**Final Deadline to register is Wednesday, March 14. Don’t miss out!**

The Federation Grassroots Committee invites Sisters to “Charity Friendship: Deepening Our Relationships through Contemplative Conversations” at the Maris Stella Retreat and Conference Center in Harvey Cedars, New Jersey. This retreat will take place Sunday, April 8 – Friday, April 13, 2018.

The retreat will include communal prayer and a daily charism reflection by Sister Judy Metz, SC connecting our founders with themes drawn from Judith Glaser’s book Conversational Intelligence. Sister Alice Ann O’Neill, SC will present a short integration of C-IQ material and will lead retreatants into pairs of two for contemplative conversations for the last hour before lunch. The afternoons are unscheduled to allow time for personal reflection and/or a walk along the shore.

Conversational Intelligence provides a framework and practices for people to listen, engage and design conversations which can shape the future of our relationships and our communities. By becoming aware of points for personal growth and learning new skills to use when we interact and talk with each other, we build trust that can strengthen the culture of our communities and transform our future. Judith Glaser says it like this…

“The quality of your culture depends upon the quality of your relationships which depends on your conversations…conversational intelligence exists as a collaborative effort, and when we practice it together
we raise the C-IQ of relationships.”

Past participants shared their experience of this retreat: “This was a great experience for me. Many Sisters in my community talk about the desire to get to know one another. This process would be great to use within communities.” “This was an excellent experience from beginning to end. It was so wonderful for me to share with so many Sisters of Charity from other congregations and most importantly to make connections and friendships.” This is not a silent retreat but will have a prayerful, joy-filled environment. The retreat is open to all members of the Sisters of Charity Federation. We journey into the future together!

If you have any inquiries about the Grassroots Retreat, feel free to contact Sister Alice Ann O’Neill via email aao@srcharitycinti.org or by phone at 513-377-7033.