« Patricia St. Onge, "Foreword" Writer for My Book, and I Will Be at the Same Event and YOU ARE INVITED! »

Here’s an invitation I hope you can accept! Below is the official invitation from the venue sponsor, The Chaplaincy Institute, Berkeley, California. I’m excited to be part of this event; especially excited that Patricia St. Onge (Haudenosaune and Quebecoise) will be there too. She helped me so much with my new book, “From Egos to Eden,” and wrote an important “Foreword” to it. My presentation will be based in my book. But look at the other presenters! There’s a lot here for us about how to construct courage and hope using spirituality that fits ecologically with our one planet.

One more thing! The deadline for registering has been extended. So no need to say, “Oh, I’d love to, but I’m too late.” Just hurry up and do it. I hope to see you there. (No need to wonder whether I’m related to the Seminary Dean. Yup! Dad and daughter.)

“The basic mood of the future might well be one of confidence in the continuing revelation that takes place in and through the Earth.  If the dynamics of the universe from the beginning shaped the course of the heavens, lighted the sun…and if it awakened life in the primordial cell…and finally brought us into being and guided us through the turbulent centuries, there is reason to believe that this same guiding process is precisely what has awakened in us our present understanding of ourselves and our relations to this stupendous process.”  -Thomas Berry, C.P., Ph.D., Eco-theologian, Passionist and Catholic priest   Eco-Ministry for Life on Earth Course April 25-29, 2017 This 4.5 day intensive has been created in response to the deep desire felt by so many of us. This desire – we call it Eco-Ministry – is our soul’s longing to take action, to bear witness and to heal our connection with Earth.   In our time together, practices and presentations will be with West Coast subject-area experts:   Patricia St Onge, M.Div., of Haudenosaunee (Mohawk) and Quebecoise descent, will open our intensive with a Seven Generations’ perspective and invitation;   Jesse Ford, a botanist, will present the panarchy model from ecology, showing us how it can be a vehicle for understanding the position on the cycle we are now in; Tom Rockwell, Arts & Science Educator, and Director of Exhibits at The Exploratorium, will invite us to marry our humanity with science (and vice-versa) as we explore needs, wants and desires in a larger natural and human-made context;   Action leaders from Idle No More, Movement Generation, and Joanna Macy’s The Work that Reconnects, will provide excursions, hands-on practice and/or panel discussions designed to help participants create similar partnerships and projects in our local bio-regions;   Lee Van Ham, Founder of Jubilee Economic Ministries (JEM), will suggest how to provide eco-ministry to humans as we leave the growth economic model and choose Earth-sized practices;   David Mitchell, Ph.D. (Atmospheric Sciences), Meditation teacher and Eco-minister, will draw from an interfaith understanding of cosmic cycles in consciousness, empowering us with strength, faith and meditation practices to restore humanity’s relationship with self, other and Earth.   Along the way, I will invite us to establish and strengthen our eco-ministry vows through ritual, liturgy and small group work.   Please complete the brief application today! February 28th is the application deadline. Non Refundable application fee: $65 Pending acceptance, course payment of $895 is due by April 1st. Current ChI Interfaith Studies and Spiritual Direction Certificate Program students and ChI alumni receive a 10% discount.  To learn more about why your participation is so important, please watch my video  and visit our Eco-Ministry course website.  For more information, please contact Admissions Manager, Mary Hicken, at mary@chaplaincyinstitute.org or 510-631-3066. With gratitude and anticipation, Lauren