richard Rohr will lead us in a discussion of themes from his up-coming book, The Third Eye: No Problem Can be Solved by the Same Consciousness that Caused It.
Fr. Richard Rohr is a Franciscan priest and founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and the author of many books on theology and spirituality.
What Child Is This?
The Advent of the Prophets’ Visions
Dr. Megan McKenna
Saturday, December 6, 2008, 9:30 am to Noon
This Advent we listen to the readings of the prophet Isaiah and meet John the Baptist head-on. What—or whom—are we waiting for this Advent? Whom are we expecting? The readings are stunning in beauty and intensity—our God in flesh is near, is already here, is coming again. We will delve into the mysteries of the readings and tell stories of waiting and discovering how close our God is to us now…and how we are invited ever more deeply into the mystery of God taking on our flesh and blood and being born in us.
Dr. Megan McKenna is a renowned author on biblical and spiritual themes who travels the world as a lecturer, retreat leader and storyteller. Her most recent book is The Hour of the Tiger: Facing Our Fears.
Native Traditions of the Southwest:
A Cultural and Spiritual Perspective
Dr. Christine Sims
Saturday, January 17, 2009, 9:30 am to Noon
This session will provide an overview of the culture of New Mexico’s indigenous people as shared through Pueblo perspectives. The tradi-tions of the Native peoples of the Southwest provide the basis for a discussion about diversity of belief systems, the cultural contexts and socio-religious ties that bind these communities together. The presentation will include small group discussions on four key questions useful for ongoing spiritual reflection.
Dr. Christine Sims received her Ph.D. in education with a specialty in Native American language maintenance and revitalization. She serves on the faculty at the University of New Mexico in the College of Education and is a member of Acoma Pueblo where she lives with her family.
A Little Way to Peace
Wisdom in the Way of St. Therese of Lisieux
Br. Joseph Schmidt, FSC
Saturday, February 21, 2009, 9:30 am to Noon
This presentation will explore aspects of the way of St. Therese from the perspective of her contribution to a spirituality of non-violence on a personal and social level. Our practice will focus on reflective writing to discern and to bring to prayer feelings of violence we may discover in ourselves.
Br. Joseph Schmidt, FSC, a De La Salle Christian Brother, is presently on the staff of the Sangre de Cristo Sabbatical Center in Santa Fe, NM. He is a spiritual director, counselor, lecturer and the author of Praying Our Experiences: Praying with St. Therese of Lisieux, and Everything is Grace: the Life and Way of Therese of Liseux.
We Have This Ministry of Reconciliation
Rev. Dr. Wallace Ford
Saturday, March 21, 2009, 9:30 am to Noon
St. Paul characterized his primary task as the ministry of reconciliation. Healing relationships and peacemaking are at the heart of the Christian gospel. This presentation will explore key spiritual elements of conflict resolution and peacemaking applicable to personal, family, and communal settings.
Rev. Wallace Ford is an ordained minister of the Christian Church (Disciple of Christ) denomi-nation. He was a parish pastor for 20 years and served as Executive Secretary of the New Mexico Conference of Churches for 18 years. He is an adjunct faculty member for the Ecumenical Institute of Ministry and is a founding partner of Alternatives: Professional Dispute Resolution Services in Albuquerque.
The Heart That is Ready for Anything:
Wisdom, Love and the Way of Freedom
Dr. Eric Kolvig
Saturday, April 18, 2009, 9:30 am to Noon
In all spiritual traditions and all human experience, wisdom and love show us that we are not isolated or separate. With no separate self there is nothing to gratify or defend—no self, no problem. Eric will cite the words and experiences of Buddha, Jesus, Meister Eckhart, St. Paul, Shakespeare, and the Christian doctrine of God’s omnipresence in an exploration of Love and Wisdom.
Dr. Eric Kolvig has been teaching in the Vipassana Buddhist tradition since 1985. He leads meditation retreats and lectures extensively throughout the United States. Dr. Kolvig has a particular interest in “grassroots dharma,” building spiritual community in democratic, non-authoritarian ways. He resides in a rural intentional community in northern New Mexico.
Where is God? Whenever You Let God In:
Finding Holiness in Time
Rabbi Joseph Black
Tuesday, May 12, 2009, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Rabbi Black will discuss Jewish perspectives on finding holiness in time, rather than space. Participants will explore rabbinic and modern texts, original music, and poetry as well as daily prayers that exemplify the search for holiness.
Rabbi Joseph Black is the rabbi of Congregation Albert in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He has served as faculty on regional and national spirituality conferences. A published poet, he has also recorded five critically-acclaimed albums of Jewish music, and two videos.
A Blend of Sacred and Secular
de Profundis, a cappella Men’s Ensemble
David Poole, Director
Sunday, May 31, 2009, 3:00 pm
Our series concludes with a wonderful celebratory performance by this renowned ensemble. The name "de Profundis" is Latin for "out of the deep." It plays on the distinctiveness of the male voice, while at the same time bespeaking the conviction that music has the capacity to reveal the profound and the sacred, that which is concealed within our own depths.
Overnight Accommodations
Those who wish to do so may extend the day into a solitary retreat by staying at the Hermitage Retreat overnight. The accommodations are on a first-come first-served basis. The cost for an overnight stay is $35.00 per day per person. Overnight retreatants are welcome to join the Norbertine Community for Sunday Eucharist at 9:00a.m.
For more information, please contact Meg Ashcroft at (505) 873-4399 Ext. 204, or email her at Mashcroft@norbertinecommunity.org.
