Tracking the Wilderness:

Contemplation of a New Monastic Way

Presented by Beverly Lanzetta

Dublin, Ireland - June 5, 2010

Sponsored by

New Monasticisms-Ireland

In an age of profound suffering and radical transformation, the monastic heart calls us to establish a center of peace and nonviolence in our own souls.  As the ancients before us, our souls cry out for a way of life devoted to the sacred, in the timeless solitude and wisdom of monastic consciousness.  Yet indebted as we are to ancient traditions of monasticism, the contemporary pilgrim must track a new wilderness, in order to heal archetypes of religious consciousness and to deepen one’s contemplative life.

In this day of retreat, we will consider what it means to be a new monk, one who seeks a life devoted to God outside the traditional monastic enclosure.  How does global consciousness and multi-religious belonging affect and transform the monastic vocation? What constitutes a formation process of a new monastic way; what are its charism, theological foundation, and vows?  How does one deepen the mystical process toward divine union or realization?  Such questions are crucial to the heart of contemplation and to the embodiment of a new monasticism fully integral with the flourishing of creation.

Timetable of Day

10.30 a.m.       Arrivals, Tea and Coffee

11.00 a.m.       Opening Ritual

11.20 a.m. Tracking the Wilderness:  Contemplation of a New Monastic Way

12.00 p.m.       Reflection and Conversation in Groups

12.30 p.m.       Mystical Processes and Spiritual Practices:  Healing Religious Archetypes of Consciousness

13.00 p.m.       Lunch

2.00 p.m.         Feedback from Conversation Groups

2.15 p.m Blessed Solitude: Heart of the Monastic Personality

2.55 p.m.         Reflection and Conversation 2

3.30 p.m. Feedback and Dialogue on Spiritual Direction

3.50 p.m.         Closing Ritual

4.00 p.m.         Departures