Clergy Formation Committee

Clergy Retreat

A Table in the Wilderness

Clergy Virtual Retreat

February 24, 2021 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

About the retreat

A Table in the Wilderness: A Clergy Retreat in Lent for the Diocese of Maine is a daytime, online retreat to provide space and encouragement for you to recollect your life and open the way for restoration of what has been spent or lost. Life comes with its share of joys and strains, and this last season – with the pandemic, the strife, and the ripple effects – has been so very challenging, even bewildering. The psalmist asks rhetorically, “Can God set a table in the wilderness?” Yes.

Every clergyperson in Maine is encouraged to set aside this time (10:00-4:00) during which Brother Curtis will offer three meditations, and then invite us to silence and reflection. In addition to the time for quiet and prayer, two opportunities to connect and talk with each other will be offered, one during lunch and one at the day’s end.

The arrangements for this clergy retreat have been made by the Clergy Formation Committee, and all the expenses for the retreat are underwritten by the Diocese of Maine.

About our retreat leader

Curtis Almquist, a brother and priest of the Society of St. John the Evangelist for more than 30 years, lives at SSJE’s monastery in Cambridge, Mass. He works with leaders from a wide spectrum of professional disciplines, helping them listen and respond to God’s amazing gift of life.

Find more information here.

About the Clergy Formation Committee

The newly created Clergy Formation Committee (formerly Clergy Day Committee) needs four new members (presbyters and deacons) to join us in our work of offering opportunities to enrich the ongoing formation, education, collegiality, and spirituality of the Diocese of Maine’s clergy community.

All members serve for three (3) years. The committee meets on the second Thursday of the month at 12:30 pm for 1 hour (currently via Zoom), with subcommittees meeting at other times when needed. You would begin your service on the committee at the January 14, 2021 meeting.

The committee plans and executes four annual events:

A clergy retreat of 1-2 days, often in Lent, to sustain and enrich our prayer life and spirituality.
Two (2) clergy days, one in the autumn and one in late spring, to worship, learn, and nourish our collegiality.
A third clergy day, often led by the bishop, designed to integrate continuing education and spiritual formation with the ministry and strategic mission of the Diocese of Maine and the Episcopal Church.

If you would like to nominate yourself or someone you know (with their permission) for this committee, please send an e-mail to Rev. Claudia Smith and/or Suzannah Rohman the co-chairs of the committee, by Wednesday, December 9. The committee will consider all nominations at their December 10 meeting. Claudia and Suzannah are also happy to answer any questions you might have about the committee whose current members are listed below.

Members

Term ending December 2021

The Rev. Bill Blaine-Wallace

The Rev. Gail Chandler

The Rev. Peggy Day

The Rev. John Balicki

Term ending December 2022

The Rev. Claudia Smith, Co-Chair

The Rev. Suzannah Rohman, Co-Chair

The Ven. Aaron Perkins

The Rev. Rita Steadman

Tags:

Clergy Annual Retreat

Clergy Formation Committee