Eremos Online Spring Retreat Day: Transformations through crises

Eremos Spring Online Retreat Day  

Transformations through crises

Saturday 11 September 2021 10 am – 2 pm  

We have made this an Online event due to the COVID - 19 outbreak in Sydney and surrounds. 

We hope you will join us for this opportunity to reflect on pathways to personal and social integrity that we may have already taken, alone and with others, during this pandemic. In the light of our faith, we discern our lives wisely, seeking opportunities for transformations within the range of crises that we and our world experience.

About the Retreat Day theme

Since early 2020, the global pandemic spread of Covid 19 virus and its variants has introduced a pervasive sense of vulnerability into the consciousness and conversations of people throughout the world. The infection that has led to widespread death and economic ruin worldwide has been greeted with shock, fearand denial, as well as theresolve to find remedies for it. 

A crisis is often described as an overwhelming time of vulnerability, when our current material and emotional resources are unequal to the challenges that we face as persons, communities, cultures and nations. Albert Einstein is credited with the view that along with the factors of immediate and enduring risk that a crisis brings, there are also dimensions of opportunity that bring transformation from crisis. In our current globalexperiences of crisis, opportunities have emerged for medical researchers to develop remediesto restore personal and social wellbeing, as well as for governments, international agencies and business to set in place strategies to supporteconomic recovery.

Crises of disillusionment with institutional expressions of religion have appeared in the spiritual lives of many people of faith. In response to unexpected crises in leadership within institutions, transformations in faith perspectives and practices have been adopted by persons and communities. Challenges and encouragement from spiritual leaders to their faithful and to humankind in general have stimulated maturity from some in addressing major challenges of climate change, world peace, personal integrity and social responsibility.

Another approach to what crisis means derives from its source in the Greek language. A crisis means a judicial process to arrive at a judgement to address disorder in events of risk that emerge in society. Crisis understood as a process to enable transformation in personal integrity and social order requires that we exercise wise discernment / critical reflection.

The element of surprise, excitement and delight in transformation that people experience through surviving crises is part of the whole picture - a dimension of good news.

The element of crisis/opportunity is significant, both in personal and communal experiences of suffering in our breaking open, up and down, unravelling and reweaving. The sufferings and losses that we experience in times of crisis make themselves known to us; they ask for our grief and mourning to allow whatever in our culture, faith and politics needs to be laid to rest, in order for a new reality to be born, bringing with it faith that rings true and evokes commitment.

Please join us as we undertake this exploration together.

Through conversation, deep listening, silence, music, poetry and liturgy we will explore the transformation in faith perspectives and practices of ourselves, others and our communities leading to growth in maturity, personal integrity and social order.

Cost: Free for members. $10 for non members. Book by 6th September.

To register click on ‘Purchase Tickets’ or email: events@eremos.org.au and pay by bank transfer. 

Places are limited so early registration is recommended.

For more info contact events@eremos.org.au

All workshop and retreat fees are refundable should you need to cancel due to illness or health concerns.