“Driven by the forces of love, the fragments of the world seek each other so that the world may come into being.” Teilhard de Chardin here points to the dynamics at play in spiritual community—our desire for God and for one another. Thich Nhat Hanh calls this “interbeing”: “We cannot just be by ourselves alone. We have to inter-be with every other thing.”
An Anam Cara—Gaelic for soul friend—is a person who supports the blossoming and ripening of your soul. The Anam Cara program at St. Mary’s offers you the opportunity to join small group spiritual direction beginning January 2020. There will be three small groups with up to six participants in each group. Although the true spiritual director in all this work is the Divine, the groups will be facilitated by three trained and supervised spiritual directors, and will meet once each month for six months.
This program is appropriate for you if you are experiencing a desire for the Divine, the Mystery of Love, for God; if you are ready to be present to others in the exploration of that desire, both in silence and in heart-sharing; and if you are willing to pray for others.
In other words, apply if you feel a call to “inter-be” with others on a deep soul level, and if you are willing to risk opening to the possibility of transformation in spiritual community.
Applications (Group Spiritual Direction Application) can be found in the October Bellringer, and at the sign-up table at St. Mary’s. The deadline for applications is November 3. Applications can be put in Christine Marie’s mailbox in the church office. Interviews will begin as soon as applications are received.
Questions? Contact me at christine@saint-marys.org.
