Recent or Current Programs by BCF
Joan Doherty, Bethlehem, PA led a 3-session workshop on compassion. Joan writes, “We had a woman in her 80’s and a college student among the participants. The sharing was powerful.”
Gina Wagner in Omaha, NE has created a three-hour-credit college course that she will teach to Healthcare students based on the Boundless Compassion book. Gina has also approached another place of higher learning to teach this in their humanities program.
Dusty Farnan, O.P. from Wisconsin, selected to represent the Dominicans at the United Nations NGO, writes, “I’m looking forward to my new experience at the UN. I am going to see if there’s a way to share our Compassion work there.”
Donna Nordang of St. Cloud, MN will facilitate a two-part Boundless Compassion retreat for spiritual directors in Oct/Nov, at the spirituality center, St. Benedict’s Monastery. Joseph, MN.
Jeanine Kosman and Mary Jo Wulf, Ames, IA, will soon lead another Four-Day retreat, Oct. 6-10. (their third one!) This retreat will be held at Siena Center in Racine, WI.
Ruth Baker and Colleen Shepard’s weekend retreat that they teamed in Scottsdale, AZ in September was a great success. Photos of the attractive, physical environment reveal the welcoming presence these two created.
Norma Phelan of Danville, CA is registering Latino voters, involved with Mothers Against Gun Violence, participates in an Interfaith dialogue group, and in October will lead another Kairos retreat (based on compassion) for incarcerated persons.
Compassionate Presence
The following quote could be helpful when presenting the value of “presence” and “mindfulness” – how being comes before doing. (We need both but one precedes the other.)
“One of the beautiful things in (Meister) Eckhart is the idea of letting things be. So many people wonder what they should do, how they should work. For Eckhart, none of this matters. The most important thing to focus on is how you should be. That is really mindfulness of presence. All intimacy, love, belonging, creativity is not when the grubby little hands of our functional minds get into the mystery, but when we stand back and let the mystery be, become enveloped in it so that it extends us and deepens us. … Finally, Eckhart has the lovely idea of Gelassenheit. Gelassen is the German for “calmness.” Even when things go against you and the rhythm in your life takes you to awkward and lonely places, you can still maintain a stillness which is in your soul and will connect you and give you an inviolable belonging and togetherness. You won’t get that from a program but you can awaken it in your own heart.”(Walking in Wonder, John O’Donohue)
Be sure to send information on BC programs/projects you are leading or organizing so I can include them in future newsletters.
Joyce
(Catherine Nerney, The Compassion Connection)
Programs Related to Boundless Compassion
(Please publicize and encourage registration.)
September 6–8
Boundless Compassion Weekend Retreat
Franciscan Renewal Center
Scottsdale, Az
Ruth Baker / Colleen Shephard
Registration
October 25–27
Creighton Retreat Center
Griswold, IA
Fri. 5:00 p.m. – Sun. noon
“The Transforming Power of Self-Compassion/A Spiritual Retreat”
Jeanne Johnson, Anne Kubr, Patty Forsberg, Maureen Bausch
Joyce Rupp will give a presentation on Saturday morning.
Information and registration
It Is Time to Globalize Compassion
From Elaine Olson, who will lead a workshop at the conference where Leymah Gbowee (Nobel Prize, Liberian Women’s Peace Movement, will speak:
