At the School of Lectio Divina

Once at the School of Lectio Divina, I was deeply impressed with the organization of the School, the quality of the faculty, including the companions with whom we would meet several times during the School, and the amount of quiet time we would have.

One of the first intriguing issues that arose was the issue of whether or not to keep silence outside of the actual teaching times. S. Meg Funk led us through a discernment process to find what was the will of the Holy Spirit about keeping silence or being free to talk and discuss between the teaching sessions. One of the aspects of discernment that I appreciated was the practice of looking for a confirming sign for any provisional decision. If there would be no confirming sign, the (an) other alternative would be explored and then a confirming sign sought for that also.

This issue of keeping silence was important, at least in part because this was the first School of Lectio Divina offered in this way and open to both monastic and lay participants. This decision would create a pattern that would in all likelihood be followed in subsequent Schools.  We decided to keep silence, which we did until the evening before the last day and our leave-taking.

Lectio Divina

For almost a year, I've been exploring more in the areas of spiritual direction, centering prayer and lectio divina. In the summer of 2009 I attended a five-day intensive retreat for Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina at the Benedictine Center of St. Paul's Monastery in St. Paul, Minnesota. The leader of that retreat, Sr. Virginia Matter, provided clear instruction, a calm spirit and modeled a contemplative approach. After five days in Silence, with much time to focus, two periods of Centering Prayer a day, and several opportunities to practice Lectio, I was hooked.  However, until recently, I have not managed to sustain what I would consider a solid practice of Lectio in my daily life. From that retreat in 2009 to the summer of 2010, my practice of Lectio was infrequent and unfocused.

Early this summer, I learned that St. Paul's Monastery might be holding a School of Lectio Divina. An email exchange with the then Associate Director (now Director) confirmed that this was a serious possibility and that I would receive information about it if it came to fruition. Later, another email provided me with information needed to make an application to attend the School, which would be held from September 14-19, and would be taught by Sr. Mary Margaret (Meg) Funk. Needless to say, I applied. It was clear to me that this was something important to me in my life, and that I would require much more training and practice, as well as some more guidance to incorporate Lectio as part of my everyday life. By the beginning of August, I learned that I had been accepted. After ordering Meg Funk's books, I began to read in preparation for being able to absorb everything I could at the School.