Pause... Reflect... Grow in Awareness...
Shopping Cart
Your Cart is Empty
Quantity:
Subtotal
Taxes
Shipping
Total
Archives
Archives
The following Shalom Place reflections, programs and retreats have been offered IN THE PAST.
Be sure to check our website and FaceBook page regularly for future offerings!
Third Week of Easter
Third Week of Easter
Humming in the Darkness
Hope means to keep living
amid desperation
and to keep humming in the darkness.
Hoping is knowing that there is love,
it is trust in tomorrow,
it is falling asleep
and waking again
when the sun rises.
In the midst of a gale at sea,
it is to discover land.
In the eyes of another
it is to see that you are understood...
As long as there is still hope
there will also be prayer...
And you will be held
in God's hands.
From With Open Hands by Henri Nouwen
Second Sunday of Easter
Second Sunday of Easter
"The doors were closed, but Jesus came in and stood among them. 'Peace be with you,' he said. Then he spoke to Thomas, 'Put your finger here; look, here are my hands. Give me your hand; put it into my side. Doubt no longer, but believe.'" (John 20:19-20,27-28)
I remember closed doors along my own life's journey, and I remember moments when you were suddenly there, in spite of all my defences; moments when you took my hand and brought me face to face with my wounded Healer and left me no more room for doubt.
~ Margaret Silf ~
Awaken Me
Awaken Me
Risen One, come, meet me in the garden of my life.
Lure me into elation.
Revive my silent hope.
Coax my dormant dreams.
Raise up my neglected gratitude.
Entice my tired enthusiasm.
Give life to my faltering relationships.
Roll back the stone of my indifference.
Unwrap the deadness in my spiritual life.
Impart heartiness in my work.
Risen One,
send me forth as a disciple of your unwavering love,
a messenger of your unlimited joy.
Resurrected One,
may I become
ever more convinced that your presence lives on,
and on, and on, and on.
Awaken me! Awaken me!
~ Joyce Rupp ~
Lent 2021: What to give up, when you feel like giving up
by Sr. Colleen Gibson
On the eve of Ash Wednesday, a comic strip appeared in my inbox under the subject line “The Lent-iest Lent Ever.” In it, a man, coffee cup in hand, casually asks her, “Did you decide what you’re giving up for Lent?” With a look of mild uncertainty on her face and eyes fixed on the list unfurled before her, the woman remarks, "First I need to check the list of things I gave up for the pandemic."
The person who sent me the comic jotted one simple line below the comic: "With a year like this, what's forty more days?"
Dripping with sarcasm, that wisecrack made me smile in the face of the larger point the comic was hammering home. After the year we've had, what more could we give up?
Last year, after all, was supposed to have been the "Lent-iest" Lent ever. From the declaration of the pandemic by the World Health Organization in March, only a few weeks into the Lenten season, a new reality and understanding of the fragility of life, the loneliness of loss and isolation, the need for attentive engagement, and the call to prayer in the face of uncertainty took hold. The prayer, fasting and almsgiving of that Lenten season overflowed into the year that has been, creating a sense that Lent never fully came to a close.
And so, as I returned my focus to the comic my friend sent, I wondered, "what's the point?"
After a year of grief and loss, isolation and distance, masks and protocols, what more could these 40 days offer? What could I possibly give up or take on this Lent? If that list of sacrifices keeps getting longer, why not just give in and give up?
The temptation to give up is real.
Last Lent, as the pandemic and its accompanying realities began to gain momentum, the season of Lent took on a surreal air. The Lenten promises I had made paled in comparison to the ever-evolving reality of life in a time of pandemic. As a result, I chose to put my Lenten practice aside. At the time, I felt that by not following through for the full 40 days, I had come up short in my Lenten commitment.
Looking back on that choice now, though, I know it was the right choice for me. The consciousness of God's presence that I longed to deepen by giving something up for Lent was heightened by the discernment to once again embrace the comfort of what I was going without. My attention was needed elsewhere and my ability to be fully present to the situations at hand was enhanced by my choice to give up on what I'd given up.
That, of course, leads me to this Lent.
By the time that comic came to my inbox, I still hadn't decided the details of my Lenten practice. There were groups I could take part in, books I could read, prayers I could commit to, and small actions I could take on. All of these practices would be good options, yet with a spirit bleary-eyed from Zoom calls, world news, and other demands, I felt less zealous about making a commitment and more resigned to endure the season as best I could.
Looking at the woman in the comic, I wondered: What do you give up when the thought of doing one more thing is burdensome or the prospect of adding to the growing list of daily sacrifices is daunting? What do you give up when you feel like giving up?
The answers to those questions, surprisingly, emerged rather quickly.
When we feel like giving up, perhaps one of the best things we can give up is the need to control every facet of our lives. The pandemic has made strikingly clear that some things are simply out of our control. We cannot will the world to get back to normal. Uncertainty is more commonplace these days than we might be comfortable with, but what if we companion that uncertainty, rather than trying to correct it by controlling ourselves and others? Relinquishing the need to achieve or to obsess over having everything in order may in fact be the best thing we can give up. In so doing, we give God the space to be in control and free ourselves from the illusion that we are God, remembering instead that God has made us to be human.
If giving up the drive to control is the first step in a liberating Lent, giving up our penchant to negatively judge is a closely linked second. Judgment, of course, is not necessarily a bad thing; it helps us to gain perspective and assess situations. However, when we recognize that our judgments are unkind and uncharitable, undergirded by a need to control or lessen the "other," it's time to give them up. Just as with control, this "giving up" of judgments is easier said than done. Being able to relinquish our negative feelings and lay our judgments aside for the benefit of others and ourselves is a process of self-actualization, which takes both honesty and humility as we grow in self-awareness and face our imperfections. If we can give up the need to pass judgment, we can grow closer to the union to which God calls us and gain new perspective on the loving way God sees all of us, even those we can't stand.
By letting go of the temptation to control and judge in our daily lives, we will hopefully find ourselves freer to face the attachments of our egos and the drive to hold tightly to the power, glory and entitlement the world promises. Indeed, these promises are the falsehoods we confront when we embrace prayer, fasting and almsgiving in the season of Lent. In and through these practices we recognize our reliance on God, raising our consciousness and giving up what stands in the way of a deeper relationship with God.
