Each fall for the past several years, the core *cino group has taken time out of our fall schedule to go away together to reflect on the year past, and imagine and plan for the year ahead. We began with a single night, but in our hunger for more time, we dedicated a whole weekend last year, and will do the same again this year from October 7-9. We’re fortunate to have an abundance of local retreat centers, practically in our back yard, and we’ve enjoyed spending time at St. Gregory’s Abbey, GilChrist Retreat Center, and The Hermitage Community for our annual retreats and other activities throughout the year. These places keep us anchored in so many ways.
This year, there will just be four of us participating in the full retreat, perhaps with a couple of others who are close to our work popping in for parts of the time. The small number was something we anticipated at last fall’s retreat, and this year will be an opportunity to discuss how we feel about where things are. We long to have more partners in this work on the ground in Three Rivers, but in the meantime, the work goes on, and we often feel spread thin. In thinking about this state of things, I’ve gathered a number of quotes, poems, and essays around themes of commitment, labor, busyness, and finding joy in our work. This material will likely form the foundation of our Saturday morning reflection time, with our remaining working hours dedicated to sharing where we are personally and how we feel about the past year’s activities, as well as our vision for the coming year, with practical action steps we can take coming out of the retreat. And we’ll be sure to take plenty of time to rest, walk, play, and, of course, eat good food!
We would all appreciate your good thoughts and prayers for our time together—for clarity, wisdom, vulnerability, listening, and joy!
Last modified: March 4, 2020
