Faith & Being Human: A Planetary View
April 30 - May 2, Friday 6 p.m. until Sunday 11:00 a.m.Since we have seen our planet Earth from outer space as a beautiful icon, we humans are beginning to recognize that there is only one, intricately connected community of life on Earth. Our human species has a critical role of responsible participation in shaping the future of the whole planet. Looking at ourselves and our world through this planetary lens will change our very sense of ourselves, our identity as human beings; we will look and feel differently about who we are.
What role might our Christian faith inspire us to play when we understand ourselves as the product of 13.7 billion years of evolutionary development, poised now to destroy or to enhance the future of the planet? How does this broad planetary frame call us to ground ourselves in the gospel of Jesus, and to deepen our roots in the mystery of our God who is working to draw all things into a more conscious and compassionate unity? Might we gain new insight into the meaning of words like creation and incarnation? What changes would we be drawn to make in our way of thinking and believing, and in our life-styles?
Through presentation, quiet time for prayer and reflection, and sharing of insights together we will probe some of these issues.
Presenter:
Elaine Prevallet, a Sister of Loretto, is a retreat leader, spiritual director, and writer. She received a doctorate in Religious Studies from Marquette University. She taught at Loretto Heights College in Denver, Colorado, and was on the teaching staff of Pendle Hill, a Quaker adult learning community near Philadelphia. Sr. Elaine served for 22 years as director of Knobs Haven Retreat Center at Loretto Motherhouse in Nerinx, Kentucky.
Sr. Elaine enjoys exploring the implications for Christian spirituality of the emerging perception of our role as conscious human participants in the evolutionary development of planet Earth. She is a frequent contributor to the journal Weavings. She has written for Pendle Hill pamphlets Reflections on Simplicity and Interconnections, a trilogy of booklets privately printed by the Loretto Community exploring the impact of current evolutionary thinking upon our life of faith, and Toward a Spirituality for Global Justice.
Residential Fee: $275 Commuter Fee: $175 Deposit: $50