Tuesday, January 11, 2011
New Harmony retreat will offer interfaith conversation
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The retreat, limited to 50 participants, will include a week of prayer and meditation and morning teaching sessions followed by a time of silence and then shared reflections. Evening sessions will be experiential with song, dance, movement, and discussion. Newell, the retreat leader, is companion theologian for the America Spirituality Centre of Casa del Sol in the high desert of New Mexico. He is acclaimed for his work in the field of Celtic spirituality, a spiritual practice earth centered and inclusive. His best known book titles are Listening for the Heartbeat of God, Christ of the Celts, and a poetic book of prayers Sounds of the Eternal, which he dedicated to Jane Blaffer Owen for her vision of a new harmony. Jane Owen was a philanthropist with a great love for her adopted New Harmony community who died in June 2010. Rabbi Nahum Ward-Lev is active in Rabbis without Borders. As one of 22 rabbis in Rabbis without Borders, he works to make Jewish wisdom more accessible to the wider American public. The third retreat leader, Myeda Hussain, was the first woman president of the Islamic Student Union at Indiana University and is a leader at the Islamic Center in Evansville, Indiana. Sister Kathryn Huber, OSB, a trained spiritual director who has served the Sisters of St. Benedict in leadership roles for many years, said, "The focus of this retreat will be on the spiritual richness that God has poured out upon the human race. The New Harmony for Peace retreat will focus on the spiritual richness that unites the traditions of Judaism, Islam and Christianity." The Sisters of St. Benedict in Ferdinand, Indiana are co-sponsoring the retreat with the Robert Lee Blaffer Foundation. The retreat is presented by Historic New Harmony, a unified program of the University of Southern Indiana and the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites. Public panel discussion on March 16 A panel discussion with the retreat teachers will be held the evening of Wednesday, March 16 to explore the common ground of the three faith traditions. The panel is free of charge and open to the public. It will be held at the Atheneum/Visitor Center in New Harmony at 7:00 p.m. and will be led by Sr. Kathryn Huber. Cost of the six-day program is $950 (double occupancy) and $1,150 (single occupancy) at the New Harmony Inn or $650 (double occupancy) and $775 (single occupancy) at the Barn Abbey. For more information, contact Historic New Harmony at 812-682-4488 or go to www.newharmony.org. You may register online using VISA, Discover, MasterCard or American Express at https://usi.edu/extserv/ssl/regform.asp course number HNH200 or you may register by calling 812-464-1989 or 800-467-8600 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. (CST) Monday through Thursday or 8 am. and 4:30 p.m. (CST) on Friday. A 50 percent deposit is required at registration. Deadline to register is mid-February. |
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