Three Thursdays - Mar. 14, 21, & 28, 2024

6:00 - 7:15 PM - Virtual Online

The Daily Examen changed everything for me. The prayer showed up in what looked like a children’s book -- Sleeping With Bread: Holding What Gives You Life -- when I was on a private retreat at Well of Mercy in 2002. This little prayer allows us to break through the prayer barrier by dramatically altering how we pray and how we see life. You are invited to discover this life-altering prayer, moving your prayer life from shades of gray to living colors.

REGISTER NOW

• WHAT: Three weekly virtual sessions for three consecutive weeks facilitated by seasoned trainer Ann Starrette & practitioner Nancy Bellamy.

• WHERE: Virtual on Zoom

• WHEN: Thursdays, March 14, 21,28, 2024, from 6:00 - 7:15 pm [optional in-person mini closing retreat at Starrette Farm on Saturday, April 6, from 1:00 -4:30 pm]

• CLASS SIZE LIMITED

• COST: $60 for all three sessions (plus optional mini-retreat) Please check your calendar before registering. Training portions will be recorded and provided

• TO REGISTER: email nancy@starrettefarmretreat.com

Three Wednesdays - Feb. 21, Mar. 6 & 20, 2024

6:00 - 7:00 PM - Virtual Online

On three separate Wednesdays during Lent, we'll gather via zoom to practice visio divina with selected images of the Stations of the Cross. Visio divina (sacred seeing) is a way of praying that engages our hearts and imaginations as we silently enter into an image. As we slowly savor and allow the Holy One to speak to us, we can experience stirring and awakening in our souls. All are welcome!

•      WHAT: Three sessions facilitated by Roxanne Morgan & Nancy Bellamy

•      WHERE: Virtual on Zoom

•      WHEN: Wednesdays; February 21, March 6, March 20, 2024, 6:00 - 7:00 pm

•      COST: Sliding scale of $20 - $30 - $40 for all three sessions.  Pay what you can/how you are led.  Partial scholarships are available.

 • TO REGISTER: email nancy@starrettefarmretreat.com

Welcoming Prayer Practice

Saturday, February 17, 2024 from 10:00 am - 3:30 pm

Some of the many fruits of this simple practice are interior freedom, peace and joy regardless of outward circumstances. The practice also helps us wake up and become aware of what trips us up, stirs us up, and keeps us stuck. Over time the Holy Spirit, with our cooperation, enables us to respond from a stance of freedom rather than fear. Doesn’t that sound good?

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• WHAT: This retreat offers a simple spiritual tool for deepening our relationship with God, self, and others. Facilitated by commissioned presenter Ann Starrette & practitioner Nancy Bellamy.

• WHEN: Saturday, February 17, 2024 from 10:00 am to 3:30 pm

• WHERE: Starrette Farm Retreat, Statesville. Directions to this private property follow your registration.

• CLASS SIZE LIMITED

• COST: $60. Includes materials, labyrinth prayer path, lunch and snacks

• TO REGISTER: email nancy@starrettefarmretreat.com

Three Thursdays - Feb. 15, 22 & 29, 2024

6:00 - 7:30 PM - Virtual Online

Are you longing to expand your capacity to listen to God in your heart and the hearts of others? Are you interested in facilitating a group of people for this purpose? If so, we invite you to join us for this short course on participating and facilitating a process known internationally as Group Spiritual Direction.

REGISTER NOW

• WHAT: Three weekly virtual sessions for three consecutive weeks facilitated by seasoned practitioners Ann Starrette & Nancy Bellamy.

• WHEN: Thursdays, February 15, 22, and 29, 2024, from 6:00 - 7:30 pm

• WHERE: Virtual on Zoom. Ongoing group opportunities after the third session.

• CLASS SIZE LIMITED

• COST: $60 for all three sessions. Please check your calendar before registering. Training portions will be recorded and provided

• TO REGISTER: email nancy@starrettefarmretreat.com

Exploring the Arts as Spiritual Practice

Roxanne Morgan, spiritual director and artist

Over this next year, four retreat days will be offered, each one near a cross quarter day of the Celtic calendar, the mid-way points between solstices and equinoxes. Each retreat day, participants will engage with and explore various creative and contemplative practices, experiencing how they intertwine and marry together to deepen one’s connection with the Divine.

We’ll be accompanied by three different women mystics and also our own ancestors this year as we explore silence and watercolor painting, collage and book making, poetry writing and lectio divina, handcrafting from found materials, examen and bread baking, imaginative prayer, iconography, and story telling.

Dates for 2024 (registration and payment deadlines are two weeks prior to each retreat)

• Saturday February 3 - theme of thresholds, in the company of Brigid of Kildare

• Saturday April 20 - theme of emergence, in the company of Hildegard of Bingen

• Saturday July 27 - theme of gathering, in the company of Mechthild of Magdeburg

• Saturday November 2 - theme of ancestors, in the company of your own

For the Experienced Centering Prayer Practitioner

Mondays // Nov 6, 2023, Mar 4, 2024 & June 10, 2024

10:00 AM - 4:00 PM In-Person at Starrette Farm Retreat

These retreats will facilitate entrance into a more profound level of spiritual practice in an atmosphere of silence and community to encourage a more intimate relationship with God. Our time follows the Snowmass guidelines for a day retreat including six 20-minute Centering Prayer periods a day.