Deepening our relationship with God, after all, is the aim of whatever we give up or choose to do this Lent. For that reason, perhaps the greatest thing we could give up this Lent is the nagging feeling that we should give up. In this year full of sacrifices, giving up would be a choice to relinquish hope and to dishonor all that we have been through. To give up on this season would be to give in to despair and, in the process, to lose sight of where this Lenten journey ultimately points us — to the hope-filled morning of Easter.
We carry a lot and, during this Lent especially, we need to be attentive to what might lighten our load. Maybe we are being called to let go of anger or hurt, judgement or control, sadness or selfishness, worry or regret, offering in their place love and compassion both for our neighbors and for ourselves.
As we press on like the Israelites wandering in the desert, we cannot lose sight of hope and of the One who walks hopefully with us through this season, and every season, of our lives. With God as our companion, we may have to give up lots of things. Some of those sacrifices will be voluntary, while others will not. Still, we journey forward together, giving all we are and all we hope to be to God and finding that no matter the season, God will never give up on us.
The following reflection recently appeared on the Global Sisters Network website and we are reposting it here with their permission.
A Sister of St. Joseph of Philadelphia,
Colleen Gibson currently serves as coordinator of services at the
Sisters of St. Joseph Neighborhood Center in Camden, New Jersey.
Lent 2021: What to give up, when you feel like giving up
by Sr. Colleen Gibson
On the eve of Ash Wednesday, a comic strip appeared in my inbox under the subject line “The Lent-iest Lent Ever.” In it, a man, coffee cup in hand, casually asks her, “Did you decide what you’re giving up for Lent?” With a look of mild uncertainty on her face and eyes fixed on the list unfurled before her, the woman remarks, "First I need to check the list of things I gave up for the pandemic."
The person who sent me the comic jotted one simple line below the comic: "With a year like this, what's forty more days?"
Dripping with sarcasm, that wisecrack made me smile in the face of the larger point the comic was hammering home. After the year we've had, what more could we give up?
Last year, after all, was supposed to have been the "Lent-iest" Lent ever. From the declaration of the pandemic by the World Health Organization in March, only a few weeks into the Lenten season, a new reality and understanding of the fragility of life, the loneliness of loss and isolation, the need for attentive engagement, and the call to prayer in the face of uncertainty took hold. The prayer, fasting and almsgiving of that Lenten season overflowed into the year that has been, creating a sense that Lent never fully came to a close.
And so, as I returned my focus to the comic my friend sent, I wondered, "what's the point?"
After a year of grief and loss, isolation and distance, masks and protocols, what more could these 40 days offer? What could I possibly give up or take on this Lent? If that list of sacrifices keeps getting longer, why not just give in and give up?
The temptation to give up is real.
Last Lent, as the pandemic and its accompanying realities began to gain momentum, the season of Lent took on a surreal air. The Lenten promises I had made paled in comparison to the ever-evolving reality of life in a time of pandemic. As a result, I chose to put my Lenten practice aside. At the time, I felt that by not following through for the full 40 days, I had come up short in my Lenten commitment.
Looking back on that choice now, though, I know it was the right choice for me. The consciousness of God's presence that I longed to deepen by giving something up for Lent was heightened by the discernment to once again embrace the comfort of what I was going without. My attention was needed elsewhere and my ability to be fully present to the situations at hand was enhanced by my choice to give up on what I'd given up.
That, of course, leads me to this Lent.
By the time that comic came to my inbox, I still hadn't decided the details of my Lenten practice. There were groups I could take part in, books I could read, prayers I could commit to, and small actions I could take on. All of these practices would be good options, yet with a spirit bleary-eyed from Zoom calls, world news, and other demands, I felt less zealous about making a commitment and more resigned to endure the season as best I could.
Looking at the woman in the comic, I wondered: What do you give up when the thought of doing one more thing is burdensome or the prospect of adding to the growing list of daily sacrifices is daunting? What do you give up when you feel like giving up?
The answers to those questions, surprisingly, emerged rather quickly.
When we feel like giving up, perhaps one of the best things we can give up is the need to control every facet of our lives. The pandemic has made strikingly clear that some things are simply out of our control. We cannot will the world to get back to normal. Uncertainty is more commonplace these days than we might be comfortable with, but what if we companion that uncertainty, rather than trying to correct it by controlling ourselves and others? Relinquishing the need to achieve or to obsess over having everything in order may in fact be the best thing we can give up. In so doing, we give God the space to be in control and free ourselves from the illusion that we are God, remembering instead that God has made us to be human.
If giving up the drive to control is the first step in a liberating Lent, giving up our penchant to negatively judge is a closely linked second. Judgment, of course, is not necessarily a bad thing; it helps us to gain perspective and assess situations. However, when we recognize that our judgments are unkind and uncharitable, undergirded by a need to control or lessen the "other," it's time to give them up. Just as with control, this "giving up" of judgments is easier said than done. Being able to relinquish our negative feelings and lay our judgments aside for the benefit of others and ourselves is a process of self-actualization, which takes both honesty and humility as we grow in self-awareness and face our imperfections. If we can give up the need to pass judgment, we can grow closer to the union to which God calls us and gain new perspective on the loving way God sees all of us, even those we can't stand.
By letting go of the temptation to control and judge in our daily lives, we will hopefully find ourselves freer to face the attachments of our egos and the drive to hold tightly to the power, glory and entitlement the world promises. Indeed, these promises are the falsehoods we confront when we embrace prayer, fasting and almsgiving in the season of Lent. In and through these practices we recognize our reliance on God, raising our consciousness and giving up what stands in the way of a deeper relationship with God.
Deepening our relationship with God, after all, is the aim of whatever we give up or choose to do this Lent. For that reason, perhaps the greatest thing we could give up this Lent is the nagging feeling that we should give up. In this year full of sacrifices, giving up would be a choice to relinquish hope and to dishonor all that we have been through. To give up on this season would be to give in to despair and, in the process, to lose sight of where this Lenten journey ultimately points us — to the hope-filled morning of Easter.
We carry a lot and, during this Lent especially, we need to be attentive to what might lighten our load. Maybe we are being called to let go of anger or hurt, judgement or control, sadness or selfishness, worry or regret, offering in their place love and compassion both for our neighbors and for ourselves.
As we press on like the Israelites wandering in the desert, we cannot lose sight of hope and of the One who walks hopefully with us through this season, and every season, of our lives. With God as our companion, we may have to give up lots of things. Some of those sacrifices will be voluntary, while others will not. Still, we journey forward together, giving all we are and all we hope to be to God and finding that no matter the season, God will never give up on us.
The following reflection recently appeared on the Global Sisters Network website and we are reposting it here with their permission.
A Sister of St. Joseph of Philadelphia,
Colleen Gibson currently serves as coordinator of services at the
Sisters of St. Joseph Neighborhood Center in Camden, New Jersey.
Philip Chircop recently posted the following thoughts:
BEST OF TIMES … WORST OF TIMES
February 7 was the birthday of Charles Dickens (February 7, 1812 – June 9, 1870). For your reflection, here are Dickens’ profound first words, from “A Tale of Two Cities” written in March of 1859. I find them to be meaningful words especially these days as the world stands still haunted by a deadly virus.
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us …”.
~Charles Dickens in A Tale of Two Cities
Philip Chircop recently posted the following thoughts:
BEST OF TIMES … WORST OF TIMES
February 7 was the birthday of Charles Dickens (February 7, 1812 – June 9, 1870). For your reflection, here are Dickens’ profound first words, from “A Tale of Two Cities” written in March of 1859. I find them to be meaningful words especially these days as the world stands still haunted by a deadly virus.
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us …”.
~Charles Dickens in A Tale of Two Cities
New!
On-line small group program!
"Dear Heart Come Home"
New!
On-line small group program!
"Dear Heart Come Home"
Midlife … is a summons to grow and a challenge to change. Midlife beckons one inward. It is a move to interiority, a passage to the deeper places where we discover our authenticity, where we realize both our limitations and our grandeur. It is here that we come home to our truest Self. We take our external experiences with us to the inside and look at our life. We evaluate our goals, hopes, dreams, beliefs, behaviours, experiences – all that has marked us and contributed to the person we have become – and we ask ourselves: “Is this the person I want to be in the future?”
We will use Joyce Rupp’s book as the source of input, private journaling and group sharing during our sessions. More information will be provided at the first session.
DATE & TIME:
Wednesdays 4:30 - 6:00 p.m. (Eastern Time zone)
Jan. 20, 27; Feb. 3, 10, 17, 24; Mar. 3, 10
FACILITATOR: Stephanie Romiti, CSJ
LOCATION: Meet from the comfort of your own home! We will use "zoom" to meet - guidance will be offered ahead of time for those needing it!
SUGGESTED OFFERING: Free-will offering appreciated. PARTICIPANTS ARE ASKED TO OBTAIN THEIR OWN COPY OF THE BOOK, from the vendor of their choice. (Note: amazon and chapters/indigo online have limited copies, though it is available as an e-book for Kindle. It is also available through a few U.S. vendors, such as Barnes and Noble.)
REGISTER: [email protected] or 705-254-4690 or complete the contact form on this website
Pope Francis has declared this year to be the Year of St. Joseph! Our current reflection is a video clip of Fr. James Martin, SJ speaking on why St. Joseph is the patron we need at this time.
Pope Francis has declared this year to be the Year of St. Joseph! Our current reflection is a video clip of Fr. James Martin, SJ speaking on why St. Joseph is the patron we need at this time.
As we move into the liturgical season of Ordinary Time, let us pray in gratitude for the gift of sight!
As we move into the liturgical season of Ordinary Time, let us pray in gratitude for the gift of sight!
Prayer of Gratitude for the Gift of Sight
Prayer of Gratitude for the Gift of Sight
Creator God, Holy Parent, I give you thanks for all of your so often unnoticed natural gifts.
I rejoice especially, now, in my eyes, these two tiny but marvelous gifts that add so much
to the fullness of my life.
The gift of sight enlarges the world of my enjoyment and magnifies my appreciation of
nature, of great works of art, of the gifts of books and print, of those persons I love -
and for this I am grateful.
I thank you also for the gift of insight by which my spirit sees and understands.
For the gift of the third eye, the eye of the heart, by which I may stand-under the meaning
of life, I am indeed grateful.
I am especially thankful for your Son, Jesus, star-born prophet, whose very coming was a
healing light to the world, who opened the eyes of the blind and gave to a weary world
new sight.
Blessed be all those who have taught me to see: prophets, poets, writers, and
movie-makers, friends and lovers, all teachers of vision.
May my eyes bless you this day; may they be opened-prayers of gratitude, as I attempt
to overcome any blindness of heart and any dullness of appreciation of the wonder of
sight.
In the fullness of my being, I bless you, incomprehensible Lord, who foresees a heaven
of such splendor, that ear has not heard, nor eye seen, such beauty as you have
prepared.
Blessed are you, Lord my God, for the wondrous gift of sight.
~ Edward Hays ~
January 1, 2021
January 1, 2021
Befriend your 'self'.
See the beauty
within you.
See the light
within you.
Find the still point
within you.
Be in your sacred centre:
It is a place
for conceiving
and giving birth.
It is a place
of gratitude,
a place of light.
~ Mary Southard, csj ~
December 25: Merry Christmas
December 25: Merry Christmas
December 24: Betting on Bethlehem
December 24: Betting on Bethlehem
Christmas survives because of Bethlehem. Had it occurred in Jerusalem (or had a bigger press budget) it would have long ago been forgotten. Instead, Christmas persists, an annual people's revolt showing how much the insignificant and the powerless still matter in a world where big is king.
Christmas has an inescapable bias. Third- and fourth-world people who read the story often hear personal affirmation - it sounds like it was written just for them. First-world people who read it often hear judgment. The reason? Bethlehem, where the weak triumph over the powerful and the nobodies confound the famous, where valleys are exalted and mountains are laid low.
Those who understand Bethlehem are not one bit surprised. We expect the simple to baffle the sophisticated, the plain to triumph over the complex, the small to overturn the large. We actually believe that little countries like East Timor or Puerto Rico have as much right to independence as big countries. We've seen dictators toppled.
So Christmas is our festival, the bizarre story that puts its bets on Bethlehem. The story that lets ragged shepherds under flickering starlight get the first word of the birth of God on earth. It celebrates light overcoming darkness, the small defeating the big, the poor finally having less to fear than the rich, the simple and sincere emerging as ultimately sovereign.
Each Christmas asks us whether we will again bet on Bethlehem. Why would we choose otherwise? It is, in the end, the only story worth whatever we can wager - even our lives.
~ Donna Schaper ~
Throughout the season of Advent, we encourage you to check out the reflections at the following links:
A variety of Advent resources:
https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/Advent/site-index.html
Daily Advent prayers:
https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/Advent/firstweek.html
Advent A to Z:
December 23: O Emmanuel
December 23: O Emmanuel
December 22: O King of Nations
December 22: O King of Nations
December 21: O Rising Sun
December 21: O Rising Sun
December 20: O Key of David
December 20: O Key of David
December 19: O Root of Jesse
December 19: O Root of Jesse
December 18: O Lord
December 18: O Lord
December 17: O Wisdom
December 17: O Wisdom
O Antiphons
O Antiphons
The O Antiphons refer to the seven antiphons that are recited (or chanted) preceding the Magnificat during Vespers of the Liturgy of the Hours during the Octave before Christmas, December 17-23.
The exact origin of the O Antiphons is not known though there is reference to them as far back as the sixth century. By the eighth century, they are in use in the liturgical celebrations in Rome. The usage of the O Antiphons was so prevalent in monasteries that the phrases, ‘Keep your O’ and ‘The Great O Antiphons’ were common parlance. The O Antiphons have been part of our liturgical tradition since the very early Church.
Each of the of O Antiphons highlights a title for the Messiah referred to in the prophecy of Isaiah:
O Sapientia (O Wisdom) – December 17
O Adonai (O Lord) – December 18
O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse) – December 19
O Clavis David (O Key of David) – December 20
O Oriens (O Rising Sun) – December 21
O Rex Gentium (O King of the Nations) – December 22
O Emmanuel – December 23
According to Professor Robert Greenberg of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, the Benedictine monks arranged these antiphons with a definite purpose. If one starts with the last title and takes the first letter of each one- Emmanuel, Rex, Oriens, Clavis, Radix, Adonai, Sapientia - the Latin words ‘ero cras’ are formed, meaning, ‘Tomorrow, I will come.’ Therefore, the Lord Jesus, whose coming we have prepared for in Advent and whom we have addressed in these seven Messianic titles, now speaks to us, ‘Tomorrow, I will come.’ So the O Antiphons not
only bring intensity to our Advent preparation, but bring it to a joyful conclusion.
(This background was taken from an article by Fr. William Saunders. See https://www.catholiceducation.org/en/culture/catholic-contributions/what-are-the.html
For our exploration and celebration of the O Antiphons, the format will be as follows:
Each day a presentation will be posted to the Shalom Place website - www.shalomplace.ca. Click on the link and the presentation will begin.
The first thing you will see will be a slide which will display the words of the day’s O Antiphon.
This will then lead to a video of a setting of the Magnificat by Bernadette Farrell.
After the Magnificat, the Scriptures on which the O Antiphon for the day are based will appear for you to read. Also appearing on the page will be the words of the O Antiphon. If at any time in the presentation you find it is going too quickly, simply hit “Pause” button so that you can absorb what is on the screen.
Following the Scripture will be a short audio reflection by David Thorp.
Concluding the reflection will be a verse from the Advent carol, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” which is based on the O Antiphon.
The total presentation should take about 10-12 minutes.
Some Acknowledgements and Thanks
The first person I want to acknowledge and thank is my late brother, David Thorp, for introducing me to the O Antiphons. I also want to thank his wife, Barbara Thorp, for sending me the recording of the talk that David gave at the Thursday Morning Men’s Breakfast in Boston on
December 8, 2005. Barbara also provided the photo of David which is displayed during the excerpt of the talk presented each day. I also want to thank Thomas Lester, Director - Archives and Library, Archdiocese of Boston, where David’s papers are archived, for sending me copies of
resources that David had accumulated.
I really, really want to thank my brother, Mark Thorp, for doing all the technical work to produce the presentation. I gathered the materials, then he added to the graphics but it was his professional expertise (he has worked in the television and film industry for about forty years)
that edited that material into the presentation you will view.
And to Sr Stephanie Romiti for figuring out to get this on the website.
The banner at the top of this introduction and the Advent candles at the bottom are from Loyola Press’s article “What are the O Antiphons?” https://www.loyolapress.com/catholic-resources/liturgical-year/advent/about-advent/advent-links-to-explore-and-share/what-are-the-o-antiphons/
On the opening and closing slide of each presentation there are a couple images. The ones on the left were designed by the Benedictine Sisters of Turvey Abbey, Northamptonshire, England and are available as full length banners and smaller posters from McCrimmon Publishing
Company Ltd – www.mccrimmons.com/O-Antiphons. See also – https://youtu.be/L-lNcdImng8. The ones in the centre are from St Anne’s Episcopal Church, Trexlertown, PA. See - http://stannesepiscopal.net/o-antiphons/ The video of the Magnificat can be found at - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15AccZAcdpk O Come, O come Emmanuel is from two You Tube videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xtpJ4Q_Q-4 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxPynSu2LGE
As Assistant Director of Shalom Place, I would be remiss if I didn’t at least mention that, although our programs at Shalom Place are free to all who wish to access them, we greatly appreciate any free-will offering you might want to make. This Home page has a link below to our contact page, if you wish to support our ministry.
Wishing blessings on your Advent as you make room in your hearts for Emmanuel, God-with-us.
Burnie Thorp
December 16, 2020
To introduce our O Antiphon reflection series beginning Thursday, we offer the following introduction.
The O Antiphons refer to the seven antiphons that are recited (or chanted) preceding the Magnificat during Vespers of the Liturgy of the Hours during the Octave before Christmas, December 17-23.
Each of the of O Antiphons highlights a title for the Messiah referred to in the prophecy of Isaiah:
O Sapientia (O Wisdom) – December 17
O Adonai (O Lord) – December 18
O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse) – December 19
O Clavis David (O Key of David) – December 20
O Oriens (O Rising Sun) – December 21
O Rex Gentium (O King of the Nations) – December 22
O Emmanuel – December 23
According to Professor Robert Greenberg of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, the Benedictine monks arranged these antiphons with a definite purpose. If one starts with the last title and takes the first letter of each one- Emmanuel, Rex, Oriens, Clavis, Radix, Adonai, Sapientia - the Latin words ‘ero cras’ are formed, meaning, ‘Tomorrow, I will come.’ Therefore, the Lord Jesus, whose coming we have prepared for in Advent and whom we have addressed in these seven Messianic titles, now speaks to us, ‘Tomorrow, I will come.’ So the O Antiphons not only bring intensity to our Advent preparation, but bring it to a joyful conclusion.
Please scroll down for more information.
December 15, 2020
“I take delight in you, my God.
I sing a song of joy in my soul.
I proclaim the wonder of your love
through my words and actions.”
~ Joyce Rupp ~
December 14, 2020
“In the twilight of life,
God will not judge us on our earthly possessions
and human successes,
but on how well we have loved.”
~St. John of the Cross~
December 13, 2020
The third candle of Advent is JOY.
Despite her fear and apprehension,
Mary responded to God's call and was filled with joy.
Her whole being sang out:
'My soul rejoices in God, my Saviour.'
~Source unknown~
December 12, 2020
"What matters now is not that Christ was born of Mary,
but that Christ longs to be born in you -
and is born with each compassionate deed."
~Meister Eckhart~
December 11, 2020
The Presence of God
God is with me, but more,
God is within me, giving me existence.
Let me dwell for a moment on God's life-giving presence
in my body, my mind, my heart
and in the whole of my life.
~Source unknown~
December 10, 2020
Advent Longing
In the darkness of the season, in the silence of Mary's womb,
new life waits and grows.
Hope is shaped in hidden places,
on the edges, in the depths
far from the blinding lights and deafening sounds of consumer frenzy.
In the darkness and silence of my own life,
I wait,
listening for the whisper of angel wings,
longing for a genuine experience of mystery,
hoping for a rekindling of joy and the establishment of peace.
I lean into the darkness
and silence.
Expectant.
~Larry J. Peacock~
December 9, 2020
Come, O Gift of heaven's harmony
attune the ear of my heart
so that I may hear
just as Mary, faithful woman of Israel, heard.
Show me, also your highly favoured child,
how to guard my heart
from noise and hurry's whirl,
so that I might hear your voice
calling my heart to create an empty space
that might be pregnant with heaven's fire.
Amen.
~Edward Hays~
December 8, 2020
Feast of the Immaculate Conception
Mary, you who gave birth to the promised one,
help us to be aware of the oneness of all creation
as we celebrate your feast today.
Aid us in our efforts to bring love, justice, and peace
to our hearts, our families, our communities, our nation, and our planet.
Amen.
~Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet~
December 7, 2020
We are the people of Advent...
We are the people longing for the light of Christ...
We are the people who can identify with the Advent of long ago...
We can see the characters of the Advent that was 'then' in our Advent which is 'now'...
Where in our lives is John the Baptist, provoking us to become aware of new things happening in our lives?
Where is Zachariah in our lives, not immediately open to what is so new, so hard to understand?
Where is Elizabeth, so ready, through the wisdom of living, to appreciate the coming of the Lord?
Where is Joseph, so gracious when all was so strange?
And where is Mary in us, trusting in the providence given to her, welcoming the Word in her heart?
For where we find Mary in ourselves, there we find Christ being born in our souls.
~Source Unknown~
December 6, 2020
The Divine Guest lives within your heart;
blessed are you who listen for
love's secret voice.
Even a whisper from the voice of love
is powerful,
uprooting fear and melting
hearts of stone.
Gratitude and songs of joy fill you
as you befriend the Beloved
of your heart.
~Nan Merrill~
December 5, 2020
This Advent-time
we remember Mary and Joseph,
giving thanks for their faithfulness,
courage and obedience,
stepping out into the unknown
in the strength of your Spirit,
playing their part
in the fulfilment of your plan
to bring your prodigal people
home again.
We pray that their example
might be the pattern of our lives,
that when your gentle whisper
breaks through the clamour of this world
and into our small corner,
we might be ready to listen,
and having listened, to act.
~Source unknown~
December 4, 2020
You are the Point of all Being.
Every tree stretches up to You.
Each plant reaches down to You.
All the roads go on to You.
The many waters run toward the vastness of Your love.
The air breathes in and unto You.
Every heart wants to turn to You.
How unhappy we are when we miss the Point of all Being.
How blessed are we when we follow our longing and leaning into Your direction.
~Mary Jo Leddy~
in Radical Gratitude
December 3, 2020
"Memory Awakens Hope"
Advent is concerned with that very connection
between memory and hope which is so necessary to all.
Advent's intention is to awaken the most profound and basic emotional memory within us,
namely, the memory of the God who became a child.
This is a healing memory; it brings hope.
It is the beautiful task of Advent to awaken in all of us memories of goodness
and thus to open doors of hope.
~Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger~
(Pope Benedict XVI)
December 2, 2020
Lord, Jesus, Master of both the light and the darkness -
send your Holy Spirit
upon our preparations for Christmas.
We who have so much to do -
seek quiet spaces to hear your voice each day.
We who are anxious over many things -
look forward to your coming among us.
We who are blessed in so many ways -
long for the complete joy of your kingdom.
We whose hears are heavy seek the joy of your presence.
We are your people, walking in darkness, yet seeking the light.
To you we say, "Come, Lord Jesus!"
Amen.
(Henri Nouwen)
December 1, 2020
Silence
December 1, 2020
Silence
I beg you to keep me in this silence so that I may learn from it
the word of your peace
and the word of your mercy
and the word of your gentleness to the world:
and that through me perhaps your word of peace may make itself heard
where it has not been possible for anyone to hear it for a long time.
(Thomas Merton, Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander)
November 30, 2020
Silent God
November 30, 2020
Silent God
This is my prayer -
That, though I may not see,
I be aware of the Silent God who stands by me.
That, though I may not feel,
I be aware of the Mighty Love which doggedly follows me.
That, though I may not respond,
I be aware that God - my Silent, Mighty God,
Waits each day. Quietly, hopefully, persistently,
Waits each day and through each night for me,
For me - alone.
(Edwina Gately, Psalms of a Laywoman)
November 29, 2020
Psalm of an Advent Ear
November 29, 2020
Psalm of an Advent Ear
With prayerful pleas and Advent songs of longing,
I await the birth of God's Anointed One.
Come, O Gift of heaven's harmony,
and attune my third ear, the ear of my heart, so that I may hear,
just as Mary, faithful woman of Israel, heard.
O God, the time is short, these days are too few
as I prepare for the feast of the birth of Mary's son.
Busy days, crowded to the brim,
with long lists of gifts to buy and things that must be done.
Show to me, also your highly favoured child,
how to guard my heart from noise and hurry's whirl,
so that I might hear your voice calling my heart to create an empty space
that might be pregnant with heaven's fire.
Quiet me within, clothe my body in peacefulness,
that your Word once again may take flesh - this time, within me -
as once it did in holy Mary,
long Advent days ago.
(Source unknown)
We recently celebrated Shalom Place's
20th anniversary!
In honour of the occasion, a retired team member shared the following poem.
We recently celebrated Shalom Place's
20th anniversary!
In honour of the occasion, a retired team member shared the following poem.
Shalom
Souls gathered there
Seeking inner peace—
Joining in prayer
In the ultimate release.
Seeking inner peace—
Joining in retreat
In the ultimate release—
One heart, one beat.
Joining in retreat
Shalom is love
One heart, one beat
Message from a dove.
Shalom is love
Opening hearts first—
Message from a dove
Quenches our thirst.
Opening hearts first—
Spiritual programming
Quenches our thirst
With new understanding.
Spiritual programming—
Beautiful souls—
With new understanding
Hears and consoles.
Beautiful souls
Joining in prayer—
Hears and consoles
Souls gathered there.
In gratitude for the beautiful souls
I met at Shalom Place. Happy 20th anniversary
~ Robin Lelievre ~
Walking the Sacred Path
Walking the Sacred Path
- Participate in prayerful meditation
- Reflect on yourself and your relationship with God through prayer, awareness examen and journalling which is completed in the privacy of your home.
- Faith sharing with others.
- Participants will be using the book Entering the Castle: Finding the Inner Path to God and your Soul’s Purpose by Caroline Myss
Dates: October 21, 28, November 4, 11, 2020
Time: 4:30 - 6:30 p.m.
Location: Mount St. Joseph Centre - ALL COVID precautions are in place!!
Cost: Free will offering + cost of book
Facilitator: Patty Boucher
Register by email [email protected] or 705-254-4690 or complete the contact form on this website before Oct. 9
New Format!
On-line small group program!
"Rooted in Love"
New Format!
On-line small group program!
"Rooted in Love"
The spiritual journey is very much about paying attention to what is happening in our daily lives. This growth in awareness will lead to a deepening of our relationships with God, others and ourselves.
We will use Margaret Blackie's book as the source of input, private journaling and group sharing during our sessions. More information will be provided at the first session.
DATE & TIME: 2 options available:
1) Mondays 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 noon (Eastern Time zone)
Oct. 19, 26, Nov. 2, 9, 16, 23
OR
2) Tuesdays 4:30 - 6:00 p.m. (Eastern Time zone)
Oct. 20, 27, Nov. 3, 10, 17, 24
FACILITATOR: Stephanie Romiti, CSJ
SUGGESTED OFFERING: Free-will offering appreciated (plus the cost of the book). PARTICIPANTS ARE ASKED TO OBTAIN THEIR OWN COPY OF THE BOOK, either hard copy or e-book, from the vendor of their choice.
LOCATION: Meet from the comfort of your own home! We will use "zoom" to meet - guidance will be offered ahead of time for those needing it!
REGISTER: [email protected] or 705-254-4690 or complete the contact form on this website - Please indicate your preference for the Monday or Tuesday groups.
A Summer Retreat
with Fr. Ron Rolheiser OMI
You are warmly welcome to join people from around the world as we enjoy Fr. Ron Rolheiser’s summer retreat – this year being offered on Zoom by Queen’s House Retreat and Renewal Centre in Saskatoon. For complete information including the retreat schedule please visit this webpage: http://www.queenshouse.org/?page_id=7913
There are two options for you to consider:
Option One: Monday evening only, July 6, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Topic: Faith, Doubt and Darkness: Understanding the Dynamics of Belief and Doubt Beyond the Fervor of Youth
$25
To register on-line go to https://qh.retreatportal.com/events/f?p=101:2:24493461031851::::PROGRA M_ID:7784
To register by phone call 306-242-1916
Option Two: The complete retreat - Monday evening, July 6, 7:00 p.m. – Thursday July 9, 11:30 a.m.
Topic for Tuesday-Thursday: Naming the Present Moment of our Faith: Searching for Nurturing Metaphors in a Time of Receding Transcendence
$100 per screen – any additional participants are invited to give a donation to Queen’s House To register for the full retreat go to https://qh.retreatportal.com/events/f?p=101:2:24493461031851::::PROGRA
M_ID:7782
To register or donate by phone call 306-242-1916
New to Zoom? Contact Sarah Donnelly, Program Director, and she will assist you in using this platform: 306-242-1916 x226.
Zoom can be used with a computer with a camera and microphone, tablet or phone.
We look forward to welcoming you to this summer retreat! “Nourish Your Mind and Nurture Your Spirit…with Queen’s House Retreat & Renewal Centre”
A Summer Retreat
with Fr. Ron Rolheiser OMI
You are warmly welcome to join people from around the world as we enjoy Fr. Ron Rolheiser’s summer retreat – this year being offered on Zoom by Queen’s House Retreat and Renewal Centre in Saskatoon. For complete information including the retreat schedule please visit this webpage: http://www.queenshouse.org/?page_id=7913
There are two options for you to consider:
Option One: Monday evening only, July 6, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Topic: Faith, Doubt and Darkness: Understanding the Dynamics of Belief and Doubt Beyond the Fervor of Youth
$25
To register on-line go to https://qh.retreatportal.com/events/f?p=101:2:24493461031851::::PROGRA M_ID:7784
To register by phone call 306-242-1916
Option Two: The complete retreat - Monday evening, July 6, 7:00 p.m. – Thursday July 9, 11:30 a.m.
Topic for Tuesday-Thursday: Naming the Present Moment of our Faith: Searching for Nurturing Metaphors in a Time of Receding Transcendence
$100 per screen – any additional participants are invited to give a donation to Queen’s House To register for the full retreat go to https://qh.retreatportal.com/events/f?p=101:2:24493461031851::::PROGRA
M_ID:7782
To register or donate by phone call 306-242-1916
New to Zoom? Contact Sarah Donnelly, Program Director, and she will assist you in using this platform: 306-242-1916 x226.
Zoom can be used with a computer with a camera and microphone, tablet or phone.
We look forward to welcoming you to this summer retreat! “Nourish Your Mind and Nurture Your Spirit…with Queen’s House Retreat & Renewal Centre”
In the meantime, check out the Archives page for a sampling of the types of retreats we've offered in the past!
FRIDAY, JUNE 26
Flannery O'Connor in Search of the Province of Joy
Angela Alaimo O’Donnell
During this retreat devoted to the work of Flannery O’Connor, we will consider the challenges she faced in making her pilgrimage as a Christian and as a writer; we will examine passages from her stories, essays, journals, and letters that bear the mark of her extraordinary imagination, her crackling intelligence, and her saving humor; and we will consider the ways in which her voice speaks to us, inspires us, and helps guide us along our own pilgrimages, especially during this moment of great challenge and uncertainty. The retreat offers an invitation to walk alongside one of the most compelling companions we might choose to accompany us on the journey of life.
Please go to the following link for retreat schedule and registration information:
Men's Program
“Eager to Love”
Men's Program
“Eager to Love”
The loving, inclusive life and preaching of Francis of Assisi make him a recognizable and beloved saint across many faith traditions. He was, as Richard Rohr notes, "a master of 'making room for it' and letting go of that which was tired or empty."
Francis found an "alternative way" to follow Jesus, one that disregarded power and privilege and held fast to the narrow path of the Gospel. Rohr helps us look beyond the birdbath image of the saint to remind us of the long tradition founded on his revolutionary, radical, and life-changing embrace of the teachings of Jesus.
DATE & TIME: Oct. 15, 22, 29, Nov. 5, 12
NOTE: This program is now resuming with currently registered participants, after having been suspended with the onset of COVID-19.
FACILITATOR: Burnie Thorp
SUGGESTED OFFERING: N/A
LOCATION: Shalom Place, Mount St. Joseph Centre OR zoom, depending on response from participants
REGISTER: CLOSED
"A Pandemic Alphabet"
The Alphabet of Spiritual Literacy is a list of 37 universal practices that are markers of the spiritual life. Spiritual literacy is the ability to recognize the presence of the sacred in our everyday experiences. These 37 practices both support this perspective and enable us to act upon it.
...
As COVID-19 has ravaged the world, we have found ourselves looking at how we can apply the alphabet practices to the pandemic. Some practices reframe what we are experiencing in light of the teachings of the spiritual traditions. Others suggest specific strategies we can use to cope.
Click here to continue reading.
~ Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat ~
"Needless to say,
Church isn't the only place where the holy happens.
Sacramental moments can occur at any moment,
at any place, and to anybody:
watching something get born,
making love,
a walk on a beach,
somebody coming to see you when you're sick,
a meal with people you love,
looking into a stranger's eyes
and finding out they are not a stranger's.
If we weren't blind as bats,
we might see that life itself is sacramental.."
~ Frederick Buechner ~
Celebrating the Saints
Celebrating the Saints
Join us to experience that joy that is part of the COMMUNION OF SAINTS, that "great cloud of witnesses" who can help to inspire us and help us to live with new eyes and a renewed heart!
These sessions will be an interactive exchange of
ideas, talent and joy!!
No materials necessary to join!
No contribution is too small!
No prior knowledge of the Lives of the Saints is required!
Dates: January 20, 27, February 24, and March 2, 2020
Time: 4:30 - 6:00 p.m.
Location: Mount St. Joseph Centre
Cost: Free will offering
Facilitator: Sr. Mary Jo Radey, CSJ
Register by email [email protected] or 705-254-4690 or complete the contact form on this website before Jan. 15
Reflection #2
From The Other Side of Chaos
by Margaret Silf
(2011)
“Are we willing to accept that things do break down in our personal lives and in the life of the world, and trust that this might really be the beginning of a breakthrough? Or will we try desperately to hold everything together, or put it back together, to how it was before it fell apart? In terms of our Christian story, we might ask whether we are willing to allow the death to happen, trusting in the resurrection. Or will we abort the paschal mystery by trying in vain to maintain the status quo, to hold on desperately to what is no longer leading to life, and thereby block the way to resurrection?
... Are we hoping that God, or faith, will rescue us from the breakdown and repair the damage, or dare we trust that God is inviting us to engage in the coming to birth of something new, in and through the labour pains of loss and disintegration?”
Lent Retreat Morning
"Delightful and Loved"
Lent Retreat Morning
"Delightful and Loved"
"This is my son, the beloved,
with whom I am well pleased."
(Mt. 3:17)
These words are not only said about Jesus but about each one of us. In his "Beloved Sermons," Henri Nouwen fully explores how each of us is the "Beloved of God" and that we are taken, blessed, broken and given.
After viewing the videos, the key to the morning will be time for quiet reflection about how we are God's Beloved in whom he delights.
DATE & TIME: February 29, 2020 9:30 a.m. - Noon
FACILITATOR: Burnie Thorp
SUGGESTED OFFERING: Free will offering
LOCATION: Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish Hall, 114 MacDonald Avenue
REGISTRATION: 705-254-4690, [email protected], or using the contact form on this site
Advent Retreat
Advent Retreat
OPENING TO THE COMPASSION OF GOD
You are invited to come apart for a time to ponder the mystery of the incarnation. Scripture, story, silence and prayer will help us open to the compassion of God who wants to be united with us in our humanity through Jesus the Christ.
