Treat yourself to a Mother's Day Spring Retreat at the monastery.
May 9-11: Let monastic hospitality, the wisdom teachings of Hildegard of Bingen, and the sacred greening of Spring be your guides.
Dear friend,
We still have a spot for you at our “Sacred Greening” Spring retreat at the beautiful Spirituality Center of Saint Benedict’s Monastery in MN, May 9-11.
So when you are like me, longing for a less busy but rejuvenating Mother’s Day, this invitation is for you:
Let your soul be nourished by the rhythm of the monastery, the hospitality of the sisters, the wisdom teachings of Hildegard of Bingen, and the small communion of fellow kindred souls with us on retreat.
I hope that this invitation finds the one who needs this or the one who knows some one who needs this.
Also, this is the only live retreat on Hildegard I will be giving this year.
Reservation Deadline is May 6!
So thank you for pondering, sharing and restacking this invitation (for details see below). I hope to see you there :-)
Love, Almut
PS: This retreat is not only for birth mothers but all who long for spiritual renewal and some tender guidance to mother new greening into their life.
Almut Furchert, PhD, teacher, retreat leader, Benedictine oblate and member of the Hildegard of Bingen Academy in Bingen, Germany.
What Cloister Seminars participants say
"Do a cloister. It will enrich the rest of your days."
-- Ina Christopherson, participant
Sacred Greening. A Spring Retreat with Hildegard of Bingen
Friday, May 9 @ 7 pm to Sunday, May 11 @ 3 pm (flexible*)
Spirituality Center, Saint Benedicts Monastery, Saint Josephs, MN
On this Mother’s Day weekend (not only for birth mothers), we will ponder Hildegard of Bingen’s wisdom on Divine mothering and greening and explore how it can nourish our soul’s journey.
We will ask how Hildegard can help us deeper understand both the pain and the bliss that comes with giving birth to a child, a vocation, or a new stage in life.
We will read, reflect, journal and rest while joining the daily rhythm of the monastery. There will be also plenty time for quiet and retreat, and to explore the monastic grounds.
Facilitator: Almut Furchert, PhD, teacher, retreat leader, Benedictine oblate and member of the Hildegard of Bingen Academy in Bingen, Germany.
*Flexible departure on Sunday
Those in need for a Sunday of reflection and rest can stay until Sunday afternoon, and participate in the monastic worship schedule, meals and our two group meetings in the morning and afternoon, those who wish to meet with family later on Sunday can leave after our morning meeting on Sunday.
Reservation
Reservation deadline is May 6.
Fee: $200 (includes all meals and 2 overnight accommodations at the monastery guest house)
Please reserve your place as soon as possible, but latest by May 6.
The button above will bring you directly to Saint Ben’s Monastery reservation form.
You can also reach the desk via phone (320) 363-7112 if the form does not work for you or you want to pay via check. Just make sure to leave your information for them.
PS: Some of us just figured that the registration form at the monastery is a bit complicated. So just click yes, when they ask if you have been there before to avoid another window :-)
If you have any further questions or difficulties with the form please contact me directly. I am happy to assist.
Facilitator
Almut Furchert, Ph.D. is a German-American teacher and retreat leader and member of the Hildegard of Bingen Academy in Germany. A Benedictine Oblate, she lives with her family in a small college town in the American Midwest. Almut is also the woman behind Cloister Seminars and the Cloister Notes Newsletter where she shares her passion for wisdom teachings in the intersection of psychology, philosophy and spirituality.
Almut will lead you into a depth experience of your own greening journey, helping you to find hope and new beginnings.
This retreat works both for people who already know something about Hildegard of Bingen and for those who are new to her.
Location
The retreat takes place at the serene Spirituality Center of Saint Benedict’s Monastery in MN, where we will be cared for lovingly by the sisters.
Just as Hildegard lived by the rhythm of the monastery you are invited to participate in the prayers and meals of the monastic community during this time as well.
This retreat is not only for birth mothers but all who long for spiritual renewal.
If you are looking for a time out, a weekend away and some time to replenish your soul, I am looking forward welcoming you to this retreat!
Almut
Reservation
Please reserve your place as soon as possible, but latest by May 6 (hard deadline).
The button above will bring you directly to Saint Ben’s Monastery reservation form.
You can also reach the desk via phone (320) 363-7112 if the form does not work for you or you want to pay via check. Just make sure to leave your information for them.
PS: Some of us just figured that the registration form at the monastery is a bit complicated. So just click yes, when they ask if you have been there before to avoid another window :-)
If you have any further questions or difficulties with the form please contact me directly. I am happy to assist.
Some more about Hildegard
Hildegard of Bingen has been a medieval Benedictine Abbess, scholar, writer, teacher and healer.
There is likely no better time to ponder Hildegard of Bingen's concept of viriditas, the greening power of all creation, than a Minnesota spring.
The early threshold of Spring has always been a powerful metaphor for the new life, dormant, which has prepared itself under layers of dark and cold. Already, in the slow season of waiting, when it appears like winter will never end, even then, the new not-yet-green prepares itself silently and patiently for its coming.
“There is a power that has been since all eternity, and that force and potentiality is green!” wrote the sage Hildegard of Bingen nearly 1000 years ago on a wax plate.
Hildegard names this greening force viriditas, the Latin for her original “das Grün,” the greening. The greening is indeed a rich Spring metaphor, but it reaches beyond Spring to encompass the power of life. With viriditas Hildegard captures the greening power, the living light, that breathes in all beings, flows through all that is alive: “Be it greenness or seed, blossom or beauty – it could not be creation without it.”
About Cloister Notes
A letter for dancing monks and weary pilgrims at the intersection of psychology, philosophy, and spirituality. Contemplations on being human to deepen your path, nourish your heart, and build wisdom within. A resting place along the way—a space for reflection, courage, and hope.
About The Weary Pilgrim
Almut is a German-American scholar and practitioner of existential wisdom teachings. A psychologist turned philosopher turned writer, she also walks as a traveler, photographer, retreat leader, and mother of a kindergartener. Her work engages with voices like Kierkegaard, Buber, Frankl, Yalom, Edith Stein, Bonhoeffer, and Hildegard of Bingen. A Benedictine Oblate, she lives with her family in a small college town in the American Midwest.