Camaldolese Hermits of America Camaldolese Tidings New Camaldoli Hermitage Big Sur, California Volume 16 Issue 2 Summer 2010 I will lead you into the desert and speak to your heart. Hosea 2:16
2 ~ Camaldolese Tidings Prior Knowledge Father Raniero Why Should I Make a Retreat? In William Shakespeare s Hamlet, Polonius says to his son, To thine own self be true. Being true to yourself, discovering the truth of yourself, living from that deep truth within one s self is the reason for making a retreat. So, what is that deep truth about myself? Well, Scripture has something to say. Isaiah 62:5 As a young man marries a virgin, your Builder (your Creator) shall marry you; and as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride so shall your God rejoice in you. John 14:23 If you love me, Jesus answered, my Father will love you; we will come to you and make our dwelling place with you. 1 Corinthians 3:16 Are not aware that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? The truth is that God is one with me and lives within me. Making a retreat gives me the time to discover this truth, and to develop an ongoing consciousness of this awesome oneness with God that is happening within me already and always! 2 Corinthians 13:5 Perhaps you yourselves do not realize that Christ Jesus is in you. The truth is that God is one with me and lives within me. Making a retreat gives me the time to discover this truth, to deepen my belief in this truth, and to develop an ongoing consciousness of this awesome oneness with God that is happening within me already and always! Many people are afraid of being alone and of looking inside themselves; they begin to see their personal darkness, and then they stop looking. But, amazingly, under the darkness is the truth, is the light, is God living within them, is God being one with them this is the truth of who they are! Here at the Hermitage, we are often asked by people who come to us for retreats how to take their retreat Accommodations When Making a Retreat Two types of spaces are provided for retreatants; all are for single occupancy. The retreat house features a number of private rooms, each with a half-bath and personal garden overlooking the ocean. There is also an area with two private shower rooms and a common kitchen with various food items and where meals are picked up. In addition to the retreat house, there are five trailer hermitages located along the hillside below the retreat house. These spaces offer greater solitude and privacy. They include a full bath, small refrigerator, small counter-top gas burner for cooking, various food items for light meals and a sun deck. The main meal is picked up at the retreat house kitchen. Retreat rooms are generally reserved up to 6 months in advance, although cancellations sometimes free up space sooner. Trailer hermitages can be reserved up to 12 months in advance. Longer retreats are available in the trailer hermitages (two weeks is usually the maximum). On the first of each month, a future month is opened for reservations; (August becomes open in February, September in March, etc.). Suggested donation for the retreat rooms is $70 per night; trailer Hermitages, $80 per night. experience with them, back into their jobs and into their daily living and relationships. It is this growing, daily, ongoing consciousness and awareness of our true self I living in God, God living in me that is the way of taking retreat home and living retreat at home, on the job, anywhere! The purpose of a retreat this discovery of one s true self becomes the spiritual practice of daily living. So in reality, the time of retreat gets extended into and flows into my daily living. RETREAT BECOMES MY LIFE! Camaldolese Tidings is published by the Camaldolese Hermits of America for our friends, oblates, and sponsors. Publisher Father Raniero Hoffman, OSB Cam. Editor Brother Bede Healey, OSB Cam. Development Director Robert J. Allen Public Relations & Design Susan Garrison If you have questions or comments about this publication, please address them to: New Camaldoli Hermitage 62475 Coast Highway 1 Big Sur, CA 93920 (831) 667-2456 Fax: (831) 667-0209 E-mail: monks@contemplation.com or visit us on the web at: www.contemplation.com
Camaldolese Communications By Fr. Robert Hale, OSB Cam. Holy Week, culminating in Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter, is the most important time in the whole year for our monks, as it is for the New Testament and for the whole Church. We are a Resurrection people. We were blessed here by the presence of many Oblates and other retreatants and guests. Our liturgies and meals together were wonderful. Our Fr. Cyprian is usually based in Santa Cruz for his very special ministries of music and conferences. However, he was with us for Holy Week and the preceding days and supported our liturgical life significantly. And as usual, very generous Oblate friends helped us in the Guest House and another friend, Berkeley (that is his first name!), supplied wonderful cooking. This allowed the monks to attend more to liturgy, ministry, and personal prayer. We have had some wonderful visits in this period, including Brother Ivan Nicoletto, who is on the Prior General s Council in Camaldoli, Italy. He was at Incarnation Monastery for a threemonth period that ended April 10 and spent a week at the Hermitage for a very fraternal stay. Then a whole group of Oblates from San Luis Obispo came for a weekend of conferences from three of us: Bede, Bruno, and myself. They also organized a retreat themselves in their home area. Then one of our Oblates, Fr. Scott Sinclair, who offers us conferences every year on Scripture, brought a group of faculty and students from Dominican University, where he teaches; they visited, heard a talk by one of us, and joined us for Mass. Fr. Dan Riley, Franciscan, made a retreat with us and gave us a wonderful conference; he spoke about the Franciscan Mt. Irenaeus Mountain Retreat and his own dynamic ministry to college age people. The name of the retreat was Stability in a Time of Anxiety. As usual, some of us monks have journeyed out in ministry to various locations. Bede offered a quiet day for our Oblate groups in the Los Angeles area. The topic was Fire, Light and the Paschal Mystery. I spoke to an ecumenical group in a parish in Fresno, talking about Julian of Norwich, the author of the Cloud of Unknowing, the message for our generations. Our Gift Shop director, BeBe, went with me to Fresno with a vehicle full of icons and prints and books; her Camaldolese fair was very much appreciated. I gave a retreat Preached Retreat Weekends 2010 June 25-27 July 23-25 August 20-22 Sept 10-12 October 15-17 November 5-7 Yoga and Sacrifice Thomas Matus, OSB Cam Spirituality of Aging Robert Hale, OSB Cam The Universal Call to Contemplation: Meditation, Anthropology and Interreligious Dialogue Cyprian Consiglio, OSB Cam Lectio Divina as an Expansive, Lifelong Practice Bro Bede Healey, OSB Cam Frontiers of Christian Wisdom Bruno Barnhart, OSB Cam God s Love: Source of Creativity and Life Andrew Colnaghi, OSB Cam; Arthur Poulin, OSB Cam; Toni Betschart, Oblate OSB Cam Please call the Hermitage Bookstore for reservations (831) 667-2456 x100. We ask that you register for only one retreat, but you can be on the waiting list for other retreats. The suggested donation is $50.00 in addition to the suggested donation for the room or trailer. Camaldolese Tidings ~ 3 at our brother community, Incarnation Monastery in Berkeley. Daniel offered a retreat to the faculty of Woodside Priory School, and was involved in second and dramatic ministry. A woman who had come into the neighborhood was talking about suicide and was later seen on a local bridge. The fire department brought her here, and Fr. Daniel and a Monsignor on retreat, who had much experience in crisis ministry, dialogued with her until the fire department found a place to take her the care facility she had wandered away from! Chad Allen, who ministered with a L Arche Community in Florida before coming to us, has concluded his Observership period with us; he is now visiting our Monasteries and Hermitages in Italy as part of the usual interval period. After that he will return to enter into Postulancy. We rejoice in his deep human and contemplative spirit. And we have had other vocation visitors during this period. These months were marked by two celebrations. The first was the 60 th anniversary of our house (an Ashram ) in India, which became famous for Fr. Bede Griffiths. We also celebrated the beginning of a Camaldolese men s community in Tanzania (our sisters are flourishing there); Fr. Andreas and four candidates moved into their newly built monastery. Please pray for them and for us, as we for you. Please use the enclosed envelope for your prayer requests.
