On June 16 - 17, 2023, award-winning poet, writer, and best-selling author Kathleen Norris will come to St. Benedict Center, four miles north of Schuyler, and speak on the topic of Discerning What Matters: Embracing a Life of Meaning. On Friday, June 16, at 7:30 p.m. she will give an evening presentation, followed by discussion and sharing. On Saturday, June 17, she will present from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
What matters most to us in our lives? Why does belief matter? To what do we give our hearts? What is the core message of what we believe—creeds or commitment? To what extent is to believe also “to belove”? The Bible as our collective story matters. How is that story reflected in our daily lives? What is it about the Bible that always seems to address our present moment? Community matters for in it individualism and imperfection meet grace and acceptance. What is our part in the Body of Christ? Place Matters: In what ways is faith set within the physical space of home, church, land and people? We Matter: What does it mean to remain in God’s image and to counter our selfishness by embracing the world and its needs? Kathleen Norris’ presentations will be at once intimate and historical, rich in poetry and meditations, brimming with exasperation and reverence, deeply grounded in both nature and spirit, sometimes funny, and often provocative.
Norris is the author of The New York Times bestsellers, The Cloister Walk, Acedia and Me: A Marriage, Monks and a Writer’s Life, Dakota: A Spiritual Geography, Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith and The Virgin of Bennington. She also has published seven books of poetry. Some reviewers have compared her portrait of the world of the monastics in The Cloister Walk to the writings of Thomas Merton. Norris also appears on the DVD and companion book project titled Embracing a Life of Meaning: Kathleen Norris on Discovering What Matters. Kathleen Norris is a Benedictine Oblate of Assumption Abbey in Richardton, North Dakota. Widowed in 2003, she lives in Honululu, Hawaii. She travels to the mainland regularly to speak to students, medical professionals, social workers, and chaplains at colleges and universities, as well as churches and teaching hospitals. She also serves as an editorial advisor to Give Us This Day.
The program fee is $70, for Friday only it is $20; for Saturday only it is $50. The early bird rate for both Friday and Saturday (register before May 12) is $60. On Saturday, lunch is available at the Center for $12.87 (includes tax), if you request it in advance. Guest rooms are available at St. Benedict Center for the night from Friday to Saturday. Room and board charges will be added to the program fee.