Three-Day Centering Prayer Retreat: T.S. Eliot's Four Quartets & the Contemplative Journey - Program
Three-Day Centering Prayer Retreat: T.S. Eliot's Four Quartets & the Contemplative Journey - Program
770 St Marys Ln, Sewanee, TN 37375, USA
Up to 30 in group
Aug 27 - 29, 2027
Retreat Highlights
- - centering prayer practice
- - TS Eliot
- - meditation in motion
- - contemplative
- - experience poetry
- - periods of silence
- - Holy Eucharist
- - Lectio Divina
- - no experience necessary
About this Retreat
Your Guides
Since he retired as chaplain of the University of the South in Sewanee, Tom has dedicated his time to teaching others the method of Centering Prayer. He has served on the St. Mary’s Sewanee Board and been a presenter/facilitator of retreats and workshops for decades. His passion for sharing the spiritual gifts of the Centering Prayer practice are extraordinary.
Details of this retreat
T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets and the Contemplative Journey
T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets is a profound meditation on time and eternity, loss and renewal, longing and surrender, and the possibility of encountering the eternal within the ordinary moments of our lives.
This contemplative weekend, led by the Reverend Tom Ward, invites participants to experience Eliot’s poetry not primarily as literature to be analyzed, but as words to be received slowly and prayerfully. Using the ancient practice of Lectio Divina—sacred, attentive reading—we will listen deeply to selected passages from Four Quartets and allow them to open pathways into silence, reflection, and prayer.
The rhythm of the weekend will include Lectio Divina, Centering Prayer, periods of silence, and opportunities for conversation and shared reflection. The Holy Eucharist will be celebrated on Saturday and Sunday.
No previous experience with Lectio Divina or Centering Prayer is necessary, and no knowledge of T.S. Eliot or his poetry is expected. Whether you have loved Four Quartets for years or have never read a line of Eliot, you are warmly invited to come, slow down, listen deeply, and discover what these remarkable poems might have to say to your own contemplative journey.
Check in begins at 3pm on Friday with a reception and gathering at 4:30pm. The program will conclude after lunch on Sunday.
T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets is a profound meditation on time and eternity, loss and renewal, longing and surrender, and the possibility of encountering the eternal within the ordinary moments of our lives.
This contemplative weekend, led by the Reverend Tom Ward, invites participants to experience Eliot’s poetry not primarily as literature to be analyzed, but as words to be received slowly and prayerfully. Using the ancient practice of Lectio Divina—sacred, attentive reading—we will listen deeply to selected passages from Four Quartets and allow them to open pathways into silence, reflection, and prayer.
The rhythm of the weekend will include Lectio Divina, Centering Prayer, periods of silence, and opportunities for conversation and shared reflection. The Holy Eucharist will be celebrated on Saturday and Sunday.
No previous experience with Lectio Divina or Centering Prayer is necessary, and no knowledge of T.S. Eliot or his poetry is expected. Whether you have loved Four Quartets for years or have never read a line of Eliot, you are warmly invited to come, slow down, listen deeply, and discover what these remarkable poems might have to say to your own contemplative journey.
Check in begins at 3pm on Friday with a reception and gathering at 4:30pm. The program will conclude after lunch on Sunday.
Schedule
- dinner 6pm Friday & Saturday
- breakfast 8am Saturday & Sunday
- lunch 12pm Saturday
- program Friday night until 8pm
- program instruction all day Saturday with breaks
- program Sunday morning
- concluding after lunch on Sunday
- breakfast 8am Saturday & Sunday
- lunch 12pm Saturday
- program Friday night until 8pm
- program instruction all day Saturday with breaks
- program Sunday morning
- concluding after lunch on Sunday
Note: Schedule is approximate and may change
Getting Here
St. Mary's Sewanee, 770 St Marys Ln, Sewanee, TN 37375, USA
Directions
*From Nashville or Chattanooga, take I-24 to Exit 134 toward Sewanee/Monteagle.
*At the top of the ramp, turn left onto Highway 41A toward Sewanee/University of the South.
*Continue on Highway 41A for 5.5 miles.
*Turn left onto Highway 56/Sherwood Road for .6 miles.
*Turn right onto St. Mary’s Lane for 0.7 miles.
*Follow the signs marked “Guest Registration”.
*At the top of the ramp, turn left onto Highway 41A toward Sewanee/University of the South.
*Continue on Highway 41A for 5.5 miles.
*Turn left onto Highway 56/Sherwood Road for .6 miles.
*Turn right onto St. Mary’s Lane for 0.7 miles.
*Follow the signs marked “Guest Registration”.
Accommodation
Anna House Motel Style Room
2 twin beds in each room, private bathroom, sitting area, air conditioning and heat. Please, indicate if a first floor room is requested. There are no elevators to second floor rooms.
SMH - Temperature Controlled Rooms
bluff view rooms, shared bathrooms separated by gender use, temperature controlled by split AC/Heat units
Merton Hermitage - corner apartment
Corner apartment located in St. Mary's Hall, private bedroom and bathroom, 1 king bed and 1 twin bed, dining area, kitchen, living room, cooling unit in the summer, heated in the winterPlease, indicate if a first floor room is requested. There are no elevators to second floor rooms.
St. Mary's Hall Dorm Style Room - Double Bed
Private room, 1 double bed, shared bathrooms separated by gender use, cooled with box fans in summer, heated in winterPlease, indicate if a first floor room is requested. There are no elevators to second floor rooms.
St. Mary's Hall Dorm Style King Room
Private room, 1 king bed, shared bathrooms separated by gender use, cooled with box fans in summer, heated in winterLocated on first floor
St. Mary's Hall Dorm Style Room
Private room, 2 twin beds in each room, shared bathrooms separated by gender use, cooled with box fans in summer, heated in winterPlease, indicate if a first floor room is requested. There are no elevators to second floor rooms.
Venue & Amenities
A/C in Rooms
Free Wifi
Spa
Sauna
Pool
Towels
Free Parking
Kitchen
Tour Assistance
Hot Tub
Coffee/Tea
Cafe
Restaurant
Fitness Center
Yoga Studio
Housekeeping
Bicycles For Rent
St. Mary’s Sewanee is dedicated to providing spiritual hospitality to persons of diverse religious and spiritual backgrounds in a place of natural beauty, simplicity, silence, tranquility, and warm spiritual rest through retreats, renewal, and learning.
What's Included
- - 2 night retreat, Friday-Sunday
- - dinner Friday at 6pm central
- - breakfast/lunch/dinner Saturday
- - breakfast & lunch Sunday
- - lodging, meals, program all inclusive
What's Not Included
- transportation
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