Remembrance Weekend Retreat

“And ‘all the company of heaven’ means everybody we ever loved and lost, including the ones we didn’t know we loved until we lost them or didn’t love at all. It means people we never heard of. It means everybody who ever did—or at some unimaginable time in the future ever will—come together at something like this table in search of something like what is offered at it.” (Frederick Buechner)

Join us… for a weekend retreat as the days grow shorter and the New England autumn colors still abound.  Join us…as we transition from the lighter half to the darker half of the year, where the veil lies thin through space and time.  Join us…as we take time to remember loved ones whom we have lost and honor the grief we feel while celebrating their legacy and impact they’ve left in our lives.

Our time together as a Remembrance Retreat Weekend (Friday, October 31 to Sunday, November 2) will use two intuitive practices: walking the labyrinth and creating SoulCollage® cards as we honor All Hallow’s Eve, All Saints Day and All Souls Day.

Sessions will include learning about labyrinths and SoulCollage®, optional remembrance art opportunities and writing prompts, personal reflection time, and daily devotions and vespers. Coffee and tea abound, opportunities to meet new and old friends, and yummy meals will fill your own souls at Rolling Ridge for this holy weekend. Time for personal reflection and community building will empower retreatants to honor, respect, revere those who have passed, to be present with Holy Presence, and to look forward to a hope filled and peace filled future.

With two outdoor labyrinths and two indoor canvas labyrinths at Rolling Ridge, you will have many opportunities to walk the labyrinth with meaning as we remember friends, family members and the “cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1) who have passed through the veil of death.  With each step, twist, and turn on the labyrinth path, you will put feet to your prayers.

As part of the Remembrance Weekend, you are invited to create a remembrance altar or shrine in honor of one or more of your ancestors. This shrine or altar is a way of remembering through art. Shrines or altars of Remembrance are often created during November as we celebrate the feasts of All Saints and All Souls during this time. Please bring photos, items such as favorite recipes or books, flags or maps of ancestral lands, scarves, artwork, stories to share, etc. Writing and art supplies will be available for you to create your own remembrances to place on the shrine or altar in honor of your loved ones.

During our time together, you will also be invited on the journey of SoulCollage® .  According to Catherine Anderson, “Collage is, by nature, symbolic. Our life is a collage-a collection of people, places and experiences woven together…. Creating SoulCollage® cards gives us a way to integrate pieces of ourselves in meaningful ways.” (Meeting Your Soul on the Labyrinth, p. 13).  All materials and supplies for SoulCollage® will be provided.

Cost for the weekend: $360 includes all programming, two overnights in a single room, and six meals (Friday dinner to Sunday lunch).

Commuter rate: $275 includes all programming for the weekend and six meals.

Because of the nature of this retreat, there is no part-time rate.  You are encouraged to join us for the full weekend experience (Friday night through Sunday lunch).

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE:

Friday, October 31
3pm Arrival
6pm Dinner
7pm Opening Session

Saturday, November 1
8am Breakfast
9am Morning Circle
10:15am Soul Collage
12:30pm Lunch
2:00 pm Soul Collage, personal reflection, Free Time
6pm Dinner
7pm Evening Circle and vespers

Sunday, November 2
8am Breakfast
9am Closing Circle
12 pm Lunch