The Retreat House at Hillsboro

Open Mic Poetry Night - Celebrating Love!
2024-02-15 18:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Talbot County Free Library, Easton, 100 West Dover Street, Easton, MD, United States
Join us for this special night on February 15, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Talbot County Free Library in Easton, Maryland. We’ll listen to the poems that sing out and celebrate LOVE! Bring your own poem, or a found poem, or settle in to listen! We’ll listen together and weave spoken word poetry as community. For more information, please reach out: heather@retreathousehillsboro.org

The Well - a time to gather in community online
2024-02-20 19:45 - 20:45 | ZOOM
The Well is a time to gather in community online, as you are able, to share stories—the stories of scripture and the stories of participants own lives. Through time together—in prayer, in listening, in open-heartedness—participants are invited to get to know one another. Through prayerful listening to scripture (lectio divina) and authentic sharing, participants will be drawn closer to each other, to themselves, and to God.
Join us for an hour in this wonderful space to nourish your Lenten journey. We will gather on Zoom at 7:45 p.m. EST beginning on Tuesday, February 20 and continuing until March 26. Simply register here: https://the-well-2024.eventbrite.com. Although this program occurs weekly, feel free to treat it as a “drop-in,” attending as often as you are able. This offering is shared gratefully in collaboration with our friends at Lifelong Learning at Virginia Theological Seminary.

Black History and Arts Celebration
2024-02-24 11:00 - 15:00 | Caroline Arts, 401 MARKET ST, DENTON, MD, 21629, United States
Join us, friends, for this joyful and collaborative day of celebration of black artists and black history. Learn more about this vibrant Caroline Arts event here: https://carolinearts.org/
The Retreat House will be there in the poetry corner with friends from Caroline County Public Schools, holding space for expressive storytelling. We hope you will join us on this day of creative expression. Come and tell your story, read the poetry of a favorite black artist, or celebrate by listening.
Learn more about how to participate here: https://carolinearts.org/call-for-poets/

Groove to the beats of Teran as he serenades us throughout the day!
Throughout the Event:

Indulge your taste buds with delicious offerings from Royal T Catering.
Engage in the interactive “Art Ball” Activity hosted by Mizzlehouse Foundation and Not a Phase Clothing.
Explore the rich cultural heritage displayed by the Sankofa Bus with Chesapeake Heartland Foundation.

Spring Quiet Morning on Zoom - Soul Gardening: Preparing our Hearts for the Spirit's Fruits
2024-04-12 09:30 - 12:30 | ZOOM
Soul Gardening: Preparing our Hearts for the Spirit’s Fruits
with Julia Morris-Myers
Friday, April 12
9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
on Zoom
Gather on this gentle spring morning for quiet, reflection, and conversation. We will look to the wisdom of the earth and notice ways to prepare for the new growth that might be emerging from the heart. We will be guided by scripture, poetry, silence, and conversation, and most of all by Mother Nature. Sign up to join on Zoom as an individual or with a few friends from your home.

Register here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/57psxpj

Finding Hope in the Journey of Dementia, with Dorothy Linthicum
2024-04-16 11:30 - 13:30 | Emmanuel Church, 101 N. Cross St., Chestertown, MD, 21620, United States
Emmanuel Church
Chestertown, Maryland
Tuesday, April 16: 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Lunch and Conversation

We gratefully offer this conversation in collaboration with Emmanuel Church, Chestertown.
Join us with Dorothy Linthicum and explore notions of prevention, the basics of a diagnosis, and the hope found in possibilities. Whether you are a family or community member, a caregiver, or a pastoral leader, this topic is universally vulnerable. How can we help one another face the diagnosis of dementia in our families, among friends, or in ourselves?
Brené Brown writes: “Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy, and creativity. It is the source of hope, empathy, accountability, and authenticity.” Let us be reminded of the power of vulnerability, not to be avoided, but embraced, and in embracing taking a first step toward easing our fears.
We will explore how the self is never destroyed despite the severity of a disease or condition, an understanding that comes from many fields, including psychology, neurology, psychiatry, philosophy, and spirituality, among others. Dorothy is co-author, along with Janice Hicks, of Redeeming Dementia: Spirituality, Theology, and Science. Bring all of your questions, whether you are family members seeking to learn more, caretakers exploring practices, or pastoral leaders meeting community members where they are in their journey.
Please arrive by 11:30 a.m. and enjoy a simple lunch before the presentation and conversation begin at 12 noon.
Register here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/7gam2xw

