Saturday, June 26, 2010

Benedictine home gatherings -- interview with Julia Smead. A Benedictine oblate blog

Compline at Home


I interviewed Julia Smead about having a Benedictine Gathering at home or at a church. Here is the interview with Julia Smead.

A big public Thank You to Julia Smead for her time in being interviewed online -- that means a lot of typing for her -- and for the pictures she e-mailed about the group. She also e-mailed many examples of the excellent materials she prepares for the group sessions. Those materials are also linked in the interview.

The picture at the top of this blog is provided by Julia Smead. It shows Compline at her home.

At the end of Compline they turn out the lights, and with the candles, they have several minutes of silent meditation. Silence is sometimes the biggest adjustment for those not familiar with Benedictine practices. Julia Smead said:

"The one thing that is very difficult for people to assimilate to is the silence. It's also the thing that keeps them coming back. When I hear folks share with others about our group, the silence is what they talk about. We have two blocks of time when we're silent: following Vespers/while we're eating dinner; and after Compline as we enter the Great Silence."


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2 comments:

  1. Some of the most interesting work is being done by our Episcopalian brothers and sisters!

    I want to thank you for your kind words yesterday  I am humbled that you would take the time

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  2. Yes, the Episcopalians are leaders and they always have a giving spirit -- very willing to share and help others along the path.

    ReplyDelete