ON BECOMING – THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED
The story of Sister Thea Bowman and our own stories
[An online interactive program]
By telling Thea’s story participants would be encouraged to dream about their own “becoming.” How likely was it for a little Black child from Mississippi to go into “white” country, become a woman religious where she was the only person of color and eventually tell the bishops what their job is?
What do we dream? Doesn’t matter our age. We all have dreams. Let’s explore. Maybe we have an itch to do something but are afraid to move on? Okay, let’s write that dream down. In a few words, each person might write that dream down, roll it up and put it in a little prayer box they may wear. This, I would suggest will be a reminder to continue to think and pray about how each of us might fulfill our dream, or part of it, in our process of becoming who God wants us to become.
This is a two hour online event via Zoom. Mindful that we are all differently abled, at times movement such as dance is encouraged during the event. Space is limited to no more than 50 registrants.
Because the Facilitator will mail retreat materials and mementos in advance of this gathering, registration closes eight days prior to the event (April 22, 2022).
[Cover art (C) Sr. Jean Reardon, r.c.]
About the facilitator: An Eclectic Short Narrative of Pat Pickett.
As a mother of seven children, Pat Pickett didn’t go to graduate school until her youngest was in kindergarten. Her husband was an ambitious man seeking to be the president of a college and his climb up the academic ladder took them from MO to WI back to MO to CO to MI to CA to NY. During these ten years seven children were born.
Her undergraduate degree was in art with a minor in theology. In CO her art exploded and she was in demand as an artist. Then the family moved to MI and it was a time of pulling the family together. Next a move to CA, where Pat went to grad school and was hired by the Diocese of San Diego to write and create all the children’s programs for RENEW. Then she became the new, huge parish’s DRE. 700+ children and her job was to create a program to educate them all. This was one of her most fulfilling ministries but just as she had everything set up and working, they moved to NY.
Her most incredible ministry was 13 years as the only chaplain for a state institution for Intellectually Disabled adults in TN. After receiving an advanced degree in Old Testament and with six years of Hebrew under her belt, she found herself in a situation where 80% of the people could not talk at all. She had to find a way to communicate with them. This was transformative and set her on the path of creating workshops and retreats and seminars in the unique way she presents the WORD to participants.
Pat had been teaching summer school at Memphis Theological Seminary (MTS) [Hebrew, Wisdom Lit., Pentateuch, Psalms and Prophets] and filling in for students in their Student pastorates when they had to be absent. She began to do seminars for Oates Institute in Louisville, KY and that was her first intro to leading seminars and retreats. This was a place Chaplains, Social Workers, Pastors, etc. could obtain Continuing Education Credits. She led programs on a variety of subjects all related to Spirituality. At the same time, she had created an outreach program for Latinx children who couldn’t afford enrichment programs after school. Then COVID.
Pat is a Benedictine Oblate and COVID brought zoom to the Oblates and their meetings. She began doing programs for St. Benedict’s Monastery in St. Joseph, MN and MTS pastors through zoom. It was a challenge since a core part of what she did was engage participants in programs with art and music and dance and poetry no matter what the subject happened to be. Thus began her close friendship with the United States Post Office. Since COVID she has mailed more packages to retreat and seminar and workshop participants than Santa Claus.
Pat has lead an Interfaith Reflection for Advent on the Psalms for 49 persons for three weeks. Included in this group are persons from these traditions: Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, UCC and one lonely Baptist. They come from CA, MA, IA, ND, MN, WI, IL, GA, AR, TN, KY and TX. Most recently, Pat led a retreat at St. Benedict’s on the spirituality of Alzheimer’s entitled Dancing in the Dark.