Finding Hope in the Journey of Dementia, with Dorothy Linthicum
2024-04-16 16:00 - 17:30 | Amy Lynn Ferris Adult Activity Center, 200 Schauber Rd, Chestertown, MD, 21620, United States
Amy Lynn Ferris Adult Activity Center
Chestertown, Maryland
Tuesday, April 16: 4:00 – 5:30 p.m.
Tea and Conversation

We gratefully offer this conversation in collaboration with Upper Shore Aging.
Join us with Dorothy Linthicum and explore notions of prevention, the basics of a diagnosis, and the hope found in possibilities. Whether you are a family or community member, a caregiver, or a pastoral leader, this topic is universally vulnerable. How can we help one another face the diagnosis of dementia in our families, among friends, or in ourselves?
Brené Brown writes: “Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy, and creativity. It is the source of hope, empathy, accountability, and authenticity.” Let us be reminded of the power of vulnerability, not to be avoided, but embraced, and in embracing taking a first step toward easing our fears.
We will explore how the self is never destroyed despite the severity of a disease or condition, an understanding that comes from many fields, including psychology, neurology, psychiatry, philosophy, and spirituality, among others. Dorothy is co-author, along with Janice Hicks, of Redeeming Dementia: Spirituality, Theology, and Science. Bring all of your questions, whether you are family members seeking to learn more, caretakers exploring practices, or pastoral leaders meeting community members where they are in their journey.
Register here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/6r7b7ka
Visit our website calendar for more information on three other locations:
Chestertown, Maryland – Tuesday, April 16: 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Lunch and Conversation, Emmanuel Church, ($35)
Oxford, Maryland – Wednesday, April 17 : 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Lunch and Conversation, Church of the Holy Trinity ($35)
Annapolis, Maryland – Thursday, April 18: 10:30 a.m. – noon, Tea and Conversation, St. Anne’s Parish House Library ($25)

Finding Hope in the Journey of Dementia, with Dorothy Linthicum
2024-04-17 11:30 - 13:30 | Holy Trinity Oxford, 502 S. Morris St., Oxford, MD, 21654, United States
Church of the Holy Trinity
Oxford, Maryland
Wednesday, April 17: 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Lunch and Conversation

We gratefully offer this conversation in collaboration with Church of the Holy Trinity, Oxford.
Join us with Dorothy Linthicum and explore notions of prevention, the basics of a diagnosis, and the hope found in possibilities. Whether you are a family or community member, a caregiver, or a pastoral leader, this topic is universally vulnerable. How can we help one another face the diagnosis of dementia in our families, among friends, or in ourselves?
Brené Brown writes: “Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy, and creativity. It is the source of hope, empathy, accountability, and authenticity.” Let us be reminded of the power of vulnerability, not to be avoided, but embraced, and in embracing taking a first step toward easing our fears.
We will explore how the self is never destroyed despite the severity of a disease or condition, an understanding that comes from many fields, including psychology, neurology, psychiatry, philosophy, and spirituality, among others. Dorothy is co-author, along with Janice Hicks, of Redeeming Dementia: Spirituality, Theology, and Science. Bring all of your questions, whether you are family members seeking to learn more, caretakers exploring practices, or pastoral leaders meeting community members where they are in their journey.
Please arrive by 11:30 so that we may begin our presentation and conversation at 12 noon.
Register here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/4t85mkf

Visit our website calendar for information on three other locations:
Chestertown, Maryland – Tuesday, April 16: 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Lunch and Conversation, Emmanuel Church, ($35)
Chestertown, Maryland – Tuesday, April 16, : 4:00 – 5:30 p.m. (free), Tea and Conversation, Upper Shore Aging: Amy Lynn Ferris Adult Activity Center
Annapolis, Maryland – Thursday, April 18, : 10:30 a.m. – noon, Tea and Conversation, St. Anne’s Parish House Library ($25)

Finding Hope in the Journey of Dementia, with Dorothy Linthicum
2024-04-18 10:30 - 12:00 | St. Anne’s Parish House Annapolis, 199 Duke of Gloucester Street, Annapolis, MD, 21401, United States
St. Anne’s Parish House Library
Annapolis, Maryland
Thursday, April 18: 10:30 a.m. – noon, Tea and Conversation

