Sep 15 | Deacon Retreat Week: Preamble

In late August/early September of this year I went on retreat again to Rivendell. It was so nice to be back in my retreat space after a 2014 without any silent retreats taken! This retreat was focused on finally taking the time to meditate on my recent ordination to the transitional diaconate. To help me meditate, I brought the beautiful red stole that my friend the Rev. Christine lent to me.

My days were spent in silence save for a few instances of prayerful singing and recitation. I took a book my mentor the Ven. John Stephens lent to me: Strong, Loving, and Wise: Presiding in Liturgy, by Robert W. Hovda, which I found delightfully acerbic as well as deeply prayerful. Although I hadn’t planned on any particular work of hands, I ended up spending a lot of time drawing. Every night, I wrote a poem inspired by the Gospel reading assigned for Evening Prayer. I also journalled. The following few entries include those poems.

leave a reply