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Our parish retreat:
April 24
through 26, 2009
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Looking forward to Shrine Mont 2008
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St. George’s annual weekend at Shrine Mont is coming up.
Shrine Mont is a retreat center of the Diocese of Virginia located in Orkney
Springs, Virginia. St. Georgians will gather at Shrine Mont, as we have for many
years now, on the last weekend of April (April 25 through April 27, to be
precise). Shrine Mont is a beautiful facility, located in the Shenandoah
Mountains about two hours west of Arlington. You can learn more about the place
at
http://www.Shrine Mont.com/.
The theme for the weekend, which is meant to complement our
Centennial celebration, is “storytelling.” We’re planning an evening of
storytelling for Friday, April 25, and on the next day, we will offer a morning
program centered on the art of storytelling. We hope to share all sorts of
stories over the weekend: stories of faith, stories of our history as a parish,
stories that have informed our lives, and stories that have brought us wisdom or
joy. On Sunday we will celebrate the Eucharist in the open-air Cathedral Shrine
of the Transfiguration.
All of our planned activities are optional—you may join in
as many or as few as you like. Shrine Mont offers ample time and space for all
sorts of relaxation. Our tradition there is to spend a lot of social time
together. This year’s schedule will include “porching,” hikes, and the popular
game night/ice cream social on Saturday. The food at Shrine Mont is legendary
(in many different respects), and plentiful. The weekend is exceptionally
family-friendly: children rarely have difficulty entertaining themselves at
Shrine Mont.
Two of our activities require some advance preparation: On Friday night, our
storytelling session is a time to gather and share stories.
In every age and culture, people have gathered in the evening and shared
stories to entertain, enlighten, teach, etc. We might hear stories from our
history as a parish, or stories that we loved as children, or just anything that
would be a pleasant way to pass the time together. No one is required to tell a
story, but, if you have a good one, please come prepared to tell it to the
group. Stories can be read or told from memory, but should not take longer than
about three minutes. On Saturday night, we will hold our traditional (and very
popular) game night. Please bring you favorite board game or cards, etc. We have
multiple games going all over the room, and it's a great opportunity to
re-discover the joys of non-digital entertainment. Please plan on joining your
fellow St. Georgians for a great weekend in a beautiful setting.
-- Michael Woods
Registration
Registration will take place on two consecutive
Sundays: April 6 and April 13. There will be a Shrine Mont Registration table at
the coffee hours following the 9:00 and 11:00 services. In order to register,
you will need to complete a “Shrine Mont Registration Form” (see below; hard
copies will also be available at the registration tables) and provide a check
for the appropriate amount. This year, the cost for Shrine Mont will be $155 for
adults, $90 for children 8-12, and $40 for children 4-7. Children 3 and under
are free. Scholarships are available (consult with Ron Crocker to obtain a
scholarship). Checks should be made out to “St. George’s Episcopal Church” and
have “Shrine Mont” noted in the memo line. If you cannot make either of the
registrations at coffee hour, you may also register by dropping off or mailing a
completed registration form and check to the parish office. Registration closes
on April 15, so that we can arrange final room assignments at Shrine Mont. After
April 15, you will receive a confirmation e-mail with your room assignment and
other details.
Schedule
Friday, April 25
- 4:00–5:30 PM Arrival, check in, housing assignments/Gazebo
- 5:30–7:00 PM Dinner/Hotel dining room
- 7:30–9:00 PM Evening activity: storytelling/Art Hall
- 9:00–9:15 PM Compline/Art Hall
Saturday, April 26
- 7:30–8:00 AM Morning Prayer/Art Hall
- 8:00–8:45 AM Breakfast/Tucker
- 9:00–Noon Adult Program on storytelling/Art Hall,
concurrent youth and children’s
activity/location TBD
- 12:00–12:15 Noonday prayer/Art Hall
- 12:30–1:30 PM Lunch/Tucker
- 1:30–4:30 PM Free time (hiking, Shrine Mont tour, other
activities available)
- 4:30–5:30 PM Porching/Gibson
- 5:30–7:30 PM Dinner/Tucker
- 7:30–9:00 PM Evening activity: Game Night and ice cream social/Art Hall
- 9:00–9:30 PM Taizé service/Cathedral Shrine of the Transfiguration
Sunday, April 27
- 7:30–8:00 AM Morning Prayer/Art Hall
- 8:00–8:45 AM Breakfast/Tucker
- 8:45–9:30 Eucharist/Shrine
- 9:30–Noon Free time
- Noon–12:30 PM Checkout/Gazebo
- 12:30–1:30 PM Lunch/Tucker
PLEASE NOTE:
Schedule reflects current plans; there may be some changes.
Things to bring
- Your favorite games
- Snacks and soft drinks
- A flashlight
- Blankets and extra pillows
- Casual, warm clothes
- Jackets and rain gear
- Extra towels and washcloths
- Sports/fishing equipment
- Your singing voice
Do not bring pets, radios, boom boxes, squirt guns, or water balloons.
Skateboards and roller blades also are not allowed. Bikes are not allowed inside
any building or on any porch. Fireworks or firearms of any kind are absolutely
prohibited. Because of the wooden buildings, smoking is not allowed in any
building.
Directions to Shrine Mont:
Take I-66 West to I-81 South. Follow I-81 South to Exit 273 (Mt. Jackson). Turn
left and cross over I-81. Turn right onto Route 11 South. Follow Route 11 South
to Route 263 West. Follow Route 263 West to the end of the road.
