Here are a few reflections in connection with Henri Nouwen's work, sent by Maria Theresa

Finding our sacred centre . . . some insights_Handout.pdf

Life of the Beloved_Handout.pdf

Ajja found this prayer. 

This prayer, authored by Christian, Jewish and Muslim clergy, was used in many places in inter-religious worships around the time of the Gulf War in 1991. 

Eternal God, Creator of the universe, there is no God but You. 

Great and wonderful are Your works, wondrous are your ways. 

Thank You for the many splendoured variety of Your creation.

Thank You for the many ways we affirm Your presence and purpose,

and the freedom to do so. 

Forgive our violation of Your creation. 

Forgive our violence toward each other. 

We stand in awe and gratitude for Your persistent love 

for each and all of Your children: 

Christian, Jew, Muslim, 

as well as those with other faiths. 

Grant to all and our leaders attributes of the strong; 

mutual respect in words and deed, 

restraint in the exercise of power, 

and the will for peace with justice, for all. 

Eternal God, Creator of the universe, there is no God but You. 

Amen.  

Book: Advent by Fanny Benitez

It's available HERE (Amazon UK in English) and HERE (amazon Spain in Spanish) 

Penny Warren is leading a retreat on Holy Island in Northumberland from the 8th to 12th April. 

Silent Retreat

Title: “Finding the Quiet”.

Dates: Monday 8th to Friday 12th April 2024

Led by Penny Warren.  Details to follow.

Costs (including lunches, dinners and retreat costs):

Bedroom with own shower room at High Rigg: £312 (two sharing: £215 per person)

One-bedroom flat (1 single and 1 double bed) - Starbank: £427 (two sharing: £272 per person).

Cost should never be a bar to anyone attending.  We have a special fund for this purpose, so please do ask if you’d like a bursary.

To book: please fill in this form.  You will then receive an invoice.  Payment of your deposit 

will secure your booking. If you have any queries, please contact Richard at holyislandretreats@gmail.com 
or tel. 01757 670099/07963 617071

Booking details are in the link. 

https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1T3E1R1liBVCbAzi3Uz6Xj-jgrV_HkcTWj4HvXxxmk7M/mobilebasic

1. Celtic prayer : Caught Up in Love
2. Dom Chautard OCR, The Soul of the Apostolate
3. Joan Chittister, The Time Is Now
4. Karl Frielingsdorf, Seek the face of God
5. Leslie A. Hay, Hospitality : The Heart of Spiritual Direction
6. Gerard W. Hughes, God in All Things, The Sequel to God of Surprises
7. Gerard W. Hughes, God of Surprises 
8. Julian of Norwich, Revelations of Divine Love
9. In a New Translation by Thomas Corbishley S.J., The Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius Loyola
10. Thomas Merton, Spiritual Direction and Meditation
11. Thomas Keating, Open Mind, Open Heart, The Contemplative Dimension of the Gospel
12. Henri Nouwen,  The Wounded Healer
13. Henri Nouwen,  Walk With Jesus
14. Susan S. Phillips, Candlelight : Illuminating the Art of Spiritual Direction
15. Richard Rohr, Breathing Under Water, Spirituality and The Twelve Steps
16. Richard Rohr, Falling Upward
17. Richard Rohr, Silent Compassion, Finding God in Contemplation
18. Joyce Rupp, May I Have This Dance?
19. Margaret Silf, Landmarks: An Ignatian Journey
20. Margaret Silf, Companions of Christ : Ignatian Spirituality for Everyday Living
21. Carol Ann Smith;  Eugene Merz, Moment by Moment : A Retreat in Everyday Life
22. The Veritas Hymnal

Visit our Resources page and see the link to our updated Advent page. If you have anything to offer, please send it to the Secretary for uploading.

Imago Dei – being present in the Presence.

Magdolna Kovari has asked us to promote the following conference which may be of interest to Members.

The title is Imago Dei – being present in the Presence and it will be held 21-25 September 2022 by the lake Balaton in Hungary.

You can find all the relevant information on the following link – ecpcc.info.
If you are interested in a participation or have any further questions, please contact the organisers (contact@ecpcc.info).

Pope Francis has asked that Ash Wednesday, 2 March, should be a Day of particular Prayer and Fasting for Ukraine.

We have posted his Prayer for Peace here:  https://sd-europe.wildapricot.org/Prayer-for-Peace/

If you are able to pray at 8pm on Wednesday, we join our hearts in solidarity with those whose lives are being damaged by the invasion.

Over 40 members and friends gathered online to spend time in shared reflection and then to hear updates from the EC.We had some problems logging in but everyone was delighted when at last we could see familiar faces - or meet new ones!

Teemu Salminen led us in a gentle and deep reflection on the power of nature and then invited people to spend time either outside or finding something natural to contemplate. This was a very powerful experience as people spoke of the calm they found - the fruitfulness - the colours - and space to be.

Vigfus Ingvarsson gave us an introduction to Iceland - telling us more about the Christian heritage of the country and sharing photos of some of the places we will visit. (We hope to upload the video here shortly!)

The EC shared some updates.

An introduction to the new website - how to log in as a member - and to register interest in the pilgrimage to Iceland.

Rafael Maria Theuvenet and Seamus Cullen brought us up to date with the progress of offering SD-Europe spiritual direction training in Poland and,  possibly, in Iceland.

Teemu then gave more information about the pilgrimage and the costs and asked people to start registering their interest so that the EC has an idea of numbers.

It was a joy to see everyone and we hope to see everyone again in February for more news about spiritual direction training and the Iceland pilgrimage!

Dear Friends

We are sorry to announce the death our dear Life Member, Clare Camilleri. A memorial and tribute can be found  below: