Am I Me, or Am I Role? – Discerning God’s Call to True Vocation

Led by Jane Tomaine

Tuesday, April 30 to Friday, May 3

How do you find and follow your true vocation, that right work to which God is calling you? You may be right where God desires you to be or God may be asking you to follow a new path. How do you know which is true? Vocation is available to all Christians and not just to the ordained, so it’s critical that we discover and develop this true vocation both in what we do and how we view our life.

At this program you will reflect on where you are in your life today and explore the desires for something deeper or different that may be tugging at your heart. You’ll learn tools for discernment that are found in the Rule of St. Benedict as well as in wonderful contemporary resources. And you’ll have an opportunity to share your story and to learn from your sisters and brothers who are also discerning their true vocations. The goals of the program are to provide space and time for reflection and learning and also to take some initial steps in responding to God’s call.

What is your vocation, that right work where you can use the gifts that God has given to you? Come to this program and step into the life of abundance and joy as you follow the path that is true for you.

Cost: $350, deposit: $80

Ascensiontide – I Am With You Always To The End Of The Age

Led by Reverend Suzanne Guthrie and Brother James Dowd

Wednesday, May 8 (beginning at 2:00 PM) to Friday, May 10

Come explore the mysteries of Ascentiontide – a particularly important feast in the monastic calendar. Retreat begins at 2:00 PM on Wednesday, in anticipation of the feast.

Cost: $275, deposit: $80

Come And See – Monastic Living as a Vocation

Led by the Monastic Community

Friday, May 10 to Sunday, May 12

A program for single men, aged 20 to 48, interested in exploring Benedictine monastic life as a possible vocation. Discover what this ancient yet modern way of life can offer you today.

Cost: $50

Spring Library Volunteers Retreat

with Brother Adam McCoy

Tuesday, May 14 to Friday, May 17

Join enthusiastic volunteers for a labor of love – and balance work, rest, prayer and recreation – as we continue the rewarding tasks of caring for and cataloging over 20,000 volumes.

Cost: $170, deposit: $80

Contemplative Days – Praying Along-Side the Monastic Community

Tuesday, May 21 to Friday, May 24

A completely silent time with the monks as we observe our spring “Contemplative Days.” During this period we are in complete silence, no programs or spiritual direction are offered and there is a reduced worship schedule (Matins, Eucharist and Vespers). This will be limited to 15 guests who would like to enter into deeper silence with us.

Cost: $225, deposit: $80

God Danced the Day You Were Born

Tuesday, June 11 – Thursday, June 13
:: Led by Rev’d Gwyneth Murphy

Join the dance! This retreat is for anyone interested in the spiritual practice of embodied prayer. Sacred Dance is a way to celebrate the body as the Temple of the Holy Spirit. No dance experience necessary, just a desire to explore the possibilities of prayer and Bible Study through movement. Our time will include stillness and movement, silence and conversation, time together and time for solitude.

We will pray together in stillness and in movement, in silence and group reflection. We’ll learn simple gestures to accompany Taize chants, which lead us into a gentle and deep form of meditation; enter into Scripture through lectio divina, which then guides us as we explore the passage in movement. There will be free time to walk the Labyrinth, sit by the Hudson River, meditate, journal. Please wear lose, comfortable clothing.

The Rev. Gwyneth MacKenzie Murphy, retreat leader and spiritual director, has been dancing all her life and doing Sacred Dance for nearly thirty years. A member and presenter with the Sacred Dance Guild, she is a student of Carla DeSola. She is an assisting priest at Christ The King Episcopal Church in Stone Ridge, NY.

Cost: $200, deposit: $80

Alexander Technique

Friday, June 14 – Sunday, June 16
:: Led by Bill Connington

The Alexander Technique Retreat features three days of intensive yet relaxing study with Bill Connington, a renowned, certified Alexander teacher with more than 20 years experience. The Alexander Technique is a 100-year-old method aimed at improving the way the body is used. A few of the many benefits of the technique are learning how to reduce tension and stress, improve posture, and manage pain. Those who may benefit from the technique are people in pain, those with physical restrictions, those who want to improve their posture; performers, musicians, athletes, and those interested in the mind/body connection. The workshop will be full of hands-on work, dialogue, in-depth learning, and fun. All levels are welcome from beginners to those who have studied Alexander
extensively. Why not take time for yourself in a special time, in a special place – and find a healthy mind/body balance?

Fees are $360 for tuition, room and board if registering before April 1, 2013, or $375 for registration after April 1st. The fee for commuters is $255 before April 1, 2013 and $270 after April 1. For more information, please visit www.createabalance.org.
To register or ask questions, please contact Julie Donato at 845-227-2706 or JulieMB@prodigy.net.

Benedictine Experience

Tuesday, June 18 – Sunday, June 23
:: Led by the Monastic Community

Benedictine Monastic tradition has thrived within the walls of various monasteries for more than a millennium, but in the last few decades pieces of Benedictine tradition have begun to take root beyond the monastery. This program will allow you to experience a taste of what Benedictine life is about and to explore the ways Benedictine practice may be relevant in your personal, parish, and work life. The daily pattern of this program resembles the primary formation given to new brothers as they enter Holy Cross Monastery. This involves worship, instruction, work, and prayer, as well as time for reflection and community formation.

Cost: $500, deposit: $80

Formation for Contemplative Outreach Service

Tuesday, June 18 – Sunday, June 23
:: Led by Bruce Gardner and Contemplative Outreach

Take your practice of Centering Prayer to a deeper level while learning more about its conceptual background and preparing to present the Centering Prayer Introductory Workshop, as a commissioned presenter under the auspices of Contemplative Outreach, Ltd. and Fr. Thomas Keating, O.C.S.O. The Presenter Formation is also as an opportunity to look at your own Centering Prayer practice in light of the Essentials of the Introductory Workshop. The Course includes Centering Prayer, opportunities to participate in the Monastic Prayer, and daily presentations by the staff and by participants.

Enrollment is by application. For an application, full information about the pre-requisites for the Presenter Formation, and the process of becoming a commissioned Centering Prayer Presenter, please contact* Bruce Gardiner directly: brucegardiner@yahoo.com or 518-929-6461.

Cost: $585, deposit $80

Associates Retreat

Friday, July 5 – Sunday, July 7
:: Led by Brother Scott Wesley Borden

A summer retreat for Associates and those considering membership. Join us to explore some of God’s wisdom passed down to us through the monastic tradition. A great time to relax with other Associates and the Monatic community.

Cost: $180, deposit: $80

Individually Directed Retreats

Tuesday, July 16 – Friday, July 19
:: Led by the Monastic Community

*short written assignment before the retreat begins
*limited registration

Give it a try this summer! This is a retreat in which prayer and silence will be practiced as an invitation for deeper union with God and in which each participant will work with a spiritual director chosen by the monastic community.

Cost: $310, deposit: $80

Deep Silence Periods

While the monastery is most often a place of deep quiet and relaxation, complete silence is usually observed only during the nightly Greater Silence from 8:30 pm until 8:30 am.

The following dates are times when the Guesthouse remains in full silence around the clock.

Specifically, the full and continuous silence is observed from 8:30 pm on the first day of a Deep Silence period until mid-morning on the last day of a Deep Silence Period.