4 ~ Camaldolese Tidings The theme of the Yoga retreat at New Camaldoli this June is, Yoga and Sacrifice. This theme underlines the paschal meaning that a Christian can give to his or her practice and experience of Yoga. The emphasis is Spirituality of Aging July 23 25 Robert Hale, OSB Cam The inevitable process of aging is often regarded with frustration, fear, and even horror. The decline of our physical and mental capacities is seen as a progressive, humiliating disaster. And our pragmatic, materialistic society doesn t help. The aging are considered an embarrassment, since they can no longer produce or sell so effectively. The whole youth culture, promoted emphatically by Hollywood and the media presents the beautiful, young people as the ones who get the spotlight and who are claimed to provide the image of true, beautiful living. So we all struggle desperately to conceal the sagging and wrinkling of the body and the forgetfulness of the mind! Add to this the shocks and grieving as loved ones and friends die, and the terrifying awareness that dark death is approaching ever closer. But the ancient religious perspectives of world religions regarding the Third Age are amazingly more positive. So also are the teachings of philosophers, theologians, and psychologists. Our own Camaldolese monk, Fr. Bede Griffiths, in his 80s offered wonderful reflections regarding the Golden Age. With the experience and insights that only the years can bring, we can gain deep perspectives on life and eternity a real wisdom that is difficult to attain in younger years. We can set aside so many particular worries tied to the years of school and profession, and learn a gentle patience and compassion with ourselves and the foibles and sufferings of age. We can focus on the deepest significance of life and our faith in resurrection, and experience foretastes of the mysterious but amazing glory of Eternal Life. Our weekend retreat will seek to begin to explore the above. A Retreat Lets Us Listen for God By Fr. Isaiah Teichert, OSB Cam. I knew a man who would take his wife every year on a special time alone trip, a renewal of their honeymoon. That s one possible model for a retreat, too, a time to be alone with the Beloved, to enjoy his company. His conversation is sweetness itself, says the woman in the Song of Songs. A retreat has that potential, that opportunity for hearing the voice of God again in all its sweetness. St. Thomas says we spend too much time seeking God and not enough time enjoying Him. A retreat can be a chance to do just that, enjoy God with all our heart and soul. But a retreat can also be a time of wrestling. In Matthew s Gospel we Yoga and Sacrifice June 25 27 Thomas Matus, OSB Cam less on postures, etc. and mostly on meditation. Yoga is a means of union with God in meditation and especially union with Christ in his self-giving. read, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for 40 days and 40 nights and behold, angels came and ministered to him. (4:l-ll) This Gospel scene was one of the inspirations for the early monks as they poured by the thousands into the wilds of Egypt and Palestine. They were ready to give themselves to God and were well aware that a spiritual struggle was involved. As the Gospel makes clear, Jesus was led into the desert by the Spirit. For Christians, retreats are not simply a matter of getting away from it all, but of following the Holy Spirit s lead. Continued on page 7 The Ground We Share August 20 22 Cyprian Consiglio, OSB Cam We are entering into a new phase in the history of the planet, some call it the second axial period, that will be and is already marked by a sense of global consciousness. We are now aware that every tribe, nation and religion in some way shares a common history, and that is making us realize that we belong to humanity as a whole and not just to our specific group, be it ethnic, social or religious. Part of the challenge of this new consciousness in this new period of history is horizontal: cultures and religions meet even on a surface level and enter into what Ewert Cousins calls creative encounters. And that union, the convergence of our centers of consciousness will give birth to more creativity. At the same time, everything that rises will converge, that is, everything that is reaching for spirit will eventually meet. So this movement is not only communal and global; it is also ecological and cosmic. We must plunge roots deep into the earth in order to provide a stable and secure base for future development, organically ecological, supported by structures that ensure justice and peace. Toward this end the religions of the world need to band together to bring about a new integration of the spiritual and the material, of sacred energy and secular energy into a total global human energy. (Ilia Deleo) Thus the need for dialogue, community, and relationship with a growing awareness that each person and each group is something of the whole, and is bringing a valuable part of the conversation.
