Gathering in small groups within our parish community can strengthen parish relationships and help participants create time to center the sacred moments of their everyday lives. Gathering in itself is beneficial, but these gatherings can also enhance each participant’s and the group’s ability to see, hear, and understand one another as Children of God.

This workshop, led by parishioner Mary Lisa Penilla, draws on lessons adapted from narrative medicine. Workshop participants will be taught and will practice close reading skills in order to refine and bolster our abilities to listen closely to one another. Through this, we will grow in understanding, appreciation, and love for the real, diverse, unique perspectives and people alive in this communal Body of Christ.

Listening Circles Workshop
Sunday, Nov 3, 2024
3:30-5:00pm
Location TBA

Workshop Objectives

• Enjoy the company of others while settling into a safe, respectful, facilitated space that supports each participant’s engagement with holy texts, images, and each other
• Understand how the exercise of close reading enables increased engagement and close listening to each other’s stories through practice and repetition
• Build confidence in each participant’s ability to elicit themes that resonate with, reflect, and build upon their unique personal experience and perspective
• Enhance a sense of belonging within a circle of people within a congregation
• Increase connectedness and bonds of understanding and love within the greater congregation

Activities will include: group prayer; individual reflection on pre-selected texts or images; opportunities to share in a facilitated group; writing to a prompt.

Using a specific process and tools, projected outcomes include:

• improving participants’ ability to clearly see and truly hear one another with close attention and without judgement;
• providing an opportunity to personally access Wisdom and express one’s voice through writing or artistic creation; and,
• overall, to strengthen bonds among individuals, within a community, and to and with God.

Spots are limited. Suggested donation is $5/participant to cover materials. Please reserve your spot by clicking the button below.

CLICK HERE TO SIGNUP

Curious about the connection between literature and listening? Pope Francis has written about it as well! Read his letter here and a summary of his letter from America Magazine here.