Programs and Retreats at the Francisican Spirituality Center March

Meditation & Mindfulness within the Buddhist Path
Four Thursday evenings March 4, 11, 18, 25 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
Leader: Santikaro (see bio in February)
Investment: $10/evening or $35/series
Limited scholarships are available. Age 30 and under receive 50% discount.
Mindfulness training and meditation are important aspects of the spiritual path, yet they alone are not the path. Furthering the Center’s dialogue with many faiths, this series will introduce the basics of mindfulness and meditation and situate them within a broader understanding of the spiritual path as understood in original Buddhism, as well as in our lives today. Each session will include guided meditations, instruction and time for questions. Wear loose-fitting, comfortable clothing. The Center has chairs, but if you prefer to meditate on a cushion or bench, please bring your own.

Discovering Your Leadership Style
Friday, March 12 (6:30 – 9:00 p.m.) and
Saturday, March 13 (8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.)
Presenter: Vince Hatt
Investment: $195
Servant leadership involves moving from ego-based to soul-based leadership which is good for the leaders, good for employees and good for business. Using the insights from the Enneagram, a system of personality typology that combines psychology and spirituality to achieve self-awareness, we can learn specifically our own leadership style as it relates to communication with and understanding of another.

Movies of the Spirit
Third Thursdays in February, March and April 6:00 p.m.
Coordinators: Eric Wheeler, Carl Koch, and Joe Orso
Note: For this series of movies, coffee and tea will be provided instead of a meal.
Household Saints Thursday, March 18
In post-World War II New York, a young man wins his bride when her father bets her away in a pinochle game. The young man’s hyper-religious and superstitious mother disapproves of the mousy bride and is appalled by her cooking. Nevertheless, the two marry and eventually are blessed with a daughter, Teresa. Even as a child, Teresa is a religious zealot, praying for the good of the world and for miracles. As a teenager, her devotion borders on fanaticism as she seeks to find the pure and the good in the monotony of performing everyday chores in the tradition of her patron saint, St. Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flower. (Synopsis adapted from www.rottentomatoes.com.)

Finding Life’s Purpose With The Help Of The Enneagram
Friday, March 26 (7:30 – 9:00 p.m.) and
Saturday, March 27 (9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.)
Presenter: Vince Hatt
Investment: $95 includes meals. Young adults 30 years and younger: $30. Limited bedrooms available at $36/night.
Life’s purpose is described in many ways, such as doing God’s will, integrating inner and outer journeys, or the intersection of your gifts and the world’s needs. But how do we understand God’s will? Where do we get information on the inner journey? Which gifts respond to the world’s needs?
The enneagram is a system of personality that combines psychology and spirituality inviting us to live reflectively. By understanding and using the enneagram we receive insights into what specifically is our life’s purpose.
The workshop will include presentations, private reflection, and an opportunity to interview those who have used the different enneagram types as an aid to discovering their life’s purpose.
Vince Hatt is director of the Franciscan Spirituality Center. He regularly reflects on the gifts and challenges of his place on the enneagram to concretely name the specifics of his life’s purpose.

A Retreat for Those who have Lost Their Jobs or Live in Fear of Losing their Jobs.
Monday, March 29 (7:00 p.m) to
Wednesday, March 31 (4:00 p.m.)
Presenter: Fr. Charlie Smiech, OFM
Investment: Your time and prayer
Limited bedrooms available on a first-come first-served basis
Lord to whom shall we go? People today are searching for guidance in these troubled times which we live. Today many have already lost their jobs or live in fear of losing their jobs, which can lead to depression. As we embrace Holy Week, when we remember the sufferings of the Lord, and His rising to New Life, we would like to invite you to a retreat filled with hope in these trying times. Our time together will enhance our faith and give courage as we look to the future with hope. Lectures and time for personal consultation will serve as guidelines and help you restructure your life. You will enjoy the quiet environment to help with the process of integration. No longer live in fear, come join us and turn the darkness of uncertainty into the light of new beginnings. Bring a friend with you, for none of us walk alone.
Fr. Charlie Smiech is a Franciscan Friar from Chicago, IL who has experience leading retreats for the unemployed in the Chicago area. As a world-wide retreat director, he honors world religions as well as a multitude of cultures.

Santikaro is the founder of Liberation Park, a modern expression of Buddhist practice, study, and social responsibility located near Norwalk, WI. He lived in Thailand for 20 years, 15 as a Buddhist monk, where he studied and taught under Buddhadasa Bhikkhu. . . Santikaro was abbot of a small monastic community near Buddhadasa Bhikkhu’s Garden of Liberation. He began studying the enneagram in the mid-1990s, undertook the Enneagram Professional Training Program with Helen Palmer and David Daniels in 1998-2000, and pioneered a national enneagram program in Thailand, where he continues to teach yearly. Over the years, he’s also been active in inter-religious dialogue and socially engaged Buddhism