Our Mission
We are a center for experiential education, rooted in the Gospels, encouraging the transformation of human consciousness through contemplation, and equipping people to be instruments of peaceful change in the world.
Letter from Matt Sholler | June 2011
All of Us, Beloved Sons
Dear Brothers,
At last week’s Men’s Rites of Passage (MROP) in Sandstone, Minnesota, I had the great fortune of joining the local team to help serve the 43 initiates gathered at the Audubon Center. At each meal I found myself sitting across the table from a different man, listening to his story and the life events that had led him to the MROP. Those interactions reminded me again and again of an important dimension of the five-day experience: None of us are alone in facing life’s challenges.
What’s more, our individual journeys are often marked by similar questions, similar obstacles, similar wounds. Through the MROP’s rituals, teachings, group discussions, silent reflection, and immersion in nature as the “first Bible,” we come to learn—or perhaps remember—that we are all beloved sons of God. That our wounds can be sources of wisdom. That we can be sources of light and of life for others back in our home communities. Here’s one quote from an Initiated Man about his experience:
"“[The MROP] empowered me to come back to my wife who had terminal cancer, and transform my own pain and anger into positive, healing, present energy for myself and for her. I had been on the spiritual path, but the MROP just exponentially put me in a different place with myself and God.”
In addition to Minnesota, we welcome the newly Initiated Men from the MROPs in Texas (35), Southern California (40), and Germany (60) into our continually expanding circle. See our summer MROP schedule below. Send in your application today!
In this issue, we’re also interested in hearing from YOU about ways to strengthen the Drumbeat. Take our short online survey and you’ll receive a free MP3 download from our Mustard Seed bookstore. In addition, we’ve included a reflection from Fr. Richard about the meaning of freedom as we approach Independence Day in the U.S.
Peace and Fire,
