Star Gazer W43

Celebrating YOU This Thursday

A special invitation to all friends, supporters, patrons, donors, and volunteers!

If you hadn’t had the opportunity to RSVP to our “Starry, Starry Night – Evening at the Star!” event taking place this Thursday, October 27, 2022 please take a moment to do so now. We are excited to gather for a special evening of appreciation with you being our Star guests.

Special Whole House Event
6:30 – 9:00 pm
Thanksgiving Presentation
7:00 pm

See results of Three-Year Starlight Campaign
November 2018 – November 2021

See how ministry is flourishing!

Experience spiritually-themed conference rooms and witness to Star growth in mission and ministry due to patron, donor, and volunteer community support!

Come and enjoy music, food, and celebratory social atmosphere in a safe, welcoming environment.

Please RSVP by email to admin@starofthenorth.ca
phone 780-459-5511,
or through our website at www.starofthenorth.ca/starry

November/December Programs

We have an whole list of exciting programs lined up for the coming months with gifted presenters such as Sandra Prather, Sr. Kambeitz, Becky Bonham, Mary Clare Stack and Ron Rolheiser. See something you’re intrigued by? Give us a call or click the graphics to find out more. Help us get the word out by inviting some friends, sharing of social media, or informing your church community.

“He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him” (Jn. 1:11).

Jesus, an “outsider”, shared the lot of women who were outcasts due to their status, infirmity or lifestyle. In these presentations we reflect (with visuals and stories) on the encounters of the outsider Jesus with ten unnamed outsider women who belong as insiders in the new world he came to establish.

Sr. Teresita Kambeitz will be joining us via live-stream for this powerful scripture series.

There are two time options for taking these sessions: afternoons (1:30 to 3:30 pm MT) or evenings (7:00 to 9:00 pm MT).

There are also two viewing options for these sessions: online or with others at Star of the North (with a projection screen).

Cost: $90 - Register by November 1st at www.starofthenorth.ca/outcasts

The synodal path we have been walking as a Roman Catholic church began officially in 2021 and ends in 2023 when the bishops convoke the ‘Synod on the Synod.’ But it is not supposed to end there! The synodal process has always been about transforming us as a church: we are meant to continue on the path of ‘walking together in the Spirit.’ 

But we have questions! What are we being called to? Why are we being called to it? And most importantly, how are we to do this? What does being ‘synodal’ even look like? Furthermore, why should I care? What’s my part in all this?

Join facilitator Sandy Prather for an informal evening of exploring questions, propose responses, and in doing so, be perhaps discover our place in a synodal church. 

Join us in-person or online on November 10 at 7:00 pm (MT)

Cost: $20 - Register by November 1st at www.starofthenorth.ca/synodal 

If you’ve recently left a church, felt like your questions, doubts or concerns were unwelcome, or found yourself caught in a season of spiritual struggle or disillusionment, this will be a gathering of fellow wanderers. Join facilitators Becky Bonham and Clint Porritt in a safe space for honouring the journey, confronting your fears and befriending your doubts, and reframing your wondering and wandering as God’s good work within you.

"The whole thing about wandering is you honestly don’t know where you’re going. The whole thing about wondering is you can’t be sure what the answer is when you ask a question.?.. It definitely feels safer to start with the answer! But underneath the superficial security, that way of being a Christian is really scary. Your security was bought at the price of your wondering, wandering heart. And your whole, free heart is a lovely thing. It is beautiful to the world, & beloved by God. That wholeness of self is a heartbreaking thing to sacrifice.?" —  Laura J. Truman

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Clint Porritt is a wanderer with 25+ years of faith formation experience through teaching, preaching, spiritual direction, and program development. He holds a Master of Theological Studies from Taylor Seminary and is passionate about the intersection of spiritual formation, theology, creation-care, and social justice. His spirituality is worked out in the garden and the great outdoors, through connection to literature, music and art, and in deeper conversations with those seeking a faith that "works" in the real world.

