This online retreat will encourage participants to integrate Spirituality with Creative Arts and to celebrate Beauty in a challenging world. It is a place and time for embodying creative arts as prayer in spiritual freedom with others. Facilitated by JISA Spiritual Directors Enoch Choy SJ, Lynne Head-Weir and Kathy Cave.
A typical session will include a guided contemplative meditation or prayer, with reference to Ignatian Spirituality, followed by the opportunity to create an artwork. Then there will be reflection in small groups on the process of art making and on the spiritual experience during the time of meditation. Each session will incorporate a different art form, and most likely would include collage, painting of emotions, an art exercise related to scent, drawing with ground coffee or sugar, playful art making use of paint and paper, acrylic pouring, ink splashing, photography with mobile phone, sculpting with metal wire, making zentangle, sand drawing or composing Haiku.
You are invited to join any one of the sessions or all four sessions. Optional creativity exercises would be recommended between sessions. Additional sessions could be offered for further reflection and discussion, at no extra cost, drawing on the wisdom of participants and facilitators.
All adults welcome. No prior art experience is required. You will only need to have art materials available to use during the sessions. Details will be provided on registration along with a Zoom link.
Time and Dates: FOUR SESSIONS of 90 minutes each via zoom
Session 1: Thursday 15 July 2021, 7pm – 8.30pm
Session 2: Thursday 29 July 2021, 7pm – 8.30pm
Session 3: Thursday 12 August 2021, 7pm – 8.30pm
Session 4: Thursday 26 August 2021, 7pm – 8.30pm
Cost per session: $35 for one session, or $125 for all four sessions
with Kathy Cave
We go into deep contemplation of the mystery of God’s spirit by noticing and relishing his gifts to us of internal, invisible patterns and movements. If desired, these could be made visible with fun art meaning making using paint and paper. Lingering in this discerning creative and spiritual process could open each of us up further into experiencing more deeply the power and presence and love of God.
Enoch Choy SJ Enoch is a Jesuit and former Protestant pastor. He has taught at universities in Hong Kong and Australia and has been involved with spiritual direction, counselling, publishing, advocacy and ministries to the homeless and refugees. He is a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary, Yale University and other prestigious schools, also trained at Harvard, Geneva, Guelph, and the Jesuit College of Spirituality in Melbourne. Enoch has years of experience in painting and poetry, and a keen interest in photography, icon-writing, cartoon-drawing and calligraphy.
Kathy Cave moved to a career in the art of listening after working in investment markets for 30 years. After training in spiritual direction, supervision and art therapy, she now offers retreats, accompanying people in their journeys as they discover their cherished uniqueness. Kathy is a member of the Canisius Centre of Ignatian Spirituality team.
Lynne Head-Weir BCW MA MSD is a Giver of Ignatian Spiritual Exercises and a team member of the Faber Centre of Ignatian Spirituality in Brisbane. Lynne is a masters graduate of both the Melbourne Institute of Creative Arts and University of Divinity. Lynne is blessed to be a mother of three children and grandmother of seven. There are also years of experience as an artist, addictions counsellor and creative arts therapist. Lynne is a practicing creative spiritual director and visual artist with a calling for Contemplative Arts retreat ministry, which accompanies others in seeking God in all things creative. Lynne combines creative arts with the faithful processes of Ignatian Spirituality