We gratefully offer this conversation in collaboration with St. Anne’s, Annapolis. Join us with Dorothy Linthicum and explore notions of prevention, the basics of a diagnosis, and the hope found in possibilities. Whether you are a family or community member, a caregiver, or a pastoral leader, this topic is universally vulnerable. How can we help one another face the diagnosis of dementia in our families, among friends, or in ourselves?
Brené Brown writes: “Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy, and creativity. It is the source of hope, empathy, accountability, and authenticity.” Let us be reminded of the power of vulnerability, not to be avoided, but embraced, and in embracing taking a first step toward easing our fears.
We will explore how the self is never destroyed despite the severity of a disease or condition, an understanding that comes from many fields, including psychology, neurology, psychiatry, philosophy, and spirituality, among others. Dorothy is co-author, along with Janice Hicks, of Redeeming Dementia: Spirituality, Theology, and Science. Bring all of your questions, whether you are family members seeking to learn more, caretakers exploring practices, or pastoral leaders meeting community members where they are in their journey.
Please register here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/t5usxtz

Visit our website calendar for information on three other locations:
Chestertown, Maryland – Tuesday, April 16: 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Lunch and Conversation, Emmanuel Church, ($35)
Chestertown, Maryland – Tuesday, April 16: 4:00 – 5:30 p.m. (free), Tea and Conversation, Upper Shore Aging: Amy Lynn Ferris Adult Activity Center
Oxford, Maryland – Wednesday, April 17: 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Lunch and Conversation, Church of the Holy Trinity ($35)

Silent Weekend Retreat
2024-04-19 16:00 - 2024-04-21 11:00 | Foehliage Retreat Center, 31450 Sassafras River Ave, Galena, MD, 21635
Welcome to The Retreat House Hermitage on the shore of the Sassafras River for this weekend of stillness and grounding.
During each silent weekend, there will be free-flowing time for resting, silence, journaling, and nourishing food, all at your own pace. We will begin and end our weekend with a gentle conversation, for evening supper on Friday and breakfast on Sunday. Each participant will have their own spacious bedroom and the communal use of the living and dining rooms, the kitchen, and the beautiful grounds and riverside spaces. If you have dietary needs, please let us know when you register. Each participant will have the opportunity to sign up for a spiritual companionship conversation with one of our spiritual directors. Sign up soon, as silent retreats have limited availability.
Each Silent Weekend Retreat offers four registrations for four rooms. Register here:
https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/taj79m3
If you’d like to learn more about the Retreat House Hermitage and taking a personal retreat, please learn more here: https://retreathousehillsboro.org/personal-retreat-days/

The Gospel of Thomas
2024-05-14 15:00 - 2024-06-18 16:30 | Emmanuel Church, 101 N. Cross St., Chestertown, MD, 21620, United States
The Gospel of Thomas
May 14 – June 18, 2024
3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Chestertown, Maryland and on Zoom
Our first and last gatherings for this six week series will be held in person in the spirituality room within Emmanuel Church, Chestertown.
The four sessions in between will meet on Zoom.

Gather together as we explore and listen to the Gospel of Thomas. Each week we will prayerfully listen to one of Jesus’ sayings from this ancient source and take time to reflect upon what rises for each of us.
The Gospel of Thomas was one of the manuscripts discovered in 1945 when the Nag Hamadi texts were discovered in Egypt. The Gospel of Thomas today is considered by many to be a rich resource for the deepening of a person’s relationship with God and Yeshua. Listening prayerfully to the sayings offers us an experience of Jesus as a wisdom teacher. The Gospel is different from the canonical Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John as Thomas does not offer any type of narrative about the life of Jesus. Instead it contains one hundred and fourteen sayings of Jesus or Yeshua. Each saying stands alone and offers a great deal of wisdom into the sayings of Jesus and is an invitation to the student of Thomas to go deeper into what is being said.

Please register here: https://tinyurl.com/RHTHOMAS

ABOUT THE FACILITATOR:
The Rev. David Andrews a retired Episcopal priest from Wilmington, Delaware. David is a wisdom practitioner who attended the Living School and is currently participating in the Shalem Spiritual Guidance Program. David loves hiking and exploring through pilgrimage. He lives in Wilmington with his wife, the Rev. Emily Gibson.

