Mapping the Geography of Grace: A Writing Workshop for Clergy

Sponsored by The Collegeville Institute in partnership with The Center for Ministry

For generations, the South has been known for its great writers. Faulkner, O’Connor, Wright, Welty, Percy, Berry—their work continues to inspire those who read and write today. These authors pull back the curtain on the heights and depths of the human condition. They invite us to wrestle with profound dilemmas and to exult in the surprises of grace.

Who among us now is writing to probe and illumine the ebb and flow of our spiritual journeys? Who is exploring the landscape of faith in ways that both bless and challenge today’s church? Who among our clergy hear a call to articulate with clarity and resonance the hungers of 21^st century hearts, minds, and souls?

The Collegeville Institute is partnering with the Center for Ministry in Jackson, Mississippi, to host this writing workshop for clergy in the southeastern U.S. who can answer “Here I am” to the questions posed above. Stretching over five full days, the workshop will feature teaching sessions with noted author Robert Benson, time for writing, and gatherings for reading and responding to the work of others in the group.

The experience is open to ordained persons of all denominations. Writers of various levels of experience are welcome to apply; there is no expectation that participants are published authors. The foremost requirements are a desire to make substantive and imaginative theological reflection available to the church and the reading public and a willingness to expand one’s capacity for doing so.

The workshop will be held at the Gray Center in the countryside north of Canton, Mississippi. The Collegeville Institute is underwriting the costs of lodging and meals, and all workshop fees. All travel expenses remain the responsibility of participants. The program will be limited to twelve participants.

Workshop facilitator Robert Benson has spent his life writing and speaking about one thing—paying attention to the everyday things that point us to the presence of the Holy in our lives. He has published books on topics as diverse as prayer, liturgy, spirituality, vocation, travel, gardening, baseball, and the Rule of St. Benedict. They include Between the Dreaming and the Coming True, Living Prayer, In Constant Prayer, That We May Perfectly Love Thee, and his most recent work, Moving Miss Peggy.

Application Process:

Application deadline has passed. We are no longer accepting applications for this workshop.

After the workshop concludes, each participant is encouraged to submit an original 500-word essay on a topic of his/her choice, intended for a general audience. Participants’ essays may be used as blog entries on the Collegeville Institute’s website or featured in other Collegeville Institute publications. Workshop participants should submit their essays to the Collegeville Institute within three months after the conclusion of the writing workshop.