These presentations can take the form of talks, retreats, workshops or parish missions.
Companions on the Journey: The Gift of Spiritual Friendship
When we minister, we befriend God and others. This program is for parish ministers - RCIA teams, Confirmation sponsors, those who minister to the sick, and those who welcome back returning Catholics, anyone who walks with another in the journey of faith. With story, poetry and narrative, we reflect on why the ministry of companionship is so important, and how we can be spiritual companions to one another.
Rediscovering the Spirit Within
When life loses meaning, the doldrums arrive, and it feels like the Spirit deserts us, what must we do? Through story, poetry and narrative, we share and reflect on three truths of our adult spiritual journeys-to live we must choose, to love we must encounter, and to grow we must suffer.
Living the Paschal Mystery
As humans and as Christians, we live, die, and rise again many times and through many experiences of our lives. Using the poetry and the Scriptural images of darkness and light, exile and homecoming, exodus and new beginnings, we reflect on ways we each live the Paschal Mystery and find new life in Christ.
Playing and Praying with Poetry
Poet or not, each of us has a voice deep inside us that yearns to speak and be heard but sometimes is silenced by life's experiences or busyness. Poetry as a literary form affords a unique opportunity to feel, experience, think about, express, and share deeply. Well done, it is soulful, heartfelt prayer, a gift of our selves to God, with surprising gift of discovery and answer. This for-fun, no-pressure workshop, explores archetypal symbols and uses poetry as a tool to rediscover and reconnect with that voice of the Spirit within us.
Bread for the Journey
What sustains us on our spiritual journey? Using poetry, Scripture and narrative, we reflect on the importance of prayer, discernment, and forgiveness.
My Story + Your Story = Our Story
The stories of our faith journeys, our lives, are often kept hidden away (under a bushel basket) and not shared with others. When shared, however, we often find that we are not alone in our experiences, that we often share the same joys and trials, we learn much from one another. In this program, we use poetry, Scripture and narrative to help us open our hearts, share the stories of our lives, and become the faith community.
What Disciples Can Learn From the Trees?
Trees provide wonderful metaphors for how we must live our lives as Christians. This presentation uses poetry, Scripture, and narrative to focus on 4 characteristics of trees that are necessary for us to sustain our spiritual journeys: being well-rooted, gathering together, enduring, and bearing fruit. Participants guaranteed to have healthier, thicker bark, sturdier trunk, and stronger limbs by program's end!
David M. Orr studied creative writing for four years and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English at the Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona in 1977. He was the managing editor of the University's literary magazine during his junior and senior years. Shortly thereafter, he embarked upon a long career (25 years thus far) with the US Government where he currently is a career senior executive with the US Department of Justice. After many years of creative writing in the bureaucratic context, he recently decided to follow his heart and pursue as an avocation more serious and fulfilling creative writing, such as poetry and a recounting of his own spiritual journey. He considers poetry to be prayer, where God draws near to hearts, listens to us, shares in our deepest feelings, and responds to us. In his view, poetry maps the poet's spiritual journey toward truth, and spiritual journeys are to be shared, as they show others our own ways to God. He recently has collaborated with Kathy on writing about the gift of spiritual friendship. He currently is working on a book about the importance of Christians sharing the stories of their faith journeys to build Christian community.
David lives in Northern Virginia with his wife, Pamela, who is a homemaker and preschool teacher's assistant. They have 3 children; Lindsay who is 24 and married, Daniel who is 20 and a college student, and Brooke who is 9 and loving fourth grade.
Kathleen Hope Brown, D. Min. is the Director of Formation for Ministry at the Washington Theological Union, with responsibility for the school's program of spiritual and pastoral formation. She is also an adjunct professor there. She teaches presiding for lay ministers as well as courses in spirituality. Previously, she was the Regional Director of the DeSales Spirituality Center in Washington D.C, and she has worked in parish adult education for more than ten years. Kathy is the author of, Lay Leaders of Worship: A Practical and Spiritual Guide published by Liturgical Press. She has also written several articles on lay ministry and spirituality for Ministry and Liturgy and Emmanuel. She has presented retreats, workshops and parish missions in this area, Philadelphia, and North Carolina. Last summer, along with colleague David Orr, she presented a workshop for parish ministers at Newman Theological College in Alberta, entitled "Companions on the Journey: The Gift of Spiritual Friendship". They have since returned to Canada to give parish missions.
Kathy's doctorate in spiritual formation is from Catholic University, and she has a Master of Pastoral Studies from the Washington Theological Union. She is married to Scott Brown, an economist with the International Monetary Fund, and the mother of two sons, Christopher who is in graduate school and Stephen who is a college sophomore.
Contact:
Kathleen Hope Brown, D. Min.
Director of Formation for Ministry
Washington Theological Union
6896 Laurel Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20012
(202) 541 5216
brown@wtu.edu
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