Collegeville Conference for Music, Liturgy, and the Arts

Collegeville Conference on Music, Liturgy and the Arts-CCMLA

2014 Conference highlights:

• Keynotes and breakouts by Steve Warner, Chris de Silva, Alan Hommerding, Rita Ferrone, Johan van Parys, and Walter Tambor.
• Workshops on cantoring, organ and keyboards, choral directing, and Gregorian chant. 
• Choral reading sessions with GIA, WLP, and Liturgical Press
• Conference Eucharist with musicians from the Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis, MN

Student conference registration fee: $199 (includes free housing and meals, sponsored by Saint John's School of Theology/Seminary.There is also a possibility to be a student intern (you participate for free!).  More here.
Apply online by April 30.

Advent resources

It barely feels like it, but indeed, it is almost advent.  Advent is very hard to observe when you have exams and research papers competing for your time.  But there are some good resources out there--bookmark these and use them as you wish.

USCCB: All things advent 2013, including some in Spanish

Creighton University's Online Ministries: Advent prayers, essays, videos, and an audio retreat

Ignatian Spirituality: Advent resources of all types, including podcasts and devotional reading

The Christian Brothers are on it as well: John Baptiste de la Salle's meditations on advent

Prepare ye the way of the Lord (a little ahead)!

Lots going on in Campus Ministry

Office of Campus Ministry newsletter!  Check out the Mass of the Holy Spirit on Sept 5, SOUL India, Activities Fair on Aug 28th, and the Religious Vocations Open House, more....

Lent is coming up...interested in an online retreat? Or different things from which to "fast"?

Creighton University has a ton of resources for Lenten devotionals, audio retreats, etc. If Lent has crept up on you, look at this page for inspiration and ideas.

Also, if you are looking for something off the beaten track to give up for Lent, Lifeteen has some interesting suggestions (although some are what to do rather than what to give up....):

Are you looking for something unconventional to offer up for Lent? We asked Life Teen missionaries and our friends on Facebook for cool stuff they’ve done in the past. This is what they shared:

1. “This year I’m giving up shoes as often as possible. I’ll still wear shoes if I’m doing a work project or if I have to fly on a plane. But I’m going to avoid going to places that require shoes.” – Paul, a Life Teen Missionary
2. “I’m addicted to caffeine so I gave up all drinks but water for Lent two years ago.” – Amanda
3. “Last year I didn’t give up anything for Lent, just added more prayer life. This year I am going to add more prayer life and give up Facebook.” – Josephina
4. “I gave up spoons and forks. I learned to use chopsticks. It was funny for my friends and made it easy to talk about Lent in a way that people were cool with. We laughed a lot.” – Matt
5. “I’ve heard of people giving up their beds for Lent. They slept on the floor or the couch.” – Anna
6. “I fasted for all of Lent one year. 1 meal a day really brings souls to Jesus, especially your own!” – Erika
7. “I’m going to treat my body as a temple of God during lent… everything I read, watch, listen to, eat, drink, do, say, etc…..focusing on being a temple of God.” – Paul
8. “One year for Lent I wrote a letter each day. I made a list of 40 people who have touched my life in one way or another. Each day of Lent, I wrote a person on the list a letter of thanks for how they touched my life and I prayed for that person on that day….it was a WONDERFUL experience!!!” – Patty

There is a lot more to get you thinking at their link.

Retreat opportunities

Many people are going to TEC (Together Encountering Christ retreat) this weekend (or you are on the TEC team!). Prayers and best wishes for a fruitful retreat!

One of the suggestions for the Vineyard experience is to make a discernment retreat. These can be arranged in retreat centers nearby, or perhaps even a busy person's retreat while in class, but discernment is often done best with some silence. To that end...the 2012 Broom Tree four-day silent Ignatian retreats! (Two of those days include travel.)

See more here, including links to typical conferences.

They also have 8 day and 30 day retreats this July, if you are interested in a more intense and lengthy discernment retreat (although you really shouldn't do a 30 day without an 8 day first). See here (left side of webpage, half way down).

The three day silent retreat dates at Broom Tree in South Dakota:

UPCOMING SILENT RETREATS

2012 Women's Ignatian Silent Retreats

February 2-5
March 1-4
May 17-20
June 7-10
August 16-19
September 6-9
October 18-21
November 1-4

2012 Men's Ignatian Silent Retreats

February 16-19
March 15-18
July 19-22
September 20-23

"Religious but not spiritual: The high costs of ignoring personal piety"

Interesting, researched article from the Association of Religion Data Archives: the reason many churches are declining is that they don't nurture spiritual growth.

Study after study shows what may appear to outside observers to be simple common sense: A major reason people attend religious congregations is to deepen their faith lives and draw closer to God.