The prayer is supported with videos of Fr. Thomas Keating sharing his teachings and/or a teaching by Don Carroll using Cynthia Bourgeault book, Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening. 

Led by Don Carroll and Nancy Bellamy

Registration is complete only after nonrefundable deposit has been paid.  Directions will follow paid registration.

Instructions to pay: 

• By check: make payable to The Lydia Group.

• Mail to: The Lydia Group, P O Box 1288, Troutman, NC. 28166

• Paypal: paypal.me/TheLydiaGroup

If you have questions, please contact Nancy@starrettefarmretreat.com or 336.971.7275

Church of the Wild

Saturday, October 28th / 9am - 3pm

Church of the Wild is a network of churches throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe that are blossoming into a collaborate movement with the common thread of holding worship services outside.

Church of the Wild in Statesville, NC is forming with plans to gather once a quarter at The Starrette Farm to honor the mutual indwelling of the Divine with the Earth and all of its beings, remembering our sacred interconnection and interdependence.

Contemplative Photography: Seeking Connection with God

Saturday, October 14, 2023
9:00 am - 3:30 pm

• Starrette Farm Retreat, Statesville, NC

• Cost $50 per person

• Facilitated by Julie Westhofen

Contemplative photography is a practice for seeing and photographing the world in fresh ways, to reveal richness and beauty that is normally hidden from view. Instead of emphasizing subject matter or the technical aspects of photography, the contemplative approach teaches you to see clearly, and make images based on fresh perceptions.

Contemplative photography is not a hike through the woods but a meandering, open to moments of discovery and connection. The camera is a tool. The goal is the process, not the product. This is a visual meditative practice.

All skill levels are encouraged to attend. Bring a camera and a phone or just the camera in your phone.

Walking a Sacred Path:
Rediscovering the Labyrinth as a Spiritual Practice

A Mini Retreat at Starrette Farm
Saturday, September 30, 2023
1:00 am - 4:30 pm

• Cost $35 per person

• Facilitated by Ann Starrette & Nancy Bellamy

Whether you’re a newcomer to the Labyrinth or a frequent “walker,” please join us. We’ll review the basics, walk the path, and share our experience as we are refreshed, renewed, and empowered by the ancient practice used for centuries worldwide.

REGISTER NOW:

Limited to 12 people. Cost is $35. For questions or to register, contact  Nancy at (336) 971-7275 or nancy@StarretteFarmRetreat.com  — Directions via email to Starrette Farm Retreat will follow your registration. 

Church of the Wild

Saturday, Jul 29 / 9am - 3pm

Church of the Wild is a network of churches throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe that are blossoming into a collaborate movement with the common thread of holding worship services outside.

Church of the Wild in Statesville, NC is forming with plans to gather once a quarter at The Starrette Farm to honor the mutual indwelling of the Divine with the Earth and all of its beings, remembering our sacred interconnection and interdependence.

Are you longing to notice & experience God’s nudges?
Are you longing to expand your capacity to listen to God
in your heart and in the hearts of others?
Are you interested in facilitating a group of people for this purpose?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, join us for a short course training on

TRUST CIRCLES for GROUP SPIRITUAL DIRECTION. Details below.

Spiritual Direction in Groups
- three weekly virtual sessions -

• WHEN: Tuesdays, June 6, 13, and 20, 2023

• From 5:30 - 7:00 pm Eastern Time

• WHERE: Virtual on Zoom

• COST: $60 for all three sessions. Training portions will be recorded and provided.  Facilitators: Ann Starrette and  Nancy Bellamy

• TO REGISTER or questions: email Nancy@starrettefarmretreat.com or call her at (336) 971-7275

A One-Day Silent Centering Prayer Retreat

For the Experienced Centering Prayer Practitioner

Monday, May 1 - 10 am to 4 pm

Led by Don Carroll, WCO founding fellow - This retreat will replicate, for one day, the rhythm of the extended retreats at St. Benedict’s Monastery in Snowmass, CO. There will be four rounds of one-hour sits with a walking meditation in between each one. Those attending will be invited to participate in as many rounds as they would like. The retreat will be in silence except for brief conversations at the beginning and closing.

Church of the Wild

Saturday, July 29 / 9am - 3pm

Church of the Wild is a network of churches throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe that are blossoming into a collaborate movement with the common thread of holding worship services outside.

Church of the Wild in Statesville, NC is forming with plans to gather once a quarter at The Starrette Farm to honor the mutual indwelling of the Divine with the Earth and all of its beings, remembering our sacred interconnection and interdependence.

