“Faith is what I call a mind-move, a radical shift in awareness. The expression ‘a leap of faith’ is so true. Faith is not something we can arrive at by a careful, step-by-step process. It is not something we can square with our intellect. Faith does not make sense, nor does it feel safe. It is what takes us further after the questions that can be answered logically have been exhausted. To have faith, we must let go. Faith is like swimming the backstroke, reaching above and behind is into an unknown we cannot see. Faith is like driving forward with only the rear-view mirror as a guide.”
— Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, Jewish With Feeling
Charis at Contemplative Outreach Conference
In September, Charis founders Rory McEntee and Netanel Miles-Yépez presented at the Contemplative Outreach 40th Anniversary Conference at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Rory led Charis Circles for the attendees and spoke on the Thomas Keating’s Young Contemplatives panel, while Netanel presented on Father Thomas Keating’s Snowmass Conferences.
“Naropa’s Historic Buddhist-Christian Dialogues” with Tessa Bielecki and Judith Simmer-Brown
From 1981-1987, the former Naropa Institute hosted a series of historic Buddhist-Christian dialogues with some of the most celebrated names in Christianity and Buddhism. The youngest and only woman participant in the 1981 dialogue was a young Carmelite Christian abbess, Tessa Bielecki. The organizer of the dialogues was a young professor at the institute, Judith Simmer-Brown. This evening, in the 50th year of Naropa, the two will talk about their experiences of these historic dialogues.
Friday, October 25, 2024, 6:00-8:00 PM, Nalanda Events Center.
“Seasons of the Soul: Carmelite Christian Contemplative Teachings for Spiritual Renewal” with Tessa Bielecki
Now turning 80 and living as an “urban hermit” in Tucson, Arizona, Tessa Bielecki, former Carmelite Christian abbess, will draw on her experience of almost sixty years as a Christian monk and contemplative, offering the teachings she finds most relevant from the mystical streams she embodies: the counter-cultural witness of the desert, the earthy rhythms of the monastic tradition, and the intimacy and “holy ordinary” of Carmelite and Celtic spirituality. Having co-founded contemplative centers in three countries, she will also explore the challenges of creating the “lively human atmosphere” conducive to contemplative experience and community, including “crisis contemplation.”
Whole Weekend, including Friday night, In-Person: Get Tickets // Whole Weekend, including Friday night, Livestream: Get Tickets
Charis Circles
Congratulations to our 2023/2024 Cohort for their year of Charis Circles Facilitator Training!! We have been so blessed to share in your journey and look forward to the growth of these interspiritual circles.
Interested in experiencing or joining an ongoing Charis Circle?
In this episode, we interview Tessa Bielecki, former Mother Abbess of the Spiritual Life Institute and a Carmelite hermit in Tucson, Arizona. Tessa talks with us about her Polish Catholic background, founding a Carmelite reform movement, and four Carmelite wilderness monasteries. She also discusses her life today as a “urban hermit,” the impact of Fr. William McNamara, the relationship of “Holiness and Vitality,” life-affirming Christianity, the influence of J.R.R. Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings on the Spiritual Life Institute, contemplation as “personal passionate presence,” Teresa of Avila and Carmelite spirituality, interreligious dialogue (particularly related to the historic Buddhist-Christian dialogue at the Naropa Institute in the 1980s), and interspirituality today. Tessa Bielecki is a Carmelite Christian hermit and a pioneer in interreligious dialogue. Co-founder and former Mother Abbess of the Spiritual Life Institute (a Carmelite reform institution), she founded four eremitical monasteries in North America and Ireland. Later, after leaving the Spiritual Life Institute, she founded the Desert Foundation (with Father David Denny), exploring connections between the Abrahamic faiths. Today, Tessa lives in Tucson, Arizona, where she considers herself an “urban hermit.”To learn more about Tessa, or to donate to her ‘urban hermitage,’ go to: sandandsky.org
Typically quite a shy animal, this bobcat came out to say hello.
Whether you’re exploring the depths of emotions, connecting with your spirituality, or recognizing the interconnectedness of the Universe, the bobcat is thought to help with them all. They represent independence, adaptability, and the mysteries of the wild. The bobcat is seen as the guardian of hidden knowledge and keeper of truth.
Charis Community Vows
Vow Two
To live in solidarity with all life and creation,
Recognizing everything as sacred and interconnected.
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