| Retreat
planned for men
This retreat is inspired by wisdom from the Nez Perce people: “The land is my body.” Indeed, the landscape around the Monastery will provide the inspiration for the upcoming men’s retreat led by Monastery chaplain Father Meinrad Schallberger. 
“St. Gertrude’s is in a beautiful setting,” he says. “It opens to the east toward Montana beyond the South fork of the Clearwater River and to the west are wooded hills with the Salmon and Snake Rivers beyond.” In this context, Father Meinrad intends to take retreatants on a journey through the Genesis creation story, exploring “the goodness of God and what has been given to us” and “to learn to see all of Earth as God made it.” In addition to being chaplain of the Monastery and providing pastoral care at nearby St. Mary’s Hospital, Father Meinrad joins the sisters in their Stewardship of the Land ministry, helping to care for the forest. “It is a good source of solitude and exercise,” he says. “As a monk I am grateful for interaction with joy-filled monastic women, and meals and prayers in common. St. Gertrudes pushes me to experience the living faith in me and in others. God keeps stretching me.” The retreat will include a service project (depending on the weather and the health conditions of participants), cloud watching and sunrise viewing, and the option to join in prayer with the monastic community. An intention for the retreat is to expand the concept of the Eucharist: the body of Christ is broader than just the bread and wine. It is Earth. It is all creation. "The Land is My Body: A Retreat for Men" begins Friday,July 12 at 7:30 p.m. and ends Sunday, July 14 at 1:30 p.m. Facilitator: Meinrad Schallberger, OSB, and others. For more information, call 208-962-2000 or email spirit-center@stgertrudes.org. Suggested donation: $190 single / $140 each shared. Quilt show participants sought Quilters are invited to enter their handiwork in the Raspberry Festival quilt show to be held Sunday, August 4, at the Monastery of St. Gertrude, 465 Keuterville Road, in Cottonwood. The quilt show is one of many family-friendly activities at the 21st Annual Raspberry Festival, which is a fundraiser for the Historical Museum at St. Gertrude. Other events include a 10K Fun Run and 5K Walk, Pancake Breakfast, arts and crafts fair, kids carnival, and museum and Chapel tours. Hamburgers and Raspberry Shortcake top off the day of old-fashioned family fun. For entry forms and more information for all the events, visit www.MyRaspberryFestival.org or call 208-962-5063, or e-mail info@myraspberryfestival.org. All registrations must be either submitted online or postmarked by July 29, 2013. Learn more about Raspberry Festival at www.MyRaspberryFestival.org. 
From a previous year’s show. Photo provided by Monastery. |
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