Weekend Retreat: Viriditas - The Divine "Greening" Life Force in the Lives of Hildegard of Bingen and Harriet Tubman
2024-05-17 16:00 - 2024-05-19 13:00 | Foehliage Retreat Center, 31450 Sassafras River Ave, Galena, MD, 21635
Viriditas: The Divine “Greening” Life Force in the lives of Hildegard and Harriet —
These two holy women, healers, were separated by 650 years and the Atlantic Ocean. One was a white Benedictine nun, the other a black enslaved person dubbed “the Moses of her people.” What can Hildegard of Bingen and Harriet Tubman possibly have in common? What might these remarkable women have to share with us in the 21st century? Come spend a weekend exploring the lives and faith of Hildegard and Harriet and the viriditas that connects and enlivens them, us and all of creation. There will be time for learning and conversation, journalling, quiet, delicious meals, and movement on the beautiful river-side grounds of The Foehliage.

Register here:
https://tinyurl.com/RHVIRIDITAS

ABOUT THE RETREAT LEADER: Anita Davidson has over 30 years of experience in the field of spirituality in various roles. She is a graduate of Shalem Institute’s Spiritual Guidance Program and is currently serving as adjunct staff for that program. She works as a spiritual director, retreat leader and preacher based in Columbus, Ohio.

Healing Garden Dedication and Community Blessing
2024-05-19 12:30 - 13:30 | Foehliage Retreat Center, 31450 Sassafras River Ave, Galena, MD, 21635

Silent Weekend Retreat
2024-06-07 16:00 - 2024-06-09 11:00 | Foehliage Retreat Center, 31450 Sassafras River Ave, Galena, MD, 21635
Welcome to our Hermitage on the shore of the Sassafras River for this weekend of stillness and grounding.
During each silent weekend, there will be free-flowing time for resting, silence, journaling, and nourishing food, all at your own pace. We will begin and end our weekend with a gentle conversation, for evening supper on Friday and breakfast on Sunday. Each participant will have their own spacious bedroom and the communal use of the living and dining rooms, the kitchen, and the beautiful grounds and riverside spaces. If you have dietary needs, please let us know when you register. Each participant will have the opportunity to sign up for a spiritual companionship conversation with one of our spiritual directors. Sign up soon, as silent retreats have limited availability.

Each Silent Weekend Retreat offers four registrations for four rooms. Register here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/j9t2ev9
If you’d like to learn more about the Retreat House Hermitage and taking a personal retreat, please learn more here: https://retreathousehillsboro.org/personal-retreat-days/

Summer Book Circle --- Mary Magdalene Revealed by Meggan Watterson
2024-07-09 18:00 - 19:30 | ZOOM
Summer Book Circle
on Zoom
Mary Magdalene Revealed
by Meggan Watterson
July 9, July 30, and August 20
6:00 – 7:30 p.m.

Join us for this summer book circle as we explore and reflect on the life and heart of Mary Magdalene. Megan Watterson’s book Mary Magdalene Revealed presents “The First Apostle, Her Feminist Gospel & the Christianity We Haven’t Tried Yet.” We will meet over Zoom on three evenings, with plenty of room in between for reading. Feel free to come and go as you are able. After registering, we will send the reading schedule and the Zoom link.
Please register here.

Find the book online, or order it from our bookshop: Retreat House Book Shop.
To learn more about the icon being created above, visit the American Association of Iconographers.

Silent Weekend Retreat
2024-09-06 16:00 - 2024-09-08 11:00 | Foehliage Retreat Center, 31450 Sassafras River Ave, Galena, MD, 21635
Welcome to our Hermitage on the shore of the Sassafras River for this weekend of stillness and grounding.
During each silent weekend, there will be free-flowing time for resting, silence, journaling, and nourishing food, all at your own pace. We will begin and end our weekend with a gentle conversation, for evening supper on Friday and breakfast on Sunday. Each participant will have their own spacious bedroom and the communal use of the living and dining rooms, the kitchen, and the beautiful grounds and riverside spaces. If you have dietary needs, please let us know when you register. Each participant will have the opportunity to sign up for a spiritual companionship conversation with one of our spiritual directors. Sign up soon, as silent retreats have limited availability.
Please register here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/jteyms3
If you’d like to learn more about the Retreat House Hermitage and taking a personal retreat, please visit our website: https://retreathousehillsboro.org/personal-retreat-days/

Gospel of Thomas
2024-10-01 15:00 - 2024-11-05 16:30 | ZOOM
The Gospel of Thomas
October 1 – November 5, 2024
3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
On Zoom
Gather together as we explore and listen to the Gospel of Thomas. Each week we will prayerfully listen to one of Jesus’ sayings from this ancient source and take time to reflect upon what rises for each of us.

