Living In the Desert - Thomas Merton Retreat Nov.17-19, 2006

NOVEMBER 17-19, 2006 - Living in the Desert- Moments of Solitude and Silence Using the Writings of Trappist Monk Thomas Merton led by Reverend Dan Phillips Mount Saint Joseph Conference and Retreat Center, Maple Mount, Kentucky.

Retreat will be led by Rev. Dan Kenneth Phillips, editor of Thomas Merton, Monk and Poet, website. For more information please contact: Kathy McCarty, 270-229-0200, ext.413 or kmccarty@maplemount.org, Retreat fees: Resident: $150 includes room for Friday and Saturday night and all meals. Commuters: $105 includes all meals. Deposit: A $25 nonrefundable deposit is due with registration.

ABOUT THIS RETREAT

This retreat is for persons who have a passion for knowledge of the life and works of Thomas Merton. Using New Seeds of Contemplation, Thoughts in Solitude, and the Journals of Thomas Merton, we will study solitude and silence. With Thomas Merton as our guide, we will discover in our own lives God's ability to touch our lives. We will study how to hear God's voice as he speaks to us. We will sense his presence in a variety of ways.

This retreat contains practical guidelines for developing an effective spiritual life. Through personal stories, practical tips on spirituality, and ways of making the most of a spiritual retreat, Rev. Dan Phillips (Brother Dan) takes you on a spiritual journey that will not only lead you by the still waters but give you strength to challenge the mountaintops of life.

Dan Kenneth Phillips has over 20 years of pastoral experience and is a frequent retreat leader on issues of Spiritual Development. For many years he taught a course on "How to Develop Your Spiritual Life" at religious conference centers around the country. As a writer, his publications have been printed in over two dozen periodicals, literary journals, and newspapers.

He has spent over 30 years studying the life of Thomas Merton, a catholic monk who lived at the Abbey of Gethsemani in Trappist, Kentucky. His website for Merton, Thomas Merton-Monk and Poet, is a primary target for persons interested in the spiritual life of Thomas Merton.

Another of his websites, How to Develop A Spiritual Journal, is frequently used in universities and churches as an example of the importance of keeping track of God's movement in one's life. His daily web journal Monastic Skete is read by hundreds of persons each week. He is presently chaplain at a hospital in Nashville, Tennessee.