Course Description: G. K. Chesterton once suggested that “each generation seeks its saint by instinct; and [she] is not what the people want, but rather what the people need.” Julian of Norwich seems such a saint, for our times. An “anchoress” living at the turn of the 15th century, in a simple cell adjoining the small parish church of St. Julian’s in Norwich, England, she received sixteen “showings”—or “revelations of divine love”—in midlife, devoting the remainder of her life to interpreting them. Her musings produced a book of Showings that is as startling and comforting, and as profound as it is accessible.
 
In this retreat we will explore selected passages from Julian's "book," discerning how she thinks through complex theological issues in terms of our lived experiences. Our approach will be dialogical, modeling Julian's way of proceeding by raising questions--ostensibly, those she heard her neighbors and visitors raising--in order to understand the paradoxical nature of divine (and human) love. Our aim is to make sense of her profoundly Pauline notion of inclusion--that "nothing" can separate us from God's love in Christ (cf. Rom. 8.38-39), and that "everything" finds its safekeeping in God.
 
Everyone is welcome to attend this retreat. If you are attending for personal enrichment, we invite you to participate fully in the program, including the book reflections and integration paper following the course which are required for those seeking credit toward the Certificate in Spiritual Formation.
 
Location: Montreat Conference Center  (Health and Safety)
 
With: Rev. Mark S. Burrows, PhD is much in demand as a retreat leader and speaker on the convergence of spirituality and the arts, theology and mysticism. A scholar of historical theology whose academic work explores the intersection of theology and spirituality, he taught in graduate theological schools in the US for 25 years before accepting a faculty chair in religion and literature at a German university in 2012. An oblate of Glastonbury Abbey, a Benedictine monastery near Boston, MA, he is also a poet and award-winning translator of German literature. Alongside his work as a writer and retreat leader, he also currently teaches at the Watershed School, as small, innovative high school in Camden, Maine, where he lives with his wife and their Springer Spaniel puppy. His most recent volume of poems, The Chance of Home, was published in 2018 by Paraclete Press, and he  wrote two further volumes of meditative poems with his friend and colleague Jon M. Sweeney, inspired by the mystical writings of Meister Eckhart: Meister Eckhart’s Book of the Heart (2017) and Meister Eckhart’s Book of Secrets (2019). www.msburrows.com
 
Schedule: The course will begin at 5:30 pm on Thursday, October 14 and conclude Sunday, October 17 at 12 noon. The schedule includes morning and evening prayers, small group conversations and free time to enjoy the beauty of Montreat Conference Center.
 
Program Fee: $350
 
Housing and Meals: Please contact Montreat Conference Center for housing and meal accommodations.
 
Contact: lifelonglearning@ctsnet.edu

Earning CEUs for this course: If you desire to earn a certificate confirming earned CEUs in this course, please contact the Center for Lifelong Learning.

In order to qualify for CEUs in this course you must fulfill the following requirements:

  1. Confirm that you have read the assigned text.
  2. Participated in the full course and all discussions.
  3. Completed any assignments, papers, and projects.
  4. Completed the course evaluation.
  5. Made a formal request for a CEU certificate.