The Diocese of Palmerston North hosted a three day Symposium on Prayer, Contemplation and Liturgy, on 11 – 13 August. Three hundred people attended the first day and, over the course of three days, a total of three hundred and seventy spent some time there.
A spokesperson for the Diocese, Lynette Roberts-King, said that Symposium was a great success and that many of those attending had expressed satisfaction with the experience.
The keynote speakers were Dr Donna Orsuto (Professor at the Gregorian University in Rome), Stephen Kirk (Catholic composer, musician and worship leader), Joy Cowley (a writer for whom writing is a form of prayer) and Abbot Brian Keogh (Leader of Southern Star Abbey).
On Friday Dr Orsuto spoke on “Treasures Old and New: Finding New Ways to Pray in the Old Traditions’.
Brian Keogh’s presented ‘To Work and to Pray – the rhythm of Daily Life’ and Joy Cowley “Prayer for All Seasons” on Saturday.
Sunday saw Dr Donna Orsuto speaking on ‘Finding the Extraordinary in the Ordinary’ and Stephen Kirk on ‘A Primer on Prayer; A Transforming Relationship of Truth, Love and Mutual Self-giving’.
There were four workshop sessions which included a variety of topics such as Contemplative prayer; Prayer in marriage and family life; “Your will be done” – praying in difficult times and Prayer through journaling
Source
- Diocese of Palmerston North
- Image: Diocese of Palmerston North