"The people who were there--what a beautiful, open, committed group! An honor to share in this."
Contemplative Retreat
Cultivating Compassion on the River Contemplative Retreat
April 16-18, 2013
Leader: Reverend Ward Bauman and Susan Sink
Location: Episcopal House of Prayer, Collegeville, Minnesota, USA
Cost: USD$375, includes transportation to the retreat center, seven meals, and two nights’ accommodations in a single room with individual sinks, desks, chairs, and reading lamps. There are separate toilet and shower facilities for women and men. Additional guestrooms will be available a short distance from the retreat location at the Saint John’s Abbey Guesthouse (single rooms with private baths).
The contemplative retreat begins with a midday meal on Tuesday, April 16, and concludes on Thursday, April 18, after the midday meal. Return transportation is on your own; return to the MSP airport will be facilitated during the retreat.
Join Reverend Ward Bauman at the Episcopal House of Prayer for an opportunity to process the rich and varied experiences of the conference and to integrate our learning. This contemplative retreat will provide space to discern God’s voice, both within you and in the world; provide guidance in the search for wisdom; teach forms of contemplative prayer; and offer training in the inner work of spiritual life.
Susan Sink will lead the group in an Introduction to The Saint John's Bible presentation and tour of the current exhibit. In a multi-media presentation, we will explore the techniques, themes, and process behind the creation of this first illuminated, hand-written bible on vellum in five hundred years. Following the presentation, the group will tour the exhibition of original pages from The Saint John’s Bible with attention to particular illuminations.
The House of Prayer is located on the Saint John’s University campus which is the home of the Saint John's Illuminated Bible. In 1998, Saint John's Abbey and University commissioned renowned calligrapher Donald Jackson to produce a hand-written, hand-illuminated Bible. Susan Sink will lead a time to explore this work of art that unites an ancient Benedictine tradition with the technology and vision of today, illuminating the Word of God for a new millennium.
The Episcopal House of Prayer and its Oratory are a blend of wood, glass, and stone, designed to evoke an experience of solitude and awareness of God’s presence. It is situated on five acres of wooded land provided by Saint John’s Abbey, a Roman Catholic Benedictine abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota.
Ward Bauman is an ordained Episcopal priest and director of the Episcopal House of Prayer in Collegeville and Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. Originally from California, he has traveled the world spiritually and physically, living in Iran for many years where he studied Sufism and Buddhism. He is the author of Sacred Food for Soulful Living and co-author of The Luminous Gospels. He considers his spiritual mentor to be the great Christian German mystic Meister Eckhart. Working with people in the great spiritual dimensions of their lives is his motivation.
Susan Sink is a poet and writer, author of Habits, The Way of All the Earth and three volumes of The Art of The Saint John’s Bible: A Reader’s Guide. She is also the administrator of the Episcopal House of Prayer.
Cultivating Compassion on the River
April 11: Leadership Institute
April 11: Spirituality and Health Care Institute
April 12: Free Community Event
April 12-14: Conference
April 13, 14: Field Trip
April 15: Pilgrimage
April 16-18: Contemplative Retreat
