GOOD NEWS – AURORA PROGRAM – REGISTER NOW!
The Star of the North offers a faith formation program called Aurora Living open to Christians willing to engage in the inner work of integrating contemplative prayer and social practice. The program is now into its fourth year, and we’ve been privileged to have folks from all different professions, traditions, and walks of life join our community.
Aurora Living is now accepting applicants for our winter module–Wilderness: The Journey to Wholeness–which starts mid-January 2025. We continue to invite you consider engaging other life-long learners in a contemplative community at the intersection of faith and contemporary issues such as creation care, justice & reconciliation.
In this upcoming module we’ll hear from a number of presenters including:
* Deb Rolfes, a Hebrew scripture scholar with Newman School of Theology, will lead our opening weekend retreat on What Happens in the Old Testament? Becoming the People of God.
- Rabbi Luara Duhan-Kaplan, the Director of Inter-Religious Studies at Vancouver School of Theology, will give a session on Interfaith Outreach in Polarized Times, as well as a Saturday retreat entitled Exodus: Ecology, Leadership & Reconciliation.
- Fr. Ron Rolheiser, OMI, award-winning author and spiritual theologian, will join us for a morning on the theme of The Wilderness as Transforming Us.
- The early application deadline for our next Aurora Living module is December 15th.
Each 3-month Aurora module is offered both in-person or online and includes an opening retreat weekend plus two Saturday retreats, smaller Wisdom Circle gatherings, monthly online resources and optional spiritual direction. The presenters for our Winter 2025 module include scholar Debbie Rolfes, Rabbi Laura Duhan-Kaplan, Paula Cornell, Fr. Ron Rolheiser, OMI, and more. You can find out more about the upcoming module at www.starofthenorth.ca/wilderness
Teachers, community builders, and lay-leaders have found that Aurora Living provides grounding and growing in the Word of God, “Laudato Si” Care for Creation, community building, contemplative prayer, and justice as right relationship. Aurora Living is informative, formative, and transformative, with a focus on spiritual exploration more than doctrinal orientation. The program provides a rich exchange and learning experience about current faith and justice issues, most significantly the TRC Calls to Action, within a spirit of respectful dialogue. The monthly wisdom circles are proving to be an effective way of teaching communal skills of listening, speaking and discerning through personal and intellectual sharing to integrate the rich content of the process. Inclusive of everyone, we invite you to join us on this journey of hope and action! Follow the links below or contact us to find out what the buzz is about.
Some testimonials from participants:
- Thank you to the Aurora Living Team. This was a rich opportunity for me to move into my teaching year.
- I am constantly trying to “dip into the well” and move both myself and my kids/students into meaningfulness vs. mindlessness. You are a deep and refreshing well.
- “This program is exceptional in quality. Your hard work and extra efforts show and are appreciated.”
- “There are several things that I appreciate about this program, especially occasions to listen with compassion to stories of the journeys, past and present
of Indigenous peoples, and the opportunities to meet other genuine seekers in meaningful and respectful conversations.” - “Aurora rituals helped me connect my heart with the head learning and insights of the day.”
- “Threaded throughout are words of scripture, contemplative practices and issues pertaining to our natural and social environments.
- Throughout all is the possibility to grow in self-awareness, all under the umbrella of Love!”
Our early-registration deadline for our Winter Module is December 15th. Simply respond to this email and let us know you’re interested!
Do you have a higher-education goal? Contact us about how Aurora Living can contribute to your Master’s degree.
Thank you to all of you who have helped circulate this information among your parish community and those you have connection with. We have brochures and other forms of promotion available as well; let us know how we can help you spread the word.
Toward a new dawn,
Clinton Porritt
On behalf of the Aurora Living Team
Lucie Leduc, Mariángel Marco Teja, +Sylvain Lavoie OMI
(780) 459-5511 ext. 23
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Star of the North Retreat Centre
Located on Treaty 6 Territory
3A St. Vital Avenue
St. Albert, AB T8N 1K1
