Lent Retreats and Devotions

Believe it or not, Ash Wednesday is less than a month away (March 5)! During Lent many of us take on new spiritual disciplines, or give up something, or attend retreats. As Women of the Diocese of the Rio Grande we are blessed with many opportunities for spiritual nourishment before and during Lent. There are 3 retreats in March that sound deeply spiritually nourishing. I am sure that there are others around the diocese...these just happen to be ones I was informed were happening. More info on each of these is on the calendar page.
There is the Bishop's Retreat: Holy Lent Through Love at the Cathedral on March 15 (8:30-3). The cost has been reduced to $20 for this event (those who have already registered will get a refund of the additional fee.) Bishop Vono will be with us to inspire Women of the DRG to a Holy Lent Through Love. His message will be based on Galatians 5, There will also be time throughout the day for quiet reflection on the Bishop’s message, including opportunities to walk the Labyrinth, join the Society of Mary for the Rosary, and just meditate in the quiet of the Cathedral.  Lunch is provided by the St. Agnes Chapter of the Daughters of the King. Register online, follow the link on the blog, or email Cindy Davis.

A simultaneous Day Camp for children (ages 5-12) will be offered at the Cathedral on Saturday so interested mothers can participate in this refreshing time of quiet and preparation for Lent.

Another option in the Women's Spirituality Gathering and Quiet Day on March 1 with Deborah Smith Douglas at Holy Faith in Santa Fe. Last year nearly 90 women found relaxation and inspiration from Deborah's talks. There is no cost, bring your own lunch. Contact the Very Rev. Peggy Patterson(Details on the calendar page.)

On March 8, you can attend "Seven Words, Seven Witnesses" at San Gabriel Mission in Corrales. No cost. Contact the Rev. Rhonda McIntire (Details on the calendar page.)

Lent can also be a time of picking up a new devotional habit. The Daughters of the King of the Diocese have just completed a Lent Devotional called "Renew a Right Spirit Within Us". This includes meditations by Daughters, Bishop Vono, and the Very Rev. Jeanne Lutz. Prayers and prayer activities with special meaning to Daughters around the Diocese will deepen your Easter preparations. If you'd like to get a copy for yourself, contact Cindy Davis. The cost is $5 (covers printing and postage).

Other Lent study and devotion books can be obtained from the Forward Movement, Christian Book Distributors, and others. Many of them can also be purchased through our own Rickie Sherrill with Good Books New Mexico!

There are of course online resources for Lent, too. One fun one is Lent Madness. Learn about saints of the church throughout Lent and find out which saint gets the most votes.  Join the new Women's Ministry Facebook page and share your own favorite Lent devotionals or something that inspires you and see what inspires other women around the diocese. We can inspire one another to keep a Holy Lent.
 

Five Golden Rings

On the Fifth Day of Christmas...

 A ring is a circle-a symbol of completeness, eternity, infinity, and God. Most religions use circles—think of Stonehenge, the Wheel of Life, halos... The Celtic cross has a circle in the center representing the sun. We talk of being part of the ‘inner circle’ or having a ‘circle of friends’.

There is the well known poem by Edwin Markham that epitomizes the way God works:
Outwitted
He drew a circle that shut me out--
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.
But Love and I had the wit to win:
We drew a circle that took him in!
 
As we look forward to 2014, there are already 5 opportunities listed in the calendar...our 5 Golden Rings...to be part of the growing circle of Women of the DRG.  I hope you will add one or more of these upcoming events to your calendar! Each time we gather as Women of the Diocese of the Rio Grande, we make our circle larger and more complete.

Online registration info is available on the calendar page for the upcoming Lent Retreat in ABQ and for the June Christ & Chocolate & Cherishing Retreat in Taos!

Holiday Blessings

Wishing you all Christmas Blessings

and looking forward to the New Year.