The U.S. Congregational Life Survey found the percentage of weekly worshippers who reported growing in faith through their congregation was twice as high as the percentage of more infrequent attenders who experienced similar spiritual growth.

The survey also indicated that “grassroots evangelists,” those who feel at ease sharing their faith with others and invite people to worship, were far more likely to strongly agree their spiritual needs are being met in the congregation and to practice devotional activities every day or most days.

“Worshippers in strong congregations also regularly spend time on their own praying, reading Scripture or using other materials to help them better understand and deepen their faith,” survey researchers reported. “In other words, congregations where people spend time on their own cultivating their faith tend to have extraordinary worship as well. They’re bookend strengths.”

In a survey of megachurches, the No. 1 reason people gave for moving from a spectator to an active participant http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifin their congregation was this: “I responded to an inward sense of call or spiritual prompting,” researchers Scott Thumma of Hartford Seminary and Warren Bird of the Leadership Network reported in their new book, “The Other 80 Percent: Turning Your Church’s Spectators Into Active Participants.”

And the No. 1 reason people participated less in their congregation in the past two years? It was a tie between “had less time” and their faith had “gotten weaker,” according to a separate survey of parish profile inventories offered by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research.

More here. Discuss.

Silent Ignatian Retreats in 2011

Part of the Spirituality for the Vineyard "program" includes making students aware of offerings that help people grow in their spiritual lives, and discern vocations. A number of students last year did this through taking advantage of spiritual direction (if you want more information on spiritual direction, and who is trained in it in the Winona area, please contact Dr WD or Lynn Streefland in OCM). Small groups are also an option if people are interested in us setting them up for you.

This post is primarily about retreats. As usual, there are a lot of good retreat opportunities through Campus Ministry (Freshmen Retreat, TEC, more...contact them for details). But... if are you interested in a different type of retreat, one with more quiet, more focus on discernment...check out this is from the Broom Tree Retreat Center in South Dakota (approx. 5.5 hours from Winona):

What you can expect from a Four-Day Ignatian Silent Retreat at Broom Tree?

Starting on Thursday nights with registration at 6 pm, both our Men's and Women's Ignatian Silent Retreats generally conclude on Sundays at 5 pm.

The daily schedule contains four or five general conferences, each approximately a half hour in length. These conferences are based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Each conference is followed by a free period in which to reflect and pray on the given scripture presented and to apply them to one’s own life. There is also an opportunity for Spiritual Direction daily.

Each day the retreatant has the opportunity to participate in the Eucharist, the rosary, Sacrament of Reconciliation and Benediction. Being silent, waiting, and listening for God to speak - with nowhere to go, no agenda to keep, and no superficial social contact is the key ingredient for communicating with God. The beauty of the grounds also helps dispose oneself to hearing the Lord speak. Remember, Elijah did not find God in the earthquake, hurricane, or fire, but in the quiet breeze.(1 Kings 19:12).
...

Cost?

Broom Tree Retreat and Conference Center is sustained by the donations of the retreatants. All are welcome at Broom Tree. No one is excluded because of inability to make a retreat donation. Broom Tree's cost to provide meals and lodging for a Silent Retreat is $240/person ($80/day). We ask that you prayerfully consider this when making your donation.

What to Wear?

Casual clothing is recommended- slacks, sweaters, sports shirts, make for a relaxing weekend. Also, wear comfortable walking shoes and bring suitable outdoor wear for taking hikes on our trails.

What are the rooms like?

Each retreatant enjoys a private room, with a queen sized bed, private bath, and chair for relaxing with an over-sized window to admire the beautiful scenery God has created at Broom Tree. An Adoration Chapel is also available to share quiet time with God. There is also a large dining room and exercise facilities. We also have a gift shop and bookstore located in the retreat center.

There is also a podcast with a couple of the conferences given there on the spiritual retreats page.

2011 Women's Ignatian Silent Retreats

September 15-18
October 20-23
November 3-6

2011 Men's Ignatian Silent Retreats

September 22-25

If you are interested (and OBVIOUSLY check your class schedule to see if this would be possible for you, because this will entail unexcused absences from class), contact Broom Tree asap. Contact information is on the website page.

"10 Things I Wish I Knew My Freshman Year"

From a Catholic campus ministry blog for Texas A&M called Aggie Catholics.

***

10 - Ask for help before you are in real trouble. This goes for all situations. If you are struggling in class, talk to a professor. If you are struggling spiritually, talk to a priest or campus minister. If you are struggling in another way, find someone to talk to. Remember that the older folks that work in and around colleges are there to help you.

9 - College is not just about getting a job. I am not saying that grades are not important. I am not saying you don't want to get a good job. I AM saying that college is about learning about the big questions - Who am I? What is life about? What plan does God have for me? etc. If you figure this out, college will be a success.

