A Letter From Cynthia Bourgeault, Resident Teacher, March 2001

*Image: Cynthia and Fr.Bruno,OSB (LOST)

Dear Members,

The fourth Annual General Meeting of the Contemplative Society is  nearly  upon us, bringing with it the welcome  responsibility of the annual director's report.  It has been a good year for the Contemplative Society: another year of steady growth, experimentation, and transition. From my standpoint, unquestionably our most successful new venture  has been the addition of Heather Page as part-time administrative assistant for the Society. Thanks to Heather's skillful and dedicated work, the Contemplative Society now has a real "office," where people can receive information, register for events, and send their contributions. Between Heather and our new website  (see below), communications have improved vastly, and this improvement is reflected in a continued steady gain in membership.With many new faces, and the inevitable fresh new energy that comes with a changing of the guard, the Board has put a considerable effort this year into standardizing  systems and procedures . Particular thanks go to president John Lowan for his  sensitive and visionary leadership, to treasurer Katherine Jarrett, for her capable work "wrassling" the books into computerized format, and to Doreen Davidson  for developing and maintaining our stunning new website.   Check it out, if you haven't already, at www.contemplative.org.  It is good that the Society's infrastructure is now firmly in place, for this year we will be facing some  large external changes.  For nearly three years the Contemplative Society has called Salt Spring Island home. Most  of this time we have been happily ensconced at "Fairacres', the rambling  old cottage at the head of Ganges Harbour which  has been graciously made available to us by Geoffrey and Shelagh  Ballard. This summer Fairacres will return to the market, and after much thoughtful  consideration, the Board of the Contemplative Society has declined the option to purchase it. While  the decision was difficult, I believe it was the right one, and I am grateful both to the Board for its clarity, and to Geoff and Shelagh  Ballard for their generosity.  These grace-filled years at Fairacres have given the Society its strongest possible start in life.This means, of course, that the Contemplative Society  will be  moving at the end of this summer. During these three years of testing the waters, it has become clear to the Board that Victoria is the real center of the Society's work, both in numbers of members and in ease of access. Through the generosity of the Sisters of St. Ann, I will be taking up residence in a hermitage at Glenairley, the Sisters' lovely retreat center in East Sooke.  So it seems hopeful that Benedictine weekends and silent retreats will continue to unfold by the shores of Sooke Bay.  Weekly teaching will continue as usual both in Victoria  and in other locations - including, I should imagine, periodic forays back to Salt Spring Island.In these three years of building the Contemplative Society, my own vocation as a hermit has taken a pretty serious beating.  And so it is with both relief and gratitude that I share with you the news that the Board has granted me a "hermit's  leave"  this fall to replenish the wellsprings of my own spiritual practice. In my absence, teaching and retreats will be staffed  by members of the Contemplative Society,  as well as by invited guest teachers. I am particularly pleased to announce that  Fr. Bruno  Barnhart will  be returning to Victoria  this November to lead the five-day silent retreat at Queenswood House.As you can see, we have much to ponder and pray about together. I hope as many as possible of you will be able to make it to the Annual General Meeting on May 5. And if possible, plan to come a few days early and be part of the pre-meeting Benedictine retreat May  3-5. Aside from  being a wonderful way to "generate good spiritual energy" for the meeting, it will  also be an opportunity to prune, clip, and weed one last time at Fairacres, and to pay our heartfelt respects to this beautiful old place that has served us so well. Peace and blessing to you all,Cynthia Bourgeault