Sixth San Diego Thomas Merton Society Retreat - January 30 - February 1

The sixth San Diego Thomas Merton Society retreat offers participants a weekend devoted to contemplative prayer, in the spirit of Merton, a contemplative who was a great admirer of what he called the "realistic common sense" approach to mysticism found in the anonymous fourteenth century work, The Cloud of Unknowing.

Led by renowned retreat master and author Fr. William Meninger, in the beautiful and peaceful setting of southern California's Temecula wine country, this promises to be a weekend filled with spiritual renewal and inspiration.

Registration: Begins 3:30 p.m. Friday, with a wine and cheese social at 5:00, dinner at 6:00 and the opening session at 7:00. The retreat concludes after brunch on Sunday.
Fees: $260 per person for shared, two-bed double room. $345 per person for a private room. These fees include lodging, meals and the retreat program. We also offer a commuter option to those who wish to drive in from off-campus each day, for $150 per person, which includes all meals and the retreat program, but no room. Fees may be paid by mail using check or money order, or online using credit card, debit card or checking account (note that online there is a 3% surcharge - our cost - for use of the online payment system).

Accommodations: Two types of rooms are available - a shared double room with a fellow retreatant, or a single private room. All rooms have a full private bathroom with shower. Viña de Lestonnac is a retreat center run by the Sisters of the Company of Mary, and is named for the foundress of the order, Saint Jeanne de Lestonnac. Its setting in the mountainous wine country of Temecula is reminiscent of Bordeaux, France, where the order originated.

Viña de Lestonnac is located about one hour north of San Diego, or 90 minutes east of Los Angeles. Guest quarters are modern and comfortable, and the food is outstanding. There is a chapel with daily Mass and a prayer room in the Retreat Center, as well as a walking trail, outdoor Stations of the Cross, a swimming pool and spa, a gift shop and vineyards in which to stroll.

Retreat Master: Fr. William Meninger is a Cistercian (Trappist) monk at St. Benedict's Monastery in Snowmass, Colorado. He is a renowned retreat master and author of eight books, including The Loving Search for God: Contemplative Prayer and the Cloud of Unknowing (Continuum 1994).

In 1974, Fr. William was retreat master at St. Joseph's Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts, when he discovered in the abbey library the anonymous fourteenth century work, The Cloud of Unknowing. Using this slim volume as a template, he began leading retreats teaching contemplative meditation as a spiritual process which could enable the ordinary person to receive a direct experience of union with God. A year later, his abbot, Fr. Thomas Keating, and Fr. Basil Pennington at St. Joseph's Monastery took up Fr. William's method, and that later evolved into Fr. Keating's founding of the "centering prayer" movement through the highly successful Contemplative Outreach, Ltd.

Fr. William was ordained in Yakima, Washington in 1958, and worked for six years with native Americans and immigrant workers there. He then entered the Trappist order at St. Joseph's Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts, transferring in 1979 to St. Joseph's "daughter house," St. Benedict's. He is a scholar, with graduate studies at Seattle University, Harvard Divinity School and Boston University. In addition, he spent three years in Israel, where he studied scripture and taught at the Center for Biblical Studies in Jerusalem and at the Trappist Monastery of Latroun.

Retreat Sponsors: The San Diego Thomas Merton Society is one of the oldest and most active of the 40 US chapters of the International Thomas Merton Society (ITMS). Founded in 1987, the ITMS also includes six international chapters and 10 affiliated societies overseas.

The San Diego Thomas Merton Society meets at 6:30 p.m. every Thursday, at Saint Brigid Church, 4735 Cass Street, in the Pacific Beach neighborhood of San Diego. All are welcome. The second Thursday of the month features Merton discussion with refreshments. All other Thursday meetings consist of two 20-minute sessions of silent, centering prayer, led by Michael DeBlasio.

In June of 2005, the San Diego Merton Society hosted the Ninth Conference and General Meeting of the ITMS, on the campus of the University of San Diego. This 2009 retreat is the sixth regional retreat SDTMS has sponsored, with our past retreats led by James Finley, Jonathan Montaldo and other notables.

	Click to go to the ITMS online application. A subscription to The Merton Seasonal is just one benefit of membership.

Cost and Benefits of ITMS Membership

It is not necessary to be a member of ITMS to participate in San Diego Thomas Merton Society events or meetings - and SDTMS has no dues or fees for membership. ITMS membership is $25 annually. In addition to supporting the Society's goals, your membership brings you The Merton Seasonal, a quarterly journal devoted to Merton's writings, and a special ITMS discount rate on purchase of The Merton Annual.

ITMS Members are also entitled to reduced rates for biennial international conferences, and have access to the rich collection of Merton manuscripts, photos, drawings, and memorabilia at the Thomas Merton Center in the W.L. Lyons Brown Library at Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky.