“Come and See” event introduces new two-year program of spiritual exploration for those over 60

Participants in a June 4-5 introduction will get a taste of the new two-year "Growing in Wisdom: Seeking Deeper Generativity" program of spiritual exploration and growth for those in their "wisdom years." (Image courtesy of Queen's House, Saskatoon)

Posted By: Kiply Lukan Yaworski May 10, 2021

By Sarah Donnelly, Queen’s House of Retreat and Renewal

A “Come and See” two-day online event will be held 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, June 4 and Saturday, June 5, offering more information (and a lived experience) of a new two-year program that Queen’s House is launching in September 2021 – “Growing in Wisdom: Seeking Deeper Generativity.”

“Growing in Wisdom” anticipates welcoming participants from across Canada, and is co-sponsored by several Canadian retreat centres. An ecumenically-based program for those 60+ who are seeking to explore and deepen their spirituality as they age, the two-year program will primarily be offered online.

The “Come and See” program offered on Zoom June 4-5 will share with potential participants the basic outline of “Growing in Wisdom.” It is an opportunity to hear from some of the instructors, to meet others interested in the program, and to discern if this two-year commitment is of interest.

The cost for the June 4-5 “Come and See” session is $25. Register online at Queen’s House LINK or call Sarah Donnelly for assistance in registering: (306) 242-1916 Extension 226.

Today’s newly retired and maturing elders are slowly coming to terms with developments in health care which allow people to live much longer past their point of career retirement. This has left many wondering about the purpose of these final years of our lives.

We suffer from a lack of informed spirituality for our senior years. Often our religious institutions are better equipped in supporting ‘first half of life’ issues than addressing the issues, questions, concerns, and longings of those who are 60+ asking, ‘What is next? How do I live into these years in a fruitful, meaningful and thoughtful way?’

In addition, we may become aware as we age that society glamorizes youth, leaving many with the feeling that their useful years are behind them. In this youth-focused society, aging, illness, and death have become taboo subjects, leaving many having a sense that the only option in preparing for one’s death is by keeping busy or ignoring death altogether.

Yet, aging can be a time of rich growth. This is a time in which we can begin to look back on the life we have lived and find openness to new or previously undeveloped inner vistas. It is a time to begin to come to terms with our own mortality and the grace we find in facing this time in our lives with wisdom and satisfaction.

“Growing in Wisdom: Seeking Deeper Generativity” will provide an opportunity to be deeply present to our own aging process, allowing us to receive its unique gifts.

This new program, collaboratively offered by several retreat centres, is inspired by and draws from various resources developed by Fr. Ron Rolheiser, OMI, and the faculty of the Forest Dwelling Program at Oblate School of Theology, San Antonio, Texas.

Fr. Rolheiser and the Forest Dwelling faculty will be offering live presentations to the program over the next two years.

“Growing in Wisdom: Seeking Deeper Generativity” is designed for those seeking to engage in their maturing years with wisdom and grace. This is a time in which we can be begin to look back on the life we have lived and find openness to new or previously undeveloped inner vistas. It is a time to begin to come to terms with our own mortality and the grace we find in facing this part of our lives with wisdom and satisfaction.

This program is not designed as a traditional educational program with highly structured material and outcomes. Rather, it is an invitation to a smorgasbord of spiritual and intellectual materials, ideas, experiences, people, poetry, arts and Mystery.

Themes may include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Achievement to Fruitfulness
  • An Anthropology and Spirituality of Aging and Dying
  • Our Last Greatest Gift: Giving our Deaths Away
  • Mystical Images for Prayer: Contemplative Awareness and Practices
  • Holy Wandering: Pilgrimage in the Currents of Divine Love
  • The Earth Beneath my Feet: Life Right Here, Right Now
  • Weaving a New Shelter: Celtic Perspectives on Aging
  • Diminishment and Vitalities – Becoming a Wise Elder
  • Hallowing our Passivities

“Growing in Wisdom: Seeking Deeper Generativity” will be offered in four sessions or “intensives.” The first will take place Sept. 15-18, 2021.

Anticipated dates for the remaining intensives are February 2022, September 2022 and February 2023. All of these intensives would be offered online, with possible in-person gatherings at various retreat centres across Canada.

In addition to these four online gatherings, participants will be invited to participate in “Elder Circles” – meeting on Zoom with 8-10 other participants once a month for two hours. Each Elder Circle will be facilitated by a graduate of the Forest Dwelling program, who will be skilled in group facilitation. While many topics might be discussed in these monthly gatherings, the primary focus would be to create and maintain a supportive and caring community for each participant as they journey through this program.

Learn more about “Growing in Wisdom” at the June 4-5 sessions offered by Queen’s House (LINK) or for further information about the two-year program, contact Nancy Phillips, Program Coordinator: (204) 470-9437 or dnphil@mymts.net

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