Becky Moritz Bonham is a self-described wrestler, wanderer, and wonderer. She is learning to find herself in the Story, and to embrace a spirit of adventure on the journey of faith and doubt. Her spirituality is worked out by being present with God and with others, making space for diversity and dialogue, and facilitating community and companionship through holding space together in the messiness of life. In her roles as spiritual director, hospital chaplain, and therapist-in-training, she seeks to be a “Co-Explorer of Mystery” who partners with her clients to notice, explore, and be transformed by the presence of the Divine in the present moment.

Join us at the end of November! www.starofthenorth.ca/wander 

Early-Bird Deadline: November 1st: Online $130 | Commuter $205 | Live-In $315

Star of the North Retreat Centre is again pleased to be hosting Fr. Ron Rolheiser this December for a full retreat weekend. Live-in accommodations are limited (suites no longer available), so register early.

Friday Evening Public Lecture 

Quiet Prophecy: Another Kind of Protest for Transformation - Scripture tells us that, as he grew, John the Baptist “grew strong in spirit”. What if you are the type of person who is “accommodating in spirit”? What if you are not the type of person who can openly protest things and openly challenge others? What are your prophetic gifts? How can your quiet gifts challenge the world and the church to be more just, more loving, and more faith-filled? Is there another kind of “protest” that is powerfully prophetic?

Cost: Online $25 | In-Person $30
www.starofthenorth.ca/prophecy 

Full Retreat Weekend (include Friday lecture)

Prayer: Our Deepest Hunger - Is prayer a hunger? Then why do we have to a make an effort to pray? How does the Spirit pray through us “in groans that are too deep for words”? How do we “pray always”? How do we pray when we are simply too distracted, tired, dissipated, and too disinterested to pray? What are the major formal types of prayer? How is liturgical prayer different from private prayer? What are solitude and contemplation? What is “Sabbath Time” and how is this prayer?  This retreat will focus on answering those questions in a way that, hopefully, leads us into deeper prayer within our lives.

Cost: Online $165 | Commuter $255 | Live-In $395
www.starofthenorth.ca/rolheiser 

Ron Rolheiser is an internationally-known author, retreat leader and spiritual theologian. He writes a weekly column that is carried in over 70 newspapers around the world. He is a former professor at Newman Theological College in Edmonton, Alberta and past-president of the Oblate School of Spirituality in San Antonio, Texas.

Join Sr. Mary Clare Stack on a one-day journey through scripture, the wisdom of Pope Francis, contemporary authors and artists. Mary Clare is a joyful and compassionate woman. With the charism of the Incarnation rooted in her heart, she is a woman who discovers the presence of God in everything that happens, but especially in the most disfigured faces. Together we will walk this Advent moment, keeping ourselves open to a future filled with hope, which we can create together.

Cost: Online $100 | In-Person $150 
www.starofthenorth.ca/advent

Mary Clare Stack is an Ursuline of Jesus. Throughout her life she has carried out a variety of ministries, always in the social field, in Canada, and for a time in Latin America. She is a professional social worker. She currently works for Catholic Social Services. As a religious sister she has assumed different responsibilities, from the leadership of the congregation here in Canada, to novice directress. She is currently vocation director and animator of the lay associates, Charism Friends.

Aurora Living Winter Module

Have you considered joining the Aurora Living community? Inclusive of everyone, we invite you to consider joining us on this journey of hope and action! Each three-month module includes:

• 3 retreats: an opening weekend retreat and 2 Saturday retreats 
• 3 smaller Wisdom Group formation gatherings
• Monthly reading and video resources
• Optional spiritual direction (up to three sessions)

Our winter module runs from January through March, starting with our opening retreat January 20-22, 2023 and is entitled Wisdom: The Wells We Drink From and will feature presenters Priscilla Solomon, Ron Rolheiser, and Gisele Bauche among others.

Early registration ends December 15th. Visit www.starofthenorth.ca/wisdom to register.