Suggested donation: $85 Register here: https://tinyurl.com/GOTonZOOM
All of our offerings are supported solely by individual donations. This circle is partially sponsored, allowing us to offer it at a reduced amount. Please share what you feel led to share, whether less, or more to support another. Thank you for being part of a community that doesn’t let finances get in the way.
We are grateful for the generous support of a friend of The Retreat House for partially sponsoring this event.

More about the source: The Gospel of Thomas was one of the manuscripts discovered in 1945 when the Nag Hamadi texts were discovered in Egypt. The Gospel of Thomas today is considered by many to be a rich resource for the deepening of a person’s relationship with God and Yeshua. Listening prayerfully to the sayings offers us an experience of Jesus as a wisdom teacher. The Gospel is different from the canonical Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John as Thomas does not offer any type of narrative about the life of Jesus. Instead it contains one hundred and fourteen sayings of Jesus or Yeshua. Each saying stands alone and offers a great deal of wisdom into the sayings of Jesus and is an invitation to the student of Thomas to go deeper into what is being said.

The Well
2024-10-01 19:00 - 20:00 | The Retreat House, 22005 Church Street, Hillsboro, MD, 21641, United States
Gather with us for this online community of prayerful listening to scripture for the upcoming Sunday lectionary readings, and listening to one another.

This event is brought to you by the department of Lifelong Learning at Virginia Theological Seminary in partnership with The Retreat House.
This drop-in Tuesday evening gathering will meet online via Zoom, from 7:00-8:00 p.m. eastern from Oct 1, 2024 – Jun 17, 2025 (with some Tuesdays off – see below.) Register once for the entire season, regardless of when you can make it!
The Well is a time to gather in community online, as you are able, to share stories – the stories of scripture and the stories of participants’ own lives. Through time together – in prayer, in listening, in open-heartedness – participants are invited to get to know one another. Through prayerful listening to scripture (lectio divina) and authentic sharing, participants will be drawn closer to each other, to themselves, and to God.
The Well will be led on Zoom by the spiritual directors of the Retreat House at Hillsboro, under the coordination of Director Francie Thayer. Although this program occurs weekly, feel free to treat it as a “drop in”, attending as often as you are able. We will send weekly reminders with the Zoom link to the unrecorded online meeting, making it easy to drop in!

For more info and to register: https://the-well-2024-2025.eventbrite.com

We will not be meeting the following Tuesdays, due to holidays, etc.:

11/26/24
12/24/24 and 12/31/24
3/4/25

Photo by mrjn photography. Unsplash.com.

Day's End Meditation
2024-11-19 17:15 - 17:45 | The Retreat House, 22005 Church Street, Hillsboro, MD, 21641, United States
Wherever you are, listen, breathe, and be still. Move peacefully into your evening each evening.
Weekdays 5:15 – 5:45 p.m.
Feel free to log in to hear a beautiful prayer or poem followed by just the right amount of quiet meditation time. Come a few minutes early and say hello.

“It has been a way to honor the shift in the demands of the day,
breathing in God’s Love,
breathing out gratitude for the Divine Mystery…”

Join online: https://zoom.us/j/212677840
Password: [REDACTED]
Call in/Audio only: +1 301 715 8592

Poetry by the Fire
2024-11-21 18:00 - 20:00 | Talbot County Free Library, Easton, 100 West Dover Street, Easton, MD, United States
Join us with our friends at the Talbot County Free Library for this evening of Poetry by the Fire on November 21st. All are welcome! Bring your own poem, or a found poem, and/or settle in to listen! We’ll listen to poems that sing out our human story with respect for each person. We’ll listen together as community in this cozy setting and be woven by what we hear. For more information, please reach out: heather@retreathousehillsboro.org

