This Retreat is Tentatively scheduled on site at the Abbey.
PLEASE BE AWARE THAT DATES AND TIMES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE DUE TO THE PANDEMIC.
If the event is listed as sold out please call us at 661-944-2178 for real time availability and waiting list. Office hours are from 8:30am- 5:00pm (closed for mass & lunch *11:45a.m- 1:30pm).
The Transformative Power of Story
Monday, June 28 - Thursday, July 1, 2021
Monday, June 28th - 7:15-8:15pm: Introduction: The spiritualityof stories --Michael and Mary
Tuesday, June 29th- 9-11am: Michael--- Psychospiritual terms, definitions
2:30-4:30pm: Mary--- Reading--the how, the why, the what
7:15-8:15pm: Michael--- Myths
Wednesday, June 30th- 9-11am: Mary--- Literature and Culture: faith and values formation in society
2:30-4:30pm: Michael--- Parables
7:15-8:15pm: Mary--- Fiction and Personal transformation: experiences of the soul
Thursday, July 1- 9-11am: Michael and Mary--- Conclusion: Discernment in your reading
Stories are a medium for meaning in our lives. How can stories affect change in our minds and souls? What kinds of stories enable and open us to mental and spiritual growth? Are "truth" and "fiction" always in opposition to each other? Are there "good" and "bad" stories? These are some of the topics that this retreat will explore through psycho-spiritual and literary lenses.
Mary Kauffman is an oblate of Valyermo. She has an MA in English and has taught ESL, various levels of English and writing, and literature courses at several colleges in Los Angeles and Orange County areas. Now retired, she enjoys sharing her love of reading and writing through participation in different reading and literary groups, particularly those with an emphasis on discovering the transcendent and increasing our Christian awareness through exploration of the written word.
Michael J. Mullard, Obl. O.S.B Cam, Ph.D.
Dr. Mike Mullard has been an oblate of New Camaldoli Hermitage since 2004 and has been a longtime friend of St. Andrews Abbey. He is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. He has also been a certified spiritual director since 2014. His main interests are in the intersection of spirituality and psychology, contemplative prayer and comparative religions. He is a member of the Ecumenical Commission of the Diocese of Orange.
