Upcoming 2021 Programs
Click here and find the one(s) that catches your attention and sign up! We look forward to “seeing” you soon!
Interview with Bishop Henry Parsley
The second in our ongoing series of interviews with religious and spiritual mystics and teachers, this is part one of an interview with Bishop Henry Parsley, retired bishop of the Diocese of Alabama. Bishop Parsley is on the Board of Trustees and has led several very popular workshops on Literature and Spirituality for St. Mary’s Sewanee. In this interview Bishop Parsley reveals his intense relationship with God and how that manifests in his daily life. Be sure to see the rest of the interview in Part 2.
Interview with Rev. Tom Ward, Centering Prayer Practitioner
A new, ongoing feature of St. Mary’s Sewanee are interviews with religious and spiritual mystics and teachers in a variety of specialties. The first interview is with with Rev. Tom Ward of Sewanee, TN. Following his academic and seminary training at Sewanee – The University of the South, Oxford University, and Virginia Theological Seminary, Fr. Tom has been an Episcopal priest for over forty years. From 1994 through 2005, he was University Chaplain at Sewanee. Fr. Tom’s ministry focuses on the contemplative dimension of the gospel, teaching centering prayer, and leading retreats. He has a special interest in fostering this practice in local congregations. For the past twenty years Tom has worked closely with Fr. Thomas Keating and Contemplative Outreach Ltd, a network which seeks to foster contemplation.
We hope you enjoy this conversation with Tom.
Ongoing Opportunities for Prayer and Meditation
St. Mary’s Sewanee Centering Prayer Support Groups
St. Mary’s Sewanee hosts two Zoom-based Centering Prayer support groups. We invite all to participate with us and share the silence in a new way. The Tuesday group gathers at 3:30 pm (Central Time) each week. The Wednesday group meets at 4 pm (Central Time) each week. This is an opportunity for new and experienced practitioners to share time together, both in quiet conversation and in silence. For log-in information and other details, please email admin@stmaryssewanee.org.
One River Wisdom Meditation & Contemplative Practice
Join Gordon Peerman at 5:30 pm on Wednesdays for a time of meditation and teaching. Everyone is welcome: Buddhist Theravada, Zen, and Vajrayana; Christian, Jewish, other spiritual practices, or none. Peerman’s talks are also available on-demand audio files here. To participate in the Wednesday meeting, please contact Peerman through this form to get the log-in information.
Other Online Options for Contemplative Practices
Contemplative Outreach has created an online Meditation Chapel where you can join with others in centering prayer at different times of each day. There are more than 35 groups available through this Chapel. To learn more, go to Contemplative Outreach’s Meditation Chapel and follow the directions to register for a group.
Upcoming Retreats & Events
Recent News
New 2020 Programs
St. Mary’s Sewanee is pleased to announce a full slate of retreats and workshops for the remainder of 2020, with a diverse groups of presenters and a variety of options for participants. Registration is open for all events. Centering Prayer full-day retreats, based on the format of the multi-day retreats offered in the past at… Read More »
St. Mary’s Sewanee Announces Online Offerings
In response to the social distancing recommended during Covid-19, St. Mary’s Sewanee: The Ayres Center for Spiritual Development is pleased to announce that it is offering retreat options in an online format at no charge. “At St. Mary’s Sewanee, we are exploring new ways of finding peace together, even when we must stay apart,” said… Read More »
St. Mary’s Sewanee Comes to You!
Maybe you cannot get to New Hope Bluff on retreat right now…. Perhaps you want just a nugget of inspiration or a daily dose of positivity…… No matter what your situation, we’ve got those things for you. Sign up here for First Light, a Monday-through-Friday email that is the briefest of morning inspirational messages. One beautiful photograph;… Read More »
Instagram Inspiration
Social media can be a drag, a time suck, an energy sap. St. Mary’s Sewanee wants to change that for you. Each weekday, we post a positive inspirational message to both Instagram and Facebook so that your news feed is filled with good words and good images. It won’t be like going on a retreat,… Read More »
Non-Profit Resources & Accreditations
