January 18 – 25, 2017
United Churches of Langley
Journey with Mystics St. Francis (1182-1226), Thomas Merton (1915 – 1968), Hafiz (1320 – 1389), Mary Oliver (1935 -), Charles Wesley (1707 – 1788), Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881 – 1955) and Anne Weems (1934 – 2016)
This year’s theme ‘The Love of Christ Compels Us’ (2 Corinthians 5:14-20) unites us with a focus on reconciliation and ecumenism. The World Council of Churches, to which the United Church belongs, has chosen this particular emphasis, as 2017 is the 500th anniversary of Reformation.
At United Churches of Langley, we will be learning about the praying styles of popular Mystics of Faith and experience these persons through their prayers and poetry.
Join Hilde and Sophia in this journey of mystery and deep grounding.
Wednesday January 18
9:15 – 10:00 am Praying with St. Francis (from Love Poems from God) (Fort Langley)
Friday January 20
1:30 – 2:30 pm Praying with Hafiz (Murrayville)
Monday January 23
1:30 – 2:30 pm Praying with Thomas Merton (Murrayville)
7:00 – 9 pm Praying with Thomas Merton, Ann Weems and Charles Wesley (Murrayville)
Tuesday January 24
1:30 – 2:30 pm Praying with Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (Murrayville)
Wednesday January 25
1:30 – 2:30 pm Praying with Mary Oliver (Murrayville)
7:00 – 9 pm Praying with Hafiz, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin and Mary Oliver (Murrayville)
Thursday January 26
1:30 – 2:30 pm Praying with Ann Weems and Charles Wesley (Murrayville)
Each day we will learn about a spiritual leader, and examine some of their writings to discover prayer in their lives, thus informing how we might pray. Evening gatherings will cover slightly less material.
Sessions will be led by Rev. Hilde and Rev. Sophia
St. Francis of Assisi [Francis Bernardone] (1182-1226) is one of the most beloved saints of the Western world. His love for nature and his hymns to the sun, moon, earth and birds have captured the hearts of millions of people of all faiths. It is said that Francis’ love for God at times made him so wild that few understood him. He achieved the highest state of consciousness possible to man, a divine union with God. His spiritual beauty, power and compassion will always offer us guidance.
Thomas Merton (1915 – 1968) A Trappist monk and author, Merton is seen as one of the most influential spiritual guides of the twentieth century. His work reflects a living encounter between the traditions of Christian wisdom and the burning questions of the modern world: war and peace, the quest for meaning in the face of absurdity, and the need for dialogue with religious traditions of the East.
Hafiz [Shams-ud-din Muhammad] (1320 – 1389) A most beloved poet of Persia, living nearly all his life in Shiraz, where he became a famous Sufi master. When he died he was thought to have written an estimated 5,000 poems of which 500 - 700 have survived. The work of Hafiz became known to the West largely through the efforts Goethe, whose enthusiasm rubbed off on Ralph Waldo Emerson, who translated Hafiz in the nineteenth century. Even Sherlock Holmes in one of the stories by Arthur Conan Doyle, quotes Hafiz.
Mary Oliver (1935 - ) Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, Oliver is known as one of the most celebrated and best-selling poets in America. Her poems reflect the serious questions of faith, sometimes in visionary, ecstatic language. Her words interact with creation showing the breadth of her wide open heart and eyes. She lives in Provincetown, Massachusetts.
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881–1955) French paleontologist and philosopher. He entered (1899) the Jesuit order, was ordained (1911), and received a doctorate in paleontology from the Sorbonne (1922). He lectured at the Institut Catholique in Paris. His bold anthropocentric, and somewhat mystical understanding of the cosmos got him into trouble with the Church. Humanity for Teilhard is the axis of the cosmic flow, the key of the universe.
Ann Weems (1934 – 2016) Honoured with both the Lifetime Achievement Award and the David Steele Distinguished Writer Award by the Presbyterian Writers Guild, Ann lived between the thin line of poetry and faith. She was a writer, liturgist, lecturer and workshop leader. She is the author of Kneeling in Bethlehem, Reaching for Rainbows and Searching for Shalom, among others.
Charles Wesley (1707 – 1788) Known as one of the most important and prolific hymn writers in the English language. Charles Wesley had never written a hymn before his conversion experience; however, he went on to write over 7500 hymns on hundreds of scripture texts and on every conceivable phase of Christian experience and Methodist theology. He was the youngest son and 18th child of Samuel and Susanna Wesley.