If it has been a minute, or you are new to TCP, let us reintroduce this program that is open for the community to participate in, Holy Rest! 2024 marks our own anniversary, the 10th year in providing this opportunity to “retreat” and reflect in community. The next Holy Rest will be in the fall. Details will be posted to The Common Place social media sites.
Full name:Holy Rest Mornings
Goal: These retreat mornings are offered for women in the community with the goal of giving them a time for themselves, away from the many responsibilities these women have—-family, work, church, community. Our hope is that the women feel cared for and that they have an opportunity and space to deepen their connections with God and with each other.
Origin: Began in 2014 when Carey Davis, Director of CityLights, invited Buff and her sister Fran Thayer (also a spiritual director) to come and facilitate what had been known as a “First Ladies and Female Clergy Tea.” We changed the name to Holy Rest Mornings. Both have the same goal of offering a space of rest for busy women.
Offered three times a year, fall and spring, at Bartram’s Garden and now at John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, and January at TCP with a labyrinth.
Format: We typically begin with introductions so everyone’s voice is heard, prayer/spiritual practice (often lectio divina) with sharing afterwards in dyads or triads; short presentation on the topic for the day from resources such as Experiencing God in the Quiet, Fasting and Feasting during Lent, God’s Beloved Daughters e.g.; one hour of free time for contemplative walking outside with journal prompts provided, art activities (coloring, water colors, prayer beads e.g.) and time to put prayer request “leaves” on the “prayer tree” (as pictured above). The requests are shared with all in attendance by email so we can hold each other in prayer between our gatherings; we come back together for “Gathering of the Graces” where anyone who would like to share about their experience of the morning is invited to do so; closing prayer followed by lunch.
Progression/Growth: We began with 8 women at Bartram’s Garden (pictured below). Our last gathering in January of 2024 had 80 women at TCP to walk the labyrinth. We moved to John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge in 2022 because they were better able to accommodate us as numbers began to grow. Over the years we have also met at Cranaleith Spirituality Center in northeast Philly twice, Carey Davis’ house in Mt. Airy for an art experience, and went on a field trip to Hillsboro, MD, on the Eastern Shore of Maryland where we experienced an outdoor labyrinth at The Retreat House, a ministry organized by Fran.