Next Retreat Day - April 15

Four Saturday retreat dates: Jan 21, Feb 18, Mar , Apr 15 / 9am - 4pm

Each retreat day we will engage with and explore various creative and contemplative practices, including but not limited to watercolor, silence, collage, visio and lectio divina, found object and clay sculpting, examen and body work, book making, iconography, writing, imaginative prayer, storytelling, fiber art, and poetry.

Next Retreat Day - March 11

Four Saturday retreat dates: Jan 21, Feb 18, Mar , Apr 15 / 9am - 4pm

Each retreat day we will engage with and explore various creative and contemplative practices, including but not limited to watercolor, silence, collage, visio and lectio divina, found object and clay sculpting, examen and body work, book making, iconography, writing, imaginative prayer, storytelling, fiber art, and poetry.

Next Retreat Day - February 18th

Four Saturday retreat dates: Jan 21, Feb 18, Mar , Apr 15 / 9am - 4pm

Each retreat day we will engage with and explore various creative and contemplative practices, including but not limited to watercolor, silence, collage, visio and lectio divina, found object and clay sculpting, examen and body work, book making, iconography, writing, imaginative prayer, storytelling, fiber art, and poetry.

Four Saturday retreat dates: Jan 21, Feb 18, Mar , Apr 15 / 9am - 4pm

Each retreat day we will engage with and explore various creative and contemplative practices, including but not limited to watercolor, silence, collage, visio and lectio divina, found object and clay sculpting, examen and body work, book making, iconography, writing, imaginative prayer, storytelling, fiber art, and poetry.

Using the ancient prayer practice of walking the Labyrinth, you will learn to release and return with an open-hearted embrace of all that is in ourselves and the world.

As a part of your Holy Week observance, plan now to join us as we keep vigil with Christ on Holy Saturday, April 16, on the sacred grounds of Starrette Farm Retreat, Statesville, NC.

We will explore the history, the scriptures, and experience the newly-created Stations of the Cross prayer walk —nestled in a peaceful setting leading through the woods near the labyrinth at Starrette Farm Retreat Center. Limited to 20 participants.

Using the ancient prayer practice of walking the Labyrinth, you will learn to release and return with an open-hearted embrace of all that is in ourselves and the world.

For the Experienced Centering Prayer Practitioner
IN-PERSON at Starrette Farm Retreat

Led by Don Carroll, WCO founding fellow - This retreat will replicate for one day the rhythm of the extended retreats at St. Benedict’s Monastery in Snowmass, CO. There will be four rounds of one-hour sits with a walking meditation in between each one. Those attending will be invited to participate in as many rounds as they would like. The retreat will be in silence except for brief conversations at the beginning and closing.

MARCH 20, 2021
10am - 3pm

We will explore the history, the scriptures, and experience the newly-created Stations of the Cross prayer walk —nestled in a peaceful setting leading through the woods near the labyrinth at Starrette Farm Retreat Center. Two opportunities provided. Each date is limited to 12 participants.

LEARN MORE ➝

MARCH 14, 2021
2pm - 5pm

We will explore the history, the scriptures, and experience the newly-created Stations of the Cross prayer walk —nestled in a peaceful setting leading through the woods near the labyrinth at Starrette Farm Retreat Center. Two opportunities provided. Each date is limited to 12 participants.

LEARN MORE ➝

Saturday, March 6, 2021
10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Forgiveness is the belief that God can enter into any person or situation and create healing and transformation. We will examine perspectives on forgiveness from multiple psychological, spiritual, and philosophical traditions. However, given that forgiveness resides in the heart and soul, most of our time will be spent actively practicing those disciplines that allow forgiveness to take root and to grow.

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A new 7-month small group experience at Starrette Farm Retreat Center, facilitated by Audrey Brendel and Roxanne Morgan — Thursdays, one day each month (Oct 8, 2020 - Apr 8, 2021).

The course is based on the exciting new book, EARTH, OUR ORIGINAL MONASTERY, by Christine Valters Paintner, bestselling author and online abbess for Abbey of the Arts. Together, we will journey a path of contemplative living by focusing on the image of Earth as our original monastery — the place where we learn our most fundamental prayers, participate in each day’s liturgy of praise, and experience the wisdom of the seasons. We will explore how living contemplatively with an appreciation for the natural world can make us more aware of the presence of God in every aspect of our life. The beautiful seasonal timing of this 7 month course will take us through Advent, Lent and Easter.

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INAUGURAL MEETING: Saturday, August 22. 10:00 - 11:30 AM (via Zoom)
MONTHLY MEETINGS: 1st Thursday of the month
September 2020– February 2021 (via ZOOM)

In this 7-lesson series, we’ll gain an understanding of six aspects of Jesus’ life and incorporate them into our lives daily. By doing so, we will grow more and more Christlike – and become better able to love others, including our neighbors. Based on “A Spiritual Formation Workbook” published by Renovare’.

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APRIL 4, 2020 | 10am - 3pm

We will explore the history, the scriptures, and experience the newly-created Stations of the Cross prayer walk —nestled in a peaceful setting leading through the woods near the labyrinth at Starrette Farm Retreat Center. Two opportunities provided. Each date is limited to 20 participants.

REGISTER HERE ➝