Please note that “Hamburger Sunday” has been moved to September 20 to commemorate Start-Up Sunday. This is the Sunday when we begin Adult Christian Education as well as commence the Children’s Liturgy of the Word after the summer break. Beginning Sept. 20 and continuing through Nov. 8 (there will be no class on Oct. 18), Fr. Matt will be facilitating a video series on Christian Mysticism. The title of the series is: Following the Mystics through the Narrow Gate: Seeing God in All Things by Fr. Richard Rohr. Below is a description of the DVD series that will be used in this Adult Education Course.
Master teachers Richard Rohr and James Finley lead us on a journey through the “narrow gate” into God’s presence. They follow the path of mystics from ancient times to modern and from various traditions – Christian, Sufi, Buddhist, Hindu, and others – ever in pursuit of union with God and all that is. They describe the mystical experience of knowing and being known by God as a mutual dance of awakening desire and love.
Rev. Cynthia Bourgeault introduces sacred Christian chant as a way of placing the mind in the heart and thus being able to know truth more deeply and completely. Chants are interspersed throughout the talks, and they draw listeners into a contemplative engagement with the teachings. She joins Rohr and Finley in responding to thoughtful questions, simultaneously clarifying and deepening the mystery.
James Finley, PhD, lived as a monk at the cloistered Trappist monastery of the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky, where the world-renowned monk and author, Thomas Merton, was his spiritual director. He leads retreats and workshops throughout the United States and Canada, attracting those from all religious traditions who seek to live a contemplative way of life in the midst of today’s busy world. He is also a clinical psychologist in private practice with his wife in Santa Monica, California. He is the author of Merton’s Palace of Nowhere, The Contemplative Heart, and Christian Meditation: Experiencing the Presence of God.
Cynthia Bourgeault, PhD, is an Episcopal priest, writer, and internationally known retreat leader. Cynthia divides her time between solitude at her seaside hermitage in Maine and global teaching to spread the recovery of the Christian contemplative and wisdom path. She is the founding Director of both The Contemplative Society and the Aspen Wisdom School. She is the author of numerous books, including: The Meaning of Mary Magdalene, The Wisdom Jesus, Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening, Mystical Hope, and Chanting the Psalms.
Richard Rohr, OFM, is a Franciscan of the New Mexico Province and the Founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation. The CAC is the home of the Living School for Action and Contemplation, where Fr. Richard serves as Academic Dean. An internationally recognized spiritual teacher, Fr. Richard speaks and writes on Incarnational Mysticism, non-dual consciousness and contemplation. He is the author of numerous books, including The Naked Now, Everything Belongs, Adam’s Return, Breathing Under Water, Falling Upward, and Immortal Diamond.