When: Saturday November 30, 2019
Time: 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM
Where: Emmanuel United Church, 224 Bennett Blvd
Suggested Offering: $40.00 lunch included
Facilitator: Janet Norman
Registration: by November 26 by email: [email protected] or 705-254-4690 or by using the contact form on this website
Janet is a retired United Church minister whose spiritual wisdom has touched many lives over the years and has been a guest facilitator for several "Shalom Place" retreats in the past living out her desire to share the beauty of the "Good News”.
Originally posted Nov. 2, 2019:
This month began with the feast of All Saints' Day. Let us reflect this month on what it means to be a saint, i.e., what is holiness?
The path to holiness:
Let the Beatitudes be your guide
Adapted from Donald J. Kettler
In his recently published apostolic exhortation “Gaudete et Exsultate” (“Rejoice and Be Glad”), Pope Francis reminds us that everyone is called to holiness. We are all called to be saints.
This can sound like a lofty goal — something reserved for special people. It brings to mind those who are already beatified or canonized by the church — people like the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for Christ. Or St. Teresa of Calcutta, who started a religious order and devoted her entire life to helping the poorest of the poor.
Sometimes God calls people to be Gospel witnesses in these exceptional ways. But more often, he doesn’t. More often, God encourages us to answer the call to holiness in less dramatic, but no less important ways — in our day-to-day interactions with spouses, parents, students, neighbors and co-workers.
For this, the Beatitudes offer guidance. The pope calls them “a Christian’s identity card.” If you want to know how to live your life, you can turn to these teachings that Jesus gave in his Sermon on the Mount:
Added Nov. 11, 2019:
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God.
The path to holiness requires focusing less on wealth and material things, and giving more time and attention to the most important things in life - God, our families and the needs of others, especially the poor.
Added Nov. 20, 2019:
Blessed the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Are we humble? Are we patient with the faults and limitations of others?
Added Nov. 27, 2019:
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Do we show compassion (from the Latin word meaning to "suffer with") to people we encounter who are experiencing illness or sorrow? Do we pray for them and offer our assistance?
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Do we desire and work for justice on behalf of society's most vulnerable people - the unborn, the immigrant, the marginalized and the abandoned? Are we good stewards of the Earth?
Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
Do we truly do to others as we would have them do to us - forgiving them for wrongs they have committed against us, and seeking forgiveness from those we have hurt?
(to be continued...)
Celebrating the Saints
Celebrating the Saints
Join us to experience that joy that is part of the COMMUNION OF SAINTS, that "great cloud of witnesses" who can help to inspire us and help us to live with new eyes and a renewed heart!
These session will be an interactive exchange of
ideas, talent and joy!
No materials necessary - no contribution is too small
No prior knowledge of the lives of the Saints is required!
Dates: October 15, 21, November 11, 18
Time: 4:30 - 6:00 p.m.
Suggested Offering: Free will
Facilitator: Sister Mary Jo Radey, CSJ
Register before October 11, by email [email protected] or 705-2544690 or complete the contact form on this website
Spring 2019 Retreat Evening:
Called to Life
Spring 2019 Retreat Evening:
Called to Life
As the created world around us responds
to the call to new life
with green grass, budding trees and blooming fl0wers,
we too are invited to listen and respond
to this same divine call.
COME JOIN US FOR AN EVENING OF
INPUT, PRAYER & QUIET REFLECTION
DATE & TIME: Thursday, May 16, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
FACILITATOR: Sr. Stephanie Romiti, CSJ
SUGGESTED OFFERING: Free-will
LOCATION: St. Veronica’s Parish
“Echoes of God’s Tenderness”
Monthly Contemplative Prayer
COME WHEN YOU CAN!
“Echoes of God’s Tenderness”
Monthly Contemplative Prayer
COME WHEN YOU CAN!
You are invited to this monthly quiet time of prayer. The only pre-requisite is a longing to enrich your connection with God’s intimate love for you. This contemplative prayer time will include beautiful music, moments of silence and the inspiring work of Canadian poet, Ulrich Schaffer. Refreshments will be available following the time of prayer. Open to seekers of any denomination – no registration needed – come when you are able.
DATE & TIME: 3rd Mondays, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m., beginning Oct.15
FACILITATOR: Sr. Lea Joanisse, CSJ
SUGGESTED OFFERING: Free-will
LOCATION: Mount St. Joseph Centre Chapel, 90 Ontario Avenue
Lent Retreat Evening
“Delightful and Loved”
Lent Retreat Evening
“Delightful and Loved”
“This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matt. 3:17). These words are not only said about Jesus but about each one of us. In his “Beloved Sermons,” Henri Nouwen fully explores how each of us is a “Beloved of God” and that we are taken, blessed, broken and given to become like Jesus in the world.
DATE & TIME: Monday, March 11, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
FACILITATOR: Burnie Thorp
SUGGESTED OFFERING: Free-will
LOCATION: Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish
"Harvest Us Home:
Good News As We Age"
"Harvest Us Home:
Good News As We Age"
This 6-week program is based on the book of the same name. The book is a treasure of spiritual maturity and psychological savvy. This program will guide you to experience how aging can be an enriching time…to review your life with gratitude…to recognize God’s ever-present & gracious love …to be encouraged to live life as fully as possible
DATE & TIME: Mondays, 4:30 – 6:30 p.m., Feb. 11 - March 25, 2019
FACILITATOR: Robin Lelievre
SUGGESTED OFFERING: $30 + book
Men’s Lenten Program
“Wondrous Encounters”
Men’s Lenten Program
“Wondrous Encounters”
Using Richard Rohr’s book, you will explore Lenten Scripture passages in an exceptional way – leading to transformation rather than simply offering information. Input, quiet reflection time and sharing are included.
DATE & TIME: Thurs., 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.,
Mar. 7, 21, 28; Apr. 4, 11, 16, 2019
FACILITATOR: Burnie Thorp
SUGGESTED OFFERING: $30 + book