WEMTCCourses

R4 Retreat

Contents:
Retreat Weekend

What is this Weekend all about?
Useful resources for Retreat
The Student Spot
R4 Programme

Resources Addition Form
Contributions to this page

Welcome to the R4 Retreat Weekend web page. This page is designed to provide useful resources relating to the spirituality sessions covered in R4 with WEMTC. If you have found useful resources or have questions you would like ask, please do contribute.

What is this Weekend all about?

This weekend provides an opportunity to experience a 36 hour silent retreat programme together. There is also an opportunity for students to share resources to use in leading quiet days or retreats themselves

Click here for:

Useful resources for R4

Books

The following are core books for this weekend:

National Retreats Association Making a First Retreat London
Green T. When the Well Runs Dry Prayer Beyond the Beginnings Indiana Ave Maria Press 1979
Hughes G. A God of Surprises UK Darton Longman Todd 1985

For more detailed bibliographies see our Retreat Booklists.
Why not tell us of some books you have found useful? If the webmaster agrees we'll list them here.

R4 Retreat Web Resources

You may find the following web sites helpful for discovering more about Retreats and contemplative prayer. Material on the net has no quality control making tutors very wary - and rightly so! Nevertheless there is a growing amount of first class work on line. Treat with care and you'll find it very useful.

The Internet is not 100% reliable and documents move, disappear and change their names. If you find a link does not work, try again in an hour, a day, or a week. But do feel free to email us to report a link doesn't work. Don't forget to tell us the name of the link!

Retreats

National Retreat Association: The National Retreat Association produces useful leaflets on retreat topics but it is best known for its annual Retreats magazine which lists retreats in the UK for the forthcoming year. Its website has links to all the major retreat houses in the UK so a great starting place for finding a retreat. They also produce a range of useful leaflets many of which can be downloaded free from the NRA Publication page

Contemplative Prayer

Lectio Divina: The Carmelite website has an explanation of lectio divina and some aids to using the lectio divina with the Sunday Gospel Readings.

Online Prayer

Sacred Space: Sacred Space presents a daily online prayer and meditation in the biblical contemplative tradition using a six step version of Ignatian Prayer combined with the Lectio Divina and scenic pictures.
Celebrating Common Prayer: The Franciscan Daily Office CCP on line.
A daily reflection: A daily reflection including readings, quotations and questions for reflection with guidance page.
Franciscan Selection of Prayers: Prayers as chosen for the Third Order Franciscans

See the general religion links as a starting point for your own searching

Why not tell us of some sites you have found useful? If the webmaster agrees we'll list them here.

The Student Spot

This spot is for contributions from those who are doing or have done R4. It needs your contributions - books that have been helpful, questions you would like answered, adverts for things related to the module etc. Content is monitored by the webmaster with reference to the tutors and class reps if necessary. Click here to submit something for the page.

Go ahead - be the first to submit something

A sample R4 Weekend Programme

Please note that programmes are constantly being revised and the actual content of your weekend may look rather different.

Preparation

For those who are new to Quiet Days there will be suggestions given on how to use the silence and the space. The Retreat Leader & staff will be available for individual talks. A brief article about Retreats is attached for those who have never made a retreat before.
Please bring any Quiet Day resources to share on Sunday - e.g. studies, services, and activities. You may also find it helpful to bring art materials and other prayer aids. Some will be provided

Programme

Friday
6:30 Arrive
7:00 Dinner
8:15 Introductory Talk - Centring Prayer
9:15 Night Prayer

Saturday
8:30 Breakfast
9:30 Morning Prayer & Talk 2
   Praying with the Bible
10:45 Coffee available
12:00 Talk 3 (OPTIONAL)
   Praying with creation
1:00 Lunch (silent)
4:00 Tea available
5:00 Worship and Talk 4
   Reviewing our Prayer (optional)
6:00 Dinner (Silent)
7:30 Talk 5 (OPTIONAL)
   A Guided Meditation
9:00 Night Prayer (optional)

Sunday
8:30 Breakfast
9:15 Review of the Weekend
10:15 Organising Quiet Days
11:00 Coffee
11:30 Eucharist led by Staff
1:00 Lunch

Resources Addition Form

Sorry due to concerted spam attacks we have unfortunately had to remove our online forms Please email the webmaster with your request (webmaster @ the wemtc address)

Contribution to this Page

Sorry due to concerted spam attacks we have unfortunately had to remove our forms Please email the webmaster with your contribution (webmaster @ the wemtc address)

The Full Module Description for R4 Retreat

Code and title

R4 Retreat Weekend

Tutor

Elizabeth Harper and Retreat Leader

Brief description

Level and Credits

Contributes to F101 Ministerial Formation or V101 Vocational Discernment

Status

Core for Ordinands and Methodist Foundation Students

Type

Standard

Prerequisites

Nil

Restrictions

Open to Ordinands and Methodist Foundation Students only

Content summary

This weekend will cover:

A 36 hour silence for prayer and contemplation
Periods of corporate worship
Optional sessions introducing different forms of prayer (Ignatian prayer, lectio divina, praying with creation, use of art in prayer etc.)
Optional spiritual direction or guidance
How to prepare and organise Quiet Days
Resources for exploring retreats and contemplative prayer.
Creating a Rule of Life

Learning outcomes

By the end of this weekend students should:

a) Knowledge and Understanding

Be aware of differing forms of contemplative prayer
Know how to set up and organise a Quiet Day.
Have discovered experientially something of what the Retreat experience can offer personal and corporate spirituality.

b) Skills

Have experienced a pattern of silent retreat which may be a resource for spiritual growth in future ministry and which they may wish to offer others.
Have had an opportunity to step aside and renew and review their spiritual life and become more aware of their preferences in prayer
Have considered and planned how they might maintain a prayer discipline even through 'dry' times and begun to formulate a Rule of Life
For Foundation Students: have reflected further in an atmosphere of prayer and direction on their call to ministry

Teaching and learning

10 hours
7 hours class contact
3 hours personal study (prior reading, self reflection, discussion in Formation Groups and with Tutor)

Assessment

A self-reflection exercise in prescribed format

Indicative resources

National Retreats Association Making a First Retreat London
Green T. When the Well Runs Dry Prayer Beyond the Beginnings Indiana Ave Maria Press 1979
Hughes G. A God of Surprises UK Darton Longman Todd 1985

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