8 - You are NOT poor. You may not have as much money as your friends and you almost certainly don't have as much as your parents. This does not make you poor, so don't say you are. You are rich - you get to go to college, you eat as much as you need, you have a place to sleep, etc. Enjoy not having money and be creative with it.

7 - Sit up front. I am assuming that you are going to every class (which costs about $100 dollars per class you skip). If you sit up front in class you are bound to pay more attention to the prof and get better grades. You are also a more familiar face to the prof when you go ask for help (see #1). Sit up front in church as well.

6 - Meet new people and try new things. College is a great time to work on who you are. A great way to do this is to meet different kinds of people from different backgrounds and with different ideas. You need to stay grounded in your faith, morality, and family. But, you should also learn about the world through relationships with others.

5 - Good friends don't always make good roommates. Sometimes your best friend may not be a friend at all after living with them for a year. Choose your roommates wisely. If you want to study, don't room with a friend who has bad study habits. If you want to be responsible, don't room with a friend who is irresponsible.

4 - Don't go into debt on a credit card. Credit card companies are like vultures on college campuses. They are just waiting for you to say "yes" to the free t-shirt so they can have you ring up tons of debt and be locked into a crazy percentage rate that you carry for years and don't pay off until you are retired. Don't fall for it. Keep a budget and be smart about spending money. You don't need all the toys and latest gadgets.

3 - Shower shoes. All that needs to be said.

2 - Have fun! Balance your academics with a good (and healthy) social life. This means you have to do the following - manage your time, find friends who will make good decisions, and be smart about it all.

1 - Church shouldn't be optional. 80% of active Catholics in high school lose their faith by the time they graduate college. So, how do you expect to keep your faith if you don't get active in your parish or campus ministry in college? Do yourself a favor and get involved in the Sacramental, social, service, and faith life at your campus ministry. You won't regret it.

Blessed Holy Week! Are you becoming holier?

This is an interesting summary of an article that provides a thoughtful checklist for people discerning the priesthood--although it seems obvious to me that the categories are appropriate for any growing Christian!

A snippet from the online summary:

Here are Fr. Cole's indicators, simplified in the form of nine questions, which suggest the key areas in which we should honestly look for continual growth:

1. Am I God-centered? This addresses the question of whether we think ourselves the center of the universe, in which case we are likely to be tense, negative and critical. We discern progress here if we come more easily to see the good in others, to accept the dispositions of Providence cheerfully, and to trust in God even in the midst of trials and temptations.
   
   
2. Do I take joy in serving others? There may be times when either our normal duties or interruptions in our routine demand that we occupy ourselves with tasks we do not particularly enjoy, primarily for the benefit of others. We are growing in charity if we find such services easier to perform over time, especially with a sincere desire to be of benefit, and if we gain the ability to remain recollected and prayerful even when doing something we do not naturally enjoy.
   
   
3. Do I hate sin? As time goes on, if we are growing spiritually, we should be increasingly averse not only to great sins but to lesser ones. We should be developing a progressively stronger resolve to avoid anything – including objectively innocent pursuits – which can be an obstacle to our union with God. And of course we should be actively seeking the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit, which are the opposite of the disposition to sin.
   
   
4. Is my conscience delicate? This is closely related, and refers to the need to become ever more sensitive in discerning what is displeasing to God. In the beginning, for example, we may wish to avoid adultery but think nothing of flirting or stealing the odd kiss or two. In time, true growth demands that we more clearly perceive the sinful attitudes at work across the board. Then we will become more watchful over our virtue, even in our thoughts, and we'll also more easily distinguish among degrees of sin, and between temptation and sin.
   
   
5. Am I humble? To use Fr. Basil's own words, a sense of humility "means a submission to whatever God desires in the moment, even if it means being unknown or unrecognized." Pride and vainglory lead us to be calculating in all that we do, in order to increase in stature before the world. But God wants our personal surrender to Himself and to those who, in each moment, represent His will.
   
   
6. Am I faithful in prayer? If we prefer to lose ourselves in a constant whirl of activity, and find that we are uncomfortable being alone with God in the silence of our hearts, we'll go backwards. Spiritual growth is marked by a growing willingness to put ourselves in the presence of God, even if we suffer from dryness or distractions in prayer.
   
   
7. Do my decisions reflect truth and prudence? As we grow spiritually, we should become more adept at knowing when to seek counsel, yet we should also be increasingly able to advise others, or act quickly and decisively ourselves, in ways that will still seem spiritually right after the fact. We should grow in our capacity to size up each situation properly and apply the right virtue and the right solution to each challenge.
   
   
8. Is my heart undivided? Simply put, this question asks whether we allow various interests and attachments to conflict with our thirst for God or whether we are gradually developing a more ordered appreciation of all good things in, through and for God, in proper relationship to Him. Especially with things we particularly enjoy, we should be praying and working to see them in the light of Christ.
   