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A Microsoft Word version of
this form is available here |
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St. George’s Episcopal Church
Annual Shrine Mont Parish Retreat
April 25—27, 2008
Registration
Last name(s) of
family:__________________________________________________________________________________
Address:
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Telephones (Home): ___________________________________ (Office):
_________________________________________
Telephones (Home): ___________________________________ (Office):
_________________________________________
E-mail addresses: ___________________________________ (Office):
_________________________________________
Please list the names and circle the gender of all attendees.
ADULTS (13 and older) CHILDREN (Ages 8-12) CHILDREN (4-7) CHILDREN (0-3)
Child’s Age
_________________ M F ________________ M F __________________ M F
__________________ M F ___________
_________________ M F ________________ M F __________________ M F
__________________ M F ___________
_________________ M F ________________ M F __________________ M F
__________________ M F ___________
_________________ M F ________________ M F __________________ M F
__________________ M F ___________
_________________ M F ________________ M F __________________ M F
__________________ M F ___________
Number of adults ____ x $155 = $ ______
Number of children ages 8-12 ____ x $ 90 = $ ______
Number of children ages 4-7 ____ x $ 40 = $_______
Number of children ages 0-3 ____ x $ 0 = $_______
TOTAL $ ______
Do you need a scholarship? 1
Yes No
Special needs:
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Room requests: (Cabin/room assignments cannot be guaranteed):
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Will ALL members of your family be staying the entire time (Friday dinner
through Sunday lunch)?
Friday Dinner 5:30 – 7:00 P.M. Sunday Lunch 12:30 – 1:30 P.M. YES NO
Please list all family members arriving late or departing early and their
schedule. Note: We cannot guarantee a price reduction.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Please share "a little known fact" about yourself and all individuals listed
on this registration form. This information will be used during the weekend
program._______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
1A limited amount of financial scholarships are available at the discretion
of the Rector. If you need a scholarship, please circle YES. Scholarships remain
confidential. Amount _________ Rector’s Initials __________
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| Shrine Mont is a conference
center of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia, located in Orkney Springs,
Virginia, at the foot of Great North Mountain in the Shenandoah Valley.
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Shrine Mont is home to the Cathedral Shrine
of the Transfiguration, the Diocese of Virginia’s open-air cathedral. |
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Detail of the cross at the tope of the dome at
the Cathedral Shrine of the Transfiguration. |
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The Cathedral Shrine of the
Transfiguration, lit. |
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The two-story, 50-room Maryland
House is the oldest existing building at Shrine Mont. It was built in 1853.
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The Orkney Springs Hotel is
listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The main parts of the
hotel, the Pennsylvania House (shown here) and the Virginia House, were
built in 1867 and 1873, respectively.
The Virginia building was 100
feet by 265 feet, five stories tall. It had 175 guest rooms. The dining room
is 40 feet by 155 feet and has one the fountain statues of the boy holding a
leaking boot. The ballroom is 50 feet by 100 feet and was the largest built
at that time without any pillar supports. (It has 18-foot-high ceilings). |
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| Some facts about Orkney Springs can be found
online at:
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Shrine
Mont 2007 was blessed with good weather, good conversation, prayerful time,
and the camaraderie and laughter that make it feel a little like camp for
adults. The weekend started with an ice breaker on Friday night. It was
agreed at the start of the ice breaker that everyone hates them. In the
capable hands of Valerie Troiano, however, it was nearly painless.
Initially, participants were asked to find things in common with one other
person in the group, then to link up with another twosome, then a foursome,
etc. The entire group was then asked to find common links that were shared
by all. I am happy to report that everyone in the group is still in
possession of their appendix.
Saturday morning’s program was based on the popular National Public Radio
series, “This I Believe” (www.npr.org/thisibelieve).
Suzannah Rohman led participants in an exploration of their most deeply held
spiritual beliefs, using some of the essays from the website as a jumping off
point. The group was asked to take some private time to write a short essay
espousing those beliefs. Shrine Mont’s grounds were dotted with St. Georgians
sitting alone, deep in thought as they pondered what, exactly, they believed and
how to put it down on paper. Participants then shared their essays with the
group. One participant reported that listening to other people’s essays was very
interesting and moving.
The traditional “porching” hour on Saturday afternoon was enhanced by the
appearance of a bridal party who had arrived for a service at the Shrine. The
kids found this enormously entertaining and several lagged behind to witness the
actual nuptials.
Saturday night was game night, with most of the adults and many of the kids
coming together in the Art Hall with their favorite board and card games. All of
the smallest children were fed huge amounts of ice cream and then sent to bed. A
group of middle schoolers went missing as the night wore on and a posse of
worried parents went in search of them. They were found in the last place anyone
thought to look: the candlelight service in the Shrine. They returned with
glowing faces and hushed voices. It was agreed that reprimanding a child for
going to church without permission seemed counter-productive somehow.
Sunday morning’s service in the Shrine was a warm, relaxed celebration of
being together in a simple, holy place. During the service, parishioners shared
the things they were grateful for that morning, including the weather, the
company and five minutes of peace from an active toddler. The weekend finished
as it always does with fried chicken and a beautiful drive home through the
Virginia countryside.
-- Kate Holemans
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From the August 2007 issue of the Banner. |
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To see photos taken by Seton Droppers at St. George’s 2006
Shrine Mont retreat, please visit
http://www.ljpete.com/stgshrinemont2006. |
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Page last updated on:
07/24/08
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