The Center to BE provides a wide range of programs to foster spiritual awareness and growth. These programs are offered during the week as well as on Saturdays, during the day as well as in the evening, for several hours as well as for full days. A schedule of our current Short Program offerings is provided below. To see detailed descriptions and registration information for any of them, please click on the program title.
You may register for any of these programs by clicking on the “Registration” link following the descriptions. Options for on line or mailed registrations are available there. Only those programs with a "Registration" link following the description require registration.
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For driving directions to any of our program locations, click on the Short Program menu above and select Directions. |
Simple Practices to Alleviate the Symptoms of Stress
Saturday, May 15
9:30 to 11:30 am
Founder's Hall in St. Agnes Convent
320 County Road K
Fond du Lac
Fee: $15
Registrations due by Wednesday, May 12
Stress and its symptoms can affect us physically, emotionally and spiritually. We may experience stress through headaches or pain in neck/shoulders. We may have trouble sleeping or feel fatigued, sad or anxious. We may find ourselves becoming critical, isolated or overwhelmed. We may feel distanced from the Sacred.
This program teaches a number of the self-care practices featured in Training in Healing and Transformation, the intensive workshop we present each year in collaboration with CAPACITAR. If you’ve been curious about CAPACITAR, this program will give you an introduction.
Join us to learn gentle tai chi movement, calming breath work, simple finger holds and much more. All the practices are flexible enough to accommodate men and women of all ages and physical abilities. This program will show you how to select the practices that feel best for your body. If you have attended this program in the past, come back for a refresher and to experience the positive energy of the practices in community.
Marjorie Wilbur is the Executive Director of The Center to BE and a spiritual companion. She has taught these self-healing practices to a wide variety of audiences in Wisconsin.
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Staying Alive Spiritually: The Spiritual Life of the Spiritual Director
Seventh Annual Fall Workshop for Spiritual Directors
Thursday, October 21
Socializing 9:30 to 10:00 am
Program 10:00 am to 2:30 pm
St. Joseph Center
1501 S. Layton Blvd.
Milwaukee
Fee: $35 including lunch
Registrations due by Monday, October 18
As a spiritual director you are expected to live a life of authenticity, integrity, and groundedness. How can you live prayerfully and joyfully? What does balance, self-care, and spiritual practice look like for you? Let's explore together.
Rev. Holly Whitcomb has been a pastor and clergywoman in the United Church of Christ for over 30 years. She is also a spiritual director in the Milwaukee area and the author of four books including Seven Spiritual Gifts of Waiting.
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In the Eye of the Storm
A Day Retreat
Saturday, October 23
9:00 am to 3:00 pm
St. Joseph Center
1501 S. Layton Blvd.
Milwaukee
Fee: $45 including lunch
Registrations due by Friday, October 15
The eye of the hurricane is the place at the center where all is calm despite the great movement, force and power that is stirring around it. In the midst of this turbulence when all seems to be falling apart and breaking down, how can we use this center to become a calm, non-anxious presence in a very chaotic world. This is the spiritual challenge of our times.
This day long, interactive workshop will help us explore the possibilities for cultivating presence in our world. We will use guided imagery, symbols, creative exercises and reflective time to open our imaginations, develop our intuition and expand our awareness. Learn how chaos can lead to serenity and offer a perfect opportunity for spiritual growth.
Donna Bartolone is a retired educator with 27 years of experience teaching adult learners. She gives presentations and conducts workshops on spiritual topics She is a graduate of CAPACITAR Training in Healing and Transformation, at The Center to BE.
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The Beguines: Daring, Dissident Soul Sisters
A Retreat Experience
Co-sponsored with the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes Associates
October 30 – 31, 2010
Saturday – 9 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Sunday – 9 a.m. – noon
Founder’s Hall in St. Agnes Convent
320 County Road K, Fond du Lac
Fee: $100 including lunch on Saturday and Sunday, supper on Saturday, all beverages and break refreshments.
Registrations due by Wednesday, October 20.
Scholarships available. Contact Marjorie Wilbur for information at 414-672-5932.
Eight hundred years ago, the creative mysticism, courage, and passion of women known as “Beguines” changed the Christian church. From about 1210 to 1310, thousands of women were Beguines – not members of religious congregations but dedicated to spiritual life, gathering together while supporting themselves with a variety of skills. Some took private vows, some did not. Some lived in community, others lived alone.
This retreat is an invitation to explore in depth the spiritual wisdom of the Beguines for today with
· Presentations and discussion of the works of Marguerite Porete, Mechtild of Madgeburg, and Hedwich of Brabant
· Meditations and dialogue to apply Beguine spirituality to our lives
· Rituals to celebrate the power and creativity of women’s souls
· Investigations of ways the Beguines prepared the way for Christian-Buddhist interspirituality.
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Nature and Spirituality, The Center to BE 15th anniversary theme is also celebrated in this experience.
Paula Hirschboeck, Ph.D. is Professor of Philosophy at Edgewood College, Madison, Wisconsin, co-director of Wisdom’s Well Interfaith Spirituality Center, a Zen Buddhist priest and chaplain, and a spiritual director. She has given a variety of retreats and programs on the divine feminine, women’s spirituality and interfaith spiritual practice, particularly Zen and Christian mysticism.
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