Formation Ministry
The Formation Ministry Team shall, in consultation the Rector and other relevant staff, help, plan, implement, and oversee all Christian education (children, youth, adult) activities of the church. Below are some of the Formation programs.
Contemplative Studies & Practices announces new meeting time: Wednesdays at 11:00 AM via Zoom beginning in November 2020
During these difficult times, contemplative practice can provide a much needed refuge for grounding ourselves in the divine source. In addition, by drawing on the accumulated wisdom of the ages, our ongoing studies will seek ways that we as individuals and as community can bring peace, compassion, and transformation to a world in crisis.
Each week our sessions will begin by discussing (for approximately a half hour) an excerpt from a previously chosen texts. For the month of November we will discuss of The Cloud of Unknowing: A New Translation of the Classic 14th-Century Guide to the Spiritual Experience, a translation and commentary by Ira Progoff. As we read through The Cloud, we will compare it with Buddhist contemplative practices and teachings. Each month or so, we will choose new texts from Christian as well as other contemplative traditions.
The second half of each session is dedicated to contemplative practice. Centering Prayer (the silent prayer of letting go of all thoughts, feelings, and images as outlined in Keating's book) is our usual practice. As we proceed we plan to undertake a variety of contemplative practices. By exploring other traditions we hope to rediscover the ancient mystical teachings of our Christian faith. Following the Reformation and the Western turn to reason, these teachings fell out of favor. In the last half century, monastics, like Thomas Keating and Thomas Merton, turned to Western and Eastern traditions to recover, what was for centuries, an integral component of the Christian faith experience.
We invite you to join us Wednesdays at 11:00 AM on Zoom. Please RSVP to receive the Zoom link and password by contacting Sue Wright at swright14620@yahoo.com or (315) 751-8015. It is listed as "Centering Prayer” on St. Paul’s Syracuse homepage https://www.stpaulsyr.org.
During these difficult times, contemplative practice can provide a much needed refuge for grounding ourselves in the divine source. In addition, by drawing on the accumulated wisdom of the ages, our ongoing studies will seek ways that we as individuals and as community can bring peace, compassion, and transformation to a world in crisis.
Each week our sessions will begin by discussing (for approximately a half hour) an excerpt from a previously chosen texts. For the month of November we will discuss of The Cloud of Unknowing: A New Translation of the Classic 14th-Century Guide to the Spiritual Experience, a translation and commentary by Ira Progoff. As we read through The Cloud, we will compare it with Buddhist contemplative practices and teachings. Each month or so, we will choose new texts from Christian as well as other contemplative traditions.
The second half of each session is dedicated to contemplative practice. Centering Prayer (the silent prayer of letting go of all thoughts, feelings, and images as outlined in Keating's book) is our usual practice. As we proceed we plan to undertake a variety of contemplative practices. By exploring other traditions we hope to rediscover the ancient mystical teachings of our Christian faith. Following the Reformation and the Western turn to reason, these teachings fell out of favor. In the last half century, monastics, like Thomas Keating and Thomas Merton, turned to Western and Eastern traditions to recover, what was for centuries, an integral component of the Christian faith experience.
We invite you to join us Wednesdays at 11:00 AM on Zoom. Please RSVP to receive the Zoom link and password by contacting Sue Wright at swright14620@yahoo.com or (315) 751-8015. It is listed as "Centering Prayer” on St. Paul’s Syracuse homepage https://www.stpaulsyr.org.
Adult Formation
Check out the front page of our website for current links to Adult Formation Programs such as these:
Check out the front page of our website for current links to Adult Formation Programs such as these:
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Feminist Theology
Our Feminist Theology group meets once a month via Zoom. Please check our newsletter link on the front page for the most current information and to RSVP for the group. We have a comfortable group of participants both male and female, with varied ages, and varied ideals about church and spirituality. All of us come with open minds to explore how God intersects in our lives.
Our Feminist Theology group meets once a month via Zoom. Please check our newsletter link on the front page for the most current information and to RSVP for the group. We have a comfortable group of participants both male and female, with varied ages, and varied ideals about church and spirituality. All of us come with open minds to explore how God intersects in our lives.
Children's Formation
Sadly, due to COVID-19, our children's ministry programs are currently on hold.
Sadly, due to COVID-19, our children's ministry programs are currently on hold.