Cost: Sliding Scale $500, $375, $250
This contemplative retreat of prayer by way of icons, will include classic saints, but also eclectic spiritual figures from a variety of traditions, and contemporary ones like Dan and Phil Berrigan, Dorothy Day, Diana Ortiz (a living martyr), Franz Jagerstatter, and William Stringfellow – all painted (or as iconographers say, “written”) by Fa. William Hart McNichols. In reflecting on his own process in writing the icons he invites us into our own practice and process of prayer. Through his early work, he will also share his spiritual journey as an artist. Each session will be opened with a chant led by Jim Reale. The retreat roughly coincides with the publication of All My Eyes See: The Artistic Vocation of Fr William Hart McNichols, (Orbis Books 2024) which may be available.
Fr. Bill McNichols is a Roman Catholic priest and iconographer based in Albuquerque, NM. Apprenticed for six years to Robert Lentz, the Russian-American master icon-painter, he wrote his first icon, Our Lady of the New Advent, in 1991. Previously he worked as an AIDS hospice chaplain at St. Vincent’s Hospital in NYC. He is illustrator and author of many books, including the forthcoming, All My Eyes See, with Chris Pramuk. See his work at: https://frbillmcnichols-sacredimages.com/
Jim Reale has written and composed Christian chant for 2 decades, is a hospice nurse, documentary producer and plowshares activist. He has lead retreats integrating Eastern practices into Western spirituality. His CD Doorway to Devotion: A Contemplative Entry in Christian Prayer, will be available at the retreat and through openbodyopenbreath@yahoo.com .