Silent Weekend Retreat
2024-11-22 16:00 - 2024-11-24 11:00 | Foehliage Retreat Center, 31450 Sassafras River Ave, Galena, MD, 21635
Welcome to our Hermitage on the shore of the Sassafras River for this weekend of stillness and grounding.
During each silent weekend, there will be free-flowing time for resting, silence, journaling, and nourishing food, all at your own pace. We will begin and end our weekend with a gentle conversation, for evening supper on Friday and breakfast on Sunday. With a small gathering of only three participants, each person will have their own bedroom and the communal use of the spacious living and dining rooms, the kitchen, and the beautiful grounds and riverside spaces. If you have dietary needs, please let us know when you register by emailing heather@retreathousehillsboro.org. Each participant will have the opportunity to sign up for a spiritual companionship conversation with one of our spiritual directors.
Sign up soon, as silent retreats have limited availability.
Register here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/gvk352p
If you’d like to learn more about the Retreat House Hermitage and taking a personal retreat, please visit our website: https://retreathousehillsboro.org/personal-retreat-days/

Wisdom Café
2024-12-02 12:00 - 13:00 | ZOOM
Wisdom Café

All are welcome to join in this Retreat House gathering – the Wisdom Café, held each Monday from 12:00-1:00 p.m. EST on Zoom.

We usually begin with an inspirational reading, enjoy a bit of quiet time. Then we take turns sharing what bubbles up and listen to each other’s reflections. It’s an hour of friendly companionship–no commitment, no charge.

Come and go as you please!

If you would like to receive an email reminder on Monday mornings (which will include the zoom link) please sign up here.

Otherwise please add the date to your calendar for the Wisdom Café on Mondays at 12 Noon.
Here’s the Zoom link.

Sacred Saturday Mornings ~ Gathering of the Greens
2024-12-14 10:00 - 13:00 | Evergreen, 770 PORT STREET, Easton, MD, 21601, United States
This event has been cancelled due to a family emergency in our Retreat House community. Thank you for your understanding and support. We look forward to seeing you at another Retreat House offering.
Sacred Saturday mornings are an invitation to step out of your busy days and gather in community for reflection, conversation and stillness. Come and join us for warm drinks, a short sharing of poetry and/or readings, silence, sharing of responses and time on your own in the beauty of nature. The labyrinth will be available for quiet walking meditation. There will also be the opportunity to create greenery decor for your home from the bounty of the resident trees at Evergreen. Sharing connection over a box lunch will be part of the peaceful day’s journey. Come be part of community as we pause, and breathe, and Gather the Greens.
In case of inclement weather, please visit this webpage for any updates.
Suggested donation: $45
Register here: https://tinyurl.com/GatheringGreens

Women's Christmas
2025-01-04 09:30 - 15:00 | Foehliage Retreat Center, 31450 Sassafras River Ave, Galena, MD, 21635
Women’s Christmas
January 4, 2025
9:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
held at
The Foehliage, Galena, Maryland

The celebration of Women’s Christmas is an invitation to rest, Give yourself this special time to refresh your spirit and restore in the company of other women. We’ll sink into this restorative day as a celebration of Celtic Women’s Christmas, an ancient and time-honored tradition of Celtic spirituality shared at the Feast of Epiphany. In our day, it is a day set aside for women to gather, to be in community with each other, and to rest and refill after a busy holiday season.
Join us on Saturday January 4, 2025 for this time of rest in the Divine God. Through poetry, song, time outdoors (weather permitting) and quiet reflection we will refresh our spirits by learning a bit about the Celtic tradition and resting in the Love of God and in the loving community gathered for the day.
Celtic spirituality is embodied in the voices of Celtic poets and singers, such as John Phillip Newell, John O’Donohue, Padraig O’Tuama, and Celtic Woman. Please join us to honor these voices, rest, and immerse yourself in nature.
We will enjoy a light breakfast, a wholesome lunch, and the opportunity to enjoy the riverside beauty in our midst and immerse ourselves in nature.
Register here: https://tinyurl.com/REST-XMAS

COMMUNITY AND SILENT MEDITATION
2025-01-20 11:00 - 12:00 | ZOOM
Please join us
Monday, January 20
for an hour of
COMMUNITY AND SILENT MEDITATION
with
short readings and poetry
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 Noon EST on Zoom

On a day of importance for our country and the world,
we invite you to spend an hour among like-hearted
people of prayer. We will gather on Zoom for a time to be
together, holding our hearts open to the Great Love of the Divine
and listening deeply in the quiet for
the guidance, encouragement and love
that we can all lean into as we start walking
the long road into the unknown.

