Past Events

Give yourself the gift of time ...

• time to finish a project you've begun
• try some new stitches or learn how to felt a little bird
• share warm meals and cozy chats with friends
• wander the winter woods
• relax and reflect on the pattern of your life

Novices and experienced fiber lovers are welcome! We will be happy to share what we know, weaving a bit of knitting and felting in throughout the weekend. Bring your own knitting needles and yarn and we will supply wool and felting needles. If you are a spinner, we'd love to have you bring your spindle or wheel.

Soup and bread will be hot at 7 on Friday and we will enjoy each others' company through lunch on Sunday.

Cost of the Weekend for food, lodging, and supplies: $125

Sisters of Mercy foundress Catherine McAuley once said: "We have one solid source of happiness in all our journeying - we can keep our hearts fixed on God."

But how can we do that? Busyness fills most of our days, and many things pull at our hearts. Jesus knew this. And that is why he himself repeatedly went off to a quiet place apart to be able to fully engage with others in his life and ministry. We are encouraged to do the same: "Come away…and rest a while" (Mark 6:31).

Retreat gives us the opportunity to prayerfully reflect on who we are and where we are, and tap into the wellspring of the Spirit for guidance and wisdom. Our God-given gifts and call are unique to each one of us; but for all of us, it takes time in silence and prayerful reflection for these to be nurtured.

A “haiku” is a simple three line form of poetry with a syllabic pattern of 5-7-5. On the surface, it is about something we see in nature. But at its core a haiku unveils something profound and treasured – that which resonates with one’s heart. In the end it is not about the words; it is about what happens when we truly take the time to pay attention and notice.

“In paying attention to small things, the haiku poet honors the sacredness of everyday life.” -- Margaret D. McGee, author of Haiku – the Sacred Art

The process of writing haiku, and illustrating it if you like, awakens our senses and opens us to the beauty and wonder of the moment. Through this playful art form we have the opportunity to realize our deep connection to the natural world, the Creator, and each other.

Behold, I will now allure her, and bring her into the wilderness
and speak tenderly to her -- Hosea 2:14

So I returned to the river, I returned to the mountains,
and I asked for their hand in marriage.
I begged, I begged to wed every object and every creature.
And when they accepted, God was ever present in my arms. -- Meister Eckhert

Listen! A wild and tender voice is calling you! Beyond the world of being always busy, there is another world. We enter that world when we step over the threshold into the world of nature and soul -- a world filled with mystery, enchantment, wisdom, and romance. In this world we seek a rendezvous with the wild and tender One who awaits us in the forest, by the river, on the mountain.