As you fill in your 2014 calendar...consider adding the Women's Retreats in the Diocese of the Rio Grande. Info about them is always available on the calendar page of this blog, as are registration forms as they become available, but here's a quick run-down so you can get the dates on your calendars:

January 18, 2PM: Who are the Daughters of the King Tea at Holy Spirit, El Paso. If you've ever wondered about this order, come and learn more.

March 1, 8:30AM: Quiet Day at Holy Faith, Santa Fe with Deborah Smith Douglas. Last year over 80 women attended and were refreshed.

March 15, 8:30AM: Lent Retreat with Bishop Vono at the Cathedral. Bishop will speak about Galatians 5.

June 13-14: Christ & Chocolate & Cherishing. The Second Annual 'pampering' retreat at San Geronimo will focus on ways to cherish ourselves as beloved of our Lord.

November 14-15: Taste & See, the 3rd Annual Retreat at the Bosque Center is a time for pausing and refreshing our souls and minds in community.

The Women's Council is also working on how to present an online study so that we can all participate no matter where we are in this far-flung diocese! Stay tuned!

Hope to see you at one or more of these events that help bring us together as a community of holy women building up the Body of Christ in the Diocese of the Rio Grande. In this way we live into our mission statement: "As women of the Diocese of the Rio Grande we work to live out this promise in retreat, fellowship, study, and ministry."
 

Abide in Me Retreat

The 2nd Annual Women's Retreat at the Bosque Center, "Abide in Me", was attended by 3 dozen women from across the Diocese and even a guest from California! We came from Carlsbad and Roswell, from Silver City and Farmington, from Taos and Albuquerque to gather in the lovely, peaceful setting of the Bosque Center for a time of reflection and fellowship. A case of supplies for Operation Soldier Smiles was collected through the generosity of those who came.

The event started on Friday evening with a time of introductions and sharing. The Rev. Pat Green from St. Mark's was our keynote speaker for the retreat. On Friday she asked us to consider what the word "Abide" means. We shared synonyms for the word that ranged from 'stay' and 'wait' to 'endure' and 'relationship'.
Pat noted that in modern parlance, the word translated "Abide" in the KJV could likely be written as "plugged-in", "wired", or "connected" in the sense of a power strip or other electronics. The vital connection to the vine is necessary for us to live and grow, just as a phone or i-pad will eventually quit working if not recharged regularly. Pat reminded us that we are each uniquely gifted to be our own special part of the Body so we can use our gifts for the church. However, it is essential that we stay connected to the Vine.
On Saturday, we shared our gifts and current ministries. This was an amazing experience of seeing the diversity of gifts and ministries present in those gathered. Morning Prayer was a fitting conclusion to the blessing of this heart-felt sharing.
After worship, Pat continued her keynote talk by asking us what Fruit Jesus might be talking about in John 14-15. She had us consider what exactly 'fruit' is. We realized that fruit is many things and comes in many kinds. Some fruit may produce seed that doesn't germinate immediately, too. It may lay fallow for awhile. Other fruit may never ripen because it doesn't remain attached to the Vine. Ultimately, the fruit we are called to bear is the Fruit of Love-to "love one another as I have loved you."

All our ways of Abiding in the Vine, therefore in Christ, are ways of loving one another and bearing fruit. These are things like obedience, prayer, study, service, fellowship, thanksgiving, listening, practicing our call, acceptance and by expecting God to act. The Retreat offered a time to stepping out of the day-to-day in order to be refreshed and reconnected to the Living Vine.
During the retreat we had a chance to try different Prayer Experiences as ways of Abiding. Sue Ellen Rael presented a session on Icons and how they are a prayer aid. Shirin McArthur taught a group the first steps of Embodied Prayer. Elaine Wilson offered an overview of using the Book of Common Prayer more fully. Quiet time after lunch afforded participants the chance to enjoy the Bosque Center, visit, and to pause to vision where our personal Abiding might take us in the next months and years. These thoughts became our offering for the Eucharist which ended the day and retreat.
This holy time apart with one another and Christ is an experience we'll treasure and meditate on in the days and weeks to come. Next year's Bosque Retreat is already booked at the Center for the weekend of November 14-15.