Chant as Meditation, Sound as Spiritual Practice
With Jim Reale
September 13 - 15, 2024
“Chant deepens the very nature of prayer. It becomes the beat of the heart, the hope of the seeker. It is the etching of the Presence of God on the mind. It is the daily memory and promise of God’s presence that clasps two souls to one another: I in God, God in me.” ~ From The Monastic Heart by Sr Joan Chittister.
This retreat is designed for those who wish to explore sound as prayer and meditation in their spiritual life. It is also intended for leaders to introduce chant into their churches and spiritual communities, uniting all in the experience of sacred sound.
You will learn chants inspired by the writings of Meister Eckhart, Thomas Merton, Joan Chittister, and Thomas Keating. Chanting the writings of mystics prepares you to move from the mind, to the heart, the seat of the soul, the inner room.
The chants are musically simple, using only 3 to 4 tones, accessible for the beginner and untrained voice. Taught in a step-by-step manner, listen and then repeat, chanting as a group, not alone, in English.
The chanting will be interspersed with periods of silence and additional contemplative practices, permitting the sound to transform from words to experience.
Leader
Jim Reale has been composing chant for more than two decades. He has presented at national conferences with Fr Richard Rohr and Fr Thomas Keating. He composed and produced the CD, Doorway to Devotion, A Contemplative Entry Into Christian Prayer. Currently he is the Liturgical chanter at St Peter Catholic Church in Liberty, New York.
Learn more about Jim Reale