Contemplative Living

Click here to download and print a PDF version* of the
2012-2013 Contemplative Living brochure.

Contemplative Living:

The Spirituality of Daily Life

A Year-Long Program

in Deepening Daily Life

through Contemplative Practice

OCTOBER 2012
TO MAY 2013

“In God, we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28)

Beneath the activities and busyness of our lives is a yearning to live more deeply into this truth, to live so we truly know we have our being in God.

The new Oasis program for spiritual formation, Contemplative Living: Spirituality of Daily Life, invites us to explore living contemplatively in the middle of life's busyness, not only through special set aside devotional times. Indeed the spiritual life is not what we do when we stop our busy lives and sit quietly in a practiced prayer form; it is how we infuse our hours and days with an awareness of God's presence. We believe that true contemplative living integrates our lives.

The focus of Contemplative Living: The Spirituality of Daily Life is on the life of the participant. The goal of the program is to open more of our individual lives to contemplative awareness.

Although some core prayer practices will be included, the focus will be on the experience and process of the individual in deepening his/her life in God. In addition to the shared core curriculum, parts of the program will be shaped by the participants and leaders to honor each person's unique life situation.

Monthly Gatherings:

Program participants gather for an opening and closing retreat and for six monthly sessions in between.

Each month will include:

Engagement with the themes through
* presentations by staff
* dialogue among participants
* inner reflection
Time for personal retreat & solitude
Sharing & mutual support among participants
Prayer & worship experiences

Is this program for you?

Do you desire to root your life more deeply in God?

Do you hope to encounter God’s “extra”-ordinary in your ordinary days?

Do you want to journey in community with others who share the desires of your spirit?

Session Themes Include:

Our holy longing
Paying attention and being mindful
Embodiment—God of the physical world
The need for spiritual practices
Growing through darkness and fear into trust and hope
Contemplative creativity
Daily relationships (work, family, community)
Life rhythms—work, play and rest;
solitude and community
Compassion—the overflow of contemplative living
The opened heart—healing, gratitude and freedom

Contemplation is being with what is.
Gerald May

Prayer is paying attention.
Simone Weil

Bring a commitment to spiritual growth
Be present and involved in the group
Complete assigned readings and write a brief paper based on personal experience
Find support for this spiritual journey beyond the program itself (for example, a spiritual friend or small group)
Share a personal project with the group which has risen from the experience and learning of the year

Leaders:

Nancy L. Bieber, M.A., M.S., has been on staff at Oasis Ministries since 1996, and serves as a lead teacher for the Spiritual Direction program and the Contemplative Living program. Nancy is a clinical psychologist but focuses now on retreat leadership and spiritual direction. She is the author of Decision-Making and Spiritual Discernment: The Sacred Art of Finding Your Way.
Link to Nancy's website

Marc Oehler, M.Div., LCSW, has been on staff at Oasis Ministries since 2004 serving as a leader in the Spiritual Direction program and serves as Associate Pastor for Parish Life at West Side Presbyterian Church in Ridgewood, NJ. Marc leads retreats, does individual and group spiritual direction and is a licensed social worker.

Ruth Roemer, M.S., has been involved with the Contemplative Living course since 2009, both as a participant and leader. She also serves as a personal life-coach, consultant to non-profit organizations, college professor, and is in the final year of her training as a spiritual director.

Interested?
Contact us today

No pre-requisites... All are welcome!

Location:

St. Marguerite’s Retreat House

82 West Main Street
Mendham, NJ 07945

Phone: 973-543-4641

http://www.csjbretreathouse.org/

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Dates

OPENING RETREAT
10:00 a.m., Wednesday,
October 10, 2012
through 3:00 p.m.,
Thursday, October 11, 2012

MONTHLY SESSIONS
10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Thursdays
November 15, December 13, 2012
January 10, February 14, March 14,
April 11, 2013

CLOSING RETREAT
10:00 a.m., Wednesday,
May 8, 2013
through 3:00 p.m., Thursday, May 9, 2013

TO APPLY, OR,
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Click here to download and print a PDF version* of the 2012-2013 Contemplative Living brochure and Application form.
Call 717-737-8222 to request a copy of the program brochure.
Email your request to oasismin@oasismin.org.

* Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view and print the brochure. If you do not have the software, a free copy can be downloaded by clicking

Tuition

TUITION: $1,750

Plus an Application Fee of $200 (non-refundable after program begins*) sent with attached form.

If application received by May 30:

discount $50 from application fee

If application received after August 30:

add $50 to application fee

Tuition may be paid in full at any time. However, suggested payment plan is $190 due upon acceptance into the program (by September) and $195 monthly on class meeting days October—May.

Participants are asked to pay for and attend all sessions. Payments by Discover/MasterCard/Visa are welcome.

*If you withdraw from the program prior to September 1, 2011, we will refund your application fee less $50.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Some scholarship help is available. The amount of help depends on the number of requests we receive and the amount of money in our scholarship fund. Contact us after seeking assistance from other local sources of funding (like your church or denomination).

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