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| Franciscan Living: An Urban Center for Spirituality |
October 2009 |
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Presence
Adoration
Presenting myself
Myst'ry to myst'ry
You show me yourself
humble pageantry
we fall in love, gaze,
and embrace. Present
to the way "we" are--
One Breath. Transcendent,
You awe. Immanent,
You unfold inside me.
Alabaster jar
of heaven breaks."Be
this fragrance. Open
your arms once again."
- Ruth Mallery
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 Buon Giorno, Bona Gente
The lazy days of summer have come to an end and the golden days of autumn are upon us. As I look back over the past year, it is with great joy that this first issue of Soulscapes, our monthly newsletter for Franciscan Living:, begins publication. July 22, 2009 marked the first anniversary of our incorporation and provided a wonderful opportunity to recall the many blessings that supported the opening of our Urban Center for Spirituality.
I am especially grateful to our Board of Directors: Frances Anderson, Albert Weaver, Kathy Lawler, Jacqueline Embs, and Patricia Rayburn, osf, for their enthusiastic, generous, and committed support in negotiating the maze of incorporation documents, bylaws, insurance applications, pages and pages of paperwork for non-profit status, budgeting, and setting up our office, which is located inside the beautiful Sunlight of the Spirit Bookstore. Debra Clingingsmith, modern mystic and techie extraordinaire, has spent countless hours testing and tweaking to ensure that sister computer and brother printer can communicate wirelessly. With great patience, clairvoyance,and flexibility she has also designed, developed, and maintained our informative website.
Most importantly, we have been blessed by the pilgrims and seekers who have journeyed with us during this first year. It has been a pleasure to welcome faces both familiar and new who have participated in the growth opportunities at our Center. It is your dedication to a life of Presence that gives substance and direction to Franciscan Living.
In addition to private spiritual direction, we are able to offer a number of quality programs which are highlighted in these pages. We look forward to spending time with each and every one of you in the coming months.
Peace and All Good,
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| SoulCollage®
Explore the inner paths of your "soulscape" through the intuitive and creative process of SoulCollage®.
With the guidance of a trained facilitator, participants make use of images found in magazines, calendars and greeting cards. Through guided imagery and meditation the participant taps her/his intuition to make a collage that provides a snapshot of the inner life. Participants are then taught a series of exercises to use the cards for self discovery.
A full range of workshops from the intro-ductory, A Taste of SoulCollage, to the advanced, Listening to Your Inner Muse: Working With Your Cards, are offered at our Urban Center for Spirituality.
All materials are included in the registration fee. For those facing financial hardship a sliding scale is available.
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| Sabbath Prayer: The Heart of Gratitude
The month of November heralds the inauguration of our newest ongoing series of mini- retreats. Designed as a pause for spiritual renewal in the midst of your busy life, these 90 minute Sunday afternoon gatherings include contemporary music and ritual, art as meditation, and opportunities for sacred conversation with other participants.
Our NovemberSabbath retreat will focus on thankfulness as each participant is guided through making her/his own set of gratitude beads. The December retreat will celebrate light with the opportunity for particpants to decorate their own prayer candle.
Space is limited and pre-registration is required. |
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| Francis and the Wolf of Gubbio
The wolf was desperate, so famished that he dared to enter the gates of the small town by night and to ravage whatever unfortunate he encountered. At first, it was the chickens that mysteriously disappeared, seemingly without a trace, for if the truth be told, the wolf was starving and left no morsel behind.
Soon, beloved cats and dogs went missing.in the night, with only a bark or a growl to mark their passing. But it wasn't until a couple of townspeople were attacked, that the citizens of Gubbio began to be very afraid. The whispers of a great and terrible evil filled the town as the people tried every possible means to capture and kill the wolf. But the wolf was cunning and the wolf was resourceful. So he continued to stalk in the night, growling and ripping, terrorizing the city with his bottomless hunger.
It was at this itme that Francis of Assisi, a man of peace, heard of the plight of the good folk of Gubbio. At their request, he made the day-long journey to see if he could remedy their distress.
As the little, poor man approached the city at dusk, the people gathered at the gates and fervently urged him to hurry to safety. Instead, the saint turned toward the woods and called out, "Brother Wolf, where are you? I would like to speak with you."
The people said to one another, "This is surely madness. The wolf will devour both him and us if we are not careful." And so, they hid in their homes as the man of peace ventured out into the forest to speak with his brother, the wolf.
It is said that the saint went in peace to meet the wolf and that in their conversation, the wolf revealed his loneliness, his fear, and his craving for a place to belong , to be nurtured, to be fed, to be accepted as himself. Francis and the wolf talked long into the night and when the morning came they both appeared at the city gates.
"People of Gubbio," Francis called out. "You must feed your wolf. I have spoken with our brother and he has agreed to stop his killing if you will promise to see that he is loved, accepted, and fed."
The people were indignant that Francis would ask such a thing of them. The city was no place for a wolf, especially one that was so fearsome. What bout the children? How could such a beast be trusted? But Francis, with much patience and passion, convinced the reluctant townsfolk that the wolf had given his promise to never harm another as long as he was fed.
And so it came to be that the fearsome wolf found a home with the people of Gubbio and dwelt there in peace all his remaining days. And is it said that when the wolf died, the people mourned his death and buried him with great ceremony and honor.
Perhaps the wolf lives in all of us, a metaphor for those deep, secret parts of ourselves that are untamed, unloved, unrecognized, and unfed.
Are you willing to feed your wolf? |
Upcoming Events
BodyPrayer
6 :00 - &:00 on Mondays in November
Donation
SoulCollage Archetypes -The Ancestors
Saturday, November 7, 2009, 10:00 AM - Noon
$15.00 - Pre-Registration Required
SoulCollage - Working With your Cards
Tuesday, November 17, 2009, 6:00 - 7:30 PM
$15.00 - Pre-registration Required.
Sabbath Prayer - The Heart of Gratitude
Sunday, November 15, 2009, 2:00 - 3:30 PM
$10.00 - Pre-registration required
Fundraiser - Booth at St. Francis Parish Holiday Craft Faire
Come by and see our beautiful hand-crafted cnadles, cards and gift items
Sunday, November 22, 2009 9:00 AM - Noon
St. Francis Parish 1066 - 26th Street Sacramento, CA 95816
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Soul Food
Make me an instrument of your Presence
Where there is pain let me bring comfort.
Where there is judgment let me bring stillness.
Where there is fear let me bring love.
Where there is self-neglect let me bring self-care.
Where there is mourning let me bring acceptance.
Where there is apathy let me bring passion.
Where there is loneliness let me bring companionship.
(written by participants in the August 8, 2009 Presence Retreat) |
Contact Info
Franciscan Liivng: An Urban Center for Spiritulaity Welcome@FranciscanLiving.org
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| Save 10% |
Good for 10% off any class, workshop or retreat at Franciscan Living Urban Center for Spirituality. |
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Applies only to pre-registration. Offer expires January 1, 2010 | |
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