MESSAGE FROM THE ABBEY ADMINISTRATOR

Dear Friends of the Pecos Monastery,

After an absence of thirty years I have returned to the monastery as administrator. My memories of Pecos in the decade of the 70s include a community dedicated to the praise of God, and to the ministries of evangelization, retreats, and spiritual direction. It is these aspects that have sustained my own monastic journey over these three decades. It is these aspects that I hope to revisit and help strengthen during my term as administrator.

I was appointed to this new position by Abbot General Michelangelo Tiribilli, OSB, in consultation with his congregational council (definitory) upon the recommendation of the Pecos monastic community for an interim term to last at least two years. Though for me not a decision made overnight, I sensed the rightness of coming to Pecos at this time and said “yes.”

During this time it is my goal to encourage the community to grow more deeply in our primary commitment to a life of prayer in both its liturgical and contemplative aspects. It is also my goal to enhance the offerings of our retreat ministry by making the facility available for group usage that is in line with our monastic charism in its several dimensions. Additionally, as is true of most religious communities our median age continues to rise, so vocational promotion and adequate formation of newcomers also need to be seen as a priorities.

I would like to invite you, our friends, to become part of our future that one of our monks envisions as the beginning of “a new dawn over Pecos.” I am confident that the Holy Spirit who is so present in this holy place will continue to reveal what this new dawn may look like. To begin with I would like to invite you to be part of it through your prayer for our community during this time of transition. For the first time since 1973 we are “without an abbot,” and our retreat ministry does not reach the numbers that it once did. This, of course, has repercussions on our finances, and our ability to continue to provide quality programming. However, the good news is that we have 33 participants signed up for our summer spiritual direction school.

In addition to prayer, there many other ways you can assist us by offering your “time, talent, and treasure.” I am happy to announce that in September we will be sending two monks, who will be making perpetual profession in the fall, to study for the priesthood at the Beda Pontifical College in Rome, a school that specializes in forming men for the priesthood who do not have the academic prerequisites that most seminaries require. Monetary assistance for their education will guarantee our continuing the ministries for which we have been recognized in past years.

May the Holy Spirit who enlivened the first Christian community gathered in the Jerusalem Cenacle around Mary, Mother of Jesus and his first disciple, bless all of you for your continued friendship and support of our monastic community and its works.
Sincerely in the Spirit of Jesus,

Stephen Coffey, OSB
Administrator

Pecos Benedictine Monastery
Abbey of Our Lady of Guadalupe

School for Spiritual Direction

The Pecos Benedictine Monastery under the direction of Abbot David Geraets, OSB, founded our School for Spiritual Direction in 1978 to help meet the growing need for the availability of spiritual directors as well as to offer the opportunity to learn about and experience spiritual direction in a monastic setting.

Since many of those who find themselves being called upon to offer spiritual direction are unable to spare the years it would take to study in a university setting, our course is designed to fit their busy schedules. We do not consider our course a substitute for a more extended program, but we view it as a solid foundation which must be expanded upon with further study, experience, reflection, and supervision.

Our School may also serve as a refresher course for those who have already studied or have practiced spiritual direction. Its first phase may also benefit those who wish to develop the spiritual life for their own personal development and growth in the Spirit.

Time-tested teachings from various schools of spiritual direction are taught as well as their Scriptural foundations. Since its inception the School has emphasized the role of the Holy Spirit and spiritual direction as a charismatic ministry of discernment of spirits. In addition the School emphasizes points of convergence in classical spirituality and contemporary psychology. The School is ecumenical in both participants and faculty which comprises members of the monastic community as well as experts in the fields of spirituality, psychology, and the practice of spiritual direction.
Although we highly value the importance of the intellectual component of our School, we believe that even more important is the experience of personal transformation in the context of living Christian community. To this end, we bring School participants into the life of our Benedictine community. They join with daily for morning praise, Eucharist, and evening prayer as well as share meals with us. And there are other opportunities for shared recreation and outings to nearby attractions.
Students take part in small support/discussion groups and will have their own spiritual director during the program. Also, each participant is required to receive personal spiritual direction prior to attending the first session. We have a directory of prior students, if assistance is needed in finding a director.

The School is a residential program completed in three 2-week modules at the conclusion of which students will receive a Certificate of Completion. Students reside at the Abbey Guesthouse adjacent to the monastery just outside the Village of Pecos, New Mexico, 25 miles East of Santa Fe. The scenic thousand acre property is located on the beautiful Pecos River as it wends its way from the high mountains above.

Phase I of the School, the Spiritual Formation component, will be offered three times in 2009: January 18-30, March 15-27 and June 28-July 10. Phase II, the Art of Spiritual Direction, will be offered May 10-22 and September 13-25. Phase III, the Practice of Spiritual Direction will be offered November 8-20. The three phases may be completed within one, two, or three calendar years. Those students completing Phase III in November 2009 will comprise the 50th School for Spiritual Direction at Pecos.

Tuition for each phase, including room and board is $1750. If you are interested in attending the School in 2009, or in future years, please see the “Pecos School for Spiritual Direction” pages by clicking the icon on the left.

 

The Pecos Benedictine
San Patricio Retreat Center

www.sanpatricioretreatcenter.com