What's Happening

June 12, 2019 – While some might believe that mysticism and action are opposite calls in the Christian life, a retreat offered at Weber Retreat and Conference Center connects mysticism directly with activism. Discovering Mysticism in our Call to Action is from 7:00 p.m. Monday, June 24, 2019 through 11:00 a.m. Friday, June 28, 2019.

The retreat focuses on the root of three contemporary mystics that led them to take action: Dorothy Day, a convert to Catholicism, went on to found the Catholic Worker Movement. Jesuit Father Daniel Berrigan, SJ, was an anti-war activist, opposing the war in Vietnam and founding the anti-nuclear weapons and pacifist movement, Plowshares. Thea Bowman, an African-American Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration, was empowered by her faith to resist oppression and racism.

Discovering Mysticism is led by three spiritual leaders. Sister Arlene Kosmatka, OP, a spiritual director, has been studying mystics since posing the question in her master’s thesis: Is everyone called to be a mystic? Patrick Henry, PhD, Professor of Foreign Languages and Literatures at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, has written and spoken widely on the Holocaust and written an article on Daniel Berrigan. C. Vanessa White is Assistant Professor of Spirituality and Ministry at Catholic Theological Union and a member of the faculty at the Institute for Black Catholic Studies at Xavier University of Louisiana, where Sister Thea Bowman was a founding faculty member.

The cost – which includes meals and snacks – is $220 for commuters, $320 per person double occupancy, and $420 single occupancy. Registration is required and is available here. Registrations may also be made by contacting Weber Center at 517-266-4000 or [email protected]. Limited scholarships are available.

Weber Center is on the campus of the Adrian Dominican Sisters’ Motherhouse, 1257 E. Siena Heights Drive, Adrian. Enter the Eastern-most driveway of the complex and follow the signs to Weber Center. For information, call Weber Center at 517-266-4000.