   
9. Do I love the Church? To again quote Fr. Basil, "the institutional Church is the unsullied Bride of Christ through which He gives Himself and His graces to a flawed people in need of enlightenment and purification from sin." Each day, each moment, we should find ourselves loving the Church more and more wholeheartedly, despite her all too evident human flaws. If that is not happening, it is a sure sign we are backsliding.

Again, food for thought...especially this week.

Lent starts March 9th

...while you are on Spring Break!

Some good Lenten options online:

• What can I do before Lent begins?
• Conferences (audio talks) for each of the Sunday readings this Lent
• Getting into Lenten "patterns"
• Pray the Ignatian exercises during Lent.

The USCCB has a nice Lent 2011 page as well, with suggestions and links.

And of course we have many things going on at SMU as well, especially through Campus Ministry (go see them to sign up for small group reflection on Lenten themes). Happy Fat Tuesday, blessed Ash Wednesday, blessings to those going on SOUL trips, and see you after break!

Retreat options this semester (or summer)

Hello everyone!
We've taken into account the students retreat survey from December 2010, and have decided to postpone a discernment retreat until Fall 2011. In short, the upperclassmen were not as interested in an SMU retreat as the 1st year folks, and because Th 209 had to be canceled for this semester, we will be offering it in the Fall...along with a retreat option for students who are interested in growing their discernment of vocation and "trying out" lay ecclesial ministry.

In the meantime, if you want to do a retreat this semester off campus, here are some options:

• a silent Ignatian retreat at Broom Tree Retreat Center in South Dakota (about 5 1/2 hr drive)
• a silent Ignatian retreat at Creighton University's Retreat Center in SW Iowa (again, about a 5 hr drive)
• a directed retreat at Villa Maria Retreat Center in Frontenac, MN (about 1 hr away)
• a directed retreat at the Franciscan Spirituality Center in LaCrosse, WI (about 40 minutes away)

Of course, there are other options out there as well!

These retreat centers are rather different from each other, and you may want to do some research before making a reservation and hitting the road.

Also, if students are interested in spiritual direction, Dr. WD and Lynn Streefland in OCM each have a list of directors in the Winona area to contact.

Spiritual directors list available

A local (and not exhaustive) list of spiritual directors who expressed willingness to work with Spirituality for the Vineyard students is now available! See Dr. WD in the Theology suite or Lynn S. in Campus Ministry for the list. Thanks!


p.s. The painting above depicts the road to Emmaus narrative, often used as a symbol for spiritual direction.

What is "the Spirituality for the Vineyard"?

Is there a spirituality--specifically, a formation and discernment process--that is particular to young adults considering pastoral and youth ministry? We think there is. This website is a place for SMU theology, pastoral and youth ministry, religious education majors and minors to learn more about how you could pray, think, and live out your discernment regarding who God is calling you to be. You cannot ignore the need for knowledge and professionalism when you are in leadership...but there are spiritual needs as well.

In order to complete what we call "The Vineyard Experience," we ask you to accomplish the following:

1. Seeing: Encounter your world. Participate in one extended cross-cultural service experience (for example, a SOUL trip or equivalent, verified in advance by your advisor), attending to and learning from the vulnerable in our human family.
2. Learning: The Vineyard Colloquia. Attend three Vineyard Colloquia an academic year, for two years. The Vineyard colloquia offer a chance to hear leaders in our area share their wisdom and experience on the challenges and opportunities of various lay ministries in the Church. There will also be a focus on the spirituality of lay ministry.
3. Exploring: Praxis for ministry: Complete the Pastoral and Youth Ministry internship (waived if you are a Theology major or minor). There are also other volunteer ministries--through SMU and in the local churches and dioceses--that students may count toward this element.
4. Clarifying: Small group support and reflection. Participate in small sharing groups, facilitated by local lay ecclesial leaders. These groups of three or four students meet monthly to share a meal and discuss how issues of life discernment and lay formation are going. Ideally, students in the major should be in one of these groups from the time they declare a major. Regular attendance is expected for at least one academic year.
5. Discerning: Prayer and retreat. Participate in one discernment retreat for majors and interested minors, usually offered in January. Students may attend their junior or senior year (or both years). A time away can help a person recognize and name their vocation, and return to classes with new questions and fresh vigor.

In addition, students in the program are encouraged to seek other methods of formation: spiritual direction, the 19th annotation of the Spiritual Exercises, regular participation in Catholic liturgical life, etc. We can point you in the right direction for all that if you wish. But the five above are a baseline.

Completion of The Vineyard Experience merits recognition of work above and beyond the academic elements of the major, and helps fulfill the spiritual formation elements of the National Standards for Lay and Ecclesial Ministries.

Explore the site or talk to one of the members of the theology department. We're excited--you should be, too!