Encountering and Deepening Into God’s Inspiration: A Lectio-Inspired Advent Day of Retreat and Practice
Contemplative Enrichment Day
Saturday, December 7, 2024
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (ET)
Frank Pendola and Mike Smoolca
Spend an Advent day learning and experiencing how to encounter and deepen into God’s inspiration in sacred scripture and poetry, art, music, yourself, and your life. Our foundation will be Lectio Divina, the ancient method of reading, reflecting, responding, and resting in scripture, and we’ll apply that to poetry as well. We’ll continue with Visio Divina, praying with an icon created by a local iconographer. Lectio-inspired methods focused on music, body senses, and noticing God’s action in our daily lives will round out the day.
This program will be offered both in-person and online via Zoom. Information on how to access the program on Zoom will be sent to participants in advance.
This program will include a morning and an afternoon session of Centering Prayer.
Offering: $75, includes lunch
Scholarships are available, please contact Mike Smoolca at cce@holyfamilyretreat.org for more information.
Presenter Profiles
Frank Pendola
Frank Pendola is a commissioned presenter for Contemplative Outreach and serves on the Contemplative Outreach of CT coordinating team and Contemplative Outreach International Lectio Divina service team. He currently serves as music minister at parishes in Rhode Island. Frank loves to lend his voice in chant or song as an aide to contemplative practice with friends from various denominations and spiritual traditions.
Mike Smoolca
Mike Smoolca is a contemplative group and workshop facilitator, and a dedicated teacher and student of contemplative practice and wisdom spirituality. He is a Contemplative Outreach presenter and coordinator for the Christian Contemplative Experience at Holy Family, Contemplative Outreach of CT, and the Northern CT Chapter of the International Thomas Merton Society. Mike is a spiritual director and supervisor as well as a BioSpiritual Focusing companion and teacher.
Dietary restrictions? Holy Family is committed to making your stay as comfortable and enjoyable as possible, and to that end, we can accommodate most dietary needs. Please email Ted, our registrar, at tjastrzebski@holyfamilyretreat.org, if you have any dietary restrictions or food allergies, so that we may make preparations in advance of your retreat.