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The Courageous Journey to Renewed Hope

The Courageous Journey to Renewed Hope: October 16, 2021 Mary Elizabeth Ilg, Co-Director, Benedictine Center On Saturday, October 16, 2021 the Benedictine Center hosted a retreat group for a day of prayer and reflection focused on courage and hope.  Christine Jurisich, a well-known retreat leader from California (retreatreflectrenew.org) spent the morning talking about courage.  Courage comes…
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Spiritual Director Profile: Peter Watkins

Spiritual Director Profile: Peter Watkins by Peter Watkins “Imagine that you have ninety seconds to explain to someone what spiritual direction is,” I say to the class.  I have been teaching in a local formation program for adult learners preparing to become spiritual directors.  “Write no more than a couple of short paragraphs for next…
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My Soul Glorifies The Lord 2021 Exhibit: Karen Kurka Jensen

My Soul Glorifies The Lord: Art Exhibit 2021 September see’s the monastery reopening.  And to welcome you back a new art exhibit from sumi-e artist Karen Kurka Jensen will grace our gallery.   Creations Dawn, Morning Stars Still Sing Together I love how the fingers of the sky in this piece are reaching towards each…
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Benedictine Center Re-Opening

The Benedictine Center is Re-Opening this fall! In our April newsletter, we talked about “A Time of Renewed Growth” and planting seeds for the future of the Benedictine Center.  In June, Mary Elizabeth Ilg wrote about “Re-entry in the World” as we are slowly coming out of the pandemic.  In that spirit, we are very…
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God Is Everywhere And Does Everything

God Is Everywhere And Does Everything Created by Sarah Allen "When you regain a sense of your life as a journey of discovery, you return to rhythm with yourself….When the destination becomes gracious, the journey becomes an adventure of beauty." - John O’Donohue I created this piece to illustrate my experience of God. I have…
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Spiritual Director Profile: Sister Virginia Matter

My calling into the journey as a spiritual companion or Director is likely because of the many spiritual companions and friends I experienced in my life. As I reflect, I am aware of how blessed I have been because of those who have challenged and stretched my life within the joys and sorrows. Each has been a healer for my flaws and imperfections. In my writing, I realize there are many names I use for those who journeyed with me. You will see they each touched me in meaningful ways.

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My Journey into Spiritual Direction: Steve Arnold

For many years I taught courses on personal and corporate strategic planning. I was called to develop servant leaders for parish ministry, and I found strategic planning a helpful tool for supporting others as they journeyed along the way. Yet, my journey into spiritual direction was anything but strategic on my part. I just sort of fell into it.

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Seeing God 2021 Virtual Exhibit: Duncan, Eckes, and Fleming

Seeing God: An Exhibit of Sacred Art 2021 Enjoy this year's virtual exhibit! We invite you to pause with each image as if you were walking our Gallery at St. Paul’s Monastery and read the artist’s statement about their piece. The rest of the exhibit will be posted on the blog throughout February and March.…
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Seeing God 2021 Virtual Exhibit: Stein and Pleau

Seeing God: An Exhibit of Sacred Art 2021 Enjoy this year's virtual exhibit! We invite you to pause with each image as if you were walking our Gallery at St. Paul’s Monastery and read the artist’s statement about their piece. The rest of the exhibit will be posted on the blog throughout February and March.…
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Spiritual Director Profile: Tod Twist

Spiritual Director Profile: Tod Twist Meeting God at the edge of the desert How did I come to Spiritual Direction? I backed into it. No matter how we talk about mileage or baggage, life catches up with all of us. By the time I hit my 40’s, I was dealing with serious accumulated stuff in…
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