Come when you can, leave when you must.
We will be together from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon EST.

The gift of your presence in the circle
will mean so much to all who gather.
JOIN HERE:
Topic: Prayer Gathering for 1-20-2025
Time: Jan 20, 2025 11:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81615556563?pwd=[REDACTED]

Meeting ID: 816 1555 6563
Passcode: [REDACTED]
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Find your local number: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/kVdrcjbt0

Mary Magdalene
2025-01-29 17:00 - 18:30 | ZOOM
Mary Magdalene –
telling her story,
telling our story
plumbing the depths of the Christianity we haven’t tried yet
Wednesday Evenings
January 8 – February 12
5:00 – 6:30 p.m. on Zoom
Join for the first time, or continue our exploration from the fall and/or winter circle. With the help of the Gospel of Mary, and Meggan Watterson’s book Mary Magdalene Revealed: The First Apostle, Her Feminist Gospel, & the Christianity We Haven’t Tried Yet, we will dive into the depths of the earliest days of Christianity, known as “The Way.” Gather for contemplative listening and conversation and discover with us in community: What would it look like if we truly followed the way of Jesus without hierarchy and power? How would our engagement with the Holy be different? How would prayer be different?
All of our offerings are supported solely by individual donations. This circle has been sponsored in part by a friend of our community. This allows us to invite you to offer a donation that feels right to you, and that may be used to help others participate in offerings like this. Thank you for being part of a community that doesn’t let finances get in the way.
This offering is underway. Please register for the Mary Magdalene circle beginning on February 26.
If you don’t have the book, please order Mary Magdalene Revealed: The First Apostle, Her Feminist Gospel, & the Christianity We Haven’t Tried Yet by Meggan Watterson. Please read the introduction and through page 68, if possible. It can be purchased from our Retreat House Bookshop (link below) or your favorite bookseller. We will send the Zoom link, which will arrive before our first gathering.
The Retreat House Bookshop – Every book purchased from our bookshop provides both a discount to you, and a stipend for The Retreat House.It can be found on the front page of our website or here:
https://bookshop.org/p/books/mary-magdalene-revealed-the-first-apostle-her-feminist-gospel-the-christianity-we-haven-t-tried-yet-meggan-watterson/15458953?aid=19040&ean=9781401954284&listref=community-favorites&

Icon artwork by Laura Neal.

PRAYER GATHERING OF RESILIENCE IN COMMUNITY
2025-02-10 11:00 - 12:00 | ZOOM
Monday, February 10
Please join us for a
PRAYER GATHERING OF RESILIENCE IN COMMUNITY
with
short readings and poetry
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 Noon EST
on Zoom

The gift of your presence in the circle will mean so much to all who gather.

With our world in such a time of change, we invite you to spend an hour among like-hearted people of prayer. We will gather on Zoom for a time of community and silent meditation. Join us to be together, holding our hearts open to the Great Love of the Divine and listening deeply in the quiet for the guidance, encouragement and love that we can all lean into as we start walking the long road into the unknown.
Come when you can, leave when you must. We will be together from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon EST.
Find the Zoom link HERE.

Photo by Shane Rounce. Unsplash.com.

Gospel of Thomas
2025-02-11 15:00 - 16:30 | ZOOM
The Gospel of Thomas

Tuesdays
January 8 – February 11

3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
On Zoom

Gather together as we explore and listen to the Gospel of Thomas. Each week we will prayerfully listen to one of Jesus’ sayings from this ancient source and take time to reflect upon what rises for each of us.

Suggested donation: $85
All of our offerings are supported solely by individual donations. This circle is partially sponsored, allowing us to offer it at a reduced amount. Please share what you feel led to share, whether less, or more to support another. Thank you for being part of a community that doesn’t let finances get in the way.
We are grateful for the generous support of a friend of The Retreat House for partially sponsoring this event.

