Over the first weekend of May, about 20 ELPC members and friends met an hour north of Pittsburgh at a quiet, woodsy place called the Villa Maria Education and Spirituality Center—a perfect setting for rest and contemplation. Joanne Spence led us through prayer, a variety of breathing exercises, and discussion to a broader and deeper sense of our faith living within our bodies, reminding us that Christ, too, lives within us, and to treasure our bodies for this reason.
Besides morning, mid-day, and evening prayers and contemplative time, we created art (see some samples below!) under the guiding hand of Tim Englehardt and danced with Yamuna Morgenstern in the beautiful chapel of the Sisters of the Humility of Mary. Some of us took slightly soggy walks in the woods, while others moved around the outdoor Labyrinth. We napped, we read books, and a few went swimming in an indoor pool, but, best of all, we got to know each other much better. This was a blessing.
