Faith Formation and Retreats
What is a retreat?
A retreat is an opportunity step away from our usual daily lives. It is an invitation to be refreshed in body, mind, and spirit. It is a special time where we seek to find The One who is always seeking us, offering renewal and a refocused heart.
To learn more about any of these retreats, or retreats in general, or to register, please contact Annette Donovan Panchaud at annette.donovanpanchaud@kings.uwo.ca.
Upcoming Retreats
Contemplative Activism Retreat
Facilited by Ehaab Abdou, Aryne Sheppard, and Greg Kennedy
The need for ecological and social activism in today’s hurting world is undeniable. But how do we keep up the essential struggles for peace, justice and the integrity of creation without succumbing to the many possible burn-outs of body, spirit, hope and happiness? What can we do to ensure our actions spring from love rather than fear and hatred?
This weekend retreat aspires to deepen in retreatants both their commitment to work creatively for a better world and their capacity to sustain this work in wholesome, life-giving ways.
Sharing practices of meditation, motion, artistic expression, healthy eating, intellectual engagement, and meaningful sharing within a community of concerned individuals, participants will fortify their ability to be contemplatives in action, wherever their particular sphere of activism lies. It also aims at strengthening integral leadership in the social and ecological sectors.
All persons concerned about Earth and neighbour will benefit from this interactive retreat hosted on the fruitful and ample land of IJC, the beauty of which spontaneously invites contemplation.
- Not a silent retreat
- Group activities
- Individual spiritual direction not available
About the Facilitators:
Ehaab Abdou teaches courses on social entrepreneurship and community engagement at Wilfrid Laurier University. He is passionate about creating brave and safe spaces where all can thrive, including supporting young people in fulfilling their dreams of community development. Ehaab’s PhD research at McGill University focused on making K-12 curricula more inclusive. In Egypt he helped co-found two youth-led community organizations including Nahdet El Mahrousa. Driven by his deep respect for diversity and his belief in music’s power to effect social change, he continues to write and perform Egyptian Arabic songs. Listen his recent songs on YouTube and learn more about his academic work on his Laurier profile page.
Aryne Sheppard, M.Ed. PCC – Aryne is an adult educator and integral coach specializing in leadership development and personal growth. Professionally, she brings two decades of experience in social change, sustainability, and community capacity-building. Aryne has been a meditator in the Theravada Buddhist tradition for over 25 years and believes the cultivation of inner silence is invaluable to the work of transformation.
Greg Kennedy writes poetry, acts locally and thinks cosmologically. He also serves as the Executive Director of the Ignatius Jesuit Centre, his home both spiritually and physically. In the facilitating of retreats, Greg meets the spirit of his creativity.
Past Retreats
Prayer Bead Pilgrimage
Join us in a new and fresh approach to this old tradition. You will begin this daylong journey by stringing your own Chaplet of Renewal, created by local artist Kristin McCarthy, using colourful glass beads and a handmade woolen medallion. Your hands will hold a newly made-by-you chaplet that asks you to discern your gifts, your sorrows and God’s forgiveness and mercy. In the afternoon you will take another venerable tradition—praying with the psalms—and make it your contemporary own. With Greg Kennedy’s process used in his three volumes of Reupholstered Psalms, you will explore the wild landscape of the psalms and find your home in them through creative adaptation to your current realities. During this day, you’ll discover the eternal and evolving relevance of ancient styles of connecting with the divine.-
your own lunch
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reading glasses if needed
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a journal to write in
Getting to Know the Land and Our Place In It
This year we are thrilled to welcome tracker, teacher and facilitator byron murray (>he/him+) who will lead us on adventure here in our own backyard. byron grew up wandering the Etobicoke Creek until he was old enough to explore the continent, making music and learning about the land.
Employed at the Guelph Outdoor School since 2013, byron wanders the Eramosa River Valley sharing his knowledge and care for the natural world. byron is known for his infectious enthusiasm and passionate love for the land. He appreciates the magic and mystery of wilder places and is guided by a deep sense of wonder and curiosity. He is inspired by thunderstorms, decolonization, and rivers.
He will share this passion with us so to deepen our appreciation of the land, and all the people (human and nonhuman) that live here.
Registration is limited and costs $5. Register here. No student will be denied access due to financial difficulty. Questions or concerns please contact Annette Donovan Panchaud in Campus Ministry, W149a.
To view poster, click here.