The Spiritual Roots of Protest Retreat - 60th Anniversary

Revolutionary Love as the Heart of Nonviolence
The Unity of Contemplation and Social Transformation
December 12-15, 2024

Cost $475

Sixty years ago, Trappist monk, writer, theologian, mystic and scholar, Thomas Merton discerned the moment to ask, what are the spiritual roots of protest? He convened a retreat with some of the leading faith-based nonviolent activists of the time, including Daniel and Philip Berrigan, John Grady, Jim Forrest, Tom Cornell, A.J. Muste and John Howard Yoder, among others. Martin Luther King, Jr. intended to participate but travelled instead to Oslo to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

Now. We discern our own urgent moment. We name the faces of death assaulting humanity and creation: climate disaster, genocidal militarism, racial/religious supremacy, the assault on democracy, more. We gather in the conviction that our peacemaking roots must grow deeper, and our imaginations be freed to new forms of protest and political transformation. Our time together will embrace a rhythm of contemplative practices necessary to prepare and sustain us for the work of resistance and social transformation set before us.

We pray in the Spirit’s groan, encouraging one another, cultivating hope, fostering community, awaiting to see what she has in store for us.

Cosponsored by the Daniel Berrigan Collective and the International Thomas Merton Society.