The Galilee Centre in Arnprior is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. It continues to nourish my spirit after 15 years of involvment there.
At a time of daily world upheaval, Galilee continues to provide a quiet place where I can seek the truth about God, my relationships, my life and myself. Many religious retreat houses have closed due to lack of staff, aging infrastructure and changing world views. Not so Galilee. They have found a way to keep going due to the dedication and hard work of their leadership and staff as well as the support of fellow truth seekers. I am truly grateful.
As I had not been on a retreat in about 5 years, I recently signed up for one there on the spiritual writings of Thomas Merton. Entitled Adjusting Your Life’s Vision by authors at the Merton Institute of a series of Merton guide books entitled Bridges to Contemplative Living.
Contemplative living is defined as a way of responding to our everyday experiences by consciously attending to our relationships. It deepens our awareness of our connectedness and communion with others, becomes a positive force of change in our lives, and provides meaningful direction to our journey and sense of well being. (p. 6, Introduction).
Well it worked. I came away feeling very connected, enriched and renewed with energy and peace. The mystery of hospitality, becoming an instrument of reconciliation and finding our place in God’s scheme of things were some of the topics we explored, There was rich sharing among the participants, many of whom came from afar.
So thumbs up rather than elbows up after a great retreat. Cannot recommend the Galilee Centre enough: their hospitality, their programs their retreats, their community. Hope to see you too there soon.
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