Submitted by Kathleen Owens (she/her), Manager of Clergy Programming and Communications for the Center for Clergy Renewal at Holy Wisdom Monastery.

James Rissler tried to prepare for his first Contemplative Renewal Immersion, and first visit to Holy Wisdom Monastery, by reading the Rule of Benedict. As a Mennonite Pastor from Georgia, he was not quite sure what to expect. He had some uncertainty about where he was heading in his vocation and a desire to explore more contemplative practices. He was concerned that St. Benedict seems to discourage humor and laughter. He wondered, “What kind of place will this be?”

On the first day, James was walking by the gardens and heard another pastor in his cohort, Amy, laughing loudly. He told Amy how much her joy put him at ease after reading Benedict’s discouragement of laughter. Amy shared her concerns over the upcoming 24 hours of silence, a practice that is comfortable for James.  This exchange confirmed for him the strength of being together in a cohort. “I’ve always been someone who appreciates processing things in relationships, so coming to Holy Wisdom and engaging in contemplative practices with other clergy from across the country and different traditions was attractive.” The diversity of the group and the way each of their gifts supported one another deepened his understanding of how important it is to be present for others, not just as a pastor, but as a person.

When it was time to write a Rule of Life in the Winter Immersion, James wrote a rule that reflected his desire to keep working not on specific practices, but on his presence. “My rule doesn’t commit me to any practices. It commits me to a kind of presence in the world. I’m clearer on a sense that who I am as a leader and a pastor is a person who tries to show up with a particular kind of presence to remain grounded in God’s love and sharing that love with those with whom I engage.”

James’ rule has a larger form, but it is the simple version that he references regularly: “I try to live with love, joy and presence.” Over five years have passed since James’ wrote this rule and shared it with his cohort and the sisters. James reflects, “Immediately and over the last five years, it facilitated, it deepened, it pointed me on a path that I’ve continued to walk…. The kind of person I am now, as a leader, was planted at Holy Wisdom and continues to grow.”

This ongoing growth comes through experiences outside of Holy Wisdom Monastery and through his monthly small group online gatherings with four members of his cohort, regular reunions with his full cohort and ongoing connection to the wider community of communities. “There is a kind of community that Holy Wisdom is as a whole, of which the Center for Clergy Renewal is an important part. But it’s a mutually beneficial relationship. I think neither would be what it is without the other. The space, the community, feels like it has a certain charism.”

Thank you for being part of the nurturing environment that can help James and other pastors find grounding in how they are being called to show up in the world.

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Submitted by Kathleen Owens (she/her), Manager of Clergy Programming and Communications for the Center for Clergy Renewal at Holy Wisdom Monastery.

“I don’t know if burned out is the right word,” reflects Julane Nease when recalling what led her to apply to Contemplative Renewal Immersions, “but I was feeling the stress of my call. There’d been a lot of difficulties that had happened within the life of the people in the congregation.” When she arrived for her first immersion in July 2021, she realized she was not alone. “I remember at that first session being struck at how emotional it was, several people, and I think probably me, were crying when we were talking about what had been going on and all the stress points in our lives and ministries.”

Julane felt the welcome and embrace of the cohort community in the group sessions. In Centering Prayer, she found a welcome and embrace from Christ. “I remember sitting in the oratory sinking into Centering Prayer and saying to myself, ‘OK, Jesus, here I am.’ And then I saw Jesus’ eyes right in front of me. I heard him say, ‘I’m here too.’”

By the end of the first immersion, Julane knew the contemplative way of praying and understanding God was needed in her life. The encouragement to look inward helped her to see the need to care for her own spiritual health. She is an extrovert and generally tends to be outward facing in her life. Paying attention to the internal was amazing, but hard. She entered the second immersion tender and ready for care. “It was okay because it was really a soft place to land. I knew that if all I could do was cry that was okay and people would be there to support me. I’ll always be tremendously grateful for that space.”

Beyond the two immersions, it is Julane’s ongoing small group that has provided a deep ongoing connection. “They are people that will show up for me whenever I need them, and they know that I will do that for them too.” It is also in her small group where Julane continues to develop her understanding of what it means to be a contemplative person and pastor. “We talk about it in our small group because we all feel we are walking contemplatives in this world. Thinking of myself that way reminds me to pause and be quiet, because how else am I going to hear God if things are so loud? Especially in this season in our country, everything is so loud. If I can remember to take five minutes of Centering Prayer, it is enough to refocus. Remember my breath. That’s been a big change.”

In her effort to be a walking contemplative in the world, Julane incorporates aspects of contemplative practice into worship. Worship now starts with silence, a form of Statio that Julane sees as particularly helpful for bringing the community together when some are online and others are in person. Reading Psalms aloud together has also shifted. “I remember Sister Lynne talking to us about how the sisters read out loud together. It’s about listening to each other. It’s not just about saying the words. I always try to let my voice be one voice among others. Sometimes I have the sense I’m going with the waves of the way the people are reading and speaking.” Thank you for being part of the community that supports the walking contemplatives in our loud world. The deep roots Julane developed through the Contemplative Renewal Immersions are continuing to feed Julane and her congregation, bringing forth new fruit as they continue to walk together through challenging times.

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Submitted by Kathleen Owens (she/her), Manager of Clergy Programming and Communications for the Center for Clergy Renewal at Holy Wisdom Monastery

James Salimes was struggling with disillusionment when he heard about the Contemplative Renewal Immersions at Holy Wisdom Monastery. As part of his disillusionment, he left ministry as a non-denominational pastor and started serving as a chaplain. James entered the immersions hopeful the experience would help him “work through my disillusion, but with an open mind to see where it would lead me.” As a part of the fourth cohort of Contemplative Renewal Immersions, he found a community of pastors from a variety of traditions. “It was a different experience for me to be with a group of pastors like that. Different from my own background. Not the group I’d normally hang out with.”

On the opening night of their first immersion, everyone was invited to take a rock and name something that they wanted to set down or let go of in their time at Holy Wisdom Monastery. James reflects, “I remember taking my rock and letting go of fear. That was a great way to start.” Another key moment from his second immersion was participating in a Clearness Triad, a practice built on the Quaker tradition of Clearness Committees. “It was something I longed to do but didn’t know I was longing for. It was like [being with] an especially good friend who will sit and listen. But those relationships are few and far between.  When we sat down and [I realized] there was a name for this, and there is a way to practice this, and it could be a part of everyday conversation…that was a big moment for me.”

In the spring after the second immersion, James found himself using these skills in his work as a chaplain. He remembers a particular conversation that spring, sitting with a grieving woman who had a lot of questions: “All these answers were coming to mind from college and the ministry I was a part of for so long. I was able to let that go and let her explore and listen to her without having answers or correcting her. I allowed the Holy Spirit to take the lead in our conversation. Since then, it’s helped me when I go to speak with people. I’m not the answer guy.”

The Contemplative Renewal Immersions helped James to see the work of the Holy Spirit in others and in himself. He came to “understand my own belovedness.” Awareness of his own belovedness opened James to an awareness of Christ’s presence in others. “If Christ is present than I can learn something from someone else no matter where they are from. I can see where God is at work. That is something I am trying to be more aware of, aware of how the Holy Spirit is working in the person next to me or whomever I meet that day. I keep calling myself back to that awareness, because it is easy for me to slip out of that awareness.”

Through the community of the Contemplative Renewal Immersions, James was able to strengthen the deep roots of his faith in Christ’s love and the leadership of the Holy Spirit. From strength of these roots, he is able to bring God’s love into the daily interactions of his ministry. Thank you for your support!

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