Order of the Ascension

RETREAT - CHAPTER 2022

            Our 39th year

Missing from the picture: Brother Scott at home with Kelly after her surgery and Brother Jeremy (departed)

It was a joyful and solemn reunion. Together again after two years of the pandemic and a month after the death of Jeremy. We settled rather easily into our rhythm of prayer, learning, silence, and community. Our schedule was much as it had been in earlier years. A PDF of the schedule and a page on Brother Jeremy. In some ways the pandemic brought us closer together as we began to meet monthly on Zoom. We gathered at the Community of Saint John the Baptist.

Prayer

At the center of our time together is Anglicism's threefold rule of prayer. We celebrated the Eucharist each morning, said the Offices of Morning and Evening Prayer and Compline, and spend time in silent reflection each afternoon. 

Community

There was time to catch up with each other and enjoy the gift of community at breakfast and dinner and social times after Evening Prayer and Compline. The picture is from our night-out for dinner.

Learning

The parishes and dioceses we serve face the blessings and challenges of all parishes and dioceses. Our focus this year was to explore the relationship between worship and action. Brother Robert and Sister Michelle facilitated the work making use of the first draft of the "To See God" model. Here's a PDF of the model. Members were asked to complete readings before arriving. PDF of the readings. Each day's session began with Lectio Divina: Jesus’ foot washing of the Apostles, his encounter with Mary and Martha, and his confrontation with Judas on that last night. The PDF used for Lectio. 

Chapter

Chapter included a range of issues: continuing our monthly gathering using Zoom, possible new novices, a discussion about our corporate ministries (Associates, Ascension Press, Pathways of Grace programs, Means of Grace, Hope of Glory, and the Shaping the Parish Resources on our website), looking at the issues and dynamics of being a bishop in a religious order, and a team building and decision making exercise using the Inter-group Team Building Process. It's a method of identifying and sorting out roles, needs, and hopes between two parties in any organization. In this case Sister Michelle offered it as a way to improve the working relationship between her as Presiding Sister and the Professed Members. Michelle had used it with the group several years ago when she was first elected as superior.