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Eremos Fall Renewal Retreat
September 23, 2022 @ 3:00 pm - September 25, 2022 @ 3:00 pm CDT
$100.00 – $295.00
Finding Peace, Clarity, and Rest
with Dianna Amorde & Joe Barry
September 23rd-25th
Cedarbrake Renewal Center, Belton, TX
“I love the natural world, what I call creation. When I view the shimmering stars on a dark quiet night, or smell the deep forest of fallen leaves after a rain, or feel the sand slip through my feet as the salty ocean rolls over them, I feel at peace and at rest.” — Randy Woodley
Join us for an opportunity to connect with, reflect upon, and rest in the beauty and wisdom of nature at Cedarbrake Renewal Center. Let time in silence and nature combined with contemplative explorations offered by Dianna and Joe refresh you in body, mind, and spirit.
We’ll come together for short periods to learn from and support each other in making the most of this sacred time. Adding in laughter and conversation over some meals, we intend to co-create a special weekend of renewal for a small group of 8-12.
DATES:
Friday, September 23rd through Sunday September 25th
FEE:
$295 per person ($100 deposit to save your space, with final payment due September 1st)
LOCATION:
Cedarbrake Renewal Center, 5602 TX-317 Belton, TX
FACILITATORS:
Dianna Amorde, Executive Director of Eremos, and Joe Barry, MA
Includes 2 nights lodging in private (single) room, dinners on Friday and Saturday evenings, and all materials. (Guests sign up to bring food items for breakfast and lunch, with dinners pre-ordered and delivered from local restaurants.)
Retreat will include:
- Welcome reflection and intention-setting for the weekend.
- Casual meals together.
- Brief explorations of the gifts found in attentive time in nature and optional techniques and poems and other reflections for your use in your quiet time.
- Group gatherings for listening and sharing.
- Periods of silence and solitude.
- Extended blocks of time for walking, rest, labyrinth, contemplation, journaling, art, and other chosen forms of restoration.
- Final reflection and opportunity to give voice to your weekend experience.
Logistics:
- Arrive Friday between 3:00 and 5:30pm. Tentative schedule for the retreat below.
- Participants are asked to contribute some food items for breakfast, lunches, and breaks.
- Participants are asked to assist with lunch preparation and clean up one time during the retreat. Breakfast can be prepared in the group kitchen any time prior to morning group sessions.
- Departure noon on Sunday. Note: You are welcome to linger on the grounds or in the group room, but you must be out of your room by Noon.
- Open to men and women.
We highly recommend all participants be fully vaccinated. Masks are supported, but not mandatory at this time. (We may change expectations if the situation in Central Texas changes.)
Join us for a weekend of soul-nourishing contemplation, reflection, silence, and time to walk the nature trails, as we explore what renewal can be when nature and silence are central to our experience.
Let the quiet of Cedarbrake Renewal Center and the company of others support you in finding peace, clarity, and rest this fall.
ABOUT OUR FACILITATORS
Dianna Amorde
With more than 20 years leadership experience and ten years as Eremos’ Executive Director, Dianna brings her passion for helping people trust their inner knowing to her work at Eremos. Author of Aha! Moments: When Intellect & Intuition Collide and the weekly reflections in Eremos’ newsletters, Dianna views her service with Eremos as a natural part of her desire to inspire people to trust their inner wisdom. She has witnessed the profound life changes that taking time to go within to connect with Spirit can bring to people and their communities. She holds an MBA from Harvard University and a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Southern California. Time among the trees and birds on early morning walks continues to renew her in these tumultuous days. And she always makes time to greet any four-legged friends she sees along the way.
Joe Barry, MA
Joe Barry, MA, currently serves as Director, Ministry Formation, at Ascension Texas. He is a cohort facilitator for the Ascension Foundations of Ministry Leadership Program. Over the past 18 years with Ascension Texas, he has served as a Director of Mission Integration, an OD Learning Consultant, and an educator and spiritual director at Seton Cove. Joe holds a Master of Arts in Applied Behavioral Sciences, City University of Seattle and a Bachelor of Arts in Theology, University of Notre Dame. He is a certified Master Practitioner for the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), an Enneagram facilitator, and holds a Certificate in the Foundations of NeuroLeadership from the NeuroLeadership Institute. Joe volunteers as a dog walker at Austin Pets Alive! animal shelter.
Mel Dowdy, PhD
We’re excited to have one of our retreatants facilitate our Saturday evening session on Wisdom from the Poets:
Mel Dowdy, PhD, is a therapist, educator, and author who recently published Night Weavers: Poetic Meditations on Resiliency. As a pastoral counselor and ordained minister, he provides spiritual direction and facilitates retreats in spirituality and navigating life transitions. In recent years Mel led week-long programs at Notre Dame designed to develop values-based leadership, and for last four years led leadership programs through the Kylemore Abbey Global Center, University of Notre Dame, County Galway Ireland. Before working with Notre Dame, Mel designed and facilitated the Ministry Leadership Formation Program for Bon Secours Health System. In addition to his doctorate, he holds a Master of Divinity from Duke University, an MA degree in Clinical Ethics from the University of Virginia, and certifications in organizational consulting and leadership development. Mel lives with his wife of fifty years in Richmond, Virginia where they lead initiates in racial reconciliation.
For those yearning for more detail,
here is our Tentative Schedule:
FRIDAY, September 23rd
- 3:00pm – 6:00pm, Arrive and get settled in your room.
(Rooms assigned upon arrival.) - 6:00pm – 7:00pm, Casual dinner together.
(pre-ordered the week of the retreat and delivered by a local restaurant) - 7:00pm – 8:00pm, Welcome, review schedule for the weekend, set intentions, and discuss opening reflection offered by Dianna.
- 8:00pm through the night. Time to yourself, with an invitation to be in silence and solitude.
SATURDAY, September 24th
- 7:00am – 8:45am, Breakfast at your leisure, with time to journal, meditate, or walk the labyrinth.
- 9:00am – 12:00pm, Contemplating Nature and Receiving Her Wisdom with Joe. Includes time for a break and outdoor activity (weather-permitting).
- 12:00pm – 12:30pm, break, as lunch items are put out for sandwich and salad preparation.
- 12:30pm – 2:00pm, Lunch and time to walk, rest, or reflect (as desired).
- 2:00pm – 3:00pm, An invitation to go deeper with nature’s wisdom with Joe.
- 3:00pm – 5:00pm, On your own.
- 5:00pm – 6:00pm, Reflecting on the day with Joe.
- 6:00pm – 6:30pm, casual conversations or time in silence to journal or rest.
- 6:30pm – 7:30pm, Dinner delivered and enjoyed together.
- 7:30pm – 8:15pm, Wisdom from the Poets. Nature is so beautifully celebrated – and her wisdom shared – by poets, most famously perhaps by Mary Oliver. What can they tell us about how to approach an evening stroll or an early morning walk? Optional session with attendee and guest facilitator Melvin Dowdy, Ph.D.
- 8:15pm through the evening, time to rest and reflect in solitude, color a mandala, or walk outside to see the stars. Silence or quiet conversations suggested.
SUNDAY, September 25th
- 7:00am – 10:00am, Breakfast at your leisure, with time to journal, meditate, or walk the labyrinth.
- 10:00am – 11:00am, Closing reflection and sharing stories of wisdom, peace, and rest gained with Dianna.
- 11:00am – 12:00pm, Pack, turn in room key, and say farewell to new and longtime friends.
