Linwood Spiritual Center Offers Holy Week Retreat

On March 28-31, 2013, Linwood Spiritual Center will offer a Holy Week retreat that will be presented by the Linwood staff with Edward F. Salmon, SJ, presiding at the Triduum Liturgies.  The cost for the program is $270. 

This day shall be a memorial feast for you, which all generations shall celebrate as a feast in Yahweh’s honor….Exodus 12

This Triduum retreat is a special invitation to spend time apart in an atmosphere of prayer and silence so that one may enter more deeply into the Paschal Mystery.  Each day of the retreat will center around the liturgical celebration and will provide an opportunity for guidance in personal prayer.

Edward F. Salmon, SJ currently resides in Rochester, NY where he serves as President of McQuaid Jesuit High.  Ed does retreat ministry and spiritual direction in the NY, NJ and CT area.  He trained at Loyola House in Guelph, Ontario and directed at St. Beuno’s, N. Wales.

For information or a brochure about this retreat, visit the website at www.linwoodspiritualctr.org or call 845-876-4178.

Football on the Lawn

Last month we had 20 young men from Regis High School on retreat here at Linwood and what a delight it was to be surrounded by such energy.  They have been here several times now and it is a joy to see them sprawled about, gangly legs splayed, playing guitar in the lobby, jackets strewn on the arms of chairs, munching on cookies; just the kind of things you expect teenage boys to do in their rooms, but here they were at our Spiritual Center soul searching and talking about God.

In between the soul searching, they had some downtime and launched a pick-up game of football.  Boys will be boys, it was a picture-perfect day on the river, and their whooping and hollering was a good indication that they were having a great time.  Come back anytime, fellas!  You keep us young.

Transformation in a Time of Uncertainty

Our time and place in history bring us face to face with profound societal impasse.  We can find no escape from the world we've built...Yet it is only the process of bringing the impasse to prayer to the perspective of God who loves us that our society will be freed, healed and changed.  Constance FitzGerald, OCD

We cannot solve the problems facing us with the same level of consciousness that created them. Albert Einstein

Explore the time we are living in through a process that taps into your faith and spirituality. Learn how to listen, speak, and pray in ways that invite conversations among different perspectives. Imagine a new place of understanding and action. Become part of a movement for transformation in this time of uncertainty.

Join us for a one-day program, Saturday, May 5, 9am-4pm at Linwood. Sponsored by the Institute for Communal Contemplation and Dialogue. Presented by Nancy Sylvester, IHM, president and founder of the Institute. Program fee is $50. www.engagingimpasse.com

The New Mass Prayers

Why is the Catholic Church changing the prayers of the Mass?  What difference will these new words make?  On November 27, 2011, Catholics will begin praying with the new missal.  The new translation of the Roman Missal has generated much interest and many questions.  On Sunday, October 23, 2011, from 1:30-3:30pm, Linwood Spiritual Center will present “Are You Ready for the New Mass Prayers?”  Fr. Tom Scirghi, SJ, will lead a discussion of the new missal with its blend of the old and the new, and how it may revive worship.  The cost for this program is $15.00 

Thomas Scirghi, SJ, is Professor of Sacramental Theology at Fordham University.  He has presented workshops on the new missal across the country as well as in Asia and Africa.  Tom is a longtime friend and regular visitor to Linwood.

Linwood Spiritual Center Offers Spirituality for Women Program

On Monday evenings from 7:00-9:00 P.M., Linwood Spiritual Center will offer Spirituality for Women.  Beginning on October 17 and ending on November 14, this series will be facilitated by Maureen Steeley, S.U. and based on the book Prayer by Joyce Rupp.  The fee for the program is $50, plus the cost of the book.

In her book, Rupp inspires us not only to talk to God but to listen to the “still, small voice of God” within us. The longer we pray, the more we realize prayer is bigger than we are, more expansive and deeper. Join the group as it plumbs Rupp’s book, sharing stories and struggles and, perhaps, find each other already in the heart of prayer.

Maureen Steeley, SU, is the Director of Linwood Spiritual Center. In this role, she initiates programs for the Center and interfaces with guest presenters. She especially enjoys the ministry of spiritual direction and retreat ministry as well as facilitating various groups of men and women, helping them to find God in their lives.

Season Opens

Linwood Spiritual Center Opens 2011-12 Season

Sr. Maureen Steeley, S.U., Director of the Linwood Spiritual Center, announced the opening of the Center on September 15 for the 2011-2012 seasons.  Linwood offers spiritual retreats that include extended, directed and guided retreats for both men and women and programs in human development.  In addition, there are a host of single day and evening programs.  Extended retreats include those based on Ignatian spirituality, yoga and quilting, twelve-step spirituality, and retreats centered around particular times of year including Advent, Lent, and Holy Week.  Some of the single day and evening program offerings are Spiritual Spa Day for Women, Senior Citizens Afternoons of Recollections, The Labyrinth: An Ancient Tool for Modern Times, and Lectio and Lunch at Linwood.  As well as the Center’s programming, the facilities may also be used for meeting, conference and event space. 

Sr. Maureen describes the atmosphere of Linwood as she quotes the poet Mary Oliver saying, “ ‘…the doorway into thanks, and a silence in which another voice may speak.’ It doesn’t have to be grand thoughts.  It could be a moment of elusive quiet in chapel, the sound of a wind chime or a simple blade of grass beckoning us to come closer.  The gate is always open…..”

Linwood is located at 50 Linwood Road in Rhinebeck, NY.  For information or a brochure about the Center’s programs and events, visit the website at www.linwoodspiritualctr.org or call 845-876-4178.

 Linwood Spiritual Center is a ministry of the Society of St. Ursula. The Linwood Community welcomes diverse groups and individuals and provides an atmosphere of openness and hospitality where people find home.  Linwood Spiritual Center hosts retreats and programs encompassing spirituality and human development. In addition, Linwood features yoga and arts programs. Facilities may also be available for non-denominational individual, group, and corporate meetings and retreats.

Heaven on Earth

If you haven't been to Linwood Spiritual Center, you really should make a point of coming to visit, whether for a retreat, an overnight of spiritual rejuvenation, or just a walk in the country.  Not only is the view spectacular, the grounds are pristine, immaculately kept, the gardens abound.  It is truly heaven on earth.

Linwood is one of the best kept secrets in the Hudson Valley.  A jewel located on the banks of the Hudson River in Rhinebeck, NY, Linwood hosts retreats that encompass spirituality and human development, as well as featuring yoga and arts programs. The facilities are also available for non-denominational individual, group & corporate retreats.

If you would like to learn more about Linwood, visit our website at linwoodspiritualctr.org.  This is our first post, but look for more to come.

Cheers from Linwwod and remember "The gate is always open."