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A half-day virtual retreat with James Finley, Ph.D

Saturday, March 8, 2025 | 9:30am  – 1pm

James Finley lived as a monk at the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky, where Thomas Merton was his spiritual director. Dr. Finley became a clinical psychologist, Merton scholar, and sought-after teacher of contemplative living. He is a faculty member at the Center for Action and Contemplation and author of Merton’s Palace of Nowhere, Christian Meditation: Experiencing the Presence of God and The Contemplative Heart.

Most recently, Dr. Finley’s The Healing Path: A Memoir and an Invitation, offers a window into his recovery from traumatic wounds, offering spiritual guideposts for readers as they walk their own path towards wholeness. He hosts the Center for Action and Contemplation podcast’s Turning to the Mystics.

Dr. Finley is a gentle, reverent teacher who loves humor and storytelling. His retreats at Saint Barnabas in 2015, 2018, and 2023 were highly praised events. We are so pleased to welcome him back in 2025!

For more information contact: Ann Hott – (480) 216-7349

During our time together, Dr. Finley will offer practical guidelines for daily encounters with God in spiritual reading, reflective meditation, and prayer.

Themes to be explored include:

  • What does scripture teach about God’s presence in our lives and the path of lectio divina, meditation, and prayer?
  • Practical guidelines for the wordless contemplative union.
  • How humble acceptance of our inability to be true to this path is the portal through which God’s mercy is revealed in us.
  • How the subtle transformations that occur in prayer and meditation spill over into an ever deeper sensitivity to God’s oneness in our lives.
  • The grace of these transformations helps us to be more respectful, honest, attentive, and vulnerable to others.

 

“At the deepest level, it does not really matter where you seek this path because it is everywhere.”– Dr. James Finley

Please note: Registration Information for this event will be added soon. Bookmark and visit again to retrieve information. It will be announced in our weekly email and Sunday service bulletin insert.

 


Contemplative living is at the heart of who we are and what we do at Saint Barnabas. We offer a variety of opportunities to explore and enrich your contemplative life:

Introductory centering prayer workshops

  • Weekly centering prayer groups
  • Quiet Days (second Saturday of the month)
  • Taizé Service (first Tuesday of the month)
  • The Art of Engaging Holy Scripture (TAEHS) small group study
  • Engaging Poetry as Spiritual Practice (first Thursday of the month)
  • Silent and directed four-day retreats
  • Spiritual direction, training, and certification through CFDM (cfdm.org)
  • Labyrinth
  • Special events and workshops

 

For details, schedules, and registration information, please visit:

saintbarnabas.org/contemplative-life