On June 28 - 29, 2019, award-winning poet, writer, and best-selling author Kathleen Norriswill come to St. Benedict Center, four miles north of Schuyler, and speak on the topic of Seeking God Together. On Friday, June 28, at 7:30 p.m., she will give an evening presentation, followed by discussion and sharing. On Saturday, June 29, she will present from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Genuine spirituality is not an individual pursuit, but must be anchored in one’s local community. This means a constant struggle between freedom and obedience, listening and asserting oneself, possessing and letting go, clinging to stability and embracing change. Spiritual formation is part of life, not only for monastics but for married couples, parents, children, members of faith communities. But formation is difficult, and demands that we be accountable to others. Kathleen Norris believes that one reason many people resist joining groups is that they fear losing their individual freedom. Such freedom is illusory, however, and leaves us susceptible to narcissism and materialism. Norris will be bringing stories of her own formation, as well as those of monastic people, and invite participants to bring their own stories to share. Her 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, often provocative and always important.
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 resides in Hawaii. She travels to the mainland regularly for speaking engagements.
The program fee is $ 60, for Friday only it is $ 20; for Saturday only it is $ 40. Early bird rate for bothFriday and Saturday (register before May 24) is $ 55. On Saturday, lunch is available at the Center for $ 10.76 (includes tax), if you pay for it BEFORE the program starts. 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. Register at www.StBenedictCenter.com or call 402-352-8819.