Franciscan Renewal Center

Saturday, February 11, 9:00 am-4:30 pm
Thomas Stella and Jerry Braza

Thomas Merton, being both a cloistered monk and a social prophet, was a man of contradiction. From his monastic exile he became a spiritual guide for many who were on the front lines of the struggle for peace and justice in the 1960's and since. Merton's message was to nurture our spirituality so that our words and actions would be based on love and not, therefore, add to the conflicts we seek to resolve. During this retreat day we will look at Merton's teachings about inner-journey and how they relate to the call to sow seeds of peace and love even to those who perpetrate violence.

Based on the teaching of Thich Nhat Hanh, a Buddhist monk and friend of Thomas Merton, we will explore how mindfulness can be used to explore the garden of our consciousness. We will learn how to look deeply at the seeds or qualities to help us discern which seeds need nurturing. Together we will reflect and learn ways to deepen our inner- journey as Thomas Merton and Thich Nhat Hanh had started to explore together in the 1960's, so that we may improve the qualities of love and peace within ourselves and in our relationships.

Click here to view the PDF flyer.

Fee per person: $75 includes lunch

Tom Stella is the co-founder and director of Soul Link, Inc., a non- profit whose mission is to bring spiritual seekers together. Tom is a visiting professor in the Religion Department at Colorado College, a hospice and workplace chaplain, spiritual director, retreat facilitator, and the author of two books The God Instinct and A Faith Worth Believing. He holds graduate degrees in theology (Univ. of Notre Dame), counseling (Univ. of Michigan), and spirituality (Jesuit School of Theology, Berkeley).

Jerry Braza, PhD is a mentor, teacher and Professor Emeritus of Health Education at Western Oregon University. He conducts medi- tation retreats and mindfulness based training programs for a variety of spiritual and secular groups. He is co-founder of the humanitarian organization The Forgotten People Foundation, supporting learning projects for disadvantaged groups living in Vietnam.