Being the Beloved: A Winter Weekend Women’s Retreat
2025-02-21 16:00 - 2025-02-23 13:00 | Foehliage Retreat Center, 31450 Sassafras River Ave, Galena, MD, 21635
Being the Beloved: A Winter Weekend Women’s Retreat
Friday, February 21 – Sunday, February 23, 2025
Hosted by The Retreat House
At the Foehliage Retreat Center in Galena, MD
Guided by Linda Mastro

Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.
This is the most important, the first on the list. But there is a second to set alongside it: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ These two commands are pegs; everything in God’s law and the Prophets hangs from them.”
Matthew 22:34-40 (The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language)

Praying with the greatest commandments, we often focus on the love of God and neighbor. Despite our best intentions, we can easily overlook that Jesus included us in this equation of love. Loving ourselves requires that we remember that we are the beloved children of God. We may have been programmed to judge ourselves harshly and to downplay our worth. These standards, designed to keep us humble, also undermine accepting our divine goodness. How on earth can we truly extend love to others if we do not stand on a firm foundation of love for ourselves?
In his classic book, Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World, Henri Nouwen, Catholic priest, professor, psychologist, and prolific writer, says, “As long as ‘being the Beloved’ is little more than a beautiful thought or a lofty idea that hangs above my life to keep me from becoming depressed, nothing really changes. What is required is to become the Beloved in the commonplaces of my daily existence, and bit by bit to close the gap that exists between what I know myself to be and the countless realities of everyday life. Becoming the Beloved is pulling the truth revealed to me from above down into the ordinariness of what I am thinking of, talking about, and doing from hour to hour.”
In this retreat, we will explore what it means to embrace our Belovedness. Together we will reconsider self-care as an act of love that can transform our relationships in all domains of life. The retreat will include time for silent rest and reflection, heart-enriching conversation, and mindful prayer and movement. You will take home practices that will inspire you to live each day more fully into your one, precious life.
The retreat begins with dinner on Friday evening and ends with a prayer service and brunch on Sunday. The cost of the retreat includes five nutritious meals, lodging, and all materials.

Register here: https://tinyurl.com/WINTERBELOVED

Gospel of Thomas
2025-02-25 15:00 - 16:30 | ZOOM
The Gospel of Thomas

Tuesdays
February 25 – April 15
3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
On Zoom

Gather together as we explore and listen to the Gospel of Thomas. Each week we will prayerfully listen to one of Jesus’ sayings from this ancient source and take time to reflect upon what rises for each of us.

Suggested donation: $85
All of our offerings are supported solely by individual donations. This circle is partially sponsored, allowing us to offer it at a reduced amount. Please share what you feel led to share, whether less, or more to support another. Thank you for being part of a community that doesn’t let finances get in the way.
We are grateful for the generous support of a friend of The Retreat House for partially sponsoring this event.
Register HERE.
More about the source: The Gospel of Thomas was one of the manuscripts discovered in 1945 when the Nag Hamadi texts were discovered in Egypt. The Gospel of Thomas today is considered by many to be a rich resource for the deepening of a person’s relationship with God and Yeshua. Listening prayerfully to the sayings offers us an experience of Jesus as a wisdom teacher. The Gospel is different from the canonical Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John as Thomas does not offer any type of narrative about the life of Jesus. Instead it contains one hundred and fourteen sayings of Jesus or Yeshua. Each saying stands alone and offers a great deal of wisdom into the sayings of Jesus and is an invitation to the student of Thomas to go deeper into what is being said.

Living the Tension - Holding Opposites Together in Love
2025-02-26 13:00 - 15:00 | ZOOM
Living the Tension – Holding Opposites Together in Love
February 26 on Zoom
1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. EST

We navigate our external lives around multiple opposites; for example, early/late, inside/outside, fast/slow. In our inner life we tend to hold opposites within a space that considers their significance or impact on our lives; for example, freedom/constraint, silence/sound, enigma/answer.
The tension inherent in opposites can be creative or destructive. Hence, inside tension there is innate power. Only a non-dual mind can reconcile the tension creatively. Race, politics, culture and religion are breeding grounds for opposition to become explosive.Therefore, within the context of our polarized country, we will ponder these questions:

How are we to hold the innate power of tension?
What are the consequences if we choose to hold the tension in love?
How might we be agents for transforming polarization into reconciliation?
Join us as we rest and wonder in the presence of Spirit and spiritual guide Phil Cover. This 2-hour retreat will offer time to listen to Phil’ wisdom, be lead by his questions and share in silence and conversation with others.
A Zoom link will be sent to all registrants before the start of the retreat.
This event has been funded by a generous donor. Registration is required for planning purposes. Register HERE.
