A SABBATICAL JOURNEY IN THE SOUTHWEST
Albuquerque, New Mexico

Rationale
Mid life and beyond continues to inwardly beckon us to become more and more who we are called to be. It is an invitation to rediscover our true identity as individual persons, we Christians and as Religious Ministers. It is a summons to enter into the core of our being for personal and cosmic transformation.

The six-week program offers participants the time, the space and the guidance to step back from their ordinary chronos activities into the kairos moment of the Sabbath. This special time is an invitation to take that long, loving look in thanksgiving for one’s life and ministry to embrace our present and to look with hope to all that is yet to come.

Dates
March 11 - April 21, 2008
 
September 16 - October 27, 2008
 
March 10 - April 20, 2009
 
September 8 - October 19, 2009
 
March 9 - April 19, 2010
 
September 7 - October 18, 2010

Program Components
The nature and design of the program affords participants time to care for their own physical and spiritual health through a holistic approach that honors balance in the day-to-day components of the six-week sabbatical.

Input Sessions
Please note that not all of these programs will be available at each session and are subject to change. Additionally, input sessions are typically Monday through Friday morning and afternoon only with one desert day somewhere between.

“The Body at Prayer”
T’ai Chi Chih is a moving meditation; it is the body at prayer. It consists of twenty simple movements that are easily learned. T’ai Chi Chih activates, circulates and balances the chi, the life force. Many who practice T’ai Chi Chih report remarkable improvements in their physical health and their mental well-being. This session will give participants a chance to move and rest as they learn and practice awareness that they can bring into the remainder of their sabbatical experience.

“Dreams and the Inner Life”
Dreams and the inner life, will explore various ways dreams “speak” to us and “show” us what may be happening within and how, in some ways, dreams may actually present us with the landscape of the soul. Some basic material on Carl Jung will provide a backdrop for approaching our dreams and their symbology; at the same time, we will explore ways of “looking at” our dreams as often confusing “pictures” ... and yet, when paid attention to might reveal something of our own story.

“Beyond the biography of Jesus: the journey of Quadratos”
The four Gospels are a universal telling of the spiritual journey. Each of the four historical communities that birthed the Gospel, wrestled with a question about God's self-disclosure - Jesus, the Christ. Each Gospel is that community's prayer and spiritual practice. The session will explore each Gospel as a spiritual movement- true yesterday, today and tomorrow.

"An Introduction to the Theology of Journal Writing as a Spiritual Practice"
This is an introductory workshop in the practice of journal writing as a method of religious growth and as a way of using the content of our life in the context of prayer. Journal writing can be a movement towards a deeper integration of the experience of the religious minister with the gospel call to life.

"Seasons of our Lives"
Stories, poetry and metaphor offer us the opportunity to discover the deep paradoxes within our inner landscape as we learn to appreciate our “hidden wholeness.” Seeing and experiencing that inner landscape through the cycle of the seasons will invite us to deepen our spiritual, emotional, intellectual and social capacities. In sharing our stories we will be invited to hold safe space where the soul of each can be seen, heard and honored.

"Embracing Life's Transitions"
Everyone experiences life's losses: death of a loved one, job loss, children leaving home, divorcee, loss of a pet or a precious possession, etc. Life with its many losses takes on meaning only through reflection on experience. This session will help us reflect on the losses in our lives, learn how loss affects spirituality and how spirituality can help during this time of grieving. Through a blending of story, prayer, presentations, creative quiet reflection and some sharing, we will find ways of moving through this transition to meet life's challenges with grace and courage.

Prayer
Prayer is integral to the process of transformation. Participants will have the opportunity for:

• Daily personal prayer
• Morning prayer in common
• Eucharist each day. On Sundays participants are invited to celebrate Liturgy in one of our local parishes to experience the Church in New Mexico.
• Occasional desert days of silence.
• Week long silent, directed retreat
• Weekly spiritual direction and daily during the retreat
• An invitation to join the Taizé prayer the last Tuesday of the month
• Weekly faith sharing group

Community Experience
While there exists varied definitions and experiences of community life, a communal experience within the sabbatical is realized through small group sharing and activities, informal social gatherings, a minimal amount of light housework to foster a greater sense of belonging, recreational activities of a certain historical, cultural nature, as well as personal dialogues and sharing with other participants.

Other Activities
Massage: A certified massage therapist is available to participants who wish. Cost per session: $40 USD

Art: 6 sessions in creative acrylic painting. No previous knowledge of technique is necessary for these sessions. Cost for the materials $70 USD

T'ai Chi: For those who wish, each morning at 7 am there will be an opportunity for the practice of T'ai Chi.

Wellness Room: There is a small fitness room with some exercise machines available.

Liturgy Group: for participants who wish to help plan and prepare special liturgies and prayer services.

Computer Access: is available for e-mail and Internet access and Microsoft Office.

Special Features at our Center
• Desert prayer gardens for reading and meditation
• A labyrinth and a walking path for contemplative meditation
• Small meditation chapel

Personal Expenses
The cost of the Sabbatical Program for six weeks is $3,950.00 USD. This covers the program fee and basic living expenses. Not included in this fee are the various expenses incurred for medication, postage, long distance telephone calls, recreational activities, entrance fees to museums and places of interest, gas for trips, overnight stays on trips

Post-Sabbatical Experience
For those who wish, the Canossian Spirituality Center is offering an extended time to participants who wish to further reflect on their sabbatical experience, continue with spiritual direction and have a transitional bridge prior to returning to community and ministry. The stay is either for not less than two weeks and not more than four weeks. The daily rate with all meals included, whether you are present or not, is $50 USD.

What other participants have said about our program:
"The Canossian Spirituality Center offers to anyone who comes to the Sabbatical program beauty, peace and quiet hospitality and friendliness, personal space, time for input, interaction and quiet prayer in various formats, simple, beautiful prayer space and excellent presenters."

"... an opportunity to experience your inner self in a creative and non-threatening manner ..."

"A lovely center with beautiful gardens, healthy meals, inspiring presentations, daily Eucharist and quiet time for prayer, rest and integration."

"The choice of the topics for each session and the presenters were great!"

"The holistic format and the wonderful hospitality is what I liked most."

"Every aspect of our person was gently addressed, challenged out of its comfortableness, and sent forth with new hope and enthusiasm."

"I arrived very tired and grieving many losses in my life. Now I leave much more rested and healed as I continue my journey."

"I came to Albuquerque and the Canossian Spirituality Center because I knew instinctively that the desert would be a place for me to grow in freedom and also felt it would help me re-focus myself in the totally unconditional love of God ... This experience of Sabbath really answered my longing and my searching and I return to ministry refreshed and renewed."

To download the application documentation for the Sabbatical, click here.