Camaldolese Tidings ~ 5 Lectio Divina as an Expansive, Lifelong Practice September 10 12 Br. Bede Healey, OSB Cam The ancient practice of Lectio Divina, or sacred reading, has long been an essential element of the monastic way of life; it figures prominently in the Rule of Benedict as well as Romuald s Brief Rule. However, the practice is not limited to Monastics; it extends to all with a monastic heart, a love for the work of God. The classic stages are: the ruminative reading of sacred Scripture and reflecting on it; offering a prayer in response; and then resting in contemplative repose, awaiting God s touch. During this retreat, we will review the basic elements of Lectio Divina, and then explore it as not so much a specific spiritual practice but as a way of life that, in the various stages including the practice of compassionate action, can be a structure for the essential elements of Christian living. We will explore Lectio Divina in the various stages of human and spiritual development and in times if sickness and health; we will then broaden into doing lectio on life and not just the Sacred Scriptures. We will discuss the transformative and transfiguring aspects of a life based on Lectio Divina, reflecting on ancient and modern writers who have been seriously involved with Lectio Divina for many years. This retreat will offer insights to those new to the spiritual practice of Lectio Divina, as well as to those who have been engaging in Lectio Divina for some time. Frontiers of Christian Wisdom October 15 17 Bruno Barnhart, OSB Cam. Since these retreat talks will come forth from an ongoing process of thought, it would be a mistake to try to fix their content months in advance. Here are two lines of thought from which the retreat material will develop. From one point of view, Wisdom Christianity newly appears as the mind of the modern West emerges from a narrow container of scientific rationality and the world of fact into an encounter with the various wisdoms of the world: from those of the ancient East to the very different wisdoms of the modern West. A new Christian Wisdom can also be imagined as bringing together in a new synthesis the threads that have been separated during that process of differentiation, which is the heart of modernity. Among these threads are religion, science, art, and action in the world. Sapiential thought (whether of John or of Paul, of Griffiths or of Rahner) has a power of synthesis that welcomes these challenges. We can explore together what forms such a new Christian synthesis may take and what that can mean for our lives. Wisdom Christianity is at once theology and spirituality, and a retreat is much more than a time of mental exercise. Our exploration of the breadth and the length, the height and the depth of the mystery of Christ in our own time will, I hope, quicken our faith once again into light and into flame. God s Love: Source of Creativity and Life November 5 7 Andrew Colnaghi, OSB Cam; Arthur Poulin, OSB Cam; Antoinette Betschart, Oblate OSB Cam Our life s journey immerses us ever more fully into the beauty of our Creator God; as it does, a wellspring of new life and creativity pours forth from within us. The wonder of creativity and new life within and among us is manifested in a multitude of ways. These include painting, prose and poetry, music, the theatre arts, and also and especially our loving relationships with God, others, ourselves, and nature as well as the Cosmos. Such relationships bring us into deeper union and communion with all of creation as we are together becoming One In Christ. What energizes or enhances and what inhibits this life and creativity within and among us? This retreat will delve into the many levels and facets of new life and creativity emanating from the ultimate source of Love and Creativity: our Creator God. Scripture and prophets from various traditions, past and present, will be explored as manifestations of God s love through the new life and creativity within all of us, within the life-giving forces of nature, and within the creativity of the Cosmos. Participants are encouraged to experience the all-encompassing Presence of God through seeing, hearing, and feeling, as well as to respond to God s unconditional love through whatever creative gifts they choose. This silent retreat, set in the magnificent coastal setting of the Hermitage, together with brief conferences, prayerful solitude, and the rhythm of communal prayer and Liturgy of the Eucharist with the Community, will offer opportunities to deepen our awareness of the everevolving creation of new life and creativity within and among us.
