Titles of Sessions
Session 1: Looking Inward
Session 2: Looking Outward

Many of us are feeling overwhelmed by the level of anger in our society these days. Whether we are trying our best to love relatives who make no sense anymore, bravely donning our masks and heading to the store for groceries where who knows what might happen, or trying to post birthday photos on Facebook and winding up attacked by trolls, it seems like what we used to call “civil society” has gone the way of the dinosaurs. Benedictine monks, however, have been dealing with the challenges of living in community for 1500 years by now, and have developed strategies that not only prevent conflict but increase love. This retreat will explore how we can tap into this ancient monastic wisdom in order to “forgive in advance.”
Bio: Paula Huston is a longtime Benedictine oblate of New Camaldoli Hermitage in Big Sur. A wife, mother, and grandmother, she lives with her husband on four acres on the Central Coast of California where they raise bees, olives, and much of the produce they eat. She is a National Endowment of the Arts fellow in Creative Writing and the author of two novels and seven works of spiritual nonfiction. Her most recent book is One Ordinary Sunday: A Meditation on the Mystery of the Mass.