Remembering Henri Nouwen

Today--September 21--is Henri's day. As I remember my teacher Henri Nouwen on this 15th Anniversary of his death and transition, I am reminded not only of his incredibly significant contribution to the theory and practice of spiritual direction and spiritual formation, but of his conviction that if we befriend our death before we die, our spirit remains accessible to those we leave behind.

I reached out today to others who knew Henri in life and remember him in death. They too recognize September 21 as an auspicious day for many. In honor of Henri, I offer this quote about “befriending death” in Chapter 7 of Spiritual Formation: Following the Movements of the Spirit

"It seems indeed important that we face death before we are in any real danger of dying and reflect on our mortality before all our conscious and unconscious energy is directed to the struggle to survive… I think, then, that our task is to befriend death."

Looking ahead, Drew University will honor the memory of Henri Nouwen on All Saints Day--Novemeber 1, 2011.

Drew has an endowed Lectureship in Classical Christian Spirituality to which we invite outstanding figures in the field to come and lecture on the subject related to the person, witness and works of Henri J. M. Nouwen (1932-1996).

Past presenters have included: Dean James Pain, Michael Christensen, Jim Forest, Nathan Ball, Robert Jonas, Robert Ellsberg, Rebecca Laird, Lisa Cataldo and John Dear.

This year's featured Lecturer is Enuma Okoro, author of the spiritual memoir, Reluctant Pilgrim--an award wining finalist for the 2010 USA Book News and 2011 National Eindie Excellence Book Awards. She also is co-editor (with Shane Claiborne and Jonahtan Wilson-Hartgrove) of Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals. Her writings have been featured on ABC's Good Morning America, Christian Century and Christianity Today.

Her topic for the Drew lecture is BY WAY OF PAINT AND PEN: THE ARTS AS A MEDIUM FOR SPIRITUAL FORMATION

Henri loved the arts--especially painting, music and dance--and Okoro, a liturgical artist born in Nigeria and raised in New York, loves Henri's spirituality and life work.

Please join us if you can on Tuesday, November 1, 7:30pm, in Craig Chapel for a liturgical dance processional, Taize meditation in song, and special lecture by Enuma Okoro. Followed by a Book Signing in the Atrium of Seminary Hall.

To register, or for further information, contact Nancy VanderVeen at nvanderveen@drew.edu

Water Buckets for for washing hands Needed in Malawi

“Sadly, I do think most deaths will be in those countries (Africa, Asia and South America), and the most extreme economic pain..." -- Bill Gates on PBS News Hour, April 7, 2020 EASTER 2020: We’re all coping the best we can during this Easter season of hopeful-struggle in the face of the Global pandemic by the name of Covid-19. “Brace yourselves,” I say to our international ministry partners,“ as new cases in their countries surface and testing begins. How to help them prepare, put basic provisions in place, and help the people stay healthy and safe. COVID CARE KITS, our Easter campaign this year, urgently seeks cash donations to help our front-line ministry partners in Malawi, Uganda, and Palestine procure and distribute soap and sanitizers, face masks, and emergency food, in areas most at risk for the coronavirus which has already arrived. WorldHope Corps sponsors two Hope Tailoring Schools in Malawi and Uganda, and a child develo...

Let the River Flow: Why WorldHope Corps digs village wells

Sunday Sermon at the The Water's Edge in OB , San Diego, CA. "Woman at the Well" (John 4:7-15) When you think about the gospel story of the Samaritan woman with Jesus at Jacob’s well, I’d like you to picture this Woman at a similar well in northern Malawi. Sitting and talking with Pastor Dennis Singini about water. Her name is Nyang'oma, which means "drum." Her Christian name is Mary Botha. She is 85 years old and lives in a village in the Kampenda area of Northern Malawi. She has cared for 11 children, two of whom have died. And her husband has died. When Dennis and I first met Mary in 2008, her village did not have a deep well or access to clean water. Nor did the six surrounding villages with over 1,500 people. Women and children had to drink with animals from shallow seasonal wells or walk about of 5km away to drink from the closest stream. Sometimes they would get sick and complain of stomach aches. Cholera and dysentery were widespread, and m...

Liberation Spirituality: Henri Nouwen and Gustavo Gutierrez in Dialogue

Liberation Spirituality: Henri Nouwen and Gustavo Gutierrez in Dialogue Lecture Notes: Presented by Michael J. Christensen, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the Practice of Spirituality and Ministry, Drew University; and International Director, Communities of Shalom, The United Methodist Church Introduction “There is a little man in Peru, a man without any power, who lives in a barrio with poor people and who wrote a book. In this book he simply reclaimed the basic Christian truth that God became human to bring good news to the poor, new light to the blind, and liberty to the captives. Then years later this book and movement it started is considered a danger by [the USA, or Rome], the greatest power on earth. When I look at this little man, Gustavo, and think about [the President of the US, or the Pope], I see David standing before Goliath, again with no more weapon than a little stone, a stone called A The...

WorldHope Corps

Search This Blog