Diocesan Retreat Committee

Visit the Retreat Committee's Web site

Members
Eliza Wolff , Chair ( 2006 )
Margaret Bennett , Secretary ( 2006 )
Norman Whitmire Jr., Treasurer ( 2006 )
Stuart Edwards (2006)
Elizabeth Frank (2006)
Helen Harrington ( 2006 )
Sonia Smith ( 2006 )
Shawn Strout (2006)
Clifford Wooldridge ( 2006 )

Church House Staff Contacts
The Rev. Canon Mary Sulerud
Ann V. Talty

The report below represents the Annual Report for 2004, presented to Council at the January 2005 Diocesan Convention and printed in the 2005 Journal and Directory.

Diocese of Washington
REPORT OF THE DIOCESAN RETREAT COMMITTEE

In 1967, Bishop Paul Moore, the Suffragan Bishop of Washington , established the Diocesan Retreat Association (DRA). The purpose of this volunteer group was to foster spiritual growth, formation, and awareness of God by sponsoring silent retreats. Since 1967, the Association has sponsored 46 silent retreats. These offer participants an opportunity to listen to God in sacred stillness, deepen their relationship with Him, and experience His grace of renewal and revitalization.

In 2004, the DRA became an official committee of the Diocese, and its name was changed to the Diocesan Retreat Committee (DRC). This milestone and other accomplishments in 2004 included the following:

During Lent, the Committee sponsored a silent retreat at the College of Preachers (now called Cathedral College ). The Rev. John David van Dooren, All Souls Memorial Episcopal Church, led the retreat. Father van Dooren chose "The Joyful and Sorrowful Mysteries of our Lord's Life" as the retreat theme. Twenty-four people from the Dioceses of Washington and Virginia attended.

In May, the DRC held its annual meeting at the College of Preachers . Dr. Bruce Johnson, Chair, led the meeting. The Rev. Mary Sulerud , Canon for Stewardship, who serves as Diocesan liaison to the DRC, attended part of the meeting. Major foci of discussion included DRC costs and revenue sources, ideas about publicizing retreats, suggestions for future retreat conductors, a DRC survey report, and election of officers. Elected officers included Eliza Wolff, Chair; CB Wooldridge, Retreat Manager; Margaret Bennett, Secretary; Norman Whitmire, M.D., Treasurer; and the Hon. Helen Harrington and Anne Hopewell, Members-at- La rge. Several months later, Anne Hopewell had to resign her committee membership, and the DRC Executive Committee appointed Stuart Edwards as her replacement.

In May, the newly elected officers continued exploration of a formalized relationship with the Diocese. Dr. Bruce Johnson, the former Chair, had previously begun these discussions with Bishop Chane. The Committee believed that a closer alliance with the Diocese would provide new opportunities for DRC development, make the powerful spiritual resource of silent retreats more widely known, and provide a mechanism for DRC donors to make tax deductible gifts. Ann Talty , Governance Officer, and Canon Sulerud provided very helpful communication about the process of becoming a Diocesan committee. On July 13, 2004 , the Diocesan Council approved a recommendation that it become a committee of the Diocese, that the name change to the Diocesan Retreat Committee, and that there be a new charter. This was a milestone in its 37 year history. The new charter charged the Committee to explore and develop possibilities to provide assistance to congregations about appropriate retreat spaces; maintain a list of retreat leaders gifted in different kinds of retreats or approaches; determine if other forms or locations of retreats could or should be expanded; suggest what the relationship could or should be with the Friends of St. Benedict, the Cathedral's Center for Prayer and Pilgrimage, and the Task Force on Christian Formation; explore funding resources from the Wilmer Fund and other resources with the Canon for Ministry and Resource Development; work with the Canon for Ministry and Resource Development and the Governance Officer on this task; and provide a status report in June 2005 and a report to Council in June 2006.

Over the next several months, members of the DRC Executive Committee held various meetings as it excitedly explored the possibilities of new working relationships and new opportunities to meet the Diocesan charge. The Committee met with Bishop Chane and Canon Sulerud, followed by meetings with Elizabeth Swenson, Secretary and Executive Director, and the Rev. Craig Eder, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Friends of St. Benedict. There were further meetings with the Rev. Eugene Sutton , Canon Pastor and Director of the Washington National Cathedral's Center for Prayer and Pilgrimage; and Paul Canady , the Diocese's Deputy for Youth Ministry and Diocesan liaison to the Task Force on Christian Formation. Through the meetings the Committee gained a deeper appreciation and stronger vision of the unique role and valuable spiritual resources the DRC offers through its silent retreats.

To establish a firmer financial base and to expand outreach and scholarship for our retreats, the DRC applied for a grant from All Souls' Memorial Episcopal Church endowment funds. In September, All Souls awarded the DRC $4,560. The rector, Father John David van Dooren, also volunteered to assist in outreach and contacted rectors at three predominately African American parishes. The Committee also contacted the Diocese to solicit ideas about outreach.

In the fall, the Washington Window and the Diocesan web site's calendar publicized the retreats; and the first draft of a DRC brochure was completed.

In December, the DRC sponsored a silent Advent retreat with thirty individuals at Cathedral College . Canon Eugene Sutton led the retreat and chose "The Soul in Winter" as the theme. At the fellowship hour, Canon Sulerud presented a Diocesan Commendation to Bruce and Emily Johnson for their 18 years of DRC leadership and support. The DRC used a new evaluation form at this retreat and began collecting info rmation from retreatans about suggestions for retreat leaders and retreat sites. Material was distributed from the Friends of St. Benedict and the Cathedral's Center for Prayer and Pilgrimage.

In December, Executive Committee members met with Mr. Jim Naughton and Ms. Amy Elliott to discuss communication tools and approaches within the Diocese. We submitted materials to Washington Window , Church House News , and the Diocesan calendar to publicize the 2005 Lenten silent retreat. Its theme will be "All My Fresh Springs are in You." Brother Curtis Almquist , Superior of the Society for St. John the Evangelist in Cambridge , Massachusetts , and a former parish priest, will lead the retreat. Brother Almquist is a nationally known retreat conductor, spiritual director and Publisher of Cowley Publications. In 2005, the DRC will concentrate on the following activities:

meet throughout the year to guide and review activities related to its Diocesan charter.

complete booth materials and staff a booth at the Diocesan Convention.

explore retreat resources to reduce participant costs and expand scholarships.

publicize retreats through Diocesan communications and mailings to DRC members, the Friends of St. Benedict, the Cathedral's Center for Prayer and Pilgrimage, and the Task Force on Christian Formation.

display material from the Friends of St. Benedict, the Cathedral's Center for Prayer and Pilgrimage, and the Task Force on Christian Formation at retreats.

sponsor a silent Lenten retreat March 4-6 and a silent Advent retreat December 2-4 at Cathedral College .

hold an annual meeting in May to discuss DRC activities and ask for ideas and recommendations.

continue to communicate and collaborate with the Diocese throughout the year, and provide a DRC first-year status report to the Council in June.

Ms. Lila Wolff, Chair