6 ~ Camaldolese Tidings Br. Bede Healey Helps Keep Community Running Smoothly As Treasurer and Business manager of the Hermitage, Br. Bede Healey, OSB Cam., is one of the more visible hermits of the New Camaldoli Hermitage. Although his job often requires that he be behind a computer, he enjoys cooking and gardening. Additionally, he has a variety of other jobs that he does to help keep the community running smoothly. Born and raised in Milwaukee, WI, his father, brother and two sisters still live in the area. Br. Bede came to the hermitage in 1996 from St Benedict s Abbey in Atchison, KS, where he had been a monk since 1981. Looking for a more contemplative life, one with more silence and solitude, which focused on the basics, he found that life at the Hermitage. Before joining St. Benedict s, Br. Bede lived and worked in St. Louis at Webster University, where he was the Director of Student Development and then the Assistant Dean of Students. He earned his PhD in clinical psychology, and worked at the Menninger Clinic as a staff psychologist and Director of the Department of Religion and Psychiatry. While at St. Benedict s, Br. Bede taught psychology and directed the counseling center at Benedictine College in Atchison. Prayer Schedule Weekdays: 5:30 am Vigils ~ 7:00 am Lauds 11:30 am Eucharist ~ 6:00 pm Vespers Sundays and Solemnities: 5:30 am Vigils ~ 7:00 am Lauds ~ 11:00 am Eucharist ~ 5:00 pm Vespers A person s spirituality is in some ways even deeper than a person s psychology. Naturally enough, he has an interest in how psychology and spirituality connect. Both areas are very important in people s lives, and I ve found in my time doing psychotherapy, there almost always comes a time when patients want to explore the interface of psychology and spirituality, he explains. These days, psychology as a field is much more open to exploring spirituality than it has been in the past; it s a positive development. Br. Bede adds, A person s spirituality is in some ways even deeper than a person s psychology. The experience of God goes beyond what psychology proper can do. Besides being the Treasurer and Business Manager of the Hermitage for the last four years, Bede has also been involved in formation and vocation work, retreat work, spiritual direction and oblates. Additionally, he is one of the cantors, the Master of Ceremonies for special liturgical services, and one of the cooks. He keeps the liturgy flowing smoothly during the most complicated celebrations, Fr. Robert says. No one is more dedicated to community life, no one dedicates more energy to the maintaining and upbuilding of our fellowship, than Bede, says Fr. Robert Healey. He does this on several levels. He was Director of the Religion and Psychiatry Department at Menninger Institute, and so he brings to us exceptional counseling skills. He is a careful listener and wise counselor to individuals, a gifted mediator helping monks understand each other and gain reconciliation, and thus a key healer and builder of community. When I first moved to this area, I thought I was living in a different world. Winter was green; there were roses in January, and the seasons didn t match the typical four seasons I knew, Br. Bede explained. California s more subtle change of season inspired him to use more native, drought-resistant plants in the garden he enjoys. Although I do love to have a few roses growing all the time, he says. He admits to planning family visits in Wisconsin in the winter because he misses that season. He sometimes steps in to cook an outstanding meal (especially on major feastdays), according to Fr. Robert. I do enjoy cooking Christmas stollen from an old family recipe, smiles Br. Bede. It is said that no one is indispensible, but were anything to happen to Bede, we would need about five monks to take his place, Fr. Robert adds. Br. Bede at his desk.
Camaldolese Tidings ~ 7 Moving Forward By Robert J. Allen For those of us old enough to remember the Steam Engine, a little known fact is that before they could move forward, they had to drop sand on the track to create traction for the large wheels. I like to use this image when trying to explain why we need to take a retreat. In Saint Matthew s gospel (Mt. 8:23-27) we see Jesus taking a retreat from the crowd when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him Jesus had just given the Beatitudes showing us how to think and act as God s people and not as society sets the perceived value system. It was as true then as it is today. The point I have taken from this gospel message is Christ s human nature; he needed rest; he wanted to leave the crowd and reflect to have some quiet time. We all need this experience and we call it a Retreat. Saint Alphonse Ligouri, a Bishop and Doctor of the Church, tells us to take a vacation with God. What a refreshing way to think of a Retreat! It is not about failing; it is about getting a new start: to move forward with our life but we don t need to go it alone. Take all of the stuff you have accumulated and give it to God; leave it at the Retreat House and move forward in a free spirit. The New Camaldoli Hermitage in its beautiful setting high on the mountain is not unlike the site where Christ first gave us the Beatitudes to hear God s message to gain the wisdom to seek God, to make God the center of your life and let love and harmony coexist in your heart. There are dozens of excuses why you can t make a retreat but there is no good reason to not make a retreat. It s your gift to yourself and to your life. Move forward by taking a step back for renewal. A Retreat Lets Us Listen for God Continued from page 4 The New Camaldloli Hermitage Bookstore/Gift Shop has a very large variety of rosaries. Featured in this picture is: Cynthia Ratliff s Mother Mary s gemstone rosaries, Charlotte Singleton s antique Venice and crystal beads with sterling silver crosses. We also carry other rosaries from all over the world: Rainbow wood rosaries from the children in Ethiopia, brown wooden beads with metal crucifix from France, olivewood with Greek crosses from Bethlehem, antique coral and black wood beads from Germany, citrine beads with sterling silver crosses from Brazil and red rosary beads with large St Benedict crosses from India. Our Shop is open daily between 8:00 to 5:00 with intermission for Mass and lunch. Contact: BeBe @ 831-667-2456 ext 105 or bb@contemplation.com. Our pledge to you, our friends and benefactors, is that your name is never sold, rented or given to any other organization. We appreciate your support and honor your privacy. This is not complicated or even particularly mystical. Maybe, for example, you ve already been hearing a small but insistent interior voice urging you to step back and reflect on your life that could well be the Spirit speaking. The temptations Jesus experienced alert us to the fact that time spent alone with God may involve a spiritual struggle of some sort. I remember once looking forward to a retreat and finding myself full of turmoil and confusion the first couple days. I wrote a poem that went I was expecting bliss.. What s all this? I was forgetting that an authentic retreat is not simply an opportunity for a little peace and quiet. As the three temptations of Jesus remind us, a good retreat challenges us to examine how we relate to God, how we relate to ourselves and our vocation and how we relate to the world around us. It s interesting to note that in the Gospel it s the Holy Spirit who leads us into this sometimes difficult spiritual selfexamination. Christian faith is not only a comfort; it s also a challenge, to seek the More, to grow, to stretch towards Christ. Retreats help us to see ourselves more clearly and what it is we really want, Who it is we really want. It s an excellent time to recapture our priorities. But the temptation of Jesus doesn t end with struggle; the angels come to minister to him. There s a sweetness in that. People often pass through a miniature version of the paschal mystery on their retreats, and come out full of resurrection hope. Part of a good retreat is catching a glimpse of heaven, that vision we long for and are made for. In that respect, all retreats, with their emphasis on prayer, meditation and contemplation are anticipations of paradise. Maybe for many, the desire for a retreat begins in just wanting some time apart, some time of solitude. Nothing wrong with that, but then we may be led into something more, a real retreat which can enable us to base our lives more surely and more fully on the things that really matter in the universe the reality of God and our immortal souls. Please remember us when making or revising your will. Our official name is: Camaldolese Hermits of America Our federal ID # is: 94-6050278
8 ~ Camaldolese Tidings A New Look for New Camaldoli in the Online Community By Elizabeth Brown (retreatant and owner of Church & Main, Inc. a marketing communications company) One of the most remarkable observations that came to me after completing a second retreat at New Camaldoli Hermitage was how each experience was completely different and yet equally enriching. As I shared my experiences at the Hermitage with others, frequently the person I spoke with asked if there were any reading materials (like Camaldolese Tidings) or a website they could visit. I realized that in today s world, more and more spiritual pilgrims are turning to the online community for resources and guidance on their deeply personal and interior journeys. My husband and I own a marketing communications and design company and we thought that we might be of service to the Hermitage by re-designing their website and our idea was welcomed by Father Raniero and the community. So, after nearly six months of collaboration under the guidance of Brother Bede, the new site is launched. The site is designed to welcome visitors interested in experiencing and learning more about this monastic institution that is such a precious gift for our times. Designed to encourage repeat visits, the new site includes changing Daily Contemplations, most selected by or written by the monks. It extends an invitation to those exploring a monastic vocation, offering a view into the daily life of the Hermitage. It invites others who share the commitment to contemplative spirituality, as Father Raniero says, to visit and re-visit the site since the content, which will include homilies and reflections written by the monks, will be constantly changing. The site also will include, in the spirit of Benedictine hospitality, the basic contact information about individual and group retreats, how to get directions to the Hermitage, a new online prayer request, and easy online donations capability all designed to serve the needs of the online community better. Please visit the new site at the same address: www.contemplation.com and bookmark the page to make your return visits all that much easier. Over the coming months we will be adding new content and capabilities to the site and welcome comments from you directly to Brother Bede at bede@ contemplation.com. Bookmark our revised website! www.contemplation.com