Sacred Patterns: Praying Through the Seasons (Spring

Join us for a 4-part series of spiritual deepening and renewal as we come together to pray, engage in contemplative practices, delight in the living world, and encounter the Holy. Together, we’ll consider the sacred pattern of birth, death, and rebirth at work in our bodies and spiritual lives, and receive the gifts that each season has to offer in pointing us back to God and our deepest desires for connection and love.

Come for a single session or several as we'll be meeting in the spring, summer, fall, and winter. The winter session will be a weekend in-person threshold retreat in which we’ll reflect on the year past and set our prayerful intentions for the year to come.

Fridays and a Weekend

Spring / Renew / Blooms - Friday, April 1, 9-12:30 noon
Summer / Restore / Water - Friday, July 8, 9-12:30 noon
Fall / Return / Turning leaves - Friday, Oct. 7, 9-12:30 noon
Winter / Release / Bare branches - Weekend Retreat, Jan. 6-8

Each half day retreat and the final weekend retreat will include:

• quiet prayer time, contemplative practices
• art-making
• poetry and reflection
• movement (including optional labyrinth time)
• a wisdom circle with sharing

There will also be time to enjoy the grounds of Mercy Center and walk the labyrinth. We’ll end each session with a shared lunch together.

Seasonal Themes for the half day of prayer sessions and weekend retreat:

I. Spring / Renew / Blooms - Friday, April 1, 9-12:30 noon
Spring is a time of renewal. We embrace new possibilities, noticing what is blooming within. What is unfolding or coming alive? What is filling our days with sweetness and color?

2. Summer / Restore / Water - Friday, July 8, 9-12:30 noon
Summer is a time to let go of the busy flow of life. In what ways can we restore ourselves and feel refreshed? Where are we being invited to create, play, and move our bodies?

3. Fall / Return / Turning leaves - Friday, Oct. 7, 9-12:30 noon
Fall is a time of harvest, transition, and returning inward. What is changing or maturing in ourselves and in our lives? What fruits are we collecting or savoring?

4. Winter / Release / Bare branches - Weekend Retreat, Jan. 6-8
Winter is a time for inner rest and letting go of what no longer serves us. The colder, darker days invite us to stillness and silence. What wants to be shed or released? How are we inclined to nest and rest?

Each session is $65, which includes lunch and supplies. Weekend Retreat is $300. Bring a friend. Come to one or all. We